Book By: Joanna Politano
The latest release from author Joanna Politano is an eerie tale of the start of music therapy in Victorian England. Readers follow the heroine, Vivienne Mourdant, into the dark, dank, and disturbing mental hospital of Hurstwell. Though Vivienne begins her tenure there as a staff member, we quickly learn that there are several players who never want her to leave and will stop at nothing to make sure that happens.
What begins as a quest to find a woman the asylum says never existed turns into a journey of self-discovery, uncovering decades-long secrets, and self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.
There are lots of twists and turns in this story, and there are characters that are just as twisty as the plot. Many mentions of ghosts in the beginning had me wondering if in fact there would be some sort of paranormal thing happening, but rest assured – there is no paranormal activity in this story.
Insight to the life in asylums and the types of patients admitted, will tug on your heartstrings. It begs the questions of why and have we really done better in modern times?
If you love classical music and have an interest in how music therapy began, you’ll enjoy The Lost Melody.
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.