Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland (ARC)
Publication Date: September 6, 2010
Versions: hardcover, kindle
Received from: We Love YA Tours!

Summary (from goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself-and others-in order to be set free. And love may be the key...

This book was at first a little bit confusing but when I clicked with the different characters and the scenes, the story came alive. Louisa has always been different-liking the games her brother plays and wishing she could play them more often. But her mother doesn't approve of her behaviors especially when they lead to her destroying a doll and creating a few other experiments. But when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall she is stunned-she shouldn't be at this place because she isn't crazy. And when they keep saying her name is Lucy Childs-she knows it isn't and they must have got the wrong girl. And when Louisa figures out why she had to go to Wildthorn in the first place, things start to make sense again.

This book jumps from the present to the past of Louisa's childhood where her mother is very un encouraging of her behavior. Her parents are very different and I enjoyed reading about them. Louisa is also a very strong character who knows what she wants and how she will get it.

Will I reread it?
I may have to. This was a very powerful book-one that you think about for a long time after you put it down. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great read that will also haunt you.