The Painted Bridge - Softcover

Wendy Wallace

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857209299 ISBN 13: 9780857209290

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2013

Synopsis

Outside London behind a stone wall stands Lake House, a private asylum for genteel women of a delicate nature. In the winter of 1859, recently-married Anna Palmer becomes its newest arrival, tricked by her husband into leaving home, incarcerated against her will and declared hysterical and unhinged. With no doubts as to her sanity, Anna is convinced that she will be released as soon as she can tell her story. But Anna learns that liberty will not come easily. The longer she remains at Lake House, the more she realises that -- like the ethereal bridge over the asylum's lake -- nothing is as it appears. She begins to experience strange visions and memories that may lead her to the truth about her past, herself, and to freedom - or lead her so far into the recesses of her mind that she may never escape... Set in Victorian England, as superstitions collide with a new psychological understanding, this elegant, emotionally suspenseful debut novel is a tale of self-discovery, secrets, and a search for the truth in a world where the line between madness and sanity seems perilously fine.

About this title

Review:

'A haunting look at women's asylums in 1850s England ... Wallace masterfully creates an atmosphere of utter claustrophobia and dread, intermingled with the ever-present horror of the reality of women's minimal rights in the 19th century' Publishers Weekly

'The Painted Bridge by Wendy Wallace is a soft, intricate and languid novel with a twist in the tale. This is a mesmerising first novel...' Red

'I was gripped by this fantastic book. Chilling, heart-warming, very well written and researched, this is an unusual novel about Victorian England' Rosie Boycott

'The Painted Bridge is something special: an intriguing and disturbing tale of the reality of women's lives behind the veil of Victorian respectability, which will have resonance today. Beautifully written and evoked' Rachel Hore, Richard & Judy bestselling author of A Gathering Storm

'An impressive debut with a captivating heroine and an absorbing storyline. A compulsive page-turner' --Catharine Arnold, author of Bedlam

'An emotionally charged gothic tale that will appeal to fans of the Victorian novels of Sarah Waters. Bella

'Gripping debut'Woman & Home --Woman & Home

About the Author:

Wendy Wallace is an award-winning freelance journalist and writer based in London, whose articles have appeared in the Telegraph, the Guardian and the Scotsman. This is her first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0857209299
• ISBN 13: 9780857209290
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432