Samantha Greene Woodruff

I’m catching up with some of my old FirstReads books and can’t believe I waited so long to read this! Absolutely haunting story of the amazing woman married to a man (based on the real life man who pioneered lobotomies!), her support and belief in him and his sometimes shady practices, and then her ultimate decision to turn against him when she recognizes him becoming reckless and ego-driven. Viewpoints are mostly Ruth’s, with some of Margaret - a young mother with the baby blues - and Robert, her husband.

Setting is in NYC in 1940s-1950s. Loved reading about what life was like back then.

Ruth’s development was fascinating to read and she is so kind, caring and compassionate, yet assertive and not afraid to stand up for what’s right. Robert, Edward and Margaret were well-written characters as well, their motives understandable. And I loved the ending!

4 stars because the middle dragged and I didn’t feel as close to Ruth as much as I wanted.

Overall a well done piece of historical fiction touching in a very dark time in medical history.… (mehr)

I love first novels. They show the very great effort and leap of faith the author has gone through to make it over the publication hurdle the first time. This book is Woodruff’s first (though I imagine like all of us she has many more in her desk drawer), and she’s knocked it out of the park.
Based on the true story of a doctor who started the practice of lobotomy to ‘cure’ patients with desperate mental illness, this novel shows the folly of grandiosity, as the doctor in the picture becomes so enamoured with himself and his successes that things get quite out of control.
The main character is his wife, who runs a mental institution based on her love of the patients within. She is a strong, competent woman who nevertheless is held to be a failure by her parents who of course want her to marry and produce offspring. She has a deep sorrow from the loss of her brother through suicide that drives her, relentlessly. This makes her easy pickings for what is surely a sociopath.
Some of the dialogue is a bit less than effective, and the “strong woman bucking societal trends” trope is a bit familiar, but the topic in this case is quite interesting and the denouement is suspenseful enough to make the reader race through to the end.
Well done and I hope to read more by this author!… (mehr)

In the early 1930s, Ruth Emeraldine is working at NY Hospital for the Insane, now Emeraldine after her father made a large endowment. Ruth has devoted her life to helping the patients, after her brother, Harry succumbed to his mental illness. When she meets Dr. Robert Apter, she is intrigued, and she believes that he shares her philosophy to help the mentally ill via new procedures. Apter "perfects" the lobotomy. He performs hundreds of them.
Meanwhile, Margaret, suffering from postpartum depression seeks his help. But Ruth becomes suspect of the success of lobotomies. Is she too late to save Margaret, her marriage, the hospital?
This is the story of a person's drive to succeed at any cost, contrasted with the compassion and patience of others. Interesting, but I felt that at times, the book was too bogged down with some things and didn't go deeply enough into other. Just OK.… (mehr)

Book with interesting topic of lobotomy, a treatment performed on patients with mental health conditions.

Ruth Apter understands the crisis of mental health problems. Her brother lost his life fighting depression after his return from war. Now she can help patients in her hospital where together with her husband, they are determined to find a cure for insanity. Robert Apter, a successful doctor, spends every moment on new treatment he calls the miracle cure. He is proud of his success and the number of lobotomies he can perform in a short amount of time. Until it all goes wrong. The statistics at the hospital show concerns and Ruth will do everything to make it right.

The topic of lobotomy may be very disturbing especially the way it was performed at that time. I didn’t know what to expect from this book. It made me angry when patients, who were so hopeful, got even worse after this reckless procedure of the doctor whose success was more important than patient’s well being. But on the bright site, I loved and admired Ruth, who put her heart to make a difference in those people’s lives.
I really liked this book and I’m glad I finally decided to read it. It surprises me that it’s a debut novel. It’s interesting, grabbing reader’s attention, provoking and emotional. You’ll like it.… (mehr)