Review: "The Mad Woman Upstairs"

Read the article on the eMissourian here

This novel is perfect for the Brontë lover in all of us and is especially appealing to those who have read the author’s three famed works.

Outlined with symbolism and depth, “The Madwoman Upstairs,” by Catherine Lowell, follows young Samantha Whipple as she begins a new chapter of her life at Oxford Old College in England.

As the last living heir to the Brontë family, Samantha goes on an intrinsic search for meaning in her father's madness. He leaves her clues to finding her inheritance within the novels that she grew up reading: a treasure map of sorts only decipherable upon close reading of the three most famous Brontë works.

As Samantha grasps at straws trying to riddle out her father's intentions within three rather difficult testimonies of late 19th century literature, she begins to uncover deep scandals within her favorite works of art.

With the help of a crabby (and rather attractive) professor, Samantha pieces together a puzzle of deceit that had been in place for decades. She's left wondering if she's learned more about her father, her ancestors or herself.

“The Madwoman Upstairs” is creative and rich in vocabulary, even if it may be a bit outrageous at times. Laced with a forbidden love story and nuances galore, this story is one that will leave the reader with the willingness to search for any adventure possible in everyday life.

#review #published