The book title and cover really drew me in and set my expectations pretty high. However, this was a slow read. The writing style seemed a bit all over the place. In some instances, scenes were beautifully written and in others, they were very one-dimensional. Ruth had such confusing character descriptions. She was initially introduced as this very strong woman, who was fiercely dedicated to her work and not intimidated by working in a male-dominated field. It seems odd that she could be so easily manipulated by Robert. The ending had too much build-up and not enough payoff. So many aspects of the ending did not make any sense. Enjoyed the author's note at the end about her research.

Here is a link to my review on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4552918330

I love historical fiction and I love anything medical so I was very excited to read this book. On the whole I wasn’t disappointed. A quick read I finished it over the course of an afternoon and evening and Margaret’s story especially kept me turning the pages more and more quickly. For me the most impactful scene in the book didn’t even contain anything lobotomy related; it was the ill fated Tupperware party that Maggie held. The image of her trying to get the lid on the jello mould without a table to rest it on is a beautiful work of pathos.
The novel was far from perfect though. So many things such as Robert’s sudden falling from favour with Ruth’s Father aren’t fully explained and many small plot arcs are never explored as if the author planned a much bigger and wider novel and was talked out of it.
I agree with some reviewers who have commented that the author tends to tell her reader things rather than show them. I do feel some scenes when Harry was alive and in the mental hospital would have given the story of Ruth’s motivation much more depth.
The ending was far too sudden and left too many unanswered questions for my liking. It also felt just a little too neat and tidy.
I did enjoy learning the historical background of the use of lobotomies in the USA though and it has sent me off to Google to learn more and I always say that is a sign of a good historical or fact based fiction novel. The note to readers at the end was very interesting also.
I’m giving a 4 star review because of how engaging I found the book and my desire to keep reading until the end rather than wanting to set it aside and do something else. Reading is a form of entertainment and I was thoroughly entertained despite my criticisms of it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an instant download of this novel. I found this story to be fascinating. I learned so much about the history of lobotomy and how it was used. I thought Ms. Woodruff's medical information to be factual and well researched.. I liked her character development and how she put the interludes of Margaret's story inside the main story line. I was very much interested in the story of Rosemary Kennedy and even researched her story as I was reading as well as overall articles on lobotomy. I am glad I thought the title and overall description intriguing and took a chance on this novel. I will be looking for other novels written by Samantha Greene Woodruff.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in the last few months! It was so interesting to learn about lobotomies and the history behind them, but I was even more interested in the patients receiving them and how their lives were affected by this radical treatment.

Ruth Emeraldine was a compassionate, tenacious woman, and when she lost her brother to suicide after WWI, she was even more determined to help those suffering from mental illness. When she met Robert Apter (who is loosely based on Walter Freeman, known as the “father of the lobotomy”), she was completely enamored without him and his ideas for the hospital where she worked. But as the miracle treatment he pioneered began to receive more recognition, Ruth soon saw how it changed him. He was more concerned with the notoriety and performing as many lobotomies as possible and less concerned with the patients themselves. Ruth knew she had to put a stop to this before he could hurt anyone else.

Overall, I thought this was fantastic and emotionally-driven book. I loved seeing how much Ruth cared about her patients, and she really got to know them each on a personal level, something her husband never seemed to care about. Robert’s ambitions truly created a monster and if it weren’t for Ruth, who knows how far he would have gone with the lobotomies.

Highly recommend this book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4545556348

This was….different. I didn’t full understand what lobotomy was when I started and did some research 😳 I was not prepared. This book also felt heavier than I expected as to me it tried to stick to real events and not fiction if that makes sense.

I really enjoyed reading Ruth and Margaret’s story as they both are really strong characters.

Overall this story was interesting especially just in the mental health aspect and how we as a society have treated mentally Ill through the years. I will say the first half of the book is extremely slow and I nearly dnf’d but kept going anyway.


Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a e-arc of this book.

This story was such an original one. It was so cool to read about the conception of lobotomies. The plot was quite slow moving. I didn't start to get really interested until about 60%, even though the author did a great job of developing the characters and the plot and making things flow smoothly.

Ruth was such a smart, compassionate character. I really loved seeing her role in the hospital both from the beginning and how it changed throughout the story. It all felt very real and believable.

This book was so much more than I thought it would be! Woodruff’s writing is so engaging that I couldn’t put it down! I loved Ruth’s character because she was so outside the norm of her day. She didn’t marry until 35, but she wanted a partner not a master and Robert was the man to give her that. Her compassion and humblesness was something to be admired by women of all generations.

Ruth Emarldine has made it her life’s work to help those suffereing with mental illness after her brother whom she was extremely close to took his own life after returning from WW II. She hires Robert Adpter-a brillant and doctor to help treat her patients in the most progressive of ways. They fall in love and marry and he includes her in his career right from the start nowing she doesn’t want to take a backseat like is expected of women of the day. Ruth believes in his new miracle treatment, the lobotomy, and that Robert is a genious pioneer. Robert starts to spiral out of control and Ruth begins to get suspicious.

We meet Margaret at the beginning of the book and then see her again later when she Dr. Apter diagnosis her with baby blues and suggests a lobotomy to treat her. She is desperate because she has been unable to get out of bed to care for her infant. It’s up to Ruth to save her -and others from Roberts over ambitious use of the new procedure.

This is an enthralling historical fiction that you don’t want to miss! I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It made me curious about the treatments used today in mental facilities. I couldn’t help recall the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest as well!

This story transports you through history to another time. A time when women were thankful just to be at the table when it came to working, and a time when mental disease was in its infancy of research. A fun, creepy, fast paced story sure to keep you up past your bedtime.

I am unable to give a rating to this book because I could not drag myself past the 35% mark. I found the subject matter of lobotomies to be fascinating, and the synopsis for this book on Amazon looked like a thrill ride, but the book itself was a complete bore. The author purported that the events had taken place in the 1930's, but I did not feel as though I was transported back in time to see these events happen as the author wanted people to see them. I don't understand why it's a bestseller and why it has so many high ratings. How did such an awful debut novel get so much positive attention? I don't get it. The author just tells things without showing them, the worst sin of an author if they want to hold my attention.

Oh, ouch. In order to send comments I have to give a star rating. I don't like giving one-star ratings, but I can't give more.

When was the last time you went outside of your comfort zone for a book and could not put it down?

That was me and The Lobotomist’s Wife by @samgwoodruffauthor . I never would have thought to pick up a book about the wife of a doctor performing lobotomies in the 1940s and 50s but let me tell you, this book was soooo good. Absolutely gripping with the perfect amount of suspense and historical facts. The atrocities caused to mental health patients were beyond horrifying and the strength, compassion and courage of one woman in harrowing circumstances to protect the patients was so unbelievably inspiring. Especially given the roles of women at that time in history, it really accentuated the struggles of women walking the fine line between their ambitions and beliefs and the expectations and limitations of society on them. It is so obvious that this book was thoroughly researched as I felt like I was living in that time period but also, I feel like a brain expert. The pacing and structure is so perfect to craft the characters and create the right anoint of suspense. What a wild, intense and satisfying ride. This book is out now and I cannot recommend it enough.

I am a big fan of historical fiction and The Lobotomist's Wife looks at a different subject than I have read previously. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others that enjoy historical fiction.

I liked the character of Ruth but did feel like some of the other characters felt a little bit shoe-horned into the story.

Ruth is second in command at a mental health facility in the 1930’s. She cares deeply for her patients health and spends a lot of her day visiting with them. She meets Robert when he comes to be a doctor at her facility. They quickly fall in love and explore how to help the mentally ill.

I knew before starting the book that it was based on a real man who invented the ‘ice pick’ lobotomy. The author does a wonderful job writing the characters and their ailments. It makes me appreciate the advances in medicine as things that happened then would not happen now.

This is a very enlightening historical fiction novel. It is told by Ruth who has always been a strong woman. I admired her strength, patience, and empathy. Despite the subject matter this is a wonderful book. It is well written and the medical terminology is explained very well and is easy to understand.

I did learn a lot from this book however I still don’t know exactly what I am supposed to feel about this one. It was a hard read. It’s also one I don’t think I would read it again.

Loosely based on the physician Walter Jackson Freeman II who popularized the "ice-pick" lobotomy, this story piqued my interest by dipping into historical fiction and mental health.
While it took a bit of time to feel immersed in the story, the pace picked up for me at around 70% mark. I enjoyed the character development and felt empathetic towards Ruth, our main character, and loathed the antagonist as we are meant to. There is a good deal of gaslighting and treatment of mental health patients that felt icky, however, it served the purpose of describing the social scene of the 1940s. I feel the story could have benefitted from either leaning into more fictional elements, or more into the historical events. After reading up about Freeman after finishing this book, I think the real events that transpired in his life were also fascinating.

Fans of historical fiction will likely enjoy this intriguing tale. Thanks to Netgalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth, 34, has devoted her life in search of ways to better the life of her patients at Emeraldine hospital for the mentally unstable. Until she meets Dr. Robert, who is convinced of the benefits of this new procedure called leucotomy.
The lobotomist’s wife gives you an accurate insight of the discovery of lobotomy, its promising debut and its downfall in this work of fiction. I loved experiencing the characters development as well as getting to know more about this infamous brain surgery.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written with an intriguing storyline and well developed and some likeable. I found the story interesting and compelling but more than that it was informative and had obviously been well researched. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I went into the book because I was curious to learn a bit more about lobotomies and how they came to be. Samantha Greene Woodruff did a wonderful job of teaching us about the history of psychological practices from the early 1930s to the 1940s. While at the same time giving a storyline that draws you in wanting to know more about the patients and the futures they were going to have. I couldn’t put the book down especially when we started hearing about Margret a lady I easily related to. Sadness and deep feelings elicited with the story but that might be why I so thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this book. I read it in two sittings.
Very well written with well developed characters that I liked and cared about.

I knew a little bit about lobotomy and this book makes me want to read more about it.

This is a book you don't want to miss if you are a fan of historical fiction.

I feel a little torn about this one. The subject matter is wildly interesting, but I felt the prose for the first half of the novel was lacking. It was repetitious in a way that had the narrator telling you what was happening instead of showing you what was happening (for example, in chapter one the narrator tells us that Ruth works very hard to keep her private life separate from her professional life instead of giving us actions or conversations that demonstrate this to us).

A lot of the introductory bits for different characters gave off a Wikipedia vibe more than a fiction vibe. I was also a little lost in the beginning of the second chapter; which read a lot more like a novel about Gilded Era NYC instead of a novel about the rise of lobotomies.

However, in the second half of the book, the narrative really picks up. Once Robert hits his stride in his practice and we begin to see Ruth’s inattentiveness start to take a toll on her patients’ wellbeing, the conflict begins to show and the pacing really gets going. I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the beginning.

Overall, I did enjoy The Lobotomist’s Wife. If you’re able to power through the repetitive prose, it really does raise good points about perceived success versus actual success in the mental health field.

We all have heard how surgeons (especially neurosurgeons) have somewhat of a God complex right? Well, Dr. Robert Apter is no exception in this gripping & immersive novel that becomes more compelling, the further along you get into the story.

This book was based on the real-life story of Walter Freeman, who was the inventor of the ice pick lobotomy, & whose ego also got in the way of medical ethics. Huge kudos to the author for the fascinating outlook on the history of this procedure.

Now there was definitely a slow start & only when you get about halfway do things really start getting crazy— but I promise you that it won’t bother you! The writing is done so well that it still keeps the reader engaged as the author sets up the character build up & the societal & gender for this era.

This was such an interesting topic for a novel that truly makes you thankful for the advancements in psychiatric medicine & grateful for obliteration of the lobotomy in modern practice.

10/10 would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a riveting historical fiction book!