Being unique could give a woman the kind of trouble she never wanted.
The Gray Chamber is the second book I have read by Grace Hitchcock in this True Colors series and I was just as riveted this time as I was for The White City. Her talent at crafting such a menacing and heart-stopping story is punctuated by her ability to craft well rounded characters.
Edyths’ uncle gave her only two choices. One would leave her near destitution and the other would put her in an institution. That sure doesn’t leaver her with many options. And just when her life was about to change for the better. My heart sank as he stood over her, insisting that she decide which hell she would choose.
As I read this story, I was reminded of how far we have come as women. We forget that they would institutional size a woman for being depressed, eccentric, bold, out spoken, and every other “unflattering” personality but for being crazy. If we think for one second we have it bad now, be thankful we don’t live in the late 1800’s
If you are looking for a chair gripping, page turning, time consuming suspense that will break your heart while bringing you joy, The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock is the book for you.
***I was given a copy of this book by the publisher though CelebrateLit. The views expressed are my own and a positive review was not required. (But definitely given.)
About the Book
Book: The Gray Chamber
Author: Grace Hitchcock
Genre: Christian Historical / Suspense
Release Date: January, 2020
Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late?
Step into True Colors—a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime
On Blackwell’s Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.
With her late parents’ fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.
At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?
About the Author
Grace Hitchcock is the author of three novellas in The Second Chance Brides, The Southern Belle Brides, and the Thimbles and Threads collections with Barbour Publishing. The White City is her debut novel and releases March 2019 with Barbour Publishing. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in southern Louisiana with her husband, Dakota, and son. Visit Grace online at GraceHitchcock.com.
More from Grace
I am thrilled to share with you my second novel in the True Colors series, The Gray Chamber, which is set in New York City in 1887. I loved writing about Edyth Foster, our cat-rescuing, spunky heroine who spends her days painting, fencing with her dreamy instructor, and avoiding society at all costs, which as you can imagine, comes back to haunt her before the end. I’ve never written about a character who despised reading, so that was a new one for me. Edyth just doesn’t like to sit still long enough to finish a book, but you’ll find out why later.
I am pretty certain the librarians at my local branch are wondering what in the world my hobbies are, judging from the stacks of fencing books for beginners, histories of New York crime in the 19th century, and Nellie Bly’s Ten Days in a Mad-House, and more that I have continuously checked out since moving back to Louisiana.
The inspiration for this book came from Nellie Bly’s scandalous exposé for Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper, The World. In reading Nellie’s articles, I was shocked at the grounds by which the asylum would commit women and that’s when I discovered a tiny mention about an heiress with family members who had her tucked away so they could have her fortune. . .and Edyth Foster was born.
I hope you will enjoy reading about our eccentric leading lady and her fencing master hero, Raoul “Bane” Banebridge. If you are interested in seeing pictures of the asylum and to see what I pictured the characters looking like, check out my Pinterest board here.
Thank you for joining the fun for the Celebrate Lit tour! Join my author newsletter for more bookish news and to find out what is coming next! Just enter your e-mail address and name here. Happy Reading!
“With beautiful description and shiver-worthy scenes, Grace Hitchcock has penned an incredible fiction story based on true history. The Gray Chamber was a fascinating and chilling read. Edyth’s story had me glued to the pages. But as I journeyed with the heiress and her eccentricities, the greed of her family which saw her locked up in an asylum against her will made me grateful for the freedoms I have today. And made me pray that my voice would never be silenced. The nightmare was brought to life so vividly that I found myself holding my breath and then cheering on Bane as he never gave up on Edyth. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time…”
~Kimberley Woodhouse – Carol-Award winning and Best-Selling Author of more than twenty books, including: MissTaken Identity, The Express Bride, The Golden Bride, The Patriot Bride, and The Mayflower Bride.
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Grace is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a free copy of The Gray Chamber!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/f4a2/the-gray-chamber-celebration-tour-giveaway
Blog Stops
A Reader’s Brain, January 20
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 20
Texas Book-aholic, January 20
Emily Yager, January 21
All-of-a-kind Mom, January 21
Older & Smarter?, January 21
Bigreadersite, January 22
Inklings and notions, January 22
For Him and My Family, January 22
Genesis 5020, January 23
deb’s Book Review, January 23
Blogging with Carol, January 23
Christian Bookaholic, January 24
KarenSueHadley , January 24
Mary Hake, January 24
For the Love of Literature, January 25
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 25
Godly Book Reviews, January 26
Stephanie’s Life of Determination, January 26
The Becca Files, January 26
Through the Fire Blogs, January 27
Daysong Reflections, January 27
Back Porch Reads, January 28
Robin’s Nest, January 28
Connie’s History Classroom, January 28
Betti Mace, January 29
Rebecca Tews, January 29
Vicky Sluiter, January 29
By The Book, January 30
Hallie Reads, January 30
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, January 30
Blossoms and Blessings, January 31
A Baker’s Perspective, January 31
Remembrancy, February 1
To Everything There Is A Season, February 1
With a Joyful Noise, February 1
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 2
Pause for Tales , February 2
Sounds like a good read.
How sad that things like this actually happened!
Yes it is, but I bet there are things we do now that future generations will be disappointed in.
It’s horrible that asylums and institutions abused people even into the 1960s!
This sounds like a really interesting book to read
I couldn’t put this book down!
Thank you for your wonderful review! I’m enjoying this series. 🙂
Good Morning! Thank you for the book description.These tours are great and we have found some terrific books so thanks so much.
I really enjoy historical fiction and this book sounds like a fantastic read!