The Lobotomist's Wife
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- Create Date：2022-02-17 11:21:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Samantha Greene Woodruff
- ISBN：1713638150
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Summary
An enthralling historical novel of a compassionate and relentless woman， a cutting-edge breakthrough in psychiatry， and a nightmare in the making。
Since her brother took his life after WWI， Ruth Emeraldine has had one goal: to help those suffering from mental illness。 Then she falls in love with charismatic Robert Apter—a brilliant doctor championing a radical new treatment， the lobotomy。 Ruth believes in it as a miracle treatment and in Robert as its genius pioneer。 But as her husband spirals into deluded megalomania， Ruth can’t ignore her growing suspicions。 Robert is operating on patients recklessly， often with horrific results。 And a vulnerable young mother， Margaret Baxter， is poised to be his next victim。
Margaret can barely get out of bed， let alone care for her infant。 When Dr。 Apter diagnoses her with the baby blues and proposes a lobotomy， she believes the procedure is her only hope。 Only Ruth can save her—and scores of others—from the harrowing consequences of Robert’s ambitions。
Inspired by a shocking chapter in medical history， The Lobotomist’s Wife is a galvanizing novel of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds， of ego， and of the best intentions gone horribly awry。
Since her brother took his life after WWI， Ruth Emeraldine has had one goal: to help those suffering from mental illness。 Then she falls in love with charismatic Robert Apter—a brilliant doctor championing a radical new treatment， the lobotomy。 Ruth believes in it as a miracle treatment and in Robert as its genius pioneer。 But as her husband spirals into deluded megalomania， Ruth can’t ignore her growing suspicions。 Robert is operating on patients recklessly， often with horrific results。 And a vulnerable young mother， Margaret Baxter， is poised to be his next victim。
Margaret can barely get out of bed， let alone care for her infant。 When Dr。 Apter diagnoses her with the baby blues and proposes a lobotomy， she believes the procedure is her only hope。 Only Ruth can save her—and scores of others—from the harrowing consequences of Robert’s ambitions。
Inspired by a shocking chapter in medical history， The Lobotomist’s Wife is a galvanizing novel of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds， of ego， and of the best intentions gone horribly awry。
Reviews
Morgan
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This was a fantastic quick read。 It started as an interesting perspective on history and ended in a suspenseful drama。 I was on the edge of my seat up until the very end。
Kate Southey
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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 ta 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。 。。。more
Becca Smith
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Such a unique book。 Loved the characters and that most of it was based off true events regarding mental health care in the 30's-50's。 I love learning while getting sucked into the characters。 Great read！ Highly recommend。 Such a unique book。 Loved the characters and that most of it was based off true events regarding mental health care in the 30's-50's。 I love learning while getting sucked into the characters。 Great read！ Highly recommend。 。。。more
Larry
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Liked the book's title。 Not the book。 Liked the book's title。 Not the book。 。。。more
Leslie Ponder
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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 ove 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。 。。。more
Kimberly Raney
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I had difficulty reading this book。 I enjoyed the historical aspect of it， however I found the subject matter to be too much for me。 Knowing the horrors that lobotomies caused and how they were eventually discredited， I found myself repulsed and sick reading about these “doctors” who were in full support of it。 I just never connected with the perspective。
J。M。 Spade
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What would you be willing to do to cure your mental illness？ At a time in history when people tended to trust and believe doctors without explanation， mental illness was new and emerging。 Therefore， families of those who "didn't act right" were quick to jump at the opportunity to "fix" their loved ones， even when the stakes were high and the treatment seemed rather dangerous。 Blindly following Dr。 Apter's lead seems like the only option。Labeled a spinster， Ruth Emeraldine has spent her time as a What would you be willing to do to cure your mental illness？ At a time in history when people tended to trust and believe doctors without explanation， mental illness was new and emerging。 Therefore， families of those who "didn't act right" were quick to jump at the opportunity to "fix" their loved ones， even when the stakes were high and the treatment seemed rather dangerous。 Blindly following Dr。 Apter's lead seems like the only option。Labeled a spinster， Ruth Emeraldine has spent her time as an administrator of a mental institution rather than finding love。 When a cocky new physician interviews in her office， he is charming and well spoken。 Not only does he get the job at Emeraldine Hospital， he wins the heart of Ruth。Thanks to their shared interest of treating mental illness， they spend their time learning all they can and bringing it back to their patients。 But this new treatment called lobotomy？ It seems promising。 And as the data from their first procedures begins to be collected， things are promising。Alas， Jesus take the wheel。 Dr。 Apter's pride gets in the way of safety as he finds a "better" way to perform a lobotomy and it might not be the best way。 Will Ruth trust her gut and turn a blind eye or advocate for the patients she so dearly loves？This audiobook kept me entertained from the first chapter。 The narrator was clear and easy to understand， even at faster speeds。 The author really painted a picture for me and I felt compassion for the patients as well as Ruth。 Honestly， Ruth would have made a brilliant nurse in my opinion。 One thing I did love was that the author was able to describe what was being done in a way that was not filled with gore or that would be disturbing to non-medical people。This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys medical fiction or historical fiction。 And I absolutely recommend the audiobook for those that enjoy listening。Thank you Brilliance Audio for this copy and allowing me to give my honest opinion。 。。。more
Mrthink
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Samantha Greene Woodruff has done a fine job of merging the fiction with the fact。 The backstory of this book is just incredible。 No oversight whatsoever: professional/medical/phycological/ethical。。。you name it。 Wow， very scary times to be in a mental hospital。
Heather
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Lost interest。。。did not finish。
Lydia
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Great StoryThe story brings to light the issue of mental health before the 50’s。 Author did a good job in developing characters true to the real life story of the use of lobotomy during this time。 Very engaging
ariel martin
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First novel I have read in a while that openly portrayed a lesson within a captivating story。 This historical fiction novel is well written for a nonstop turn page experience。 If you are in any aspect of the medical field， you will enjoy this read。 I’m a speech language pathologist who throughly enjoys research， this book provides the friendly reminder to never stop researching any treatment approach and not to be narrow minded when providing treatment。 The medical field is collaborative！
Maria
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting。Spoiler alert 。。。It was the very end that left me confused。 It appears that Ruth knows Edward is gay and dating or living with Stephen。 But then she says Edward is living with her in the one-bedroom carriage house。 I feel like this one last paragraph， sentence really， has been what is staying with me。 This is a shame。 I see I'm not the only one。 Why the oversight？ Interesting。Spoiler alert 。。。It was the very end that left me confused。 It appears that Ruth knows Edward is gay and dating or living with Stephen。 But then she says Edward is living with her in the one-bedroom carriage house。 I feel like this one last paragraph， sentence really， has been what is staying with me。 This is a shame。 I see I'm not the only one。 Why the oversight？ 。。。more
Monica Gottfried
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Enjoyed very much。 The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars was just a bit of a slow start。
Dennis Langlois
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Excellent storySuch a compelling story of what was once considered by some to be an actual treatment for psychological disorders。 It’s hard to believe that the medical community allowed this procedure at all。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book。
Julie
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3。5 stars
Jen
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An interesting perspective on lobotomy。
Lorri
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GoodbookI liked this book。 It was a little slow to start but an interesting read on past medical miracles that didnot turn out so well。 Blinded by love is her husband really the miracle worker he appears to be。 Are they really saving lives with his lobotomy procedure or is the truth worse than she imagined。
Bekka
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Interesting story。 Sparked my interest enough that I followed up by looking up the historical facts。
Doreen Schroeter
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Amazing book！The author's careful attention to the subject of mental illness It's wonderful。 The historical aspect is both terrifying and incredible 。 It is so amazing to read the story， knowing that some events are factual， and seeing the progress to medicine now。 Amazing book！The author's careful attention to the subject of mental illness It's wonderful。 The historical aspect is both terrifying and incredible 。 It is so amazing to read the story， knowing that some events are factual， and seeing the progress to medicine now。 。。。more
Toni Garrison
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lobotomyHave heard the word but not really sure what is was。 This historical novel explains what is is， how it was developed。 The best part of the story is his wife Ruth。
Amanda
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I was lucky enough the get this book as an ARC。 It is also now available through Kindle Unlimited。 Wow， this was a very interesting book。 I am sure most， if not all， people have heard about lobotomies and the tragedies they were found to cause。 But I have not heard about it from this perspective。 I also did not realize all the hope and promise it initially showed。 The historical tidbits， medical knowledge， and character description made this seem more like a memoir than fiction。For my full revie I was lucky enough the get this book as an ARC。 It is also now available through Kindle Unlimited。 Wow， this was a very interesting book。 I am sure most， if not all， people have heard about lobotomies and the tragedies they were found to cause。 But I have not heard about it from this perspective。 I also did not realize all the hope and promise it initially showed。 The historical tidbits， medical knowledge， and character description made this seem more like a memoir than fiction。For my full review， please see:http://www。amandalynwriter。com/2022/0。。。 。。。more
Renée
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A fictional account of a truly terrifying time in the history of mental health therapy。 3。5 stars rounded up。
Deb
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Disturbing， yet fascinating to think about how there was a period of time when lobotomies were considered a miracle cure， a time that was relatively recent。 Understanding of mental health is still profoundly misunderstood。 Sigh。
Julia Strippoli
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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 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。 。。。more
Kaitlyn
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Overall， A Good ReadThe first 65% was a mix of slow-moving， very detailed/informative reading。 You see the progression of the Dr's ego and the effect it has on his relationship as well as his current and future patients。 The remainder of the book is most what I preferred as it finally got a pep in the step with the main character， Ruth。 I saw someone else say the end could be considered a thriller， and I agree with that。 Overall， it was a good read。 Not usually what I go for， but it kept my inte Overall， A Good ReadThe first 65% was a mix of slow-moving， very detailed/informative reading。 You see the progression of the Dr's ego and the effect it has on his relationship as well as his current and future patients。 The remainder of the book is most what I preferred as it finally got a pep in the step with the main character， Ruth。 I saw someone else say the end could be considered a thriller， and I agree with that。 Overall， it was a good read。 Not usually what I go for， but it kept my interest - it was definitely a unique subject。 I chose 4 stars because something felt like it was missing， however I'm quite unsure exactly what。 。。。more
Amy Shook
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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 w 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！ 。。。more
Mary
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I wanted to like this much more than I did。 The fictionalized characters who played a role in the introduction of lobotomy in America did not do justice to the true story and the actual doctors who brought this barbaric practice to hospitals across the country。 I did appreciate the spotlight on women's mental health and the history of misdiagnosis that still plagues women's health。 Overall， I'm glad I read it because now I'm interested in reading more about the history of lobotomy in America。 I wanted to like this much more than I did。 The fictionalized characters who played a role in the introduction of lobotomy in America did not do justice to the true story and the actual doctors who brought this barbaric practice to hospitals across the country。 I did appreciate the spotlight on women's mental health and the history of misdiagnosis that still plagues women's health。 Overall， I'm glad I read it because now I'm interested in reading more about the history of lobotomy in America。 。。。more
Christopher
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Quick readThe historical significance of mental illness treatment is the highlight of this book。 Medicine is a series of trial and error。 In addition， a strong， yet real and vulnerable， woman as the heroine is wonderful to read。
Theresa Boley
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Probably， because I’m a healthcare provider， I found this absolutely fascinating。 It’s so easy to understand how ego can influence decisions。 The frightening spiral into ego directed decisions is a part of human frailty。
Stacey
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Must readGreat portrayal with a mix of truth and fiction。Enjoyed the story， and the mix of characters intertwined into reality。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Lobotomist's Wife
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Lobotomist's Wife&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Lobotomist's Wife&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0