The Education of Mrs. Bemis : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A very satisfying read
Review: A haunting book, especially parts that are set back in time, when Madeline (Mrs.) Bemis was young during WW II. Gives a wonderful sense of how constraining it must have been in that era, especially for a girl coming from a "good" family. I also like the contemporary relationship between Mrs. Bemis and her therapist, forty years (more?) younger, who's got problems of her own.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting story mangled by poor plotlines
Review: This book has tremendous potential--delving into the life of an elderly woman who's shown up at an insane asylum in a near-catatonic state. But what ruins the story is, quite simply, the writing. Characters--such as Alice's violent boyfriend--surface once, have their dramatic moment, and then never return again. This seems to be a trend in the execution of this book. Sedgwick frequently introduces interesting and dramatic elements, but then leaves them hanging in space and takes the "easy" way out. Thus, the book ends in mid-air, with a lot of loose ends, and not much substance beyond everyday pop psychology. Best to leave this book behind and instead pick up a psycho-thriller like "In the Cut".

Rating:
Summary: Psychiatry - the tabloid version
Review: This book was a major disappointment. Flatly written, with editing errors even in the names of medications, this book displayed a depth of ignorance about psychiatry, psychiatrists and contemporary psychotherapy. As an experienced psychiatrist, familiar with McLean, the hospital which is described in the story in slightly disguised form, I can assure the public that junior staff are thoroughly supervised, have no time to run around playing detective and would not be allowed to violate boundaries between professional and personal in the way depicted.
What about poetic or artistic license, you may ask...Well, for that argument you need a work of art, which I would argue this book is not.