Description
Book SynopsisPresents a memoir of a young historian, who was admitted in England's largest psychiatric institution, Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, later known as Friern Hospital. This memoir tells the story of author's madness years, set inside the wider story of the death of the asylum system in the twentieth century.
Trade ReviewEloquent, compassionate, and utterly absorbing . . .
The Last Asylum is the best sort of memoir, transcending the purely personal to confront a larger social history -- Sarah Waters
Beautiful . . . it is hard to write well enough about this book because it is so good -- Susie Orbach * Independent *
A wise, considered and timely book -- Hilary Mantel
Moving, brave and intelligent -- Susan Hill * The Times *
Superb. Riveting, insightful and relentlessly honest -- Darian Leader
An impressive book, strong on narrative, deeply felt and measured in tone... The Last Asylum will stand the test of time. * Literary Review *
A gripping (often painful) account of madness, a fascinating description of psychoanalysis, a historical reflection on asylums and a meditation of the interrelationships between care and cure...
Unsparing [and] subtly theoretical, an endeavor not only worth reading, but worth emulating. * LA Review of Books *
A fascinating if harrowing journey . . . Taylor is a deft and engaging historian * Washington Post *
Barbara Taylor's [memoir] is not to be missed . . . An extraordinarily measured, fascinating and honest account, that stands out within the genre... Her book can be compared with Helen Macdonald's
H is for Hawk . . . Barbara Taylor is to be applauded for
an important and original contribution * Metapsychology *
