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What She Left Behind

Written by Ellen Marie Wiseman Review by Caroline Wilson

What She Left Behind chronicles the lives of two young women living approximately 60 years apart. Izzy Stone has been in and out of foster homes since her mother fatally shot her father and was sent to prison. Convinced that her mother is insane, Izzy is particularly sensitive when her latest set of foster parents ask her to help them catalog the personal effects of the former patients of a shuttered mental institution. She is shocked to discover the contents of the large steamer trunk belonging to Clara Cartwright, an 18-year-old girl committed to the asylum in 1930. Through the reading of Clara’s diary, Izzy embarks on a mission to discover the girl’s fate.

There is certainly a shock factor to What She Left Behind . Clara is committed to Willard Asylum after she defies her father by taking an Italian immigrant as her lover. The harsh conditions and backward treatments of the asylum are painful to read; indeed, they are the stuff of nightmares. The idea that women were committed for disobeying their husbands or fathers, or for engaging in behaviors deemed unsuitable in polite society, is frightening. As Clara wonders throughout her captivity, how many sane women are committed, only to lose their minds after the fact?

Wiseman does an excellent job of conveying the horrifying methods employed to cure the mentally ill. The lack of compassion and sometimes outright brutality of the nurses and doctors are astounding. Though Clara is extremely naïve, and sometimes one- dimensional, her narrative is much more compelling than Izzy’s, whose story reads like a young adult novel at times. Despite this, What She Left Behind is a real page turner and will appeal to all readers of fiction, though the subject matter is not for the faint of heart.

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Toby A. Smith

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What She Left Behind – by Ellen Marie Wiseman – independent book review – Historical Fiction (United States)

The other narrative concerns a 17 year old girl, living in the first decent foster home she’s had, and starting a new high school as a senior. But Izzy has more to deal with than simple bullying from the “mean girls.” She also has dark family and personal secrets that she doesn’t fully understand. Among them the fact that her real mother is in prison for killing her father. Izzy’s story gets more complex and more interesting as the book progresses.

WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND  is not a read for the fainthearted, though very satisfying at the end.

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What She Left Behind: A Haunting and Heartbreaking Story of 1920s Historical Fiction Paperback – December 31, 2013

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 336 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Kensington
• Publication date December 31, 2013
• Dimensions 5.59 x 0.87 x 8.27 inches
• ISBN-10 0758278454
• ISBN-13 978-0758278456
• See all details

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About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington; First Edition (December 31, 2013)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0758278454
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0758278456
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.59 x 0.87 x 8.27 inches
• #1,889 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
• #2,063 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)
• #3,180 in Family Life Fiction (Books)

About the author

Ellen marie wiseman.

A first-generation German American, Ellen Marie Wiseman discovered her love of reading and writing while attending first grade in one of the last one-room schoolhouses in NYS. She is a New York Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into twenty languages. Her debut novel, THE PLUM TREE, is loosely based on her mother’s stories about growing up in Germany during the chaos of WWII. Bookbub named THE PLUM TREE One of Thirteen Books To Read if You Loved ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. Ellen’s second novel, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND, was named a Huffington Post Best Books of Summer 2015. Her third novel, COAL RIVER, was called "one of the most "unputdownable" books of 2015" by The Historical Novel Review. THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN, was named A GREAT GROUP READS Selection of the Women’s National Book Association and National Reading Group Month and a Goodreads Best Book of the Month. THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR was an instant New York Times Bestseller. Ellen lives on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband and a spoiled Shih-tzu named Izzy. When she’s not busy writing, she loves spending time with her children and grandchildren. Find Ellen on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/EllenMarieWisemanAuthor

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Customers say

Customers find the story interesting, compelling, and satisfying. They also say the characters are well-developed and easy to identify with. Readers describe the book as insightful, informative, and enlightening. However, some find the descriptions depressing, clichéd, and predictable. Opinions are mixed on the writing quality, with some finding it well-written and easy to read, while others say it's stilted and unimaginative.

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Customers find the story interesting, compelling, and thorough. They say the disparate tales make for a satisfying read. Readers also mention the book weaves history into a captivating novel.

"...Made me feel like I was there. Insightful, adventurous, suspenseful . Truly enjoyed the entire story. Very moving and inspiring." Read more

"...Still, it is compelling to read about if for no other reason than to help purge our own fears about such a horror happening to us...." Read more

"... Great book highly recommend ." Read more

"...In the end, an interesting story and a quick read. The clichéd writing bugged at times, but other moments touched me and brought me to tears...." Read more

Customers find the characters well-developed and easy to identify with. They also say the plot is interesting and admire Clara's character.

"...The characters in the book are good and it does have a good ending." Read more

"...The characters are immediately recognizable by their cadence and their accents...." Read more

"...The problem with using books is that the characters may be flat , like pressed flowers, all having similar range of emotions...." Read more

"Great book, high interest, Great character , great read if you like historical fiction." Read more

Customers find the book thought-provoking, informative, and interesting. They say it sheds light on some issues and gives readers insight into how life in an insane asylum might have been. Readers also mention the story is well-researched and well-written. They appreciate the intelligence, sensitivity, love, forgiveness, and that the book can inspire conversations about mental health services.

"...Beautiful descriptive writing style. Made me feel like I was there. Insightful , adventurous, suspenseful. Truly enjoyed the entire story...." Read more

"...Ellen Marie Wiseman’s book is a serious, rich , thorough novel, and she states that her purpose is to address what it feels like to be imprisoned by..." Read more

"...Like all of Ms. Wiseman's books it is hard to put down and is very thought provoking . You can't go wrong with this author...." Read more

"...The story is very engaging and has moments of history as well as current time. The author is successful at weaving both stories...." Read more

Customers find the book thought-provoking, fascinating, and uplifting. They also describe it as surprising, inventive, and fresh. Readers mention the book is a mystery that keeps them turning the pages until the end.

"...Made me feel like I was there. Insightful, adventurous , suspenseful. Truly enjoyed the entire story. Very moving and inspiring." Read more

"Lots of surprising turns with diverse emotions, sadness, anger, disbelief , bittersweet. I finished this book in two days, couldn’t put it down." Read more

"...Moreover, Doerr finds ways to be surprising , inventive and fresh at every turn...." Read more

"...written and researched with memorable characters and a sense of restored hope in human nature ." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book. Some mention it's well-written, easy to read, descriptive, and realistic. However, others say the writing is stilted, unimaginative, and difficult to read.

" Easy to read . Beautiful descriptive writing style. Made me feel like I was there. Insightful, adventurous, suspenseful...." Read more

"...For novelists, it is a treat full of excellent writing ...." Read more

"..."What She Left Behind", but must also point out that it is hardly elevated literature . In no way am I trying to sound snobby...." Read more

"...I'm caught between like and love. The book was definitely a fast and easy read ...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the sadness in the book. Some mention it's heart-wrenching, poignant, and hard to put down. Others say it's dopey, disturbing, and dark.

"...The scenes at Willard were disturbing , yet mostly believable.Izzy's segments were harder to read. They felt very teeny bopper, to me...." Read more

"...I will not go so far as to say this book is amateurish , but will say that it probably would appeal more to a younger female audience than any other...." Read more

"This is another deep and heartbreaking story by Ellen Marie Wiseman. The story is told in chapters about Clara in the 1920's and Izzy in the 1990's...." Read more

"At times very disturbing as appalling how terrible mental institutions were years ago. Would recommend...." Read more

Customers find the book easy to follow and draw into. They appreciate the historical truth and say it's hard to put down.

"...It is indeed a compelling read, and hard to put down . It flows along nicely, and never gets off track...." Read more

"...two young women from different time periods, I found it unusually hard to put down the book . I read mostly out of concerned with Clara's story...." Read more

"...Like all of Ms. Wiseman's books it is hard to put down and is very thought provoking. You can't go wrong with this author...." Read more

"...thought there were some gaps in plot development, I found it hard to put the book down ...." Read more

Customers find the descriptions in the book very depressing, cliched, and predictable. They say the story is anticlimactic and unbelievable. Readers also mention the dialogue is weak and the book is poorly written.

"...Sometimes it was pretty darn good, but a lot of the time I found it cheesy , sophmoric, and hard to get into...." Read more

"...in the story are rendered in a completely flat manner, having no depth or complexity , no self-reflection or internal tension...." Read more

"...The writer uses too many adjectives and adverbs, cliches galore , and some of the worst metaphors I've ever read...." Read more

"...I listened to this via Audible. It is full of cliches , predictable plotlines, flat charcters, superfluous details and loquacious, overly written,..." Read more

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New York Times Bestselling Author

Ellen Marie Wiseman

What she left behind.

In this stunning new novel, the acclaimed author of THE PLUM TREE merges the past and present into a haunting story about the nature of love and loyalty—and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most.

Ten years ago, Izzy Stone’s mother fatally shot her father while he slept. Devastated by her mother’s apparent insanity, Izzy, now seventeen, refuses to visit her in prison. But her new foster parents, employees at a local museum, have enlisted Izzy’s help in cataloging items at a long-shuttered state asylum. There, amid piles of abandoned belongings, Izzy discovers a stack of unopened letters, a decades old journal, and a window into her own past.

Clara Cartwright, eighteen years old in 1929, is caught between her overbearing parents and her love for an Italian immigrant. Furious when she rejects an arranged marriage, Clara’s father sends her to a genteel home for nervous invalids. But when his fortune is lost in the stock market crash, he can no longer afford her care—and Clara is committed to the public asylum.

Even as Izzy deals with the challenges of yet another new beginning, Clara’s story keeps drawing her into the past. If Clara was never really mentally ill, could something else explain her own mother’s violent act? Piecing together Clara’s fate compels Izzy to re-examine her own choices—with shocking and unexpected results.

Illuminating and provocative, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND is a masterful novel about the yearning to belong—and the mysteries that can belie even the most ordinary life.

“Finding out how both Izzy and Clara’s stories unfold and eventually connect will both haunt and inspire you…Wiseman paints a moving, and at times chilling story that totally endears you to her characters. What She Left Behind evocatively portrays that what it takes, sometimes, to know and understand oneself, is to understand fully somebody else.” – SpaWeek

“ What She Left Behind screams with authenticity, depth, and understanding.” – The New York Journal of Books

“Wiseman does an excellent job of conveying the horrifying methods employed to cure the mentally ill… What She Left Behind is a real page turner and will appeal to all readers of fiction, though the subject matter is not for the faint of heart.” – The Historical Novels Review

“This amazing book tells the stories of two women divided by many decades, both facing overwhelming odds. The stories are told in alternating chapters, but these stories, despite their great differences, have similarities and are destined to come together. This is a great read!” – The San Francisco Book Review

“Here’s a little book that’s full of fear. Just as the night monsters in Mayhem rouse an atavistic terror that we moderns can’t seem to shake, so does the symbolism in Ellen Marie Wiseman’s, What She Left Behind . This time, it’s the insane asylum, the lunatic bin and all the other politically incorrect names for the creepy facilities that housed the poor patients of another era.” – The Toronto Star

“Wiseman deftly alternates between Claire and Izzy, teasing out their stories and ending each chapter at just the right point to maintain a thriving sense of mystery and suspense…a valuable addition to most schools and public libraries.” – VOYA Magazine

“Captivating in its complexity, this novel brings together the strengths and suffering of two young women born more than 60 years apart. Told in alternating perspectives, the story reaches a place of immense emotional depth and psychological turmoil, culminating in an unexpected, heartrending ending.” – RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars, TOP PICK!

“Give this to students interested in history, psychology, and a great coming-of-age story.” – School Library Journal

A Kindle Top 200 Bestseller for over two years Over half a million copies sold in North America Ten Best Books of Summer 2015—Huffington Post One Book, One Independence 2018 title in Independence, Iowa