The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs

I loved this book! It was so fascinating from a medical standpoint as well. We’ve learned so much since this disease was first introduced. I loved how it was told through the eyes of one whose looks were everything and came from society where you were shunned if you were different or less fortunate. It was a good lesson in seeing another person beyond the surface and valuing them for what’s inside- not outward appearance. The book never dragged and kept my interest until the very last page! Highly recommend it!

It was so sad getting into this book due to the subject matter. The author did a brilliant work bringing such realism to the characters. I too learned a lot about leprosy. A story of finding oneself and accepting it.

Book Review The Second Life of Mirielle West By Amanda Skenandore The Second Life of Mirielle West was not a book to take in big gulps, but rather savored in sips like a fine vintage wine. Each issue raised required thought-time. Each challenge required the reader to ponder the circumstance and outcome. I could not hurry through the book. I needed space between the chapters to think deeply on what had happened. Each time I put it down I savored the opportunity to consider the previous scene or conflict. Bits and pieces of Mirielle’s story were hinted at though out but not fully revealed. I couldn’t let it rest for long before I was pulled back to find out what happened. By the mid-way point, I was so deeply engaged that I had to force myself to set the book aside and think about the issues it raised instead of rushing ahead to finish something I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to end. The book was difficult for me to engage with in the first forty pages because the protagonist was such an unlikeable person. But by the time I had reached the point where I thought I might not like the book something magical happened. The author has done a masterful job of showing how this character could and would grow and change over the course of her life. Sometimes I wanted to grab her and shake her, and other times I tried to put myself in her shoes and felt genuine sympathy. This story was a rollercoaster ride of up and down emotions; heightened expectations and dashed hopes; sympathy and frustration; anger and forgiveness; love and loss. Ms. Skenandore knows how to pull on the heartstrings. I lost myself in the beautiful writing, the vivid descriptions of scene, situation, and circumstance. I lost myself in the smells and flora, the visual contrast of the human conditions of the patients at Carville, and the beauty around them. I grew to truly care about each character who took a role in the telling of this story. Some exhibited behaviors I found irritating, others endearing. Each character, however insignificant their role, meant something and gave fullness to the story and the protagonist’s experience. I wept with Mirielle on many occasions and rejoiced with her in on others. I cried long and hard in the end. Skenandore has done it again. She has created a valuable story and historic look at a difficult subject with the precision of a surgeon. Her research is so thorough, and her descriptions of Carville so detailed I felt as if I had been there walking the walks, going in and out of the buildings, and living the experiences of the patients and staff as they journeyed through this unmentionable disease. I am a fan of this author and this, her third book, is as riveting and thought-provoking as either Between Earth and Sky or The Undertaker’s Assistant. I wait with eager anticipation to see what issue she will unearth for examination next.

Good story paired with factual history about the disease of leprosy and the stigma associated with the afflicted as well as the reactions of the non infected in the early 1900’s. This was an interesting book with well fleshed out characters and I recommend giving it a read.

I thought it was a unique subject and had plenty of body parts too it. For me, it was unique in many instances. I enjoyed the book.

I've owned this book since it was published, and finally got to it. I've read a couple of other books by this author and really enjoyed them. This book was no different. Not only is it another entertaining story that sucked me right in, but I learned a lot. Mirielle's personal arc in this story is vast, but so are the character's circumstances as she goes from a high-society, self-indulgent, spoiled mother and wife to a "scarred" woman forced to live a secluded life without her children. I loved the story, loved the characters, especially Frank, and enjoyed learning a lot more about the history and cures of leprosy. Another great must-read by this author!

Good read

A high-five for the author of this heartfelt novel. Set back in time among the true setting of the leper colony in South Louisiana she began to weave her spell upon the reader. Her characters are so very real that you feel as though you are there with them, enduring the stigma of leprosy which little was known about. You feel their anguish, their heartbreaks, their found happiness in permanent quarantine conditions. The human spirit is resilient and ever hopeful as seen in the pages of this novel as the heroine finds her second life.

Excellent story! Well written!

This book is a fabulous read. The characters are finely drawn and developed. They really matter to the reader as the novel unfolds. The story is a testament to the importance of family. A sad but rewarding read with a satisfying ending. Highly recommended.

A bit brutal if you did not already have some historical knowledge of this subject, but overall, it kept my interest to the end and was an enjoyable read, if sad in places.

It is interesting to get an insight into life for someone with this disease in the 1920's. The story follows Mirielle as she is diagnosed and sent to a specialist hospital. Although her story is sad, the emotion didn't come through in the writing. Unfortunately it is sometimes hard to sympathise with her as she is a self-centred character. However, I enjoyed reading the book and meeting the other characters.

I didn’t want to read a book about leprocy. I almost put the book down, but was so glad I kept going. The author’s writing style is totally addictive. She took a horrible situation and made it into a beautiful story. Will be reading more of her work very soon!