Interesting, important take on Freeman and Watts

Most of the names were changed. The stories are true. About 15% of people who were given icepick lobotobomies died. Dr Walter Freeman was so cavalier and arrogant, he referred to the *expected* outcome of lobotomy as "Induced Childhood." This was done worldwide to tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people who were left (at best) "functioning at reduced capacity." Women in particular: be a nice, content wife. If you were gay, this procedure would "straighten" you out. Veterans with PTSD; hey no more flashbacks. Children were not exempt. What was expressed in this book is actually prettier than what most of these "patients" experienced. Great narration!

5 people found this helpful

A must-read for historical fiction lovers!

"The Lobotomist's Wife" is historical fiction, but take a look through history when over 3000 lobotomies were actually performed.

The results are chilling! Ruth Emeraldine has suffered the excruciating loss of her brother from suicide. The loss set her path toward helping those suffering from mental disorders. She meets charming Robert Apter. Robert has invented a new procedure called "lobotomy" (a psychosurgery used in the treatment of mental illness). Not only do Robert and Ruth share dreams of helping others, they fall in love and get married.

As years go by, Robert becomes well-known as the "renowned creator" of the miracle surgery. However, Ruth realizes that in truth, the patients Robert operated on did not get better. Overwhelmingly, many suffered horrific side effects that were worse. Ruth tries to reason with Robert about her deep concerns, but has he gone too far? Will his desire for fame outweigh his concern for his patients well-being being? Can he be stopped?

5 people found this helpful

Extremely Realistic

This book brought back many memories. As a teenager I knew quite well an adult woman who had a lobotomy in the early 1950s. She sang in the church choir, baked for bake sales and kept the house clean. But she was also fearful, had no memory of her past, acted much younger than her years and lived with her mother because she couldn't function on her own.

This book captures the reality of the damage done by the eager and desperately wanting to help medical professionals. It also gives a hint of the desperation of families who just wanted their loved one brought back from the abyss of depression and suicidal behavior.

3 people found this helpful

What a compelling story.

“Evil is bad that believes it is good.” Karen Marie Moning Technically, I shouldn’t have liked this book. The subject matter is heavy and depressing. But somehow, in The Lobotomist’s Wife, Samantha Greene Woodruff manages to take the dark subjects of mental illness, insanity and lobotomy and weave them into a story I could bear to read. Mainly, I loved the protagonist. Ruth Emeraldine Apter, the lobotomist’s wife, is compassionate, kind, scrupulous and smart. At first she believes her husband is on the brink of offering real help to patients suffering from severe mental disorders. Slowly it dawns on her that her beloved husband, Dr. Robert Apter, is spiraling into deluded megalomania and she, alone, has to put a stop his monstrous ice pick lobotomies. I loved this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2 people found this helpful

Interesting story, poorly executed

The story is really captivating and fascinating. It plays on one’s natural draw towards the macabre, and highlights a gruesome time in America’s medical history and treatment of the mentally ill.
This is where the praise ends however. The characters fail to speak or think like real people. It also has the feel that the author had a thesaurus to her right and a book of news headlines from the time to her left. The prose is absolutely grating, as is the voice of the narrator. Some sentences are pronounced like Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek. It’s completely distracting. Otherwise, her different voices range from jarringly breathy and high pitched to almost comically caricaturing what she thinks regional accents sound like.

I think this would be a better read than a listen.

1 person found this helpful

How did this book get so many good reviews??

This book was so frustrating to me. It had so many good reviews, I'm utterly baffled. Exactly what you think will happen, happens, however it takes 6 hours of listening to come to the exact conclusion advertized in the description. The main character is highly unlikeable as she is self righteous, unrealistic, and seemingly faultless, even though she should have been held responsible for PROMOTING a neurosurgery that takes place BY AN UNLICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WHO IS NOT A SURGEON, without having any degree in neurosurgery herself, she blindly accepts the claims of one man, who once again, IS NOT A SURGEON BUT PREFORMS SURGERIES AT HIS HOME. If this woman had any brains at all, she should have questioned this. Yet she is made to look like the victim. The dialogues are hard to stomach, They are so unrealistic and it is just all so unbelievable.

The Lobotomist's Wife

This book was a fascinating fictional look at the history of lobotomy, focusing on Dr. Robert Apter and his wife, Ruth Emeraldine. Ruth became involved with mental health issues after her brother, Harry, returned from WWI a broken man, eventually committing suicide. As Administrator of her family's mental hospital, she is determined to help others suffering from similar issues.

Dr. Apter becomes obsessed with lobotomy and is convinced that is a simple cure for mental patients. He embarks on a campaign of doing lobotomies for thousands of people, claiming that they are cured. Ruth later learns that instead of being a cure, most patients become completely different people, often reverting to toddler-like behavior.

Another main character in the book is Margaret Baxter, a new mother suffering from a severe case of the baby blues. The author does a great job in showing how someone like Margaret might feel and the desperate measures they might take to feel better.

The author has created a great story which is based on historical facts involving lobotomy. Even though the subject is heavy and depressing, the book was a quick listen/read and I found myself continuing to read to see what happened next. The narrator did a good job with her performance and added a lot to my enjoyment of the book.

Picks up about half way

I enjoyed the book. It was more intriguing half way in. Definitely a worthy listen though.

Worth it if you like this stuff

great story to listen to. I sped up the volume for my personal preference. I enjoy science and history. I think you need to be interested in the topic to enjoy the book. its not for everyone.

4.5 stars actually-what's with the ending?

4.5 stars actually.
This book was really interesting. Based on the history and use of lobotomies in the US I found this book informative. I love any HF book that gets me googling the true events.
The narration was great. Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorite narrators.
The reason I took away 1/5 star? The fact that at the very end of the book, the author decided to throw in 2 gay couples. I have absolutely nothing against gay couple, and their relationship is not what I took issue with. It just seemed to me that the author decided to throw in a few "token" characters. My first thought when it was mentioned was "well, where was the token person of color?". It would have been one thing if she had dealt with the characters throughout the story but to just throw it in at the end? Just seemed as if it was a last ditch effort to be more "inclusive".