Review:
“Last on A Match” by author
Diana K. Perkins is an amazing, incredible story of how being different can land one in an insane asylum regardless if they were crazy or not. In 1901 homosexuals could be committed to an asylum and this is where readers will find Felicity White. Having worked in a state school and hospital during the late 60’s I found the author’s vivid description of the living environment, the treatment and the reasons for placement to be exceptionally right on target.
Perkins’s writing allows readers to become Felicity living her life as she did. Given the author’s in-depth research regarding laws on
institutionalization during the 1900s and her intimate knowledge of eastern Connecticut, I found the reading to be exceptional,
captivating and shocking.
This is the sixth book in the Shetucket River Mill Town series by Diana K. Perkins, and I will be reading them all. It’s rare that an author can keep me so captivated that I want to read the rest of a series right away. I highly
recommend “Last on a Match” to all who like to find relatable characters, a little bit of history and a fascinating read.
Excerpt:
“Bugger.
Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger!
It was my mantra, it was my prayer as I stomped up the steps in line with the others, all of us draped in the same dull green shapeless dresses, easy to get on, easy to get off, easy to wash and never ironed. Some lucky weeks I’d get an old one, worn soft by many washings. It was all we wore except for a rough
undergarment that sometimes held diapers for those who might soil the chairs or beds where they spent most of their time, strapped down so as not to be a
nuisance.
How had I come to this? I thought about it as I looked out across the lawn, trying to catch a glimpse of the Thames River. In a fit of remorse I saw in my
mind the mill stream that flowed past my childhood home, its working waters eventually emptying into the Thames below. What shambles did I leave in my
wake?”