The Mad Girls of New York

Praise

“Rodale crafts an adventure yarn worthy of a 19th-century bildungsroman, but there’s still heaps of her signature wit and banter.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A riveting piece of Herstory, told in Maya Rodale’s gripping, witty, observant voice that makes Nellie Bly come alive on the page and kept me by her side from the first chapter to the last—highly recommended for every reader interested in Women Who Dared.”—USA Today bestselling author Evie Dunmore

“Rodale’s whip-smart and compelling story, rich in Gilded Age detail, takes us along on Nellie Bly’s incredible crusade to shine a light on injustice and make her mark in a male-dominated world.”—USA Today bestselling author Joanna Shupe
 
“Rodale’s trademark sass and charm showcase Bly’s willingness to take risks and to save a soul. Rodale will endear Bly to a new generation of readers.”—Bestselling author of Island Queen, Vanessa Riley

“A lively reimagining of Nellie Bly’s first and most famous “stunt”: infiltrating the infamous Blackwell’s asylum—as an inmate. If it sounds mad… well, it just might have been. Rodale vividly portrays the desperation and the daring, the determination and the sheer terror of Nellie Bly’s bid to force her way through the male-guarded doors of New York journalism, as well as the heart-wrenching conditions she brought to light. A tale of the dark side of the Gilded Age and the women who wouldn’t take no for an answer.”—New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig

“The talented Rodale does full justice to intrepid girl reporter Nellie Bly and her trail-blazing exposé in this lively fictionalization. … Rodale’s Nellie is bold, inventive, and quick on her feet, remorseless in her ambition but tender in her empathy. Rodale breathes vivid life into Bly’s biography and incredible spirit as she battles her way into a publishing scene that barely offers a toehold for females. Combine crack writing and nail-biting suspense with humor, pathos, a dash of mystery, and a hint of romance, and you have an entertaining, intensely imagined glimpse into the making of Bly’s Ten Days in a Madhouse and the life of women in New York’s Gilded Age. Gloriously recommended.”—Historical Novels Review

“Rodale’s affinity for writing about powerful women is clear, and she aptly records the lengths they would go to in order to overcome their societal boundaries….An energetic and bold tale of one of history’s most enterprising journalists.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Based on a true story, the latest from romance writer Rodale offers gripping details of the treatment of women in the asylum and in New York City at large. Readers will eagerly turn the pages to see if Nellie will escape the prison she willingly entered, all to prove herself worthy of a story.”—Booklist