The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls

The greatest, most beautiful, torturing, powerful, insightful and original story of its time. It will make you ache with pain, rejoice with victory and cry out for better or worse. You simply must not only read this book but engulf yourself into the puzzles built within by the author to find real life prized items and find the best friends you never knew you had in your own online ward. You aren't just reading the story, you ARE the story.

I don't know what to say, I loved it. So many of my own feelings and experiences echoed back In anothers life. I find comfort knowing I'm not alone with my mental issues. As a long time plaguerat I have longed to get to read this book. I cried at emily's closure. I loved her story. I literally bought it and devoured the book in one go, I was sucked into another realm with her.

I love the two worlds. I love the reality that EmilieAutumn speakers. I've come to love a character as if she was real, and she is. This is a very beautiful written story that you should not let pass by. Enter the Asylum with us, for I am a member too. The first turn of the page being my gates to this world. But be careful, for it is easier to get in an asylum then it is to get out. -Inmate W10R

This book is seriously life changing. It makes me feel so close to so many other people who have read it. It is also an amazing look into not only a modern story but one in the past. No other book I've read has such a well connected set of stories. This is really amazing well written and the hidden clues and puzzles make the book an interactive experience like no other.

One of the most enthralling novels I have ever read. I simply could not put it down. Adding the interactive puzzle elements has made this read through such an incredible experience. I'm still scouring through the story putting together as many pieces as I can. Please just purchase this beautiful novel. It's such a resonable price, and you won't regret immersing yourself in this world.

This book shocked me. I was not at all expecting it to be so amazing. I had thought about purchasing it since it came out but I kept putting it off until the sale on the store caught my attention. I'm currently reading three other books but I completely dropped them for this one. This book is extremely eye opening and informative, not to mention, addictive. I definitely recommend it.

I've been in love with Emilies for the last eight years. Music, writing, performing, poetry, she does it all.

The one big problem with this book is I just didnt want to finish it. I didnt want it to be over. I love it. Get it, get into the asylum, join the Striped Stocking Society. You won't be disappointed

I got the hardcover copy of this when it was first released in 2009 (signed by Emilie and Veronica themselves, be jealous!), and it still moves me the same way today as it did back then. Emilie is a fantastic performer and bases her stage shows on the same themes as in the book-the Plague Rats, the clock, keys, teacups, etc. and her songs also reflect these themes. (I highly recommend you watch her videos on YouTube, especially "Chambermaid", "Girls, Girls, Girls", and especially the haunting "I Don't Understand") If you want to read a book that will haunt you forever, especially since parts of it are based on real life, I highly recommend this book.

Although I've been aware of Emilie Autumn as a musician and performer for over a decade, I didn't know about this novel until last week, having followed an advertisement from Facebook. Someone very dear to me attempted suicide 2 weeks ago... she told me a few things about her experience in the emergency clinic and then at the psych ward, which was exasperating and terrifying (save for making a new friend and bonding with the other women there). Naturally, this book immediately spoke to me about my friend. Every few sentences reading the hospital entries, I thought of her.
I didn't put it down until I finished it, and I got it for my friend as well.
I know there are hidden treasures in this ebook, which I think are wonderful, but I was too desperate to know what happened next, so I haven't solved a single one of Emilie's puzzles. I intend to. The design is beautiful.
And the stories... my respects for miss Emilie, for having revealed so much of herself in this novel, and so artfully (if I'd been a fan, I would know she's been doing it always). There's the obvious critique to how our healthcare system treats patients with psychological disorders, especially if female, to the extremes of tragedy and even sadism, and outsiders' fascination with mentally ill women (the Ophelias) to the point of perverse fetishism. I found traces and echoes of some of my favorite stories - Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper", Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher", Lewis Carroll rhyme, puzzles and visual style and some very Grimm vibes, just to name a few... it's also rich in references to music and art, all which make up Emilie's artistic world, which I am now better able to appreciate. I'm pretty sure a (different) friend of mine must have spoken to me about the Striped Stocking Society back in the MySpace years. This novel is a reaffirmation of sisterhoodkind, the bonds we can only have with other women, whether or not we know this kind of suffering. I kind of wish I'd read it then. But I read it now, and I think it will stick with me anyway.

I have every edition of the book prior and love this one just as much, if not more with all the secrets posted inside! The first time I read this enchanting story I laughed, I cried, and the end left me speechless and affected. I pray each and every one of you read it and share these emotions. And then throw yourself into the thrilling treasure hunt inside.

It's been a long time since I sat down and read a whole book in an afternoon, but this one I couldn't stop reading. It's a deceptively simple narrative, but so terrifyingly plausible that I just had to keep going. I've been a fan of her music for years and I am delighted to find that her writing is just as raw and heartfelt

I love the new version! I bought the physical copy of the book four years ago, the audiobook when it first came out, and the older edition of the eBook, and although this is the same story, there are always new additions that I love. Especially the puzzles and clues etc. Thank you, Emilie and co. <3

Amazing. Bought this book because of the title, as I love asylum reads. This was amazing. Unlike anything I've ever read. It seemed to be written from an honest and personal standpoint I am definitely a fan of Emilie's.

Hauntingly beautiful story within a story

... and now, with this artistically crafted e-book version, it is a story within a story WITHIN a story.

Pull on your striped stockings (not that you should have ever taken them off), prep your tea, and navigate your way through the cleverly constructed clues that provide only the most earnest seekers with the sights and sounds of the asylum.

But you don't have to wander through the madness alone! The S.S.S. is alive and well. Download the book ~ Join the community.

Inmate W12H

I have read the hard cover version many times over the years and yet even with this updated and tweaked edition it still speaks to my soul! Saves my life, having a world she welcomes us to. Our Asylum.
Time for my second read around to work the puzzles! Very excited.

And I enjoyed this book very much! I will most definitely be reading it multiple times throughout my life! Thank you, Emilie and the store for the amazing opportunity to read this fantastic piece of art!

I simply do not have the proper words to describe how much joy and heartbreak this story brings. From the first adaptation I knew there was someone, SOMEONE, who understood me, who thought as I did, and I finally felt proud to be me, for if Emilie could become the incredible person she is having suffered all that she has, then surely there is hope for me and I need not be ashamed anymore. The wiring is incredible, the changes made from the original show great growth and really make the story much tighter in plot and resolution. When I first read it, I heard my own voice in my head and felt the intense need to read it aloud for surely these were somehow my own thoughts and words on the page, and though I know in my head they are not I think this feeling shall never leave me. Please take the time to read the this book, and read it again, and read it a hundred more times, for there is always a new discovery to be made. Read on plague rats, and open your embraces the madness, for here you will finally find Asylum.

Ooooh what a good read for so many reasons! It has layers like an onion and is a must read for anyone that can relate to mental health challenges (ummm...all of us). I can see it as a deep, dark cult status claymation film directed by someone like Tim Burton...!!!!! I got so sucked in to this story, I couldn't wait to read more every day. Emilie Autumn you are courageous, creative and brilliant!

Did not enjoy, but persevered to the end. Author is self indulgent and self obsessed. Maybe the book is meant to be overly dramatic, but I take mental illness far too seriously to enjoy this read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I bought it for my daughter only due tot he fact that she is going to be 18 in a few weeks and she gave me the money to purchase it. She wanted it after seeing Emily Autumn in concert and was envious of her friends being able to participate in the "Tea Party" with Emily and have a book signed by her. She likes the book, but being a teenager that does not surprise me at all. I, myself, think it was quite the emotional writing experience for Emily to take on. She openly expressed her inner thoughts about her personal experiences and incorporated her imagination into a means to cope with the mental and emotional trauma she was experiencing at the time. I do commend her for taking on this daunting task to open herself in such a public forum. I am sure it took a lot of hard work a many hours to bring it to completion.

I know that kids look for "idols" and famous people to connect with and look up to, but this is not, in my opinion one of the most positive books that I have seen written. Although Emily does have a great talent for playing the violin, some of her songs in some cases (as well as many other "artists") reflect the deep thoughts and disturbed feelings brought to the open in this book. I do not recommend this book for younger teens. It is very, very dark in some parts and also very easily impressionable to kids who they themselves are just barely coping with making life choices. She incorporates her personal experience with a "fantasy alternate world" that even in my almost 18 year old caused her to have conflicting perceptions between the two settings. Please talk to your kids before getting them this book. This is a review to cause open discussion of the choices your children are making in life and the conflicting perceptions of acceptance and and positive choices. Everyone has a right to make their choices for their lives or how to express their lives, just encourage them to make healthy positive choices for the future of their well being. This is not a review to berate the efforts of Emily to openly and willingly put her thoughts and emotions to print. I commend her for making it through such a difficult time on her life and being willing to openly share it with everyone.

The book was lost to me way in the beginning when the girl checked herself into the hospital. She was not forced to go. She wanted medication. Medication might alleviate symptoms but does not cure mental illness. I've heard that idea way too often, how important medication is for mental illness. I disagree! Also she did not act appropriately even if she was locked up against her will. I agree mental wards or hospitals in general are not designed to achieve healing. That makes no sense unless one understands ill intent. I don't know why she had the Victorian connection. What a sad tale of extreme evil and too bad the fictional tale does nothing to heal life's true wounds. I tried to write down the bold letters I saw and discern a message but I saw nothing quickly. I don't think I care to solve any puzzles. I'd rather just know the answers.

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is Emilie Autumn's semi-autobiographical account of being in a mental institution paired with a fictional parallel story of Emily in Victorian England who is forced into a torturous mental asylum. This pairs well with many of her songs that openly criticize the mental health industry and speak of her personal experiences with bipolar disorder and its treatment. I highly recommend her music, which is a unique fusion of classical music and industrial metal.

The modern part of this story exposes the hypocricy, inefficiency, and inhumanity of the current mental health industry. Emilie admitted to being suicidal to her therapist who then refused to further prescribe her bipolar medication until she voluntarily commits herself to an institution even though she is no longer suicidal. So she goes to institution that strips away any privacy, labels her as having an eating disorder, and forcing her to take numerous drugs without concern for her physical or mental health. She's treated as a malicious invalid and diagnosed completely ignoring any answers she actually gives. It's a frustrating, dehumanizing experience.

The other half of the story is with Emily during Victorian England where she is sold to a prestigious school by her poor family to develop her musical talent for free. Nothing suspicious about that. When she gets older, she finds it's a glorified prostitution ring and fights against her captors only to land in the Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls. It's even worse than every other place she's been with extreme abuse and experimentation. This part of the story was a little too over the top and fantastical for my taste especially compared to the other story. All of the characters are pretty black and white, only in extremes of good and evil. The horror elements are surprisingly well done. As a whole, the novel is enjoyable, but the modern half is a bit better than the Victorian half.

After reading a story about madness, the last you’d expect of yourself is come away from it feeling more clarity than ever.

This book was like reading a mash up between The Yellow Wallpaper and Peter Pan, all directed by Tim Burton. And I am shook. I hath been shaken. Internally.

Before picking this book up I had high hopes, wishing it to be story of a girl going mad and being visited by a Victorian character who shared a parallel experience with the main character. I wasn’t disappointed. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn’t think I would find a home inside the asylum.

I was enthralled through the entire story. From Emilie’s entrance into the Asylum, to the first letter from Emily, all the way to Emilie’s last heart breaking entry before her final “therapy.”

OMG. The Diary entries from Emilie were an amazing look into her manic depressive mind. To read the very thoughts she was thinking during her time... just wow. I have no words.

And her character Emily and all the horribleness she endured, the friends she made, and the leader she became. And the key! The key she had for over 10 years!!! OH MY GOD. That ending.

And those last journal entries where we read Em’s thoughts as she has finally realized her reality. In the end everyone calls her crazy and mad, but she finally feels awake and she can can clearly see the madness of the rest of the world.

Both Emilie and Emily are my new favorite feminist heroines.

This is a pretty good book. I don't think it's outstanding, but it's a pretty good book. That being said, you'll definitely enjoy it more if you're into the whole Victorian Gothic scene; I think it's a good callback to gothic novels and imagery while being a fairly quick read because of the way the chapters are broken up. Don't go into it expecting something autobiographical in the strict dictionary sense—it's more of a memoir with a good amount of artistic license taken. I wouldn't say that's a bad thing, but if you want something that's a completely fact-based account of the author's life, this isn't what you're looking for.

If you are easily depressed or have had any suicidal thoughts, you should seriously reconsider reading this book. Only do so if you are in an emotionally stable place and can prepare to put the book down when needed.

I must admit that I've always been intrigued by Emilie Autumn. Not just the music she produces, but her costuming, her prose, and more than anything - her classical background gone bad, goth-girl rock. While not every piece she's created has inspired me, there have been periods where I turn to her music for the darkness, beauty and strength that it gives.

I bought the 2nd edition of this book because I could not afford the first; and I only bought this one because it went on sale. When I first started reading it, all I could think was, "this is a very dangerous book." And I do not mean that lightly.

The beginning of the book is gripping, terrifying and dangerous - I wanted to keep reading and yet I wanted to throw it down out of disgust. The cutting diary was frightening, illuminating, and real. It gave me insight into the mind of someone who would do these things, the reasons they needed to - which helped me better understand so many I've loved who have self-harmed, or worse, those that I've lost to suicide. But, when the 'letters' started to appear from Emily (with a 'y') - I was curious; as I read on I realized that this was just something to fill the pages with. Sure, it gives you some insight into why Emilie adores rats, why she paints her face the way she does, and many other things you may have always been curious about. But I wanted truth, not fiction. I wanted to read more about her ACTUAL stay inside the asylum; her treatment, her release, and what life was like after.

What I did not want to read was this faux story of a Victorian girl that could have been created from reading too many Wikipedia entries and watching too many period flicks. It was slightly enjoyable, but it wasn't real - and though I knew this book was part fiction, I had hoped the autobiographical part would outweigh the fiction. It did not.

If you love Emilie's work, buy the book. If you are dealing with many of the things she has personally dealt with, read the disclaimer on the inside cover and take it seriously. This book has the potential to be very, very dangerous - while simultaneously being comforting. I suppose all in all, I would say to anyone wanting to read this... tread with caution. What lies within could overwhelm, or thoroughly disappoint.

the victorian era did not have cell phones for one two i'm pretty sure people in the victorian era did not have the sightest clue who the heck JImmie Hendrix is three i'm positive they did not have planned parenthood at the time and did not have people wearing crosses spitting at them like the author claims please research more before you write a story taking place in a whole different era they didn't have internet back then also the author said emilie had her own website this makes me mad so please people before wring a novel REASEARCH MORE ABOUT THE TIME ERA that is if the book tkes place in a different time era this book is too modern it should be titled the sylum for wayward girls it is an ok book about a girl in an sylum but still!!!!!

This is me. This is a novel about me. While I don't have manic depression...I am also looked at as crazy, "you poor thing. Have you taken your meds today!?" Let's give her some quiet time, Lord knows she needs to be alone. I am alone! In a world full of people, I am lonely. I live in a constant world of despair. Welcome to the Asylum. I just found my home.

If you're a weirdo, a freak, a skitzo with too much time and blood on her hands...read it. Know you belong and there's nothing wrong with you!

"You are an entirely too real thing, in an entirely too fake world."

Frank, insightful, oftentimes shocking, and ultimately incredibly powerful, nothing could have prepared me for how thought-provoking and moving this book truly is. Adaptions from Emilie Autumn's diary entries during her time spent in a Los Angeles mental institution are punctuated by -- and seamlessly interwoven into -- fictional 'flashbacks' to an insane asylum in 19th century Victorian London. The author writes beautifully, honestly, and with the same compellingly cold clarity of mind one might find in a Sarah Kane play.

Whilst I appreciated the symmetry of the experiences of "Emily with a 'y'" with Emilie's own, it is this book's autobiographical parts that really strike hard. The early chapters involving Dr Sharpe make for some particularly uncomfortable reading, and one particular sequence concerning a little girl named Chloe and a bout of ECT is genuinely upsetting.

I am not without criticism however. The ending is a little too dragged out, and Emily's experiences within the Victorian insane asylum are sometimes a little sketchy on the details and not very well researched. I also struggled with the talking rats which I feel detract from the corporeality of it all. I also deducted a star for the exclusion of the diary entries that were contained within the original hardback publication; the very best parts of the book (the drug diary still haunts me to this day).

It's quite different than the physical copy since there's very little graphics in the E-book. You don't get the sketches and pictures (I quite miss those). It's very streamlined. It'e been revised several times, but it's toned down in the sensationalism about her suicide confessions. It's a decent read with a cup of tea on a rainy day. If you wanted all the sketches and pictures, you'll have to buy the hardcover. If you just want the story, by all means get the e-book.

Emilie Autumn's universe has always fascinated me. From when I first saw her in concert in 2009 to this day, I've always appreciated every detail of her world. The lyrics in her songs, the costumes, the decors, the scenography, and everything surrounding it. I got my hands on the very first edition of The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls when it first came out in hard cover. So much effort were put into making this masterpiece! And now, with the Kindle Edition, we can take it wherever we want, plus, it's been rewritten, so there's still more to discover! I have not yet started the treasure hunt included in the book but I can't wait to dedicate myself fully into it!
Emilie is the very definition of an artist. Someone who struggled, fought her way back to the light, and used those events to feed her art and make something beautiful out of it. What is fiction? Was is reality? Hard to tell. But you can be sure of something. Emilie Autumn is passionnate about what she does, and she's fascinating. And she's a fighter. It takes a bunch of courage to be self published, to go out alone in this world, surrounded by giants. But Emilie is not alone. She has her Plague rats. She has her fans. And all together, we can create something HUGE!

“Some are born mad, some achieve madness, and some have madness thrust upon 'em.” Emilie Autumn is a singer who wrote this psychological, thriller that is an autobiographical, fiction story about her experience in a mental psych ward, and her childhood mixed with a twist. This quote is more than true when it comes to Emilie, because as a child her family reportedly died in a fire, and she claims she heard voices at a very young age. However, throughout the story it seems that her insanity worsens instead of becoming better. I believe that her purpose in writing the story is to have a way to talk about her story, yet entertain. Emilie is trying to get a point across that pills and suicide are never the answer, that the process of “bettering yourself,” well in her case is much worse than thought to be. This novel makes people more interested in who she is, and entertains, so I believe she has achieved whatever her goal may have been. Many themes could be applied to Emilie’s novel, the main themes including those such as: The great battle, mental illness, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Societal pressure, the importance of family, and sacrifices bring rewards. If you are a fan of Emilie’s music than you will notice many references to her songs throughout the story as well as a few references here and there of her not so famous ex-boyfriend. This novel is hard to break down and look into because you have to decipher the reality from the fiction as well as the past from the present.
The story written with great detail about her depression, and its effects on her begins with a very descriptive explanation of the suicide attempt that started it all. A few days after her boyfriend found her, she checked herself into a psychiatric ward at the request of her shrink who faced her with an ultimatum of checking in or being cutting off from her medicine supply. Emilie is under the impression that she is only required to be there for 72 hours with good behavior, but little does she know that once she checks in, there is no checking out. Emilie’s experience in the asylum is much more than anyone could imagine. Emilie faces conflict with other patients, talking rats, she slowly stops eating, and one of the doctors is coming on to her in a very appropriate way. She begins receiving notes from the other Emily, and that’s when it’s clear that the place with intentions to better her is in fact the reason she is losing her sanity even more.
The major themes that occur throughout the book involve: The great battle, mental illness, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Societal pressure, the importance of amily, and sacrifices bring rewards. Emilie faces her own type of battle every day within herself. She fights to urge to kill herself, and the urge to drown away the voices with pills. Emilie also faces a new battle once checked into the asylum after she is informed that her stay will indeed be longer than 72 hours. The whole reason Emilie is in the asylum is because of an attempt at suicide, she states in the beginning that she has heard voices since she was very young, and it’s clear that she struggles with manic depression that is only worsening as her stay progresses. Man vs nature is very evident in this novel because the whole time Emilie is fighting a battle against substance abuse. Societal pressure is effecting her more then we know just by evaluating this, Emilie states that she is going to go insane if she has to stay and miss shows because music is the only thing that keeps her even slightly in touch with reality. Many believe that the mystery behind her family is a main cause in why she is the way she is. Emilie is messed up because her family allegedly died in a fire while she was a very young age, Doctors later diagnosed her with PTSD. Without family one would be slightly messed up though, after all. Sacrifices bring rewards is true here, but only because of the idea. Emilie’s shrink believes that her checking into this asylum is going to benefit her immensely, making her no longer suicidal and depressed, but nobody could have guessed that her stay was only going to worsen those conditions making it clear that the only real way out with in fact death itself. This novel is indeed about the effect that the past has on the present.
As the story progresses the two different worlds of Emilie and Emily begin to blend, because up until now they were very separate. Eventually the unique qualities of Emilie and Emily begin to sound more and more alike and the stories begin to intertwine and become a whole new thing in itself. Throughout the Novel there are drawings and letters and items “tapped” into the pages to give each person a full effect and first hand example of what’s going on. The illustrations are beautiful, and the pages are huge.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about mental illness, and struggle within thyself, I would consider it an absolute page turner. From suicide attempt, to hope of help at the asylum, this novel travels to some very dark places. Describing this book is a challenge, it’s completely unlike anything I have read before. One can only understand this after reading the story. I hope after reading this that Emilie can pursue, along with advance in all her dreams she’s hoped to achieve, and overcome all the difficulties she has hoped to overcome.

As a psychiatric survivor, this story changed my life. Stories revolving around the mental "health" system tend to take one of two routes-- horror at the expense of the incarcerated, or heartrending stories of recovery. The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is neither. It could be called gothic horror, but not at the expense of the system's victims-- rather, the horror in this story comes from the treatment and dehumanization endured by the Asylum's inmates as well as Emilie herself in the modern day. There is not a story of recovery to be found here. Instead, it is a story of rebellion-- a dark, beautiful, and uncompromisingly honest story of survival and revolt. The seamless juxtaposition of modern psychiatric wards and Victorian asylums is bound to be jarring for anyone not familiar with the former, but for those of us, like myself, who have survived it... let's just say that there is a fine line between cathartic and traumatic, and this book does a better job of walking it than the Flying Wallendas.

This book is fiction, but some parts of it are far too realistic of the types of treatment that some mental health patients still endure such as burners where peop!e are strapped down, medications just to keep people quiet and conforming, isolation rooms,doctors who treat patients as numbers instead of human beings. Read it and learn so e truth. Read it and weep. Kathy R. Blackman

The book has a very poetic prose to it that allows the story to be told with a flowing grace. Featuring the story of Emilie Autmn's incarceration at a psych ward, this novel manages to develop a cavalcade of characters centered around it's two protagonists, Emilie and Emily with a y, while pointing out a lot of what is wrong with modern psychiatric practices for those dealing with mood disorders like depression. Perfect for young women looking for a voice, this book is easy to identify with and a read that will be hard to put down!

Emilie, I'm sorry, I've got a real soft spot for you, but this book is a shallow portrayal of mental health issues, it presents a very unbalanced depiction of gender relations and the need for feminism, and the writing is clumsy and childish.

Somewhere between the highest board in the attic and the deepest crevice in the basement of a well loved yet slightly disheveled Victorian home lies the world of our slightly mad protagonist Emilie Autumn and her nest of plague rats! A checkerboard maze of love and loss, and a day-glo wonderland that has lost it's Black Light.... Resounding in its beautiful, murky depths and dizzying heights, this late night read begs the clock to strike midnight, and the bugs to play pinnacle on your snout!

Emilie Autumn is a great artist, one of a kind, and it's hard not to think that she invented a new conception of 'gothic philosophy'. Everything, from her music to this book has a mesmerizing 'gothic scent' that's unforgettable. Her music, her art, her past, her strength and magic are fused in every page of 'The Asylum', which becomes a must-have because it speaks directly to every reader's heart. This edition comes with a special secret message to the readers which makes you feel part of Emilie's family and not just a simple fan.
'The Asylum' is a sort of key to our inner secrets, a way to remember what made us what we are. Once again Emilie Autumn offers us a poetic, tragic and beautiful story.

I'm taking the time to write this review because I love EA's music, from Enchant through Laced/Unlaced to Fight Like a Girl. (No, I'm NOT a 15 year-old girl, I'm a middle-aged guy.) I've seen interviews with her and attended her live concerts and greatly respected her talent, inventiveness, and openness about her Bipolar Disorder and suicide attempt.

While I still respect what she has dealt with in her life and her tremendous musical talent, I find it impossible to like or respect her as a person after reading her book and understanding how she really sees the world, her fans, mental health professionals and, especially, men. If you listen to the refrain of “Opheliac”, or the lyrics of “Swallow”, most of it is there, but here's a summary of the book's themes:
(1) Anyone who disagrees with EA is an idiot.
(2) All mental health professionals are incompetent, especially psychiatrists. (Her usual psychiatrist dared to insist that she be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment of her depression and bipolar disorder after she downed a bottle of pills and cut herself in a suicide attempt. She was furious that he wouldn't just give her a new prescription and send her on her way. The private practice psychiatrist who evaluated her in the emergency department after her overdose had the gall to suggest that she might also have a Borderline Personality Disorder and offered her his card in case she wanted to make an appointment to see him when she was discharged. EA fumed that she knew the definition of Borderline Personality and she didn’t have one—he was obviously just interested in sex. Definition? Books have been written on Borderline Personality Disorder and she knows a definition?)
(3) All men are untrustworthy and are just out for sex. As EA says, she’s “only trusted 3 men in her life” and “the clock is ticking” on them.
(4) As she says in “Swallow”: "I don't want to be a legend, oh well, that's a _____lie, I do/ To say I do this for the people I admit is hardly true". EA makes clear she really doesn't care if anyone likes her music, outfits, or theatrics.
(5) NO one else in the whole world understands Bipolar Disorder; NO one has ever suffered like EA.
As others have pointed out, this book is the most self-indulgent, whiny rant I can recall reading. Yes, she had a hard life and some horrible things have happened to her, and Bipolar Disorder is a life-long pain to deal with. But, she also has had great success, people who cared that she shut out, and fans that she doesn’t value. So, if you like her music, I'd recommend you stay clear of the book, accept her public persona, and not pick at the façade. With reluctance, since the store doesn’t have the book, I will say to those who still must have the book, don’t let a scalper rip you off. As of July 2014 the 3rd edition was available on her website (for the hefty sum of 75 bucks).

Picked this book from the kindle unlimited suggestions, so glad I did!
Emily(ie) shares the deepest of horrors and the lightest of joys through prose that pull you into the world of mental illness treatments from historical times to modern day and shares how the mind remains a mystery to the medical field. Not for the faint of heart, but definitely worth the read.

Emilie has managed to perfectly blend together the stark realities and fantastical delusions of the mentally ill in a way that is both easy to read and hard to digest. She says the things many who fight a daily battle try not to say for fear of judgement and disgust from those who don’t understand. I have a feeling I will be rereading this book for years to come, and recommending it to a wide range of people.

The Asylum for wayward Victorian girls takes you on quite a ride. Also on a ride within a ride I'm told. Be ready to sit and read this one all the way through. First because you want to see what happens next and second, because you don't want to forget details about what you're going to read next. Convoluted? Yup. But you'll like it

So what can I add that hasn't been said already? Mainly that depression or P.S.T.D. is a symptom of traumatic events or victimization. That there are people or entire industries that thrive on the innocent, so to give themselves relevance or power. That Emilie Autumn is a sweet and extremely talented dame. Who is simply trying her best to survive in a world that criminalizes sadness (and self expression quite frankly). From last I checked, no one is immune to such charges. Plus, sadness is more common than happiness. Happiness is fleeting.

Oh, and there is a touch of "V for Vendetta" in this tale.

Thank you EA for putting your trust in me. May I one day get the chance to repay you in full.

Master James

this is the third iteration of "the asylum" novel i've devoured (after the first edition hardback and then the audio version read by emilie herself, which is well worth a listen), and it's still utterly compelling. my only problem is that i suck at solving puzzles (i know, right? it's awkward to admit, but it's like a disease...) , so i haven't been able to access the extra stuff that goes with this ebook. i love emilie's music and i'm desperate to hear the new songs that are part of the hopefully still-coming "asylum" musical, but i guess that's not to be :( (if you wanted to be my fairy godperson and help me out here, please drop me a line - i'd be ever so grateful). as for the matter of whether it's true or not, i'm of the opinion that it really doesn't matter. there's a lot to enjoy about this book, so take it as it is and decide for yourself - it's very reasonably priced, so maybe it's an affordable gamble!!

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls offers the experience of descending into the underground world with her. Later on, I find myself navigating between the modern world and the victorian time​.

​The main character, Emily, is definitely unique. At first she seems like a suicidal troubled teen girl, however, the more you dive into it the more you realize that she's probably the only sane one in the insane world. ​The world in The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls seems insane yet with a touch of harsh reality, as it reflects society's treatment of women and the mental health care industry's treatment of its patients. It leaves me wondering whether things have changed throughout the ages.

Interestingly, Emily shares the traits and charms with Harley Quinn. Not only because of the heart tattoo on their faces, the bright and impressive color of their hair, but the fact that Emily has interesting unique thoughts and creates a world of her own in her diary.

Now then, I've only read the original hardback first edition of this book WAY back when it first came out. It was simply put a masterpiece! Since then, Emilie have tweaked and added to the story, so I can only imagine how much better this version is. Not many can go from present day, back a 100/150 years in a story, without making the reader lose track of either stories. But Emilie does it masterfully, throughout the entire book!
The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls is a book for anyone (girls AND boys) who at one point in their life felt like everyone, even life, was against them. For those that ever thought about just giving up, and putting an end to their own lives. This book shows that no matter how dark it seems at times, there's always a way, always happiness waiting for you just around the corner and that life is worth living! Stand your ground and never give up!

I found this laborious to read because the inaccuracies not just relating to the historical writing but to the supposed factual autobiographical parts the author refers to as being culled from their actual diary entries, which apparently shows us exactly what goes on inside a psychiatric hospital, and further more allegedly exposes the secrets hidden from the general public, such as me, which the general public, such as me, apparently could never have guessed at because the author is "the only person to experience so much trauma," (despite the fact that many people sadly have such experiences including to a much severe extent, and many publications have already taught the public, well on the subject, some publications that I will not name are quite closely replicated in this publication, that it could border on theft of another's ideas, though it could also be coincidence). I think the author naively fails to realise that they are not the only one who has a condition, and is furthermore unaware that some of the public, such as me, have been forcefully admitted to said hospitals for a lengthy time period bordering on years, unlike the author who was self-admitted for two weeks (as confirmed prior to the books release), and will go on to read the book looking for another publication to relate to, as we continue to endeavour on a mission to find comfort in others.
The author is correct that subject matter in the book is controversial but in my eyes because the author seems to have a very high opinion of themselves and views others with different illnesses and weight struggles as inferior to them or vacuous when compared to her, including those who are in fact trained in the field, for example there is a nurse whose weight was picked at in a way as to be called bordering on bullying, victimizing and made me feel the author to be an abuser in some sense. The author was seemingly more narcissistic than bipolar, as the character of "Emilie," and the narrative tone of which was based upon the author had a pattern of grandiosity in their behavior / thoughts, with an overwhelming need for attention and to a point the character noted when they were being admired with a total disregard or lack of empathy for other persons whether inmate or staff. The attitude of the character Emilie, based upon the author read as believing they were primarily more important than any other individual in "the asylum," and therefore deserved to be treated as such compared to other persons present. An overbearing snobbish, disdainful and patronizing character that attempted to make it look as though they were being patronized constantly, completely unaware that the reader is getting the opposite impression, that in all honesty if present in one of the centres at a time when I had been admitted, with my borderline personality disorder and mood swings I most probably wouldn't have cared for, tolerated and feel my behaviour may have echoed the anger that the character of Emilie made me feel, to the point of possibly attacking that person. Typical to narcissistic personality disorder, Emilie's character was a complainer, many rants and whining verse that literally could have been squashed into approximately ten pages, and reminded me so much of someone I was on a ward with, always complaining of how others were rude or stupid or after medical evaluation talking about their own evaluation of how the psychiatrist for example was wrong, The same with the character of Emilie who upon receiving evaluation looked down upon things such as borderline personality disorder (my disorder), like "how dare he call me borderline," and immediately proclaimed superiority over the medical examiner with a condescending irritating evaluation of the doctor and his scientific professional belief.
The whole book was completely exaggerated, fashionalised to suit the "Goth love for the horror trend," and was a dead give away as being written with narcissism, the author seems to expect her experience to be acknowledged as more "terrifying," and therefore more superior or important than any other persons, including my own, and that they should be admired for their bravery, because they are braver than anyone else and this message throughout the autobiographical side of the book grated on me to the point of just leaving it alone and not reading further passed Emilie's accounts. It had pointless photographs throughout which seemed to glamorize suicide in a sort of "Pin-up," sense that sent my stomach churning because it seemed to have complete disregard for the sensitivity of what leads a person to suicide, I feel the author considered this humorous but as someone who lives with suicide tendencies, I would go as far as saying their fantasies of their beauty, their brilliance was insulting and this self-deprecation was distasteful and glamorizing of suicide and mental illness, brainless, thoughtless and down right stupid, not too mention stopped me as a reader from taking her story seriously.

First of all, this is a must-have to anyone who whishes to understand Emilie Autumn's work.

But even if you don't know/like her music, it is a must-read.

While at first it might be tempting to simplify this book as a story about two similar girls across time, or as a semi-biography of Emilie Autumn, it would be a huge mistake to simplify that way.

This is a book about so many things. About FIGHTING WITH YOURSELF when you have a mental illness. It is about FIGHTING FOR BEEING CONSIDERED AS A HUMAN BEING in a medical institution (in a world) that does not acknowledge you as a person once they put a "mental illness" label on you. And it is even about THE FIGHT OF BEING A WOMAN, yesterday and today.

This is EA's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and so much more.

This book was really, really good. I was worried it could be a bit triggering as someone who has been in and out of institutions and various other mental health facilities my whole life but it spoke to me, it was such a true experience and a lot of the parts were amazing to finally see put into words. The Asylum story within a story was phenomenal and the characters were vivid and relatable from start to finish. It very perfectly gave a clear picture of the concept album as well which was wonderful after listening to it for years.

It's hard to look at depression and suicide the same way after reading this piece. Moving from what seems to be the 20th century to present day, we see how little has really changed in society's treatment of mental illness. The author manages to shed such a timely light on these issues that you have to question any previous connotations you had about them. Weaving through past and present and mixing in her own brand of humor, she manages to make you question what's real and what isn't. This book definitely takes the reader on a very interesting ride!

I've been a fan of Emilie Autumn for quite a long time now and when this book was released I was estatic. THRILLED. Her music has literally saved my life a multitude of times, has taught me to embrace what is deemed "wrong with me" and because of that have grown so much and now with my art work that I do I educate others. This book being released was the epitome of joy for me, reading each page made my heart swell it is such a phenomenal book, I preordered the audio book as well, I've listened to it well over a dozen times now. It is such a great read, phenomenal writing, love everything about it. If you're going to read anything new this year, next year, whenever; THIS is the book you should pick up. You won't regret it.

This is seriously one of the greatest books I have ever had the pleasure to read. It's not for the faint of heart. But everything in this novel is real. Ugly, gritty, beautiful, and real.
It's difficult to find a book that leaves such a lasting impression, and I've reread it too many times to count.
This book isn't afraid to dwell in the darkest recesses of human capabilities and yet still tell a story about bravery and sisterhood between strangers. It's a fight for survival, in the past and in the present day.
So I implore you, if you are willing to explore the depths of human consciousness and insanity, you simply must give The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls a try.

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is an emotion-filled, heart-wrenching novel that is wonderfully written and laced beautifully with puzzles and music. For anyone struggling with mental health, currently or in the past, this novel portrays very well the chaotic turmoil within, not only with dealing with your own mental health, but other people's perspective of you. The historical aspect of the novel has thrills and twists and turns in what feels like an accurately portrayed view of an asylum in the Victorian era. Emilie Autumn beautifully writes not only her emotions, but that of the characters and of 'Emily with a "y"', pulling the reader into the Asylum as well.

I first heard about this book back when I discovered Emilie's music two years ago, and was disappointed to find that it was almost impossible to obtain without having to pay obscene amounts of money for. Needless to say, I didn't think twice before purchasing the e-book when I saw that it was being re-released! You definitely connect with each character, and when they suffer, you feel as though you are too. When I reached the end I thought to myself, "No, that can't be it!" The puzzle aspect is also unlike anything I've ever seen before, and gives the book a reread factor that's probably unrivaled by anything else. Whatever Emilie does next, I'm happy to have this book until then!

What an exceptional book! I, too, suffer from several mental illnesses and could relate to a lot of this story. Beautifully written with many twists and turns and an ending that you don't see coming! Thank you, Emilie!!!

This book was something I and other EA fans have been anticipating for a while. Like her music, it's an incredibly gritty, intense, and beautiful story. I've never read an auto-biography quite like it.

The Down Side: It's an EXTREMELY intense book, and I don't recommend it for anyone who struggles with self-harm issues; it's a brutally-honest look into Emilie's own mind and heart, and includes what is called her "cutting diary".

Along with that, it also has very graphic descriptions of various "experiments" performed by the "fictitious" doctors on their inmates. Those with weak constitutions may not be able to get through many of these descriptions.

The Plus Side: Being someone who's never felt the need to self-harm, it is a very eye-opening account about why some may feel the need to do so, and is a plea for the understanding and acceptance of those suffering from severe mental and emotional disorders.

Final Thoughts: A wonderful book that I will probably pick up again and again!

This was a great story....loved the time switch from present to past. Sad that so little has changed in regard to how mental health is viewed by the general public. Made me search out Emilie's music, which I was not familiar with.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I became immersed in this story and I hope someday to read more of Emilie's work. I've been a long time fan of her music and just as such this book too is a masterpiece.

I have been a fan of Emilie Autumn for many years, her music helped me through many a dark time and I have always been exceptionally thankful for this and everything she does for her fans.
This book is absolutely no exception.
It is an incredible work of art and her writing invites the reader right into the world of Emily (with a Y) and you experience her own troubling times along with her in such an integrative way it's absolutely beautiful.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone I know in a heartbeat.
Thank you, Emilie, for yet another amazing work of art!

I have been a fan of Emilie's work for years and her novel does not disappoint. A beautiful journey through a difficult experience I loved it. The interactive experience of it just makes it that much more wonderful.

The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls was the first book I ever read that addressed my fears about mental health. Reading this book and knowing my fellow plague rats has helped me gain the confidence to face my mental disorder head on, comforted by the knowledge that I am not alone. I applaud Emilie for creating a text that points out real flaws in societies treatment of mental health without feeling the need to stuff it full of fluff. I encourage you all to read it and spread the plague.

Believe me when I say I could NOT put this book down. You become Emilie Autumn's biggest fan, trying to make sure she gets through each hardship the book discusses. Despite the myriad of oppressors, she still manages to have a wit that keeps the reader empathic of her situation. One of the best books ever written about being young, bright, beautiful, and at times, crazy. Autumn does not adopt an all-wise psychological analytical approach to her character, but lets the confusions and uncertainties of her world come through unvarnished.

If you're looking for the meaning of sisterhood, madness, love, and company then this is the book for you.
It's a great novel, with really awesome and well done characters and a storyline that will keep you wanting for more, and let's please talk about the treasures you can find inside the ebook pages, a song, an image, a quote, you name it...this is like a perfect book and i love it! Thanks EA for giving us a small piece of you through this piece of art.
Tons of love from Mexico to you

I'm reviewing the First Edition that was released in 2009. I understand there are two further editions, so I've no idea if anything changed after this one.

The thing to understand here is that this book is 100% fictional and is loosely based on a 2-3 day period in Emilie's life, where she was committed for a weekend to a mental hospital for attempting suicide. In reality, it was likely a bit miserable, boring and frustrating but the book paints it to be a very theatrical and deadly experience.

As for how it speaks of mental illness, well... it's self-insert fan fiction of her own experience, basically. Try not to take it too personally or seriously and just accept it at face-value.

Now, being an artist I gave this book 4 stars for the design alone. Emilie did all the art and design for this book and she really did a fantastic job. The physical book itself is simply a work of art, she has some real skill there.

The writing? Well, it's a bit all over the place. Given that we're now on a third edition after just a few years of release shows that the editing process wasn't QUITE finished on initial release (the first book has one or two typos, which I assumed fixed by second release... unsure what the third contains) the Emily-with-a-Y story parts can grow ineffably dull. I skipped bits and speed-read others. The 'Emilie Autumn' asylum entries were massively over the top but way more entertaining to read. The ending was pretty cool, too.

I borrowed this book from our library system and it took almost a year to get it, finally from the University of Oklahoma all the way to Utah. The fee if I did not return it or if it had damage was $500 big ones. I finally was able to purchase my very own hard copy of this beautifully illustrated book and I cherish it. I am proud to be a "plague rat" thank you Emilie Autumn​ for this very intriguing and insightful tome.

Seriously, fantastic. Emilie paints a picture of what it really could have been like to be in an asylum in the 1899's. Along with some stuff that could be from a hospital of today. And everything is beautifully written and it takes you into the world of Emilie and Emily. I love it so much that I had to buy my best friend a copy.

That is correct, I bought the book on a whim. One of the best ideas my gut instinct ever had. Very well written and well paced, this kept me reading. I'll not go into specifics, but the dual story lines are masterfully woven together to produce an insight into mental disease that will give "normal" people a much greater understanding. Thank you, Emilie, for helping me to see the layers.

A beautifully written, haunting novel of two parallel stories, from two different centuries, each told in first person. Ms. Autumn has turned a horrifying experience in the US Health System and turned it into an eye-opening view of how little our western society has changed in the treatment of women and the mentally ill. Engaging, enjoyable, lovable, funny, frightening, and thought-provoking.

I'm probably not the average reader for this book, being a retiree. I was first introduced to Emilie through her excellent CDs (definitely worth a listen if you haven't heard them) while volunteering in college radio. This book should be required reading for every young woman. A unique story, told with wit and wisdom.

I got this book because I've always been a big fan of Emilie Autumn. Every song of her's always seemed to paint a picture and tell a story, so when I heard that WAS a story I was floored! Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. Such a thrilling, heartfelt adventure!

It was an amazing book full of everything you could hope for from a story.
I found myself actually gasping and crying at some points.
Emilie Autumn is truly a talented author, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dark humor and drama.

This ebook, takes the story about Emilie and Emily to the next level. I mean.. I did thoroughly enjoy the hardcover and audiobook, there was no way I shouldn't love this one. Especially when there's treasure to be found.

Join us in a painful, yet magical journey inside the Asylum. And then come find us, the other inmates in The Striped Stocking Society. <3

This is a great story with many supporting items that add to the feel of the manuscript. It's well written, and a lot of art was put into the writing of both parts of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone to read.

My friend introduced me and let me read your wonderful book. The puzzels were an amazing addition it let be fulky emerse my self into the story. My only regret is not reading it sooner its easy to say that it as well as the music is new obbsesion. Keep your tea emilie i self medicate with your book .

I cannot express well enough how tumultuous reading this book is, how it tears you apart yet pieces you back together at the same time. It is a journey of its own. A journey that awakes emotions you may have never experienced before when it comes to reading about someone else's life.
PS* Also, it's cheaper than a latte!

Masterfully written and illustrated, it's an intellectual portrait of surviving mental illness. A decadent journey into two worlds, it inspires everyone to fight like a girl and make no apologies. A must-read. ♡

The book, is an insult to the studies of Psychiatry and to those with mental illness. Feeble fiction that provokes the stigma of Mental illness and transforms it into a sickly modern freak show, a lascivious author who obviously had the intent of magnifying their story for the sake of revenue.

This is a most EXCELLENT book! The author has such a clever and unique of writing that has me engaged, and excited to read another page any time I can have during my busy schedule! Definitely something I will read multiple times over without hesitation!!

I got to precisely page 29 before the childish ingratitude of the narrator became too much to stomach. I'm sure I'll quell my nausea enough to return to it, in the hopes that "Emily" is more intruiging, but for now I'm forced to conclude that the narrator's narcissism, misandry, and immaturity far outstrip my interest in the narrative.

This book kept me engrossed from the very first sentence to the last period.
As someone who suffers from manic depression and bipolar, I can relate to her feelings and telling.

She is an absolute gem.

I became acquainted with Emilie Autumn through her music in passing over a year ago, and became more interested in her within the past several months. When I heard she had a book coming out, my interest was a little piqued. This book, however, was not easy to find (though it wasn't difficult to find, either), and the price was a little steep, but my instincts told me, despite my current financial situation, to go ahead and buy it...and that I did.

I had no idea what to expect, but the volume and glossy color of the book staring boldly out at me from the box from whence it came wasn't the picture my imagination had drawn. I had no idea what I was in for.

It seems that, upon completion of reading this piece of art, I was struck with knowing its author a little more, yet still wondering if I really knew very much at all. What this book seemed to accomplish was to awe me with its dark twisted beauty, horrify and chill me to the bone with its graphic turmoil, and expand my heart to the author and every woman who has ever been locked a prisoner within the cold, calculating walls of an asylum.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It is, without a doubt, one of the most intense, page-turning journeys I have ever taken. I found myself, on a few occasions, needing a breath of fresh air and a tea break from the confined walls of this asylum, but yet, I couldn't help myself in checking in to make sure our heroine and her compatriots were okay.

This book is described as being an autobiography about Emilie Autumn's lock-up in her Asylum of Hell due to her life-long battle with Manic Depression and consistent thoughts of suicide. The book is filled with parts of her own handwriting and artwork, which makes the characters come alive in vivid color.

While in confinement, Emilie had found a parallel-world through letters that were from a woman of a Victorian early age of the not-so-bygone past, who was also institutionalized. Emily, with a "y" takes over a bulk of the story, and her tale turns into a cross between wicked, perverse fantasy and spine-tingling horror that would rival even the mind of Stephen King.

In between the storytelling of Emilie and Emily, we have three diaries, of which one is in the author's own handwriting: The Cutting Diary, The Drug Diary, and The Suicide Diary. These three diaries are very heartfelt and heart wrenching in nature, as Emilie bares her soul to her sole confidant. Some of these thoughts were written down at the prompting of her Psychiatrist, and appeared to be thoughts she hadn't planned on sharing. For some reason, she has decided to, and reasoning for this I would think would be to educate.

The Cutting Diary covers her reasoning behind the one bad habit she had - that being she had liked to cut herself - not because she was trying to kill herself, but because she was preventing herself from feeling suicidal. Cutting was a release for her, and many around her didn't understand why she was doing it. The Drug Diary deals with the many chemical components someone who is being treated for mental illness gets prescribed, and how these same medications in some cases take away other parts of her personality. The Suicide Diary deals with her constant feelings of melancholy that made her think of suicide on a daily basis. Again, many people don't realize the absolute Soul Sickness this really is. When Depression becomes that much of a companion in your life, you are no longer just dealing with an illness of the mind, the emotions, and the biological chemicals that make up the human body; you are now dealing with an illness that consumes the whole soul of the person.

The most horrific part of this book is the barbaric way in which those with Mental Illness, especially in earlier times, were treated and judged. We are shown this most clearly through Emily's (with a "y") eyes. Women, in particular, were put into asylums for various reasons that had nothing to do with madness. A woman's husband could put her in there for financial reasons. A girl's father could put her in there for religious reasons - possibly not wanting to go to the church her family attended. A woman or girl could be put there for being too much of a vocal, creative, colorful, individual or she could be put there for being too emotional and sensitive.

Mental Illness wasn't so much looked at as an illness as much as a personal deficit in character - to the point of being lower than a criminal. Women, in particular, were seen as being more prone to "female insanity" due to the fact that they were human beings who possessed female sex organs and hormones.

This book is spectacular in its presentation. I believe it was self-published by Emilie Autumn, and the love and care that went into the book has to be seen to be believed. I admire her for writing this very honest, grueling account of the heart and soul. I must stress again, that this is not for the weak at heart. It's heavy and it's intense, but it's a story worth telling and worth listening to.

© Diane Trautweiler. January 18, 2010.

In case you are a person that doesn't care about the addition of the book and would like to read it for the pleasure of it, you don't have to pay this absurd price . I paid $70 for my second addition. Go through the Internet

This was just a rambling mess. It was all over the place and the voice of the main character hit the "self-important, angsty teen" note one too many times. Like Virgin Suicides mixed with Sucker Punch.

I have long since been a fan of Emilie Autumn's work, I own copies of all of her cds, even to the point of owning more then one in some cases. That said, when this book came out I didnt run out and pay 90+ dollars on a book. I regret that now. The book focus's on a duel story, Emilie and Emily. Two girls that are not unlike eachother, the story follows the lives of these two girls through a dark place. Heres a list.

Pros-
-To start Emilies voice as both a singer and an auther are cutting and sharp. Emilie as a character is dry humoured and snarky, with a sense of humour that pulls to a darker mind-set.
-Nothing is held back in this book, actual written jurnols are copied onto the glossy pages. Emilie own ramblings and writings are not to be forgotten.
Truth, as it is, palys a part in this book. Emilie tells all, from the pills, that make her forget. To the cuts hidden by stockings.
-Three journols are in this book, The Cutting diaries> Sharp and dark, excuss the pun. Emilie tells her reason for the act of cutting ones flesh. Why she carried this action out to how she didt it. The Suicide diaries, self explaintory. Emilie explains her reasons and desires to take her life. Finally the Drug Diaries, WOW! Another title that reguires no imagination. However this diary is the hardeset to read, Emilie rambles on as if she is hardly alive(HA!) Ameisa pills, anti depressents, anti psychotics and the like.
-Emily's story is told through letters, the story is taken over for the most part by Emily, her struggle, her pain, and her life. AT this point I must mention that the book takes more horror note then before at this point.

Cons-
-Emilies major selling point to this book is truth, however talking rats, and genicide within walls of an asylum seem far fetched, as well as pulling letters out of thin air. (note this is all explained by the end of the book, BUT it does get hard to follow the "truth")
-Emilie, the better of the two natrators, all but fades away to Emily. I didnt buy a 90+ dollar book to listen to "Emily", but Emilie.
-The Books binding is a joke, for the hefty price for crap qaulity?
-How to even explain my pure desire to not have to point this out, But it must be done. Emily's story suffers from Emilies inabilitly to use the queens english. Various phrases that Emily makes sound far to moddern, or in rare cases flat out bad.

The cons are really jsut little compalints nothing that shatters the spell that the book palces on you.
That said, I wasnt to happy to see the cheaper than that of advanced readers copies binding.

My attention was taken from the very beginning. Emotional and heart felt. I was taken on an adventure as well as told the reality. She created a world from a personal experience and turned it in to beauty and insight. Marvelous!!

One of the best things I like about this book is that it isn't just a story of entertainment, it is art.
It is art that expresses a very raw truth that some stomachs will not easily digest.

It's lay out is original in that is it not simple black text on white paper. Each page is a work of art, including drawings, photos, and more. It reminds me of a scrape book with very articulate words. Emilie is admirable for her courage to speak of these subjects & thus deserves a good listen.

Whether or not she is truly mad, Emilie makes a lot of sense about subjects most may find baffling (due to being unable to relate)& is most certainly a genius. This is definitely one of the best purchases I have ever made.

A warning, if you are under 13, I say this book will be inappropriate for you.

This book was fascinating and confusing, beautiful yet terrifying. Emilie Autumn tells a story that is not quite true, but not false. She mixes her story of when she went into a mental institute after trying to commit suicide, and the dark and scary past of the Asylum. If you seen many movies, or at least one, about the early to late 19th century England, you might have had a small understanding of how they treated their patients. They experimented on them, tortured them, and rapped them. Emilie tells this story greatly like back then, an Asylum yet to be shut down.
She tells the story of her childhood, her horrible childhood, and then skips her teenage years to when she is an adult, to when she is committing suicide in her bathroom. She tells how she if found, taken and having a completely ridiculous conversation with her psychotherapist, (who should not even be allowed the ability to speak)and admitted herself to The Asylum.
From here, it's Asylum 101 to Advanced. You will have a terrifyingly amazing view of perspective about the ways of the Asylum, how their methods worked, how the mind can be slowly changed, how you can make friends, more so allies, and enemies, and get the frustrating erg to punch Emilies doctor in his face for twisting her words and spying on her caged life in the Asylum.
Though some parts of the story seem unrelated, random, or just crazy, remember, this is Emilie Autumn we're talking about here. If you would like something similar to this book (Since all fans are always waiting impatiently for the next printing) then I suggest you listen to her Album, Opheliac.
This over five pound book is fully in color, over a foot long, and around an inch and half thick, maybe thicker. The artwork is beautiful, the words are brilliantly chosen and written. I suggest this to all fans, even though the book is quite expensive. But I warn you if you do get the book, the binding can be easily ripped and stretched, so you must take great care and caution when reading and storing.
This is what the back of the book says:
"Emilie Autumn's 'The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls,' will leave fans shocked, and readers everywhere gasping for air.
Straddling the bookshelves somewhere between psychological study, historical horror story, and fantasy fiction sits Emilie Autmn's debut autobiographical novel. Written and illustrated by the notoriously manic-depressive rock star, this chilling tale combines humor, tragedy, and suspense to produce a blood-curdling account of the horrors of life inside an insane asylum, comparing those from the Victoria, era with our modern day version, and proving, through her own personal experiences, that not much has changed from then to now.
Prepare yourself to enter a world most pray would never visit
But beware:
It is much easier to get into the Asylum than it is to get out..."

Okay, so this is a very pretty book, I will give it that, and Ms. Autumn's notes from within the mental institution are fairly interesting (although the repetitiveness of some of her manic journal entries gets a bit wearing)as well as familiar (having been institutionalized myself in a more expensive facility, having been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young lass, I can tell you that she's pretty accurate about how things are scary and unpleasant and you feel like you can't get out). However her fictional piece leaves a lot to be desired, it's over sentimental, predictable, and over the top in ways that aren't fun. I had no expectation of historical accuracy, it is a dystopian fantasy piece, however the writing in the Victorian sections was clunky, the characters a bit 2-d, and the social commentary of the "BEAT YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH IT UNTIL YOU'RE THOROUGHLY CONCUSSED" variety.

Spoiler alert:
Personally, I would have liked to hear about her release from the institution and some of what came after instead of the "trapped forever/world's blending together". I also thought that the suicide of the asylum girls at the end of the victorian section felt... well weirdly sudden, a switch between "YAY running the asylum!" to... well that.

I did however find some of her thoughts on suicide interesting, essentially suggesting that the world had left her in too much pain, too traumatized to go on, is an understandable point of view, there are horrors from which one cannot recover, though I do think she over states her case, as a survivor of rape and abuse myself (one who even shares her misfortune of having had to terminate an accidental pregnancy by a particularly cruel boy) that there are often more options than we think.

All in all, I find that the Victorian sections are more interesting in the glimpses they show you of the authoress's psyche, her fantasies (the talking animals, violent revenge, her complex relationship with sex, her own sexuality and reproductive organs, her dream of a real asylum, a safe place for the mentally fragile can go to have privacy, to rest)

I found institutionalization quite traumatic as well, unbearably frightening and dark. The screaming of other patients are memorable and shudder inducing to this day, though it does have the effect of saving some lives. I'm alive (my first stay was for being severely anorexic, I might have died without fluids) and she is alive, but it is horrible to be left alone in a new place when one is at ones most fragile.

As stated, as hackneyed as parts of the book may seem, the most interesting part of the victorian narrative is what it reveals about Emilie herself, her psyche, her anxieties are rather interesting. She's a very marked fear of infection (an anxiety that crops up repeatedly in the narrative), the survivor guilt is interesting as well (Captain lives, her sister dies, Emily lives, Anne dies), the removal of uteruses and abortions which show up again, and again, and again, the trauma of a lost child (Mrs. Mournington) and how it twists one. It almost seems like Mrs. Mournington is another avatar for Emilie, her son is a mixture of the boyfriend who pressured who to have the abortion, and the abusers who it seems likely are the ones responsible for Emilie's fear of childbirth.

Similarly the photographer is like the well intentioned but disgusted ex boyfriend, who knows not the evil he does. The joy and horror of being displayed, pretty things and being seen are nice... the lustful gaze terrorizes her.

There is an unkindness in the way she describes the other inmates, and in the way she talks about fat women. Does she not realize to mock the overweight nurse is to exacerbate the problem of women being kept meek and pliant through starvation?

In any case, it does allow one a most interesting look into Miss Autumn's interesting brain, I should say it as not so much a "good" book, as one that is interesting if you are interested in the psychology of the author.

I love Emilie's music, but this book was trash. All she does is make a mockery of mental illness and bash the medical field. The writing as a whole was also subpar. I lost interest after the 3rd hospital entry and tried to keep going into the Asylum entries but I just couldn't do it.

I'm a huge fan of Emilie Autumn, but $355.00 for a Hardcover book is ridiculous!! Is that the Price she has set for the book??? An a used one for $175.00 is ridiculous!! I love her music but that's just robbery no matter how pretty the illustration's are??????

Bought the electronic version because emily autumn is an amazing musician and person.... but, I cant get the thing to open on my tablet to actually read it. Anyone know if a certain reader is required? A place to enter in some sort of confirmation that i actually bought it?

This book is really, really bad. It is naive, woefully self-indulgent, and asinine. The "insights" into topics like self-harm, medication, suicide, and identity with bipolar disorder are the kind of teenage-philosopher drivel that sounds like it could be legit if you didn't have a brain. Her opinions on those topics are actually harmful and one of the worst attitudes to have if you actually have bipolar disorder and she parades them around like they're anarchic pieces of wisdom. I like Ms Autumn's music and I appreciate that she puts a lot of effort into her shows, and I think it is awful the amount of criticism she gets solely because she is basically a hard-working, self-made woman with a lot of fans, but this piece of work is complete and utter trash. I regret buying this book, I have tried to like this book, but I barely ever make it past the first twenty pages before I give up and decide to look at the artwork instead.

Oh yeah, the art is good. The fictional parts are boring. The non-fictionalised parts, I've just talked about.

It kind of reads a little like Long Hard Road Out of Hell (Marilyn Manson's autobiography); woefully self-indulgent and filled with delusions of profundity. Do not recommend at all.

If you are under 18 is strongly recommended to read surpervised by an adult.
Pr's seriously, this book is amazing. EA will give you a poke for the next time you go to see a doctor, you are not going to think about it on the same way.