I purchased this book on the strength of the author's first which,in retrospect,was not a good decision.Each book stands on its own and I found this one very disappointing.The Characters seemed one dimensional...more like caricatures and at times I had to remind myself that
…more I was NOT reading a Gothic romance but a serious attempt to describe a different species of confinement both of the body and the spirit.....unfortunately this narrative missed the mark for me ......I think this author is very adept at setting the stage and selecting a story line that should be fascinating....but isn't.....and although her research is impressive particularly as it concerns the body's reaction to slow starvation Anna never really comes alive for me....seeming more like a medical specimen than a little girl....in fact,I wish Anna herself had narrated the story ....THAT might have given me the emotional depth I was looking for and a point of view that was sadly missing....my own personal rating was a 5 out of 10 (less)
