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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Cure for Dreaming in Books

Dec 7, 2018

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

On her seventeenth birthday 1900, Olivia Meade gets invited onto a stage to be hypnotized by the young Monsieur Henri Reverie in this historical, paranormal novel. In Oregon at this period of time women were not allowed to vote in presidential elections and Olivia’s father is determined that she does not get influenced by the campaigning suffragists. On hearing about the hypnotist, Dr. Meade hires him with the job of removing the “selfish” and “unladylike dreams” from his daughter’s head. However this causes Olivia more problems than expected. She begins to see horrible images but are these as a result of Henri telling her “you will see the world the way it truly is”, or is she hallucinating as a result of reading Dracula more times than necessary?

The Cure For Dreaming contains a mix of historical references and paranormal ideas as both Henri and Olivia struggle to find a successful way of reversing the effects of the hypnosis as well as involving themselves in the women’s suffrage movement.

Cat Winters, despite the added fantasy elements, has kept the book historically accurate. A typical novel about women’s equality would result in life changing successes, however as Oregon did not did not gain full suffrage until 1912 this of course was not impossible to include in The Cure For Dreaming. Ultimately it is a novel about growing up to be who you want to be and knowing your own mind rather than succumbing to the “natural” views of society.

The writing is contemporary and easy to understand which makes it suitable for ages twelve and older. The downside to this is that it detracts from the historical setting, making Olivia appear a lot more modern than she actually is. Apart from mimicking a classic novel type style, which would make it less suitable for its target audience, there is not a lot that can be done about that.

Between chapters of the book are relevant photographs or images from the appropriate time period, which help to illustrate the events in the plot. There are also quotes from authors such as Kate Chopin and Mark Twain as well as more political lines from various speeches. These also help to provide an understanding of the historical setting.

Overall The Cure For Dreaming is a great book for teenagers. There may be paranormal themes but it is not a horror novel, in fact there is just as much romance as anything else.