The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell is one of the most engaging books that I have read. Told in the first person of Lucy Ann Lobdell, the author's descriptive prose is written with such sensitivity, it brought me closely in touch with the character in such a way that her pain and suffering touched my soul. I could not get Lucy's physical and emotional abuse out of my mind.
Once the book was set aside, her mental anguish still lingered in my mind afterward.
William Klaber's comment, "Since the entire story is told in Lucy's words, it was always her voice that rattled around my head, giving the sensation, at least, that my imagination had been captured by her spirit and not the other way round." cannot be denied by the reader. There is, indeed, a spiritual connection with Lucy, that shines through in the writers dialogue.
To read of the terrible abuse and mistreatment that females were subjected to during the 1800s was enlightening as well as the horrible conditions and treatment available to the mentally ill.
Lucy Ann Lobdell's is a story of one woman's search for meaning and sexual identity, in a world that held so little regard for women. Despite the abuse and mistreatment, she persevered and did not abandon her convictions. I never heard of Lucy Lobdell until I read this book, and I am all the richer. I will never forget Lucy Ann Lobdell. Five stars for William Klaber.