Imagine one day while curling your hair you burn your hand and don't even notice. While that is what happened to Mirielle West. This one event changed her life immediately and forever. Mirielle is the wife of the famous actor, Charles West, and it turns out that she is a leper. This story starts with her learning about her diagnosis and immediate transfer from her home in Hollywood to a leper colony in Louisiana. Mirielle will do anything she can to get back to her daughters from escaping to taking unprescribed meds in order to obtain 12 consecutive months disease free.
This is a story of change and growth. Can a self-absorbed, Hollywood socialite discover that this is not the end of her life but the beginning of a new one? This book has a cast of great characters who all have their own back stories help each other on their journeys in this world where they need to find a way to live when the rest of the world will not accept them.
While I was aware of leper colonies before reading this (usually they seemed to have been on islands) I never really thought much about them. Because this story focused on the path of acceptance and really made them all relatable characters it made me look up leprosy (not very contagious so don't be scared of lepers) and Carville, LA. Carville Hospital was a real place which I think adds to the story. I would highly recommend this one.

I most love historical fiction when the story involves a subject I know nothing about. And while Mirielle and the lively supporting cast of characters is fictional, the Carville Leper Colony was a very real part of history. Reading the book made me want to go straight to google to find out more. If anything, I wanted more of these details in the book. However I think it’s a good thing when a novel makes you want to do more research on your own.
Mirielle and all of the characters were well written and lovable. And the pace of the book was perfect.

Amanda Skenandore has written a unique historical fiction novel set Louisiana in the late 1920’s in Carville Hospital - the only leper colony in America.

Early in the story Mirielle, married to a well-known actor, visits a doctor for a minor ailment but is soon stunned by a leprosy diagnosis. Mirielle’s life changes forever as she is put on a cattle car, sent away from her family, and quarantined at Carville.

The quarantine experienced by people suffering from leprosy puts our current difficulties with quarantine in perspective. People were literally locked away for years (in not for their entire life) at a time when communication was limited to writing letters or the occasional phone call.

“A twinge of regret stirred inside Mirielle as not having spoken to them on the train when they weren’t yet so cleaved from the world. “

This is a compelling story of a women reeling from personal tragedy while quarantined. Along this journey Mirierelle discovers inner strength that she didn’t know she had.

Despite the fact that she is abrasive, Mirielle is a character that I grew to love.

“Everyone’s got their strengths right? Well this isn’t mine. I’m good at dancing, and looking nice, and throwing a swell party.”

This story chronicles Mirelle’s experience (as well as the other patient’s) with this incredibly debilitating disease, athough her case was relatively mild.

“Her entire body felt fuzzy as if she were a figure in one of her daughter’s drawings. One hand and half of the body messily erased, the rest without definition or adornment, abandoned before completion in favour of a tea party with her dolls.”

The epilogue provided a welcome ending to this heartbreaking story but admittedly left me wanting to know more about leprosy and the Carville Hospital.

Thank you to NetGalley for this gifted copy of the ALC.

I really enjoyed this book. What a great story! This is a fascinating concept. A woman married to a Hollywood actor in the 1920s is found to have leprosy and is involuntarily sent to a leper colony/hospital in Louisiana. There she begins a new life.
This book is beautifully written. I felt as though I accompanied Mirielle on her journey of grief, anger, denial, and acceptance. Eventually, she flourished at the leper colony. I really liked Mirielle and all of her companions. Her character was very well developed. I felt as though I knew her. I felt sorry for her; and, by the end of the book, I admired her. If anyone can have a happy ending in a leper colony, Mirielle found a way. This book also contained a romantic subplot, but this was not a romance novel. The romance was well placed and enjoyable. It enhanced, rather than took away from, the larger story line of this woman's unconventional journey to self-discovery and making peace with herself and her past.
The author also invested significant research into the history and science of leprosy, which was fascinating. Very well done. I would read this author again and will recommend this book to others. Excellent read. Engrossing from the beginning.
I listened to the audio version of this novel.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore was a historical fiction following the glamorous life of socialite Mirielle West change for the worse when she was diagnosed to be a leper in the 1920s.
The story was engrossing but a bit dragging. The writing was good. The characters were okay but the main character can be unlikeable at times. I loved the authoress's attention to detail for the disease, the raw emotions and timeline.
Narrator Nicole Poole was amazing.
A good book for fans of historical fiction.
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the audio copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book! I have a bit of an interest in leprosy (or Hansen's disease, at it is less stigamatisingly called), so when I saw this on NetGalley, I requested it very quickly. It's such a great story, of disease and family and what it means to be home. Getting to see the characters grow and change was marvelous. it's also historical fiction, and living through the 1920s was wonderful. This book wasn't mainly about a disease (the "the disease"as they keep calling it), it was about people and growth and who you can become when challenged. My favourite type of . book.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator Nicole Poole was perfect for the role. I highly recommend the audio-book, but it would also be a wonderful eye-read,

Thanks to Netgalley and Highbridge Audio for giving me this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

I like books inspired by the true stories. I treated it like a chance to get to know something more, to get into a topic and find something unexpected, something that I have never even think of. The Second Life of Mirielle West is exactly that kind of story!

I have never heard about the lepel colony before. Of course, I knew that in the past there were places when people were forced to quarantine all over the world (Greece has some island famous of that!), but never had a chance to know anything about the lepel in US.

The story of Mirielle West is heart-breaking. The innocent patch on her body ruined her life. At first, she though that she burnt herself, but then the doctors said that this is a lepel sign and without any further explanations send her into isolation. She hadn't got any chance to say goodbye to her kids, husband, friends. In one moment - from the movie star's wife turned into unknown, lonely and left-alone in the middle of nowhere.

I have it in audiobook and I feel every single word. Her desperation, hope and days full of sorrow. That book is fullfilled with so many strong emotions that it costs me many night to get through it.

Anyway, I feel that The second life is one of the most valuable books and I have recently read. It is also the first Amanda's book and I appreciate the huge effort, a long hours of research and precision how she decribe and involve the readers into her story.

Worth to read

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I don't usually gravitate toward historical fiction but I found this book to be fresh and somewhat unique within the genre. There is no war (like so many HF books tend to center around) and while there is illness heavily featured in the plot, interestingly the focus of the illness is very different and almost acts as part of the setting.
This book really shines in terms of the character development. I cannot remember the last time I have read a book with such realistic AND meaningful character development in multiple characters! Obviously, this is most significant in Mirielle whose growth throughout the book is both beautiful and gradual enough to truly impact me as a reader. Even at the beginning of the book, it is not hard to understand where she is coming from, her actions make sense. I love how the dynamics and relationships develop and are explored- truly masterful!
The only thing that kept me from giving this book a full five stars was that once I put it down I wasn't specifically drawn to pick it up again but I think that has more to do with my personal preference in terms of genre and pacing. Reading this book as an audiobook definitely helped with this and I actually ended up reading this in 2 or 3 major chunks while doing other things. The narrator dose a great job, especially with incorporating the strong accents of the characters.
(spoilers through I am going to keep this as vague as possible: The only bit of character development that I'm not really sure about was Irene's ending. To me it felt a bit inconsistent with much of what we had seen from her before that point- especially her confession about her flowers. On the other hand, its obviously an extremely difficult situation to handle and an indescribable letdown after building up hope for so long.)

I was very pleased to be granted the audiobook of The Second Life of Mirielle West. This is the story of Mirielle, who was living in Los Angeles in the 1920's. When she accidentally burns her hand and is rushe dto the hospital, the doctors discover she has leprosy. In those days, a diagnosis like this meant you were shipped to live with other patients in an enclosed community. She was dashed off quickly, without packing very much, but Mirielle reasoned how much would she need - maybe in a week or two she'd be cured and returning home. She lands up all the way across the country In Louisiana (Carville), and learns the reality of the disease.

I found this book sad, (you have to feel bad for these people who were yanked out of their homes with no explanations where they were going or for how long). Much credit must be given to the doctors, nurses, and volunteers who helped those who were striken, lead as meaningful and comfortable life given their situation (and prognosis). This was definitely an interesting AND original book.

Thank you #netgalley , Amanda Skenandore and @highbrigeaudio for the audiobook in return for my honest review. Nicole Poole does a great job narrating.

I absolutely loved this audiobook! So many emotions were felt! The main character Mirielle grew as a person throughout the book and you just can’t help but fell in love with her. You learn about struggles that are so heartbreaking. Beautifully written, and very entertaining! And I love how my little city of Lafayette, LA was mentioned! Thank you netgalley for my gifted copy!

Incredibly well written story about the leper colony in Carville, LA. I was completely wrapped up in the life of Mirielle West and her struggle to deal with leprosy and the loss of her extravagant lifestyle. I loved the other characters in the story and how they were able to live for years away from their families while afflicted with this disease. Despite the sad subject matter, I really enjoyed this story.

4/5

A thought provoking and well written Historical Fiction novel about Leprosy in the 1920’s that shows you we can lose everything but gain back ourselves.

This story is fascinating, we follow Mirielle, a socialite and silent film star’s wife as she is diagnosed with Leprosy. Mirielle is quarantined away from her children and husband states away and is challenged with navigating through her new life which is painfully different than the glitz and glamour she’s come accustomed to. The trials and tribulations of adjusting to an isolated life, being away from her children and family, mixed with the struggles of leprosy, show that Mirielle is a strong, multi-faceted female lead. You will gain a good amount of knowledge about the one and only Leper community that existed in the United States during the 1920’s through this book, which is something I really enjoyed because we don’t hear much about leprosy anymore. My only dislike was that I didn’t always like Mirielle, while I can appreciate her growth and perseverance - there were intricacies I personally wasn’t a fan of.

Overall, if you enjoy Historical Fiction with a strong female protagonist, well written and researched historical components and a story that is filled with second chances - read The Second Life of Mirielle West!

Thank you to Highbridge Audio and #Netgalley for the audio version of this novel.

This book brings humanity to an infectious disease colony. A great story with terrifically realistic characters.

The story combines Hollywood stars, romance, tragedy, disease, discrimination, internal strife, friendship, and heartbreak. It is a wonderful story about what it means to be sent to a leprosy colony. When we think about someone being quarantined with an infectious disease, it is often the safety of others that is our focus. This book concentrates on the experiences of those sent away.

Mirielle is taken from her family without the benefit of saying goodbye to her family and sent to the Carville Hospital for lepers. Completely unequipped for her new life, she has fits and starts in adapting to the unfamiliar circumstances.

A terrific narrator! Her voice is even and modulated. I could listen to her all day. She is being moved to my favorites.


I received an ARC from Highbridge Audio through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

I was really excited to dig into some historical fiction. Especially a story about a chronic illness impacting a group who were then forced to live in a colony and of which I had no previous knowledge. I had high hopes for the main character but found her largely unlikable for 90% of the book. I really wanted to connect with her (as a person with chronic illness myself) but this book had few redeeming points for me.

Great descriptions and characters. Well written and informative. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this

The Second Life of Mirielle West is a poignant read about a little discussed time in American history. Mirielle West is a California socialite married to a Hollywood Silent film star in the 1920's. Early in the story Mirielle is diagnosed with leprosy and is sent away to quarantine at a Leper colony in Louisiana. She leaves behind her husband and two young daughters. This story follows the lives of Mirielle and her fellow companions at Carville who are stripped of their basic human rights. Mirielle's evolution in the story is gradual and she isn't always pleasant. In the beginning, Mirielle is a selfish and spoiled woman who cares for no-one but herself, but by the end she becomes a stronger woman and ally to those she loves. The longer she is at Carville the more she discovers her true self and is able to heal from her tragic past. Desperate for a cure Mirielle throws herself into life at the colony hoping her contribution will be her salvation. The characters are richly drawn and you cannot help but root for them. I especially loved Irene and Frank who were true friends to Mirielle, even at her worst. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator Nicole Pool is excellent. She really brought each individual character to life and they all sounded completely different. Overall this was a beautiful story. I had little knowledge about leprosy prior to this story. I commend the author for her eloquent writing and bringing more attention to this part of our history. Thank you to NetGalley, HighBridge Audio, and Amanda Skenadore for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Second Life of Mirielle West
by: Amanda Skenandore
narrated by: Nicole Poole
High Bridge Audio

In a genre that could be described as medical historical fiction, Skenandore has educated us about the horrific disease of leprosy with her portrait of one woman's journey with this illness. This book is Mirielle West's story, and readers will not forget her. She is a frivolous high society wife and mother in 1920s Los Angeles, with a calendar full of glamorous events to attend with her film star husband, Charlie. As she receives her startling diagnosis of leprosy, Mirielle is in denial even as she involuntarily boards a train bound for Carville, the Louisiana Leper Hospital.
I was mesmerized immediately, often feeling numbness and shock at the circumstances that Mirielle endured. It is unimaginable to think that a woman could be separated from her family and find herself so far away from home because of this illness. As her name is changed to Pauline to protect the privacy of her family, she begins a slow transformation to her new life. It is filled with heartbreak, hope, and a full spectrum of emotions and growth. Relationships are built with residents and staff of Carville. As Mirielle faces the unknowns of the directions that her life will now take, readers are with her as she discovers her strength, purpose, and fate.
Reading this book has led me to want to learn more about this disease over time, including the patients, treatment, and medical research. Skenandore's fascinating writing presents a brilliantly paced plot. Nicole Poole's narration was on point with bringing the well-developed character of Mirelle to life for the listening audience. She seamlessly portrays all characters and sequence of events with her voice.
Thank you to Net Galley and High Bridge Audio for the advanced reader's copy audiobook and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#TheSecondLifeofMirielleWest #NetGalley

Although I was born on the bayou and have lived in Louisiana my entire life, it wasn't until recently that I learned about the national leprosarium just up the river from me in Carville, Louisiana. I first heard about the leper colony through an episode of the podcast Criminal, and the subject of Carville hasn't arisen in my life again until Amanda Skenandore's new novel, The Second Life of Mirielle West, was published. I am glad that Skenandore is drawing attention to this little known piece of Louisiana history and is reimagining life at Carville for those who were unaware that a leper colony existed here in the Bayou State.

The Second Life of Mirielle West starts off rather horrifyingly. Mirielle West, socialite and wife to a silent film star, is admitted to a local California hospital for what she believes to be a mild skin condition, but she soon comes to find is leprosy. It's the 1920s and a cure for leprosy is long-off. Anyone diagnosed with the condition must be quarantined from the public, which is exactly the situation Mirielle finds herself in. She is whisked off to the swamps of Louisiana, where she is to live her life at the Carville leper colony for the interminable future.

Many of us living in modern day America likely never even considered the implications of quarantine until the COVID pandemic shook up the entire world. However, in the times of leprosy, it wasn't uncommon, and as bad as our COVID quarantines seem to be, they are nothing compared to what those diagnosed with leprosy went through. I was absolutely alarmed to learn that upon diagnosis, Mirielle was to be separated from her family, quite possibly to never see them again. Just think about how drastically people's lives could be altered with a leprosy diagnosis, which carried great shame, fear, and disgust with it. Once you were diagnosed, your life would never be the same again.

Which is what we see happen with Mirielle in this novel. Upon arriving at Carville, Mirielle refuses to accept her diagnosis, and tries to devise ways to get herself back home to the life to which she is accustomed, but her attempts soon prove to be futile. She is at Carville to stay. The Second Life of Mirielle West follows the title character through her time at Carville, as she becomes acclimated to the new environment she finds herself in. We also learn about some of the promising medical breakthroughs that were being trialed at Carville in hopes of finding a cure. But most importantly of all, we meet the people of Carville, the men, women, children, fathers, mothers, daughters, and sons from all over the country who were pulled away from their families and their former lives to live among people of their own kind in an isolated corner of Louisiana.

The Second Life of Mirielle West is a thought-provoking read that is sure to drum up a lot of interest in the history of leprosy in the United States. This is where this novel is strongest - in shining a spotlight on the trials and tribulations that those who were afflicted with leprosy faced, and how they had to create a new life for themselves at Carville. Where I didn't love this novel as much is in the storytelling. I did not find the narration to be entirely compelling or as heart-wrenching as I would expect it to be, given the situation. The story itself fell a little flat, never going deep enough or emotional enough to satisfy that part of me that ached in sadness for the people of Carville.

I listened to a satisfying audiobook production of this novel, narrated by Nicole Poole. Poole handles a variety of voices well and employs a standard Southern accent effectively. However, being familiar with the Cajun accent, I can say that this is one area in which she missed the mark; nonetheless, the Cajun accent is a difficult one to master, even for those of us who have lived in Louisiana all of our lives, so that can be expected. Furthermore, she mispronounced some Louisiana place names and words such as "pirogue" (pee-rog.) For those living outside of Louisiana, this will likely go unnoticed, but as someone familiar with the local dialect, it hurt my ears.

The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore was on the verge of being totally inspiring but seemed to slow down just when it was getting good. I did love the history and the fact that it was based on a true story! The content and topic of the story was extremely interesting. The research the author did to provide an accurate historical fiction was great. I think part of what was off for me was that the main character was a little too whiny and uninspired until the very, very end.

Thank you NetGalley for an audio-ARC of the Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore.
One of my favorite things about historical fiction is learning something new. I never knew there was a hospital for leprosy patients in Louisiana. Mirielle West transforms from an alcoholic socialite to a compassionate woman throughout the story. The narrator, Nicole Poole captures the essence of Mirielle as well as the characters she encounters through the story. Rich text and historical detail make this book one that I won't easily forget.