The Great Pretender

Reviews / Votes

People have asked me over the years: if they liked The Psychopath Test, what should they read next? I now have an answer. Susannah Cahalan's The Great Pretender is such an achievement. It's a wonderful look at the anti-psychiatry movement and a great adventure - gripping, investigative. It's destined to become a popular and important book -- JON RONSON Utterly compelling . . . important and spirited * * Observer * * A fascinating piece of detection . . . passionate [and] a warning against easy answers * * Sunday Times * * A vivid account . . . An impressive feat of investigative journalism - tenaciously conducted, appealingly written . . . as compelling as a detective novel * * Economist * * I wasn't really prepared for the story Cahalan ends up telling. That she discovered the truth about Rosenhan is a testimony to her dogged research. That this truth was inconvenient for her own outlook on psychiatry is a compliment to her integrity. She writes it all very well too, with clarity, economy and style * * The Times * * A well-crafted, gripping narrative that succeeds on many levels. Cahalan, who gained the trust of Rosenhan's family, is meticulous and sensitive in her research; compelling and insightful in her writing. She accurately conveys the troubles that have haunted psychiatry over the past half-century . . . her book, which I hope wins awards, has immense value as a historical account * * Financial Times * * Brilliant detective work . . . fascinating * * Guardian * * The Great Pretender recounts the remarkable investigation that [Cahalan] undertook. The book reads like a fascinating real-life detective story . . . Exposing what [Rosenhan] got up to is a quite exceptional accomplishment, and Cahalan recounts the story vividly and with great skill * * Spectator * * Cahalan tells this whole story not simply with dramatic flair but also with the passion of a former patient whose own misdiagnosis . . . almost resulted in her death * * Times Literary Supplement * * A gripping work of detection * * Daily Mail * *