The author gives a nice backstory in her acknowledgements and links the storyline to some actual history, but overall, The Ballroom failed to provide a deeper meaning for me or even a clearcut plot. I think it’s best described as slow and mundane. There were so many things that went unsaid for the sake of giving words to those that didn’t strengthen the power of the story.Įven after everything I've said up to this point, I still wouldn't consider this to be a horrible book. In my opinion, there was more than enough room for deeper character development here. Something about Charles initially bored me and those feelings turned to disdain when he flipped the script way too quickly and without much forethought or reasoning. I found Ella to be extremely dull and I struggled to connect with Clem or consider their interaction a friendship. Other than John, I can’t say that I was enamored with any of the characters. The letters didn’t touch me emotionally and the ballroom wasn’t as large of a part of the story as it should have been. I found myself questioning why they had these feelings for each other, but I never could find the answer. Despite the considerable amount of time it takes for the relationship to come to fruition, their feelings still felt a little rushed and underdeveloped. There’s a love story within these pages, but it’s mostly overshadowed by the unraveling of the other characters. Could music and dance mollify their troubles? The normally segregated patients being able to congregate for a dance-in a grand ballroom, with the opposite sex, every Friday night-managed to stir up something akin to hope. The fact that these people landed themselves in an asylum, for one ridiculous reason or another, with no idea where they’d ultimately end up, was unimaginable. Meaning I could only handle this book in small doses-hence the snail’s pace, one month read. Instead, I found myself succumbing to page after page of flat and often emotionless drivel. On some level, I thought this would be hauntingly beautiful. It was all the eerie possibilities an asylum could offer a storyline, along with the glowing reviews I’d seen from other readers, that unknowingly encouraged me to pick up The Ballroom. This was an extremely drab and depressing story, even for me-someone who frequently dabbles in dark reads. There’s a tiny part of me that feels this story teetered on the very edge of being something great-something memorable even-but then there’s the rational part of me that can admit, it missed the mark. Well, this wasn’t the experience I had hoped for. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and NetGalley. It's haunting and gnawing, yet beautifully written There are many books that have given me a knot in my stomach, a lump in my throat, and a few that make me cry. In some respects, this is a commentary on the mental health treatment in the early 1900's, a personal statement as the author tells us that her great-great grandfather was a patient in an asylum, but at its core, this is a love story that will touch anyone with a heart. The beautiful possibilities of friendship and love in such a dark place and these unforgettable characters were the only lights. Charles, an insecure doctor, escaping his father and a tedious life, wants to do something important but it is horrible and at the expense of Tom, Ella, and Ella's friend Clem. John, an Irish farmer has suffered losses and is sent here from the workhouses. Ella, a young woman who has lived a life of abuse at home and has a hard working life at a mill, breaks a window to see the sky and is admitted to the asylum. There are three narrative perspectives here. This one in England didn't seem a whole lot different where you may be institutionalized when you may not be mentally ill, and subjected to awful treatment, both physical and psychological and where the actions of asylum staff are more disturbing than the actions for which the patients are deemed insane. I was very much reminded of What She Left Behind, a novel about people in an asylum in upstate NY. It was just shy of 5 stars for me because I felt it a little slow at times, but the more I thought about it, I realized how the slow moving time really depicted what it was like for these patients as they waited for the next dance in The Ballroom or waited for a time when they would be free. I haven't had much time to write this review since I finished reading this book a couple of days ago, but I've been thinking about these characters and their story - so much so that as I'm writing this, I have decided to up my rating from 4+ to 5 stars.
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