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The Ballroom successfully blends historical research with emotional intelligence to explore the tensions and trials of the human condition with grace and insight."
--New York Times Book Review "Part historical novel and part romance,
The Ballroom paints an incredibly rich portrait of the mentally stable forced to live in an asylum. [Anna] Hope transports readers inside the asylum, to feel the thick humidity of the stale summer air of the day room, and the gritty and brutal reality inside those walls."
--Booklist "A compelling cast of emotionally resonant characters, as well as a bittersweet climax, render Hope's second novel a powerful, memorable experience."
--Publishers Weekly "Hope's writing is consistently beautiful. . . . Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction by Sarah Waters or Emma Donoghue."
--Library Journal "A beautifully wrought novel, a tender, heartbreaking and insightful exploration of the longings that survive in the most inhospitable environments."
--Sunday Express "
The Ballroom has all the intensity and lyricism of [Anna] Hope's debut,
Wake. At its heart is a tender and absorbing love story."
--Daily Mail "Compelling and masterful . . . Anna Hope has proven once again that she is a luminary in historical fiction. . . . She delivers profound, poignant narratives that stir the emotions."
--Yorkshire Post "As with Hope's highly acclaimed debut novel,
Wake, the writing is elegant and insightful; she writes beautifully about human emotion, landscape and weather."
--The Observer "A brilliantly moving meditation on what it means to be 'insane' in a cruel world . . . All the characters are vividly and sensitively drawn. . . . Deeply moving."
--The Irish Times