The Ballroom: A Novel

The Ballroom: A Novel

A searing novel of forbidden love on the Yorkshire moorsâ€”â€œa British version of One Flew Over the Cuckooâ€™s Nestâ€ (The Times U.K.)â€”from the author of the critically acclaimed debut Wake
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England, 1911. At Sharston Asylum, men and women are separated by thick walls and barred windows. But on Friday nights, they are allowed to mingle in the asylumâ€™s magnificent ballroom. From its balconies and vaulted ceilings to its stained glass, the ballroom is a sanctuary. Onstage, the orchestra plays Strauss and Debussy while the patients twirl across the gleaming dance floor.
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Amid this heady ambience, John Mulligan and Ella Fay first meet. John is a sure-footed dancer with a clouded, secretive face; Ella is as skittish as a colt, with her knobby knees and flushed cheeks. Despite their grim circumstances, the unlikely pair strikes up a tenuous courtship. During the week, he writes letters smuggled to her in secret, unaware that Ella cannot read. She enlists a friend to read them aloud and gains resolve from the force of Johnâ€™s words, each sentence a stirring incantation. And, of course, thereâ€™s always the promise of the ballroom.
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Then one of them receives an unexpected opportunity to leave Sharston for good. As Anna Hopeâ€™s powerful, bittersweet novel unfolds, John and Ella face an agonizing dilemma: whether to cling to familiar comforts or to confront a new worldâ€”living apart, yet forever changed.
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Praise for The Ballroom

â€œThe Ballroom successfully blends historical research with emotional intelligence to explore the tensions and trials of the human condition with grace and insight.â€â€”New York Times Book Review

â€œPart 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.â€â€”Booklist
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â€œA compelling cast of emotionally resonant characters, as well as a bittersweet climax, render Hopeâ€™s second novel a powerful, memorable experience.â€â€”Publishers Weekly

â€œHopeâ€™s writing is consistently beautiful. . . . Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction by Sarah Waters or Emma Donoghue.â€â€”Library Journal

â€œA beautifully wrought novel, a tender, heartbreaking and insightful exploration of the longings that survive in the most inhospitable environments.â€â€”Sunday Express
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â€œThe Ballroom has all the intensity and lyricism of [Anna] Hopeâ€™s debut, Wake. At its heart is a tender and absorbing love story.â€â€”Daily Mail
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â€œCompelling 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.â€â€”Yorkshire Post
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â€œAs with Hopeâ€™s highly acclaimed debut novel, Wake, the writing is elegant and insightful; she writes beautifully about human emotion, landscape and weather.â€â€”The Observer
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â€œA brilliantly moving meditation on what it means to be â€˜insaneâ€™ in a cruel world . . . All the characters are vividly and sensitively drawn. . . . Deeply moving.â€â€”The Irish Times

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2016-09-06
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2016-09-06
Format	Kindle eBook

The Ballroom: A Novel

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