REVIEW: The Mad Women's Ball (Victoria Mas)

Book: The Mad Women's Ball

Author: Victoria Mas

My rating: 3.5/5.

Premise: The Salpetriere Asylum, 1885. All of Paris is in thrall to Dr Charcot his displays of hypnotism on women who have been deemed mad or hysterical. But the truth is these women are often unwanted wives or strong-willed daughters. Genevieve is a senior nurse who has placed her faith in Dr. Charcot and science. But everything changes when she meets Eugene, the daughter of a bourgeois family. Because Eugenie has a secret and she needs Genevieve help.

[⚠️ CW: rape, suicide, seizures] 

This is a book that shines a light on how women have been mistreated in the past. All the women in this book have a really sad stories, some horrific. My heart bled for Louise and how mistreated she was by every man she trusted. The whole book just made me angry at how society viewed women and saw the "mad women" as entertainment.

What I liked was how both Genevieve and Eugenie were both naive but in opposite ways. Genevieve did what she was told but started questioning whether the asylum was doing the right thing by some women. Eugenie realised how privileged she was and how some women felt safe in the asylum. I wasn't a fan of the magical realism element. It just felt a bit out of place and I could've done without it.

But overall, a good read!