The Mad Womens Ball

I had no idea what was I getting myself into, but somehow I knew if I took a plunge, I wouldn't be disappointed. And oh well, I wasn't!First of all, I haven't picked up or curated a tbr for Spooktober but somehow whatever I'm reading is aligning with it. I had no idea how gothic this one would be, and I was pleasantly surprised by it.The plot is centred around women in a mad house called the Salpêtrière.It's supposedly an asylum, but it's more like an abode for women who have been discarded by the patriarchy. It's 19th Century France, and men dominance is ever so ripe around this time.Genevieve and Eugenie are the two main characters, but every woman in here is a protagonist by her own right. Be it Louise, who still battles with her traumatic past or Thérèse who desperately depends on this "asylum" for her existence.Some of the characters in this book are based on real life people. Like there was indeed a famous neurologist called Dr. Charcot and his patient Louise Augustine Gleizes whom he experimented upon. And there was really a Salpêtrière. I think there still is one.The way Victoria Mas has fictionalised 19th Century France with real events and characters in the book is quite vivid and has been portrayed from an omniscient point of view.My favourite character was definitely Eugenie but I admired each and every one of the Salpêtrière women. The hurt and betrayal that she faces was really uncalled for and unbearable.I wish this story had gone on a little longer. It's a short novel but it made a huge impact. I can't imagine the pain and despair the women must have felt. The use of their body for medical purpose without their conscious consent, the way they were treated, the unsafe environment, everything felt so wrong and outrageous. I really wanted for a more orchestrated climax where every opressor is given his and her due, but I guess it was more inclined towards reality to construct such a fable that does not exist in real world.

The description read really well but the actual book fell short of my expectations. A nice enough read but the story felt a bit thin. Wish this story had been given more depth.

“Dreams are dangerous things...especially when they depend on someone else.”Dark, compelling and intriguing...I found myself absorbed in this shocking read.The book has been beautifully translated into English and it sensitively deals with mental health illnesses, along with being perceived as difficult (opinionated), different or deranged.Set in the 1800’s, Eugenie, a 19 year old young woman, finds herself institutionalised in an asylum where women were experimented on through hypnosis. Her father, having deemed her to be deranged, delivers her to the facility, with the help of her brother, right before the ball is to happen.Inside the asylum, we are introduced to an array of characters; each one being one that you can sympathise with. It’s truly horrifying to read about how men had that level of control and the fear that women must have constantly lived in is truly abhorrent.Whilst in the asylum, Eugenie is greeted with a nurse, Genevieve, the daughter of a doctor. She has dedicated her life to the advancement of medicine and her need to help people. She is seen to be cold in her appearance and stature, by the ‘madwomen’, but there’s something that draws her to Eugenie and Eugenie to her (no spoilers here).In a world where there’s no escape, there’s only hopes and dreams to hold on to, but for many the institute has become a way of life forged out of routine, structure and fear.As a reader, we are left wondering what will happen to Eugenie. Will she survive the life she now has and what will happen if she become the next test subject of the doctor and his hypnosis.An hypnotising novel that is mysterious, dark and twisted that needs to be read (or consumed if you’re like me). I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it is well worth your time.

Hardcover was not as advertised.

In 19th century France, a psychiatric nurse starts questioning the doctors she works for and once admired, and helps a sane woman escape the asylum she works at the night of The Madwomen's Ball.It was an interesting story. I'm partial to stories about asylums, the women who were sent to those places for not conforming to societal norms imposed on them, and the history of female mental health. I felt like the plot was going so fast that I didn’t have time to identify with the characters. I was rooting for them though. But I felt that there was a "je ne sais quoi" missing. Maybe it got lost in translation? I also thought that the setting was so detailedly described that, at least for me, it took away from the plot a bit. Now it’s time to see the movie.P.S.: If you're interested in historical fiction about women in asylums, I'd recommend "Woman 99", "The Other Girl" or "The Unsuitable" instead.

I liked the idea of there being strong women despite the misogynistic culture. The ability to see the dead is a little too far fetched for me. Yes I know it’s fiction.