Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Het bal der gekken

This book shines a historic light on the position of women that were 'different' compared to the norm at that time. It is troubling to read how easy you were marked as mad when not complying to the picture of normal.

With this book, I expected to get more of a story about Dr. Charcot, his practices and the ball. Sadly, I felt like these events could be written in more detail. They feel a bit as a side story to me.

Content Warnings

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

🎵“But no one likes a mad woman

What a shame she went mad

You made her like that”🎵 ~Taylor Swift, Mad Woman

Yes I thought of the above quoted song as I read this book 😂 I was pulled in right away and didn’t want to put it down! Loved the writing style- it’s written in third person and focuses on 3 women’s experiences/inner thoughts.

Due to the length of the novel, it was a short and quick read! The characters are well developed and have their own unique voice. Given the setting, the story is dark and heart wrenching but has a small glimmer of hope by the end.

Overall it was an interesting exploration of feminism and spiritualism in 1800s Paris! My only “complaint” was I wish the book was longer.

Content Warnings

lilpugbooklover's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

keywords: drama, emotional, ghosts, asylum, mental health conditions, health conditions, sexual assault, abuse, trauma

in short: an extremely heart tugging, thrilling, grab your soul and wont let go, dark roller-coaster of a read.

complete review

Victoria Mas is a new author for me and I only really started the mad women ball because I wanted to check out her writing style, as I’m a mood reader I felt this week I probably wasn't in the right frame of mind to deal with a book I knew was going to be very emotional but once I started it grabbed me and wouldn't let go, so much so I finished this book in one whole day.

Victoria Mas paints us a picture of 19 century Paris so vividly that you can almost smell the baguettes, her characters are exceedingly life like and you’ll feel everything they go through as if it was yourself.
Although with this story theme being of a 19 century asylum as readers will know this is like to be a dark and emotive read but be warned there is active sexual assault, mentions of abuse of different types and active self harm told with various detail within these pages.

Despite this dark and raw storyline, this book is physically breath taking as we follow one main girl as her world is tipped upside down when she finds herself abandoned within the local asylum despite being very much sane, her diagnoses that put her there, she trusted someone with her secret, she could see and talk to the dead.

Victoria writes a beautiful, terrifying, raw and completely unforgettable story that I was sad to finish, I really wish there was another story following Eugenie after everything had happened to her. A book I don’t normally read but has since stole my heart and earn a space on my favorite bookcase.

Content Warnings