kailynwho 's review for:

The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas

3.0

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The history of The Salpetriere, which in the late 1800s imprisoned women supposedly suffering from hysteria (or nervousness, or epilepsy, and so on) is fascinating, horrifying, and maddening. This novel is a small snapshot into these women's lives, while also exploring early French spiritism and the dangers of being a woman who did not fit into the neat box of quiet femininity. Interestingly, the author added ghosts and the gothic, and really questions history's definition of insanity. I expected to love it, but unfortunately found the writing dry. We switch between so many characters, but it happens so quickly that we never really get to know them, and they all begin to sound similar. Still, I would recommend the book, especially for those who aren't familiar with this part of hysteria's history.