The Mad Women’s Ball is a historical fiction novel set at the famous Salpetriere hospital in 1885. Dr. Charcot, now considered the father of French neurology, was renowned in his time for his treatment of hysteria as a neurological disease at the hospital. During his teaching, he would hypnotize patients and show off the physical manifestations of their hysteria to large groups of medical students..

The book’s title is the nickname of the Lenten Ball, when the hospital would open its doors to parade hysterical patients to the upper class. During the weeks before the ball, the patients’ normally boring schedule is replaced by time to design and sew their costumes for the ball, unaware that they were considered part of a freak show.

The ball preparation coincides with the admission of young Eugenie, who communicates with spirits. The normally stern and distant ward nurse Genevieve is shaken by the new patient and reexamines everything she has believed during her life. Since most people do not believe in spirits, does that mean anyone who does is insane? Are there hysterical people who should be released into society, or should their hospitalization be a life sentence? Does one conversation or one action justify hospitalizing someone for hysteria?

The Mad Women’s Ball succeeds in many ways. The novel captures the stark, yet sometimes comforting, experiences of women in Salpetriere. Mas compassionately brings her characters to life so that readers can identify with them, even though they are the throwaways of the book. Mas makes us care about them. She immerses her reader in this world and brutally exposes the injustices toward the mentally ill, particularly women. It was easy to curl up in a chair and ignore the rest of the world for a few hours to stay in her story.

If you enjoy historical fiction that transports you to a different time and circumstances, then check out The Mad Women’s Ball.

This weird little book is one of my favorite of the year and it's not going to be for everyone and I think that's fine. Eugenie and her interest in Spiritualism have led her to the Asylum and it will soon open a wold of secrets of so many of the women who have been held captive.

This is a fascinating story that is sadly based on truth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

REVIEW:
The Mad Women’s Ball, Victoria Mas

‘The Salpetriere is a dumping ground for women who disturb the peace. An asylum for those whose sensitivities do not tally with what is expected of them. A prison for women guilty of possessing an opinion’

>Grieving the loss of your child?- LOCKED UP!
>Mad that your husband is cheating on you? LOCKED UP!
>Hold a different opinion then the men in your family? LOCKED UP!
>Sexually abused and experiencing trauma? LOCKED UP!
>Push your pimp off a bridge because he’s shacking up with another of his girls? LOCKED UP! (Ok, well murder IS wrong..)
<Look at someone the wrong way? LOCKED UP! (I took creative liberties on this one, though I doubt I’m too far off-base)

Real talk: I ALSO would’ve been locked up had I been alive in 1800s France (not for the murder thing, obv, but I AM MOUTHY!)- anyone else?

Victoria Mas did a wonderful job bringing us into the disturbing and chilling atmosphere that is the Salpetriere- where women of all ages and classes were brought to be committed by their own families, when those families deemed them inconvenient or threatening.

Eugenie Clery can see ghosts- crazy, right? Wrong- tut tut! Eugenie has seen these spirits since she was 12, the first being her paternal grandfather who had passed away. She stumbles upon a banned book that reveals what she is experiencing is NOT madness. Regardless- it wouldn’t be a story if Eugenie hadn’t ended up being dragged and left at the Salpetriere by her father and brother. Knowing she full well is not mad, Eugenie knows her only hope to escape is through Genevieve- the head nurse of the asylum. She is a lifelong and dedicated believer of the work the Salpetriere does, but will she push all of her beliefs aside and believe that Eugenie is sane and help her to escape?

This was real, raw and thrilling- to say the least. I cannot imagine having no control over my thoughts and feelings, and the terror of being locked away if I dared to speak my mind. My biggest complaint was that this wasn’t long enough, I could’ve handled another 100-150 pages to bring more depth and development to the characters. I did find the ending abrupt, even with the epilogue and found myself wanting. Overall- a very enthralling gothic, historical novel that I didn’t want to put down!

This book was an interesting story that showed the injustice many women suffered at the hands of science and the rule of men in 19th century France.

Paris, France 1885 La Salpêtrière, or better known as an asylum, is the setting for this frightening true historical fiction story. This is where the “mad women” of the late 19th century were sent for treatment by doctors who basically used them as research. This story follows a nurse who has been with the hospital for years and a young girl who is admitted by her family.

I enjoyed this book, the fact that it is based of true life events is truly shocking. However, I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a little longer. I would have liked to see more background of the characters or even more about the research the male doctors were performing. There were many characters that seemed to have an interesting story, but I felt it was rushed and not well developed. The Mad Women’s Ball itself was just a very quick part of the book and I thought there would be more detail about it.

Overall I enjoyed the writing and the subject that it approached.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an advanced copy for review.

Happy #publicationday to The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas!

At only 224 pages, this one is a quick read. In Paris, 1885, Dr. Charcot is renown for his displays of hypnotism on the women of the Salpetriere Asylum. Many of the women at the institution were sent as a quick and simple way to get rid of an inconvenience or a problem. The Madwomen’s ball is the one chance for these women to dress up and interact with the world outside the asylum.

The story follows Genevieve, the senior nurse at the asylum and Eugenie, a new patient with the gift of communicating with spirits. Then there is Louise, sent to the asylum after being raped by her uncle and suffering a seizure. Therese, another patient, is an elderly woman sent away to be rid of her by her abusive husband.

The Madwomen’s Ball explores themes of oppression and the consequences of not aligning with the expectations of family and society. It’s a fascinating, feminist read worth picking up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Abrams for the review copy.

This book is as infuriating as it is fascinating. Set during a time when women who gave anyone trouble or stuck up for themselves were deemed mad and therefore institutionalized. When a 19 year old woman is sent there she offers hope to the other women. This book gives a look at how twisted things used to be for women in the 19th century. Excellent writing that makes this book impossible to put down makes it one of the best books this year in my opinion.

Set in Paris toward the end of the 19th century, THE MAD WOMEN'S BALL by Victoria Mas is a novel that grabs you by the throat and does not let go. In a time when an inconvenient woman can be deemed "mad" and sent to an institution such as Salpêtrière for reasons as petty as speaking one's mind or as threatening as owning something a man wants, a senior nurse with many years of experience with deep admiration for the charismatic head doctor is confronted with her own demons and severely constrained life when a young patient challenges all she ever believed to be true, reliable, and good in the world. I could not stop reading this story from the first pages: it is that compelling, well-written, and inspired. Mas' genius in using the annual Lenten "Mad Women's Ball" when patients dress up in ballgowns and finery as a defining moment highlights the terrible cruelty and blatant inhumanity masquerading as science and good intentions. It is a memorable, terrific read that will long reverberate for me -- I look forward to discussing it with others. I received an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased review.

Salpetriere hospital in France, where women deemed mad are taken by their husbands, fathers, and others, holds a ball annually where the high society can come and view these "mad women" up close.

But Eugenie does not believe she is crazy. There are those Salpetriere who have seizures or fall into hysterics, but all Eugenie did was confess to her grandmother that her grandfather told her where to find a necklace they had thought stolen long ago. Granted, her grandfather died years before, but how else could anyone explain how she found the necklace?

Genevieve is the head nurse who meets with Eugenie's father who has signed her over to the care of the hospital. At first, she does not have an opinion one way or the other about Eugenie, but then Eugenie tells Genevieve something that strikes a nerve, and she puts Eugenie in solitary.

But Eugenie eventually gets Genevieve to allow her, if not belief, then a little consideration, and soon things are set in motion that will change the lives of these women.

A disturbing, fantastic tale with scathing commentary on the things that were not only accepted, but were societal norms.

I enjoyed the story, inasmuch one can enjoy something so devastating, but there were moments of hope that redeemed the story from being just too dark.

Mad Women’s Ball, Victoria Mas
Pub Date: Sept 7/21

Set in Paris 1885 at the Salpetriere Asylum, The Mad Women’s Ball is a literary historical gothic novel that vividly captures the “horrors faced by institutionalized women in 19th century Paris.” Translated from French and winner of multiple literary awards,

In this gothic retelling, Mas brings forth historical characters such as then celebrated doctor and hypnotist, Dr Charcot while referencing women cast out of society and committed due to claims of lunacy. Yet the truth was far more complicated and the asylum quickly became a convenient way to dismiss, detain and and do-away with women whose opinions, mannerisms and personalities were “off-putting” “unconventional” and unwanted. Except for one day that is. The asylum’s annual Lenten Ball or Mad Women’s Ball where they were dressed in finery and displayed for the amusement of Parisian bourgeoisie. It also highlighted the consequences of wayward wives and fanciful femmes, reinforcing status quo at the expense of the Salpetriere’s residents while extinguishing any residual hope of escape.

Mas captured the grim and gothic history while illuminating it’s atmosphere of contempt and helplessness. Characters Genevieve, Senior nurse to the revered Dr Charcot, and Eugenie, daughter of a bourgeois family, are rich and engaging.

Genevieve, strict, rigid and devoted to science, mourns the death of her sister. Eugenie, curious and precocious with a rebellious spirit, whose secret of talking with the dead lands her at the asylum, abandoned by her family.

Their fate intersects causing a chain of events that will irrevocably change each other. For in order for either to be truly free, they must place their trust in the other's hands.

look for Mas’s Mad Women’s Ball to be brought to life in film by Amazon Studios.

I enjoyed this fast paced and short novel but can’t help feeling that the novel would have been enriched by a more robust plot-line. One that exposed more of the inner workings of the institution, the juxtaposition of science vs spirits, and sought to dig deeper into Genevieve and Eugenies characters, adversity and mutual gifts. Eugenie’s abilities to confer with the dead and Genevieve’s critical reflection and ethical and moral dilemmas that are entangled by state, church and femme proper. I really liked it, I just wanted more. Such as a second installment, so I can know what happens next!
I am hopeful that with a film adaptation in the works that Mas will be able to expand on the story and flush out these pieces. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

My thanks to NetGalley, Abrams and The Overlook Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book provided good entertainment but seems like the author needs to do more research on the topics she writes about. Corsets we’re not a “tool of oppression”! They were supportive undergarments and tightlacing was actually not a common practice!

On the heels of the Texas law, this was a read that further infuriates but also invigorates the soul. Women are wrongly accused of being in mentally unstable for a multitude of awful reasons and forgotten in a Parisian mental institution. There is definitely a lot of character development that inspires hope for women. A sort of female one flew over the cuckoo’s nest, it revolves around a cast of characters that are very different and all inspire different types of sympathy. It was a very fast read that had one clear plot and each characters sorry is tragically revealed. Be prepared to feel both angry and triumphant while reading.

This is an important book as it talks about how women were susceptible to institutionalization if they didn't confirm to social norms. Hysteria was often diagnosed and lots of women spent their life in aslyums.
This is also an excellent historical fiction with a pinch of paranormal. Heartbreaking at times but with the hope of new beginnings.
The author delivers an thought provoking, sometimes disturbing and engrossing story.
Good character development and storytelling, a well researched historical background.
Even if I liked it it's quite slow and sometimes I struggled.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In 1885, the women of Paris are in danger. Not from unknown murderers. No, from their own husbands and fathers. For women who refuse to follow the restrictive culture of marriage, babies, and staying quiet, the Salpetriere asylum beckons. Some may truly be mentally ill. But most are just inconvenient. Once committed, the chance of freedom is limited to once per year. At The Madwomen’s Ball, where the beau mode meet the mad.

Louise first joined the Salpetriere at age 13. Her crime? Being assaulted by the uncle who took her in after her parents’ deaths.

Therese is a patient with a past. But in the asylum, where she has lived for over twenty years, she is like a house mother to the other, younger, patients. She is also the Tricoteuse, who knits shawls for the other patients.

Genevieve is the head of the nurses. She has been working at the asylum for over twenty years. During that she has lost her empathy for the patients. Her only love is her long ago deceased younger sister, Blandine. She has no man or children of her own.

Eugenie is the only daughter of a well-off family. She sees dead people, who speak to her. When she confides that fact to a loved one, she too is sent to Salpetriere.

The Madwomen’s Ball is an interesting merging of a real setting with fictional characters. Those characters are compelling. While reading, I wanted them all to achieve their dreams even while logically assuming that most would not. There is definitely a feeling of melancholia pervading the book. The language is languorous, which reflects the slower pace of both the time and place. Kudos to the translator who left just enough French to feel authentic—but not confusing to English readers.

Despite the slow pacing of literary fiction, this book should also appeal to thriller readers. Eugenie’s story is the main focus of the plot. Can she, who is clearly sane, get free of the asylum? It is similar to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest set in a different time and culture. It also has themes of feminism and spiritualism that resonant long after the last page is turned. 5 stars!

Thank you to The Overlook Press for providing the advanced review copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This story managed to be both absolutely devastating and a hopeful read. The stories of the different women at the asylum were complex and terrible, while the community they had formed in this place managed to still be one of almost joy. The supernatural aspects of the story were the most boring, but still necessary for both Eugenie's and Genevieve's stories. Eugenie's relationship with her family was really captivating and Genevieve's character arc was really interesting. The patients in this story were nothing more than props for the men around them to use and gawk at, but they didn't value themselves any less for it. This was a story about women, by a woman, and for women.

Let's face it, women basically got locked away in an asylum for not complying with the constraints of society. "Hysteria" was considered a real illness. These women are often simply inconvenient, unwanted wives, those who have lost something precious, wayward daughters, or girls born from adulterous relationships. All of Paris is in thrall to Dr. Charcot, who's displays of hypnotism seem like a real cure. For Parisian society, the highlight of the year is the Lenten ball—the Madwomen’s Ball—when the great and good come to gawk at the patients of the asylum dressed up in their finery for one night only. For the women themselves, it is a rare moment of hope. Genevieve is a senior nurse who puts her faith in Dr. Charcot and science. Everything begins to change for her when she meets, Eugenie, a 19 year-old, who sees spirits. Eugenie is determined to escape the asylum (and the constraints of her gender) but she'll need Genevieve's help. This book was so good it's going to be a movie!! I can't wait to see this poignant novel brought to life.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early e-arc of this novel.*

The Mad Women’s Ball

Thank you to NetGalley, Abrams Books and The Overlook Press for sending me an ARC of The Mad Women’s Ball, in exchange for my honest opinion of the novel. I think I must first say Tres Magnifique to the author Victoria Mass! I found this story to be fascinating, heart-breaking, hopeless and terrifying. The misogyny of Paris in 1885 was threaded throughout the book and was brought to life through the descriptions shared by protagonist Eugenie Clery. Mademoiselle Eugenie expressed this idea as she was hurrying through the streets of Paris, “As if intellectual constraints were not sufficient, women had to be hobbled physically (a corset). One might almost think that, in imposing such restrictions, men did not so much scorn women as fear them.”

Although this novel is categorized as Historical fiction, there are many real aspects to the story, which the author footnotes throughout the story. In the 19th century, the Salpetriere was used as a “clinic for the hysterics;” an institution for mentally ill women, and only Women, some of whom had bipolar disease or schizophrenia, misdiagnosed at that time as “women that were mad.” Other patients were prostitutes, orphans, or victims – of rape, abuse or exploitation. Eugenie, a highborn girl from an established family was committed to the “Madhouse” by her father because of her rebellious ideas and a mystical gift, which she shared in confidence with her grandmother.

The climax of the story is “The Mad Women’s Ball,” which occurs once a year. It is an event that the patients (prisoners) look forward to, as Parisian society is invited to mingle and ogle the mysterious women in ballgowns at Salpetriere. This novel contains, heroes, villains, the misdiagnosed and the misunderstood, believers and non-believers and much more. 5 stars from me!

A BIG THANK YOU to NetGalley for the ARC of The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas, scheduled to be published on September 7th, 2021. The paths of two women collide and both lives are altered as Geneviève, a skeptical senior nurse, and Eugénie, a 19-year-old spiritualist, seek liberation in this gripping Gothic tale.

Taking place in Paris in the late nineteenth century, The Mad Women's Ball centers on the women of the Salpetriere asylum in 1885. Neurologist Dr. Charcot employs the use of hypnosis on his patients diagnosed with "hysteria," making a public spectacle of women considered mad, but "The Mad Women's Ball" is the featured spectacle—the one day each year when Parisian society attends the costumed ball held at the asylum. The novel explores the historical significance of a diagnosis of hysteria in the 1880s and the injustices suffered by women of this time.

Mas demonstrates that the precarious status of women in society—particularly women at odds with the well-defined social structures of the era—placed them in an increasingly vulnerable position. Intellectuals, political activists, social agitators, and otherwise outspoken women were institutionalized against their will by male relatives alongside orphaned girls, elderly women, and those suffering from epilepsy, blindness, and many other serious medical conditions. These conditions were poorly understood in 1885 and severely stigmatized, as were the women diagnosed with hysteria. Although many authors have covered hysteria and asylums in the nineteenth century, Mas does the subject matter justice. I plan to read the original French edition of the novel. As with any translated text, even an excellent translation, some meaning may be lost. It will be interesting to compare the texts. ★★★★★

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 7 September 2021
#NetGalley

The Mad Women’s Ball
Victoria Mas
Translated from the French by Frank Wynne
The Overlook Press, New York
Publish Date: September 2021
Review Date: September 1, 2021

It is 1885 in Paris and the famous neurologist, Dr. Charot is the head doctor at La Salpêtrière, a hospital for hysterical women. The women have been discarded by disgruntled husbands and fathers who believe women should be seen and not heard. The patients range in age from 13 to 65 and are put on display in Dr. Charot’s packed Friday lectures which are attended by doctors, writers, journalists, interns, artists, and political figures in order to witness hysteria induced by hypnosis. It is not a pretty sight; in fact, it is entertainment for the ogling male attendees. (Interesting side note: This hospital did exist and there really was a Dr. Charot.)

The main event of the year for the women is the Lenten Ball, or the Madwomen’s Ball, where the well-to-do are invited to watch the women in their fancy dresses. The attendees are voyeurs and see the women as entertainment. The women look forward to it as it breaks up the monotony of their days. The climax of the book takes places at the ball.

The two main characters are Genevieve, a stoic and dedicated nurse who has worked alongside the great doctor for over 20 years. She believes illness dehumanizes patients and so she keeps her emotions in check. After work, she retires to her home and writes letters to her long lost sister, Blandine. She never mails the letters (there are 100s) but saves them in a box in her room.

The other main character is rebellious Eugenie, betrayed by her paternal grandmother to whom she confessed that she sees spirits, and so is literally dragged to La Salpêtrière by her embarrassed and enraged father. Her brother helps, but grudgingly. Eugenie had purchased The Spirits’ Book, by Allan Kardec, a book that could be dangerous to her family’s reputation if anyone found out. She is betrayed by her family, as she is not insane, but merely bothersome, and had trusted her grandmother with the information.

At the hospital, Eugenie sees Genevieve’s dead sister’s spirit and relays the information to Genevieve who at first believes she has fallen for a patent’s trick. But, she becomes more curious and they bond together after Eugenie tells Genevieve that her father has fallen and needs her help. It turns out to be true. She now wants to contact her dead sister. She realizes Eugenie is not hysterical, but blessed with a special gift. She goes to Dr. Charot and asks for him to release her. You’ll have to read to find out what happens!

The book is an easy read; actually, hard to put down! It is a story of betrayals, sisterhood, and the patriarchy’s control over women. I recommend this book.

4 stars
Thank you to Net Galley and The Overlook Press for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

TW/CW: Sexual abuse, suicide

I’d always known that in our not-that-distant past, women were consigned to the asylum or “mad house” by their fathers and husbands when they didn’t conform to society’s expectations – or just weren’t wanted around in general. What an easy way to rid oneself of a woman – just say she’s nuts and have her committed. The stories of how women wound up as inmates at Paris’ Salpêtrière hospital range from abuse to jealousy to complete callousness in how we treat the women in our lives.

Eugenie’s stay is courtesy of her grandmother, who instead of being thankful that she’s recovered a long-lost heirloom, tattles to Eugenie’s father. Instead of a future that she was vehemently against (who wants to be someone’s long-suffering wife after all), she’s now stuck in an asylum with no hope for any future at all.

Lucille’s story is horrible in the abuse she’s suffered prior to her stay, and the abuse she’s dealing with while an inmate. From being on display for the famous Dr. Chalcot’s hypnotism sessions to the “love” professed by another who only aims to take advantage, it’s no wonder Lucille’s not quite all there.

Therese has been in the asylum for so long that she dreads the world outside its walls – and she’s not the only one who thinks the prison of the asylum can be safer for a woman than the outside where one has to have a man to tell you what you can or cannot do.

The Mad Women’s Ball is a stark look at a time when women could be locked away on the say-so of a man, whether they were truly insane or just in the way – and of the women complicit in this, though many of them didn’t have any other choices. I’m glad that even though the doctors used them for “sensational” hypnotism sessions, they didn’t go to the extreme of performing lobotomies on these poor inmates. And I’m glad that it’s no longer acceptable to just lock unwanted women away (though there’s a lot to be said for how our justice system metes out injustice based on one’s gender), then use them as a spectacle to be goggled at (at the Lenten Ball of the book’s title). It’s a well-written story with a pretty depressing subject, and it made me sad for all my sisters who’ve suffered the injustice of not being treated as human.

drey’s rating: Pick it up!

In the nineteenth century, a woman could be diagnosed with hysteria for an array of symptoms that range from hallucinations, epilepsy, and depression to irritability, menstrual pain, or doing too much/too little of something that bothered the men in her life. Hysteria could get a woman locked away for life in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and other places until doctors were able to differentiate illness and mental disorders from normal behavior. This terrifies me and fascinates me, so a book like Victoria Mas’s The Mad Women’s Ball (smoothly translated by Frank Wynne) is my equivalent of watching a horror movie. I get chills. I wonder what I would do. Then I recommend it to other people so that I can spread the feeling around.

Historically, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot studied women with hysteria and other illnesses (or not) at the notorious Paris hospital, the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. His practice involved “lectures,” during which patients would be hypnotized so that they would perform muscle contractures, paralysis, and other physical symptoms of their “illness.” I’m using a lot of danger quotes here because Charcot’s actions and patient diagnoses were perfectly acceptable at the time. Now, in the twenty-first century, we know a lot more about mental illness, conversion disorders, human behavior, etc. Also, we have medical ethics that would prevent Charcot’s lectures/performances. Charcot is a tertiary character in The Mad Women’s Ball. Two of the main characters, however, share names with one of Charcot’s most famous patients, Louise Augustine Gleizes.

Geneviève Gleizes is the head nurse of one of the wards at Salpêtrière. She maintains order on the ward with a firmness that masks a surprising brittleness. At first, Geneviève is a rock, but it isn’t long before we start to see that she’s suppressing grief for her deceased sister. Then there’s Louise, Charcot’s patient du jour, who performs at his lectures in an effort to become famous. Sort of. Lastly, we meet Eugénie. I’m not sure if she’s based on a historical figure. I wouldn’t be surprised if Eugénie, who sees ghosts, was based on one of the many women who had successful careers contacting the other side during the height of the Spiritualist craze. Eugénie and Geneviève immediately put each other’s backs up. Geneviève is offended when Eugénie claims to see and hear Geneviève’s sister. Eugénie just wants to get out of the Salpêtrière and Geneviève represents everything that’s holding her prisoner.

The Mad Women’s Ball rushes by. It plays out over the weeks before the eponymous event, where the wealthy of Paris are invited into Salpêtrière to see the patients dressed up in costumes for their entertainment. The whirlwind plot makes it seem like everything is spiraling out of control just that much faster as the characters lose their grip on their equilibrium. This makes the book sound a lot more grim than I think it is because, while things are falling apart, all three of the primary characters are learning. Louise learns to shed her naiveté. Eugénie learns what it takes to be free. And Geneviève learns to let go of “sanity” so that she can finally feel her emotions. This book is a master class in character development and plotting. And it definitely made me feel the frisson of terror I was expecting at the same time that I marveled at the story.