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Title: The Ballroom (you can Buy on Amazon here)
Author: Anna Hope
Published: 11th February 2016
Publisher: Transworld Digital
Genre: Romance, Drama
Pages: 345
Format: E-Book
Rating: ***** (5/5 Stars)
About: 1911: Inside an asylum at the edge of the Yorkshire moors, where men and women are kept apart by high walls and barred windows, there is a ballroom vast and beautiful. For one bright evening every week they come together and dance.
When John and Ella meet, it is a dance that will change two lives forever.
Review: Why did this book have to end? And more importantly, why did it have to end in the way it did? I mean it was absolutely exquisite, beautifully well done and finished perfectly, but why?
I don’t think I’ve ever felt my heart be torn after reading a book. This is in no way a bad thing because this book was an absolute pleasure to read.
It starts with a prologue, which only teases at what is to come and even then the ending is still unexpected in more than one way! It completely pulls you in whilst reading and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so moved.
For once, I actually enjoyed the different narratives. There’s John, Ella, and Charles. The three separate characters are completely needed and you need to understand what is going on for each.
Ella is sweet and innocent. She is strong, though. I could not imagine what it would be like to be put under those circumstances and to be fair, Ella was made even more likable as a character because she wasn’t portrayed as a rebellious character.
John is the mysterious one, at first, I didn’t see the attraction in him. But then as the book progressed, it was no wonder that Ella fell for him, and he for her.
Now, Charles, he was a brute. However, he had a very interesting character that developed in a very creative way. He first is portrayed as a man that has a horrible relationship with his father, whom he wants to get away from. You feel sorry for him at first, and then when he gets this job at the asylum you at least feel happy for him that he was able to get away from his family. But, in all honesty, he really is a bastard by the end of the book.
The story really is written beautifully and it is very easy to read. I bought this book today at lunch time and managed to finish it by dinner time. The only bad thing about this book is that you have to make sure that you have an afternoon off because it just leaves you wanting more and unfortunately, I had to work after lunch as well. So having to have a break from this book really was horrible. I would have loved to have just read this in one sitting.
The relationship between Ella and Clem is heart-warming and the love story is totally absorbing and beautiful.
I didn’t want the book to end. I highly recommend this book. But be prepared to have your heart broken.
CastlesandTurrets 