Absolutely heart-breaking. One of the best books I've ever read Dinah Jefferies, author of THE TEA-PLANTER'S WIFE A British version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Moving. Fascinating Times An unsentimental and affecting story Sunday Times Compelling, elegant and insightful. Observer In this deeply moving book, Hope reminds us that behind everyone's facade lies something waiting to be rent free Irish Times An original, brilliant, evocative novel Chris Cleave A heartbreaking story of how love can flourish in the darkest of times Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Bookseller Part social commentary, part mystery and part dangerous liaison, this poignant story casts an unflinching gaze at the historic treatment of mental health disorders. Financial Times Such a magnificent setting definitely demands a story that delivers, all guns blazing. It does, and then some ... Fiction at it's finest. Irish Independent Beautiful Stylist An exquisite love story Good Housekeeping A terrifying, moving and uplifting story -- February Hot Read Woman and Home A poignant against-the-odds love story Glamour Tender ... Hope is the emotion that unspools the delicate connections between these brilliantly drawn characters Psychologies Magazine The Ballroom is a beautifully wrought novel, a tender, heartbreaking and insightful exploration of the longings that survive in the most inhospitable environments. Sunday Express 5/5 stars Magnificent...a luminary of historical fiction...writing history from the margins, the personal stories behind the era, she delivers profound, poignant stories that stir the emotions. Press Association All the intensity and lyricism of Hope's debut, Wake Daily Mail The Ballroom confirms her as a novelist of immense power...Exquisitely good. Sensitive, engrossing and highly recommended Metro The Ballroom is a beautiful, gripping, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking book. I was so enthralled, I read it in an evening, unwilling to put it down. thewritesofwoman.wordpress.com An atmospheric and thought provoking love story bookslifeandeverything.blogspot.co.uk An absorbing read from beginning to end ... I'm already excited to see what Anna Hope does next. thetattooedbook.blogspot.co.uk This novel is at once romantic, thought-provoking and extremely poignant, with a rich narrative and an ending that moved me to tears culturefly.co.uk Gripping final chapters ramp up the suspense towards a hearth-wrenching conclusion ...explores the tensions and trials of the human condition with grace and insight. New York Times