Comments on: The Ballroom

By: The New Thirst For Words : Women Writers, Women's Books

The New Thirst For Words : Women Writers, Women's Books — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 07:21:22 +0000

[…] few weeks later I had a similar experience when I read Anna Hope’s widely acclaimed The Ballroom. By this time the dictionary app on my iphone was almost blazing. I gave The Lie Tree to my […]

By: Ann Griffin

Ann Griffin — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 21:25:48 +0000

Anna, what a fascinating topic! I’m beginning my second novel, initially set around the same time period, but about a different program in which children from impoverished families in city slums were taken from their parents, put in “homes”, and then shipped off to Canada, Australia, or even South Africa, often without the parents’ knowledge. It was commonly believed that the poor were mentally and physically inferior, and their uncontrolled “breeding” was going to weaken the British race. Churchill merely believed what everyone else believed; he was not in any way unique, and Darwin’s theories supported it. I’m going to read your book, and I hope when mine comes out (it will be awhile) you will read mine too. Best of success to you.

By: Still the Lucky Few

Still the Lucky Few — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 07:02:03 +0000

This book intrigues me. Such an original approach to writing a novel! I’ll look for it. Thanks.

By: Martha Conway

Martha Conway — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 23:19:45 +0000

Anna,

Your book sounds wonderful; I was hooked by the description of the ruined ballroom. And all the contrasts intrigue me — ballroom/ asylum; industrial town / wild countryside. Richard Russo wrote a great essay on setting (I think it’s called “Location Location Location” -!), which made me think about all the settings in the novels I love.

Good luck with your book launch! I’m excited to start reading.

Martha Conway