'Enter the danse of this little masterpiece and let yourself be dazzled.
Assured of hitting the bestseller lists' The Parisian; 'Essential reading'
Cosmopolitan 'A lovely, moving first novel, a cri de Coeur against the
condition of women in this world' Marie France The Salpatri re asylum,1885.
All of Paris is in thrall to Doctor Charcot and his displays of hypnotism
on women who have been deemed mad or hysterical, outcasts from society. But
the truth is much more complicated - for these women are often simply
inconvenient, unwanted wives or strong-willed daughters. Once a year a
grand ball is held at the hospital. For the Parisian elite, the Mad Women's
Ball is the highlight of the social season; for the women themselves, it is
a rare moment of hope. Genevi ve is a senior nurse. After the childhood
death of her sister, she has shunned religion and placed her faith in
Doctor Charcot and his new science. But everything begins to change when
she meets Eugenie, the 19-year-old daughter of a bourgeois family. Because
Eugenie has a secret, and she needs Genevieve's help. Their fates will
collide on the night of the Mad Women's Ball...