The Mad Women's Ball cover art

The Mad Women's Ball

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Mad Women's Ball

By: Victoria Mas, Frank Wynne
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Salpêtrière 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.

Geneviève 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 Eugénie, the 19-year-old daughter of a bourgeois family. Because Eugénie has a secret, and she needs Geneviève's help. Their fates will collide on the night of the Mad Women's Ball....

©2021 Victoria Mas (P)2021 Penguin Audio European Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction World Literature

Listeners also enjoyed...

 That Bonesetter Woman cover art
The Fragile Threads of Power cover art
The Last Grand Duchess cover art
The Embroidered Book cover art
The Girls with No Names cover art
Cunning Women cover art
Sidroc the Dane: A Circle of Ceridwen Saga Story cover art
The Path of Thorns cover art
The Surgeon's Daughter cover art
The Vanished Bride of Northfield House cover art
The Orphan of Cemetery Hill cover art
Heathcliff Lennox - France 1918 cover art
The Whore's Tale: Sarah cover art
Secret Hearts cover art
The Midwife's Revolt cover art
The Blackheath Seance Parlour cover art

Critic reviews

"A darkly sumptuous tale of wicked spectacle, wild injustice and the insuppressible strength of women." (Emma Stonex, Sunday Times best-selling author of The Lamplighters)

"In this darkly delightful Gothic treasure, Mas explores grief, trauma and sisterhood behind the walls of Paris' infamous Salpetriere hospital." (Paula Hawkins, author of A Slow Fire Burning)

"A beautifully written debut...I have absolutely no doubt it will be one of my favourite novels of 2021." (AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs Bird)
All stars
Most relevant  
It’s fascinating how women were treated in society and how much things have changed since these times although we still have a long way to go

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
some parts of the narrative are meandering and repetitive, but it was pleasant to listen to overall a worthwhile story.

worth the listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book. The relationships between the women in the Salpiere, their support and care for each other. Great narrator too

The 'mad' women

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Absolutely loved everything about this, the writing, the emotion, even the narrators voice. Best book I’ve listened to this year!

Incredible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an enjoyable listen. The writing is direct and effective and the performance clear and atmospheric. It is a relatively quick listen but even so you become invested in the characters and their fates. Would recommend.

An enjoyable, quick listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
gives an understanding of the use of instutionalisation to control non-conforming women, especially in the areas of education, obedience and sexuality.

control of women in history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Didn't enjoy the narrator. Important part of history to remember - women controlled by men.

Lost in translation

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ll leave fuller reviews for other listeners, but have two comments to make. 1. Please do give this book a go. 2. Why oh why do female narrators feel the need to try and put on a male voice. It does not work! No, no, no! This aside, a great book.

Quite enthralling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story, I really enjoyed it! I did some research into Jane Avril for a art muse, doll that I made. It was good to hear her mentioned in this story. To read about Shan Avril’s experience at Salpêtrière Hospital, and her rise to fame at The Moulin Rouge, look up marinamade.me.

Interesting true story with great characters. I recommend

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved a good few of the characters, very female orientated and interesting story. Not too many plot lines to try and follow so it’s and easy listen. If you like female focused historical fiction, with gothic and very slight horror elements you’ll enjoy this.

Good listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews