Le Bal des folles

In Paris in 1885, the Salpêtrière hospital holds hundreds of women, some mentally ill, others simply inconvenient to their families. Dr. Charcot demonstrates their symptoms at public lectures, and every year the hospital holds a ball where Paris society dresses up to watch them. The novel follows Eugénie, a young woman who sees spirits and is committed by her father, Geneviève, the head nurse who has lost faith in her work, and Louise, a patient from a poor background.

It is for readers who like short historical novels with a feminist edge, based on real institutions. It suits those interested in how medicine and family once controlled women.

Thought-provoking; a moderate read.

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