The Phoenix Ballroom: The brand-new emotional and uplifting read from the bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things
As seen:
By Ruth Hogan
avg rating
6 reviews
‘Magical … uplifting … the Phoenix Ballroom feels like an old friend’ Anton Du Beke
‘Every page is a joy’ Pip Williams
When it’s time to face the music, all we can do is dance…
Recently widowed Venetia Hamilton Hargreaves is left with a huge house, a bank balance to match and an uneasy feeling that she’s been sleepwalking through the last fifty years. Determined to live fully again, she embraces life with an enthusiasm and purpose she’d forgotten she could muster.
Buying the dilapidated Phoenix Ballroom and with it a drop-in centre and spiritualist church could be seen as reckless, but Venetia’s generosity, courage and kindness provide a refuge for a touching cast of damaged and lonely people who find their chosen family. As their stories intertwine, long buried secrets are revealed, missed opportunities seized and lives are renewed as the Phoenix lives up to its name.
The Phoenix Ballroom is a story of hope and second chances across the generations.
‘Will enthral and delight everyone who reads it’ Mike Gayle
‘Packed with Ruth Hogan’s trademark warmth’ Matt Cain
‘A rich and joyful story, told with wit and heart’ Beth Morrey
Reviews
Review 1
The Phoenix Ballroom is an absolute gem! The book was filled with heartache, hope, and is a celebration of life in all its messy, beautiful glory. A must-read for anyone who enjoy reading about loveable characters and the power of second chances.
Review 2
The Phoenix Ballroom is a beautifully written novel that tugs on your heartstrings h. The characters are flawed and real, I found myself rooting for them which kept me wanting to read on and on. The setting of the old ballroom adds a unique charm to the story.. A delightful read!
Review 3
I really enjoyed the book. The author’s ability to blend humour with deep emotion left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling long after I turned the last page. The characters are endearing and relatable, each with their own quirks and secrets that are slowly revealed. 10/10
Review 4
From the moment I picked up The Phoenix Ballroom, I knew I was in for a treat. Ruth Hogan’s writing is as elegant and captivating as the ballroom she describes. The interwoven stories of love, loss, and healing are told with such warmth and compassion. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.
Provided by The Reading Agency and Atlantic Books
The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan is such an uplifting read. Anybody who feels down in the dumps should read it as it is full of happy endings. I would like to adopt Kite and Colin Firth. What a delight.
KeriL
The Phoenix Ballroom was a pleasure to read with it’s diverse cast of characters whose lives intertwine and, as they do so, they are enabled to change the course of their lives for the better. I really enjoyed the theme of redemption that ran through the novel. That, whatever your age, there is hope that any bleak situation can be turned around and new opportunities are just around the corner. As a woman who is the same age as Venetia, I really appreciated and found challenging that the pivotal character in the book was a person of mature years and was shown to be full of life and energy and had the strength to turn her life around instead of resigning herself to old age. It was great that she and all the other characters could free themselves from the shackles of past experiences. It was interesting to see that this wasn’t done in isolation but in families and community. A great life lesson.
This book kept me captivated all the way through with plenty of suspense while waiting for the ‘reveals’ of the hidden secrets of Venetia and Hawk. It was interesting to see how they both dealt with the traumatic situations that life threw at them.
Altogether, The Phoenix Ballroom is an optimistic book – a definite ‘feel good’ read. ‘Don’t worry – Be happy’ is the message that I took away from it.
Ruth Hogan is an imaginative, engaging,heart warming writer whose novels are difficult to put down. Phoenix Ballroom is no exception and a welcome addition. The clue to this new novel is in the title, Phoenix, it's characters, young and old, all rising from the ashes, determined to reinvent themselves. There is also an intriguing mystery thread running through the narrative. My only reservations are why she gave every member of the extended Hamilton Hargreaves family avian themed Christian names? (The only one missing was Penguin, whatever became of him/her? ) Also the final chapter has a whiff of hastily tying up all loose ends. Those reservations aside, this is another delightful Ruth Hogan offering.
An enjoyable and easy read with the feel good factor in bucket loads!
I did initially wonder if CROW was going to be a supernatural element to make the book a bit weird but that wasn’t the case.
Even though gritty elements are covered by the author, like sex, bullying, drugs and destitution and of course death you just know it’s going to be alright but you have to read it to be sure!
The characters are nicely written and we are on their side as they grapple with the issues facing them in their lives and coincidences abound - some a bit stretchy to believe. However, I did feel that some of the characters could have had more back story filled out and I think some arrived and were never mentioned again. But all along you are rooting for them to make good and be happy. If only we could all be a generous and giving as Venetia and Evangeline the world would be a much better place.
All in all a good to book to relax with in a sunny spot in the garden and enjoy a nice cup of tea - or a nice chilled glass of wine.
I am a huge fan of Ruth Hogan's and was lucky enough to receive copies of this book by The Reading Agency and Atlantic Books for the Town Hall Book Club, I couldn't wait to read it so read it ahead of schedule - once again the author has written a lovely feel good novel, with great characters and a happy ending but a little sadness here and there (that's life). I wasn't so sure about some of the characters being named after birds but once I got used to it I liked the idea. The book was an easy read, comfortable, and in the usual lovely Ruth Hogan Style I didn't want it to end - I shall be posting my book club review after they have read it
