Beautifully written and heart rending, this has a magical setting with a real sense of period.

A gloriously atmospheric and tension-filled novel that centres on the separation of a mother anher child. Immensely enjoyable, poignant and compelling'

Vibrant and compelling - Dinah Jefferies perfectly captures the flavour of colonial Ceylon

A wonderful book... intensely moving and beautifully observed. Dinah Jefferies brings to the story a power and intensity that drew me in and wouldn't let me go in this intimate and emotional tale that explores where the boundaries of love lie

Captivating, powerful and passionate

A richly detailed story... as intimate as a kiss and as sharp as the blade of a knife

I simply didn't want to put it down. Vivid and atmospheric - you can smell the tropics, feel the drenching heat...

Dark secrets lie at every turn, hidden beneath layers of 1920s racism and the fearfulness of a crumbling colonial power, making for a thoroughly gripping tale. But what I loved most of all. . . is the moving way in which Dinah writes about the loss of children and the redemptive power of love.

A terrific and atmospheric read

I was spellbound from beginning to end

An exquisite love story

A terrifying, moving and uplifting story

A poignant against-the-odds love story

Tender . . . Hope is the emotion that unspools the delicate connections between these brilliantly drawn characters

The Ballroom is a beautifully wrought novel, a tender, heartbreaking and insightful exploration of the longings that survive in the most inhospitable environments.

Magnificent…a luminary of historical fiction…writing history from the margins, the personal stories behind the era, she delivers profound, poignant stories that stir the emotions.

All the intensity and lyricism of Hope’s debut, Wake

The Ballroom confirms her as a novelist of immense power...Exquisitely good. Sensitive, engrossing and highly recommended

The Ballroom is a beautiful, gripping, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking book. I was so enthralled, I read it in an evening, unwilling to put it down.

An atmospheric and thought provoking love story

An absorbing read from beginning to end . . . I'm already excited to see what Anna Hope does next.

This novel is at once romantic, thought-provoking and extremely poignant, with a rich narrative and an ending that moved me to tears

Gripping final chapters ramp up the suspense towards a hearth-wrenching conclusion ...explores the tensions and trials of the human condition with grace and insight.

Absolutely fantastic . . . I'm in real awe of her writing.