The Phoenix Ballroom

The book deals with many heavy themes like mourning, grief, parental death, assault, bullying, lost love, etc. However, none of them are overwhelming or intense. This is a low-stakes version, so the characters manage to move on without too much trauma. It may not work for everyone, but I like it since the aspect is consistent throughout the book.It is a story of second chances for Venetia and Liberty. They all have distinct personalities, which make them react differently to the circumstances. This also brings out a nice contrast while establishing the found family trope.Kite is my absolute favorite character. He is Venetia’s ten-year-old grandson, a delightful darling with a huge heart! I cannot imagine the book without him, so a majority of my rating is only for Kite and Colin Firth (secret).The pacing is slow, especially in the middle when we get the backstories (in the info dump). This could have been better and spread out more evenly across the chapters. Luckily, the pace picks up in the last quarter. Naturally, everything ties up in a sweet and neat bow at the end. It’s not that realistic, but who cares. I liked it enough and enjoyed it.To summarize, The Phoenix Ballroom is a sweet and heartwarming book about second chances, finding one’s tribe, kindness, hope, and doing what makes one happy (without hurting others).Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Bookish Yays:💐 Venetia: Not a typical geriatric character. Comes with oodles of wit and spunk. Hates being considered elderly, and uses Cher as her mentor towards age. I loved her hidden glint of fun even when she is sticking to convention.💐 The other characters: Venetia’s sister-in-law Swan, the “granny nanny” Liberty Bell, and a mysterious character named Crow (the only “bird” not related to the Hargreaves family) all make a wonderful impact through their layered arcs. I would have loved to know more about Liberty's mom Bernadette, an amazing character who, though no longer alive, leaves a major impact on the story. The character descriptions are impeccable.💐 One special fellow I have deliberately not mentioned above is Venetia’s ten-year-old randson Kite, who deserves his own “Yay” appearance. He is funny, sensitive, caring, genuine, outspoken and unconcerned about convention just as kids are. In short, Kite is adorable!💐 Another special fellow deserving a distinct “Yay”: Venetia’s pet German Shepherd, who is named ‘Colin Firth’! How can we not love Colin Firth! 😍💐 The ornithologically inspired names of the Hargreaves family were ridiculous to the point of being hilarious. It was fun to see so many “birds”, and also how each bird shaped the respective character’s personality.💐 Though not exactly a found family story, as some characters are already part of the same family, the novel has the same vibes, where the individuals learn to function with, support and motivate each other. The theme of ‘second chances’ also has a strong role to play in the story.💐 The plot plays around with plenty of emotions, ranging from fun moments to emotional ones.💐 The story is mostly predictable, as is obvious considering the genre. But it does spring a couple of surprises. One of these secrets was fairly guessable, but I like how the author didn’t drag out the revelation just to add to the suspense.Bookish Mixed Bags:🌹 The ending is too positive and too “couple” dominated. While this is also a common feature of the genre, I wish there hadn’t been romantic matches for so many key characters. Happiness can be found without a partner, as well. This of course is a personal preference; most fans of the genre love such endings.🌹 It is cool to have a story with a ballroom and a ballroom dancer. But I wish these had more presence in the plot. Though we see glimpses of the titular ‘Phoenix Ballroom’ in the first half as well, it's only in the second half that it's more prominent in the story.🌹 Though the book has a mostly feelgood effect, there is one triggering scene in the final section, which is also connected to a main character’s backstory. I didn’t find the aftermath of the event convincing. But I appreciate how the author handled the event sensitively and realistically.Bookish Nays:🌵 Only one Nay but a strong one for me: the presence of the “spiritualist church”, and its being treated as a proper, respectable church throughout the story. No offence to those who believe in it, but to my head, using the word ‘church” for a place with such activities is balderdash. Moreover, the “spiritualism” aspects are not even prevalent in the story, which would have justified the presence of this place in the plot.All in all, despite my annoyance at the “church” I enjoyed this story quite a lot. The characters are the main reason to try this out, because each of them brings their own charm to this otherwise straightforward tale.Definitely recommended to those who enjoy this genre. It is a fairly quick and highly comfortable read.4 stars.Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it, written voluntarily. Detailed review on Goodreads.

Tho was the fourth book by Ruth Hogan that I have read this year. I find I like her writing style, the feel and flow of it. I also enjoy her characters; they are easily relatable to. I like how she includes animals (mostly dogs) into her stories, and how they bring love, encouragement, and humor to the story.This was definitely a feel-good read as are all of her novels.

Ruth Hogan has done it again ..another book that grabs you from the start and makes you eager for your next read, and leaves you a little sad and wanting more when it nears the final chapter.Another gloriously warm , funny , thought provoking , quirky book from the unique writer .The characters are so real and fall of depth that you want them to be in your own lives . Swan is one ...The story unfolds and takes you on highs and lows , but never exercises you down ..So many books I've read of late ,I struggle finishing , or it fizzles out after a great start ...but this book and all Ruth Hogans books never disappoint ...it's just a,desperate wait for the one !!I had great depression a,few years ago and the one thing I couldn't do which saddened me was not to read ..Her books brought me back to my great love , and I think that was due to get extraordinary writing ..no one like her out there.So out the kettle on, curl up and lose yourself in this chocolate box of characters and delightful book.

Another Ruth Hogan delight.Always love the characters and subtle hint of mystical power in the background.Thank you, again the housework was forgotten once the book arrived on Kindle. Her books also fill my book shelves.

The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth HoganVenetia Hamilton-Hargreaves has just lost her husband Hawk and life is now going to be very different. Her son Heron and his wife are moving out to Paris for work and have decided that their son Kite will be attending his school as a boarder from now on. Hawk is worried about his mother and suggests that she employs a companion and home help. Liberty Bell is also grieving. Her mother has recently died after a short illness and a long-standing love affair has ended, but since her lover was also her married boss she has no job either. When she’s summoned to the solicitor she assumes it’s to deal with her mother’s will, but she’s shocked to find her mother’s wishes were not straightforward. She has left a photo album containing pictures of Liberty at different points in her life, alongside a cryptic message. She must commit to meeting with the solicitor every few weeks and when he is sure Liberty has met her mother’s expectations she will receive her inheritance. Yet with no idea of what her criteria is, how can Liberty succeed? Also, having moved in to look after her mother, she has now lost the roof over her head too. She applies for the job with Venetia because it is a live-in position, but isn’t sure that this vibrant and lively 74 year old actually needs help. Crow has been living in a hostel for some time, but struggles to deal with the chaos and noise. In the evenings he lets himself into a building that houses a spiritualist church and drop-in centre downstairs and an old ballroom upstairs. When the building is put up for sale he worries he may lose his sanctuary, not to mention all the people who receive help and support from the lady called Evangeline downstairs. When Venetia finds out that the old ballroom where she taught dance as a young woman is being sold for luxury flats she decides to take a look. So many of her memories are bound up in this place. It’s where she fell in love, with dance and with a very special man. She met her husband Hawk here and she can see the good work being done downstairs. She decides with the help of assistant Liberty that she will buy the building and restore the ballroom to its former glory, uncovering many secrets and changing lives along the way.Ruth Hogan’s books are always whimsical, entertaining and uplifting so it’s been the perfect choice while battling COVID. She always creates fascinating and eccentric female characters who are going through a journey of personal growth. Here there was a very specific theme and a rather inspiring one, especially while feeling very unwell. This book was about what fear does to a person, whether that’s fear from a specific event or a long-standing fear of failure. Something I have learned the older I get is that you only fail if you stop trying. Liberty starts the book as quite a cautious person who is thrown totally out of her comfort zone. The job with Venetia gives her a roof over her head, but Venetia’s trust in her abilities really boosts her confidence. Soon she is helping with Kite, making lists for the renovation of the ballroom and supervising the work. However, I believe it is friendship that also makes the difference to Liberty. When Venetia’s eccentric sister-in-law Swan appears at the house Liberty finds her frankness and eccentricity a little startling, but they are soon a regular twosome with Swan even accompanying Liberty to her baffling meetings with the solicitor. I was hoping that some of Swan’s haughty and direct manner would rub off on Liberty and was rewarded with a startling display of assertiveness when Heron appears at the house. I also wanted some of Swan’s colour to inspire Liberty, giving her the courage to stand out and take up space. Venetia is less transparent and there were a few mysteries around her past life that I couldn’t work out. She’d clearly been an accomplished ballroom dancer until meeting her husband Hawk, but there was no real explanation for why she’d given it all up. She was a teacher as well as a competitor and Hawk didn’t seem to be the sort of man who would have insisted on her giving up something she loved. They were also incredibly different people and I didn’t feel that their relationship had been a lightning bolt of passion. There were little hints of a event in the past that changed Venetia and not just emotionally.I thoroughly enjoyed untangling all these stories, including that of Crow, the homeless man who rescues Kite from bullies and spends his evenings in the quiet of the attic at the church. He’s mysterious and although he’s technically breaking and entering I didn’t get the feeling he was a bad guy, just in dire circumstances. I was interested to see where he would fit in to this group of characters who were very slowly becoming like family. Similarly, Venetia’s son Heron seems pompous and irritating but I sensed good intentions below the surface. He just needed some of these strong women to put him in his place and explain that his mother isn’t in her dotage. I was also fascinated with the mystery of two unknown men who’d appeared at Hawk’s funeral, along with the hidden book with a cryptic inscription. This was a beautiful side story that brought home the main theme of the book - we regret the things we haven’t done more than those we have. This is the sort of book that is perfect for summer holiday reading and which certainly cheered me up as I was stuck in bed with COVID.

A heartwarming story about people who thought their past was all they had. Until they woke up and found there was more in their lives than they realized.A fun, wonderful, read with many plot twists.