The Phoenix Ballroom - Ruth Hogan - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Ruth Hogan

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction.

PUBLICATION DATE: June 11, 2024

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A sweet and heartwarming contemporary novel about an eclectic group of characters who learn to live and work in harmony. Great for those who enjoy found family stories with relatable and loveable characters. Only one thing was a major bugbear for me, but it might not be an irritant for all. Definitely recommended to women’s fiction readers.

Plot Preview:

Seventy-four-year-old Venetia Hargreaves, recently widowed after almost fifty years of marriage, now has a huge empty house, a hefty bank balance, and a newfound determination to finally live her life the way she wants, even if her son Heron is adamant that she cannot survive on her own and forces her to employ a caretaker, or a “granny nanny”, as her grandson Kite puts it. But Venetia makes sure that her new employee Liberty follows her commands and no one else’s.

When a dilapidated old ballroom comes on the market, the lives of the key characters change, not just because of echoes from the past but also through influences of the present and dreams of the future.

The story comes to us in the third person perspective of various characters, with Venetia’s story coming from two timelines.

Bookish Yays:

💐 Venetia: Not a typical geriatric character. Comes with oodles of wit and spunk. Hates being considered elderly, and uses Cher as her inspiration towards age. Loved her independence!

💐 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 add much to the proceedings with 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 grandson 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 I not love Colin Firth! 😍 (Just in case you are confused about which Colin Firth I am referring to in that last sentence – human or canine, the answer is, ‘Both!’)

💐 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 kind of warm 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 sentimental ones, but it never gets melodramatic.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

🌹 The story is mostly predictable, as is obvious and acceptable 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.

🌹 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. After all, happiness can be found even without a partner. Of course, this 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 dark 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 religious location throughout the story. No offence to those who believe in it, but to my head, using the word "church" for such a place is balderdash. Moreover, the “spiritualism” aspects are not even prevalent in the story, in which case the presence of this "church" in the plot could have been justified. This place was more like a community outreach centre, with more focus on the social service performed by the "church" than any mention of the "spiritualist" activities such a "church" is actually involved in.

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.

I have read only one Ruth Hogan book prior to this, and that was ‘The Keeper of Lost Things’. I still remember how impressed I had been with her implementation of magical realism in that novel. While this latest novel doesn’t have magical realism (sadly!), it still has the same vibes, with memorable lost characters who find happiness and friendship over the course of the novel.

Definitely recommended to those who enjoy this genre. It is a fairly quick and highly comfortable read.

My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Phoenix Ballroom”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.