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kaelaceleste's review
4.0
Overall this was pretty nice. This book centers around Rosa, a teenage ballet dancer in 1980s Minneapolis who wants nothing more than to leave the ballet world and go her own path. I loved the diversity in this book and the cool teenage drag scene and exploration of queer issues. The ballet descriptions were also great, I liked that the author didn't shy away from using the names of steps or other terminology. The 80s setting isn't typically my favorite but the descriptions of places and things were so vivid that it was easy to get into.
My main issue with this was that it felt like we were trying to fit too much into one book. There's a LOT covered in here, and I wish some of them could have been explored more rather than trying to fit in so many different issues. It was heavy at times, and sometimes it worked and other times it didn't. I also was a little over the Prince obsession by the end, though I know that's probably an unpopular opinion. But I think there's a lot of good in here. I loved the final performance and the merging of ballet with different dance styles and means of self-expression.
Overall not my favorite ballet book ever but I think it was mostly pretty lovely and will definitely resonate with the right audience. I'll say 3.5.
My main issue with this was that it felt like we were trying to fit too much into one book. There's a LOT covered in here, and I wish some of them could have been explored more rather than trying to fit in so many different issues. It was heavy at times, and sometimes it worked and other times it didn't. I also was a little over the Prince obsession by the end, though I know that's probably an unpopular opinion. But I think there's a lot of good in here. I loved the final performance and the merging of ballet with different dance styles and means of self-expression.
Overall not my favorite ballet book ever but I think it was mostly pretty lovely and will definitely resonate with the right audience. I'll say 3.5.
adrzeck's review
4.0
"Rosa, croisé devant,"...Torres is not here to explain the intricacies of ballet to you and I'm here for it.
Though it's set in 1983 Minneapolis I feel the struggles of all the characters (trying to define themselves without their parent's expectations weighing them down) will still resonate enough with youth and others today.
Personally, I also just love that this book is set someplace other than an East Coast city, and guest stars the Purple One. "Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today...."
Though it's set in 1983 Minneapolis I feel the struggles of all the characters (trying to define themselves without their parent's expectations weighing them down) will still resonate enough with youth and others today.
Personally, I also just love that this book is set someplace other than an East Coast city, and guest stars the Purple One. "Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today...."
demille's review
3.0
This is a story of a messy teen obsessed with Prince who finds her way while dealing with guilt, family expectations, neglect, and trauma. Rosa comes from ballet royalty but her father's a controlling drunk, her mother won't have much to do with her, her disabled sister Glo breathes through a ventilator and can't speak because an argument Rosa had with her got Glo run over by a truck.
It's jammed with 80s references (although a couple occurred in the later 80s), queer culture, and you could feel the grit, poverty and jive of her neighborhood, the scourge of AIDS, racism, and the fear of deportation a shadow on the streets. I'm not a fan of ballet but from the first brutal lesson with her Master (father), I was sucked in.
Rosa's impulsive, confident, and brash; knows her talent and power but makes a bunch of poor, selfish decisions that threaten her future. It's realistic. Loved the twist with her friend Kat and her new friend Stacy.
Nico was the jam. Nice to see a lad dressed in drag and make-up and talking about his gay dad. He rocked.
My favorite part was Rosa's interactions with her sister Glo. Glo communicates with "OKay, fine" and art, and she an unquenchable fire.
It's good to see Mexicans in ballet.
The ending was too neatly wrapped up. After all those years of abandonment, her mother got back with Geno, and everything's dandy between Rosa and her mother? Seriously?
Initially 4 stars- Glo and her disability was handled with sensitivity and respect, although the super talent in art skated close to ableism (disabled only have value if they can do things for others). The relationship of the sisters was the best aspect by far.
3 stars- the ending, and the book was a tad too long. I dunno if teens know who Prince is.
It's jammed with 80s references (although a couple occurred in the later 80s), queer culture, and you could feel the grit, poverty and jive of her neighborhood, the scourge of AIDS, racism, and the fear of deportation a shadow on the streets. I'm not a fan of ballet but from the first brutal lesson with her Master (father), I was sucked in.
Rosa's impulsive, confident, and brash; knows her talent and power but makes a bunch of poor, selfish decisions that threaten her future. It's realistic. Loved the twist with her friend Kat and her new friend Stacy.
Nico was the jam. Nice to see a lad dressed in drag and make-up and talking about his gay dad. He rocked.
My favorite part was Rosa's interactions with her sister Glo. Glo communicates with "OKay, fine" and art, and she an unquenchable fire.
It's good to see Mexicans in ballet.
The ending was too neatly wrapped up.
Initially 4 stars- Glo and her disability was handled with sensitivity and respect, although the super talent in art skated close to ableism (disabled only have value if they can do things for others). The relationship of the sisters was the best aspect by far.
3 stars- the ending, and the book was a tad too long. I dunno if teens know who Prince is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism
saidtheraina's review
4.0
Rosa is sure that she loves to dance. What she isn't sure about is whether she wants to be a professional ballet dancer for her father's dance company.
It doesn't help that Prince Rogers Nelson is rehearsing just upstairs.
It's 1983 Minneapolis, and Torres brings Block E of Hennepin Ave to life. We spend significant chunks of time in Teener's Theatrical, a "costume shop" that defies that definition. I found a pic of the place online which transported me on sight. Moby Dick's bar is a location pivotal to the plot.
I especially appreciated how queer this book was. Rosa's love interest wears makeup and skirts, talks about his gay father, is involved in the local drag scene, and says something to the effect of he "loves who he loves" at one point. I think it's easy for those of us who grew up in the 90s to miss how queer parts of 80s culture really were. Torres includes depictions of the local gay bar, police brutality and harassment of queer people, AIDS (she does use the term AIDS only, and I assume it was an intentional choice to be anachronistic), and more. I imagine that people who lived through it and Prince fans would tell me that queerness is a required theme in a book that shows Prince's impact on a person.
There were times here when I was a little nervous about how Torres depicted Rosa's sister's disability. But ultimately, I think the way that she rounded out that character steered it away from the potential missteps. Curious about what other people think about this.
Part of me wonders if this will be popular with today's teens. Do pandemic-era teens care about ballet? Do they know who Prince is? He died six years ago, as I write this, which is a long time ago both during the pandemic era and to a teenager in general.
Wrote a booktalk though, and next time I go to a high school, I'll see if it takes.
This was written by a friend of a friend who lives in my town, so I was pleased to get to review it for my work-related reviewing gig. If I'm not mistaken, a character's last name is a nod to Oly's local ballet school.
It doesn't help that Prince Rogers Nelson is rehearsing just upstairs.
It's 1983 Minneapolis, and Torres brings Block E of Hennepin Ave to life. We spend significant chunks of time in Teener's Theatrical, a "costume shop" that defies that definition. I found a pic of the place online which transported me on sight. Moby Dick's bar is a location pivotal to the plot.
I especially appreciated how queer this book was. Rosa's love interest wears makeup and skirts, talks about his gay father, is involved in the local drag scene, and says something to the effect of he "loves who he loves" at one point. I think it's easy for those of us who grew up in the 90s to miss how queer parts of 80s culture really were. Torres includes depictions of the local gay bar, police brutality and harassment of queer people, AIDS (she does use the term AIDS only, and I assume it was an intentional choice to be anachronistic), and more. I imagine that people who lived through it and Prince fans would tell me that queerness is a required theme in a book that shows Prince's impact on a person.
There were times here when I was a little nervous about how Torres depicted Rosa's sister's disability. But ultimately, I think the way that she rounded out that character steered it away from the potential missteps. Curious about what other people think about this.
Part of me wonders if this will be popular with today's teens. Do pandemic-era teens care about ballet? Do they know who Prince is? He died six years ago, as I write this, which is a long time ago both during the pandemic era and to a teenager in general.
Wrote a booktalk though, and next time I go to a high school, I'll see if it takes.
This was written by a friend of a friend who lives in my town, so I was pleased to get to review it for my work-related reviewing gig. If I'm not mistaken, a character's last name is a nod to Oly's local ballet school.
linnybelle's review
I enjoyed this book. Thought it was a sensitive and beautiful portrait of a girl growing up with various pressures. Her struggle to not only learn who she was, but also how she wanted to interact with the world was heartbreakingly lovely.
cesttemps's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
raebrock's review
4.0
The first 10% of The Turing Pointe drove me nuts with the excessive celebrity worship, one of my least favorite tropes. However, once the author really got into the lives of the characters, I couldn't put it down! This book was devastating yet hopeful, which is not easy to pull off. I felt for all of the characters, each with their own tragedies they were trying to move past. Torres touched on so many social issues that are still there today but were made more poignant by 1980's setting: The AIDS epidemic, gender and sexuality, police brutality, racism, the lives of immigrants in different generations, familial upheaval and trauma, physical disability, and more. Some played a bigger role than others. I've read books before that covered too many topics which can make a book feel so bogged down with the issues its trying to cover that the plot suffers. However, these issues flowed seamlessly into the plot of The Turning Pointe - the story existed in a society where these issues also existed but the story was still the story and it was powerful and beautiful and I loved it.
magentabyfive's review
Really loved the ballet terms, just unable to get interest for this plot. It doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere I’m interested in or haven’t seen a thousand times.
lizzy52's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75