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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I felt immersed into a world where I found familiarity. Whereas I was in studio dance, not the ballet, I found myself feeling similarly or simply just having an understanding of the world the author created for her ballerinas.
This book was better than I thought it would be at first! It was hard for me to get into, and I felt like the shifts in time were hard to follow. I got used to it as I got to know the characters. A lot of action was packed into the second half! Worth a read if you aren't triggered by messed up ballet culture!
DNF at about 30%. I love ballet books and read every one I come across. I love thrillers, I love nasty female leads--I don't need likable characters to keep going with a book. But I do need something interesting to happen, plotwise, and I wasn't finding that here. The writing is also pretty average; no lyrical sentences or thought-provoking turns of phrase.
I really think this is miscategorized as a thriller. The tone, at least in the first third, is more women's fiction. There's not a constant sense of foreboding or a feeling that something awful is just around the corner, which is what someone picking up a thriller is going to expect.
I really think this is miscategorized as a thriller. The tone, at least in the first third, is more women's fiction. There's not a constant sense of foreboding or a feeling that something awful is just around the corner, which is what someone picking up a thriller is going to expect.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Ballerina’s is the story of three women who basically grew up in the Paris Opera Ballet company. Delphine, central character, Margeaux and Lindsay. None of the characters are particularly likable, though they are quite intense.
While I found the book an interesting read it was not one of my favorites. I found the storyline a bit confusing at times and without explanation as to what and why were happening.
Thank you #NetGalley., #Ballentine Books & Rachel Kapelke-Dale for the ARC.
My review is strictly voluntary.
While I found the book an interesting read it was not one of my favorites. I found the storyline a bit confusing at times and without explanation as to what and why were happening.
Thank you #NetGalley., #Ballentine Books & Rachel Kapelke-Dale for the ARC.
My review is strictly voluntary.
Written by a former ballerina who knows what of she writes, this is the story of three ballet dancers, now 36, who have been friends since adolescence. Moving back and forth between present and past via flashbacks, it delves into the world of competitive ballet: the ambition, artistry, commitment, passion, sacrifice. It also explores female friendships and family dynamics, with some first love and marriage thrown in. Most important to the story though, are the secrets among these three, the fact that the narrator reveals that she has killed someone on PAGE ONE, and the twists and mystery within its pages. So yeah, this isn't just a sweet dance story. As the inside cover says, "Ballerinas are like pointe shoes: you have to break them down before they're of any use."
For me, The Ballerinas was just ok, and that's ok. I love to watch ballet and I love a pretty book cover, so it was a foregone conclusion that I would be reading this one. A lack of depth and a fairly unfocused plot and unappealing characters meant I was mostly turning the pages to learn what happened.
For me, The Ballerinas was just ok, and that's ok. I love to watch ballet and I love a pretty book cover, so it was a foregone conclusion that I would be reading this one. A lack of depth and a fairly unfocused plot and unappealing characters meant I was mostly turning the pages to learn what happened.
*Thanks to St. Martin's Press + NetGalley for the ARC!*
I too was hustled, bamboozled, and led astray - this blurb is
I too was hustled, bamboozled, and led astray - this blurb is
To be entirely honest, I was bored through the entire first half of the book and I almost stopped reading it altogether. However, I gave it 3 stars because it ended up turning around and giving me something to look forward to. This isn't the first book that I would recommend, but it's also not the last. I feel like the story could have been more intriguing from the start, especially considering the content of the ending. For the most part, I feel pretty indifferent about this book.
I enjoyed it and really wanted to know what happened, but the characters were at times so incredibly unlikeable that I got distracted by how annoyed I was with them. It's not so much a thriller as a bunch of drama between old friends, although there is quite a surprise at the end. I'm still deciding whether I liked the ending.