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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rounding up for goodreads but 3.5!
“Everything good is risky....The thing that you have to remember is that if you -don't- risk anything, you risk everything.”
Delphine, Lindsay, and Margaux are a trio of ballet dancers/best friends who end up keeping a deep secret for years throughout their lives. After a falling out, Delphine is determined to get the trip back together. Throughout the book, we come to find out the intensity behind the world of ballet and just how far some will go to shine.
I listened to this via audiobook and then the last quarter of the book I actually read it. I felt like had I actually read the book, I might have enjoyed it more. The first half was a bit slow for me as I was trying to navigate where exactly this storyline was going. But, it definitely picked up the second half of the book. I wasn’t expecting it to turn the way it did but it made up for the portions I wasn’t crazy about. I loved the cover of this book as well. However, all in all, it was an okay read.
“Everything good is risky....The thing that you have to remember is that if you -don't- risk anything, you risk everything.”
Delphine, Lindsay, and Margaux are a trio of ballet dancers/best friends who end up keeping a deep secret for years throughout their lives. After a falling out, Delphine is determined to get the trip back together. Throughout the book, we come to find out the intensity behind the world of ballet and just how far some will go to shine.
I listened to this via audiobook and then the last quarter of the book I actually read it. I felt like had I actually read the book, I might have enjoyed it more. The first half was a bit slow for me as I was trying to navigate where exactly this storyline was going. But, it definitely picked up the second half of the book. I wasn’t expecting it to turn the way it did but it made up for the portions I wasn’t crazy about. I loved the cover of this book as well. However, all in all, it was an okay read.
dark
fast-paced
2 stars for:
•An extremely unlikeable main character who faces no true consequences for her actions.
•The last half of the book is nothing but a girlboss power trip fantasy.
•author repeats things mentioned in earlier chapters like it’s some big revelation when the MC has know canonically since chapter 5. Sloppy writing.
Daniel’s death made me cackle because of how stupid it was
Good things about the book:
•how she describes music and ballet is beautiful
•has that fun trashy book quality that keeps you interested just because it’s bad
•An extremely unlikeable main character who faces no true consequences for her actions.
•The last half of the book is nothing but a girlboss power trip fantasy.
•author repeats things mentioned in earlier chapters like it’s some big revelation when the MC has know canonically since chapter 5. Sloppy writing.
Good things about the book:
•how she describes music and ballet is beautiful
•has that fun trashy book quality that keeps you interested just because it’s bad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Cultural appropriation
This was a deliciously dark story about the inner workings and life of a ballet company and three friends who grow up dancing together. Told in both the past and present we get to slowly learn about the early dancing career of Delphine and 14 years later when she's become a choreographer and returned to her beloved Paris Ballet Company. Full of dark secrets and hidden motives, this was compulsively readable and perfect for fans of Center Stage or The turnout. I really enjoyed how the author wove in the various perspectives of different characters involved in the Ballet company, from the young students, to the veterans fighting off retirement, to the Director and the main focus on Delphine. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!
First of all, have you ever seen a more beautiful cover?! I’m obsessed.
This book brought me right back to my childhood and high school years. Told in two timelines it’s a character driven novel about three friends and how their friendship grows and develops as they age in the highly competitive world of ballet. I liked this book and enjoyed how accurate everything was portrayed - the competitiveness, the physical strain, the emotional stress, aging, etc. I wasn’t a fan of the ending and felt like it was rushed and didn’t like where it ended though.
This book brought me right back to my childhood and high school years. Told in two timelines it’s a character driven novel about three friends and how their friendship grows and develops as they age in the highly competitive world of ballet. I liked this book and enjoyed how accurate everything was portrayed - the competitiveness, the physical strain, the emotional stress, aging, etc. I wasn’t a fan of the ending and felt like it was rushed and didn’t like where it ended though.
things i liked:
- the world of ballet is a complex and dark place. it is like a dancer’s body: beautiful on stage and broken and blistered underneath the layers of tulle. as a former ballet dancer myself, i believe i understood the setting to a greater degree than that of the target audience. it’s a cruel world where you have to be narcissistic and selfish to survive. the emotional abuse is astounding. and kapelke-drake wrote all of this in only a way that a former dancer could understand. this is one of the best representations of the realties of being a dancer that i’ve come across.
- the writing itself was beautiful to read. although incredibly unlikeable, the main characters, especially the narrator, were complicated and layered.
- the discussions of the misogyny faced by female dancers in an industry that relies on the exploitation of their bodies was important and fleshed out. although it was unfortunate that every male character was a piece of trash, regrettably this is likely an accurate reflection of the real world.
things i didn’t like:
- kapelke-drake spent a lot of time at the beginning of the book building up the context and setting of the dancing world. this was necessary to understand the characters and their struggles, but it meant that most of the plot was shoved into the final half of the book and thus felt rushed and disorganized.
- i wouldn’t call this a mystery or a thriller, which is how i believe it’s marketed. although it is certainly dark enough to be a thriller, there is no twist, so don’t start this with that expectation.
a solid read that i enjoyed, though it was not perfect. 3.75/5
- the world of ballet is a complex and dark place. it is like a dancer’s body: beautiful on stage and broken and blistered underneath the layers of tulle. as a former ballet dancer myself, i believe i understood the setting to a greater degree than that of the target audience. it’s a cruel world where you have to be narcissistic and selfish to survive. the emotional abuse is astounding. and kapelke-drake wrote all of this in only a way that a former dancer could understand. this is one of the best representations of the realties of being a dancer that i’ve come across.
- the writing itself was beautiful to read. although incredibly unlikeable, the main characters, especially the narrator, were complicated and layered.
- the discussions of the misogyny faced by female dancers in an industry that relies on the exploitation of their bodies was important and fleshed out. although it was unfortunate that every male character was a piece of trash, regrettably this is likely an accurate reflection of the real world.
things i didn’t like:
- kapelke-drake spent a lot of time at the beginning of the book building up the context and setting of the dancing world. this was necessary to understand the characters and their struggles, but it meant that most of the plot was shoved into the final half of the book and thus felt rushed and disorganized.
- i wouldn’t call this a mystery or a thriller, which is how i believe it’s marketed. although it is certainly dark enough to be a thriller, there is no twist, so don’t start this with that expectation.
a solid read that i enjoyed, though it was not perfect. 3.75/5
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a thought-provoking, engaging look at the world of ballet and the costs of trying to achieve perfection. though rachel kapelke-dale's prose sometimes leaned into cliche with the metaphors and aphorisms she used, i found her writing style otherwise to be accessible and enjoyable. in particular, i found the way that she dove deep into delphine's psyche and her relationships with herself, her body, her loved ones, and ballet to be really fascinating. however, that aforementioned leaning on cliche in order to, i suppose, further elucidate how delphine is feeling and what she is experiencing, was sometimes distracting. i felt like her writing was solid without it and that this novel could have used a stronger editorial hand in that regard; her repeated use of these time-worn cliches could make the novel read somewhat childish at times.
overall, though, i did quite like this novel! a visceral, thoughtful look at ballet, ambition, and female friendship
overall, though, i did quite like this novel! a visceral, thoughtful look at ballet, ambition, and female friendship
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
I love the cover of this book and it's one of the reasons that I wanted to read it. The fragile looking but athletic body, knowing what goes into working one's way to the top of the ballet world, the final result, if obtained, can look so appealing and desirable. But the reality is that achieving success requires climbing over countless others, sacrificing emotional, mental, and physical health for something that might evade one no matter how close one comes to the best of the best. And no matter how hard one may work, how high one may go, nepotism and politics can still overshadow talent and backbreaking work.
Delphine, Lindsay, and Margaux came together years ago, Delphine and Margaux when they were eight and Lindsay a few years later. Over the years, as they made the cut while so many other girls fell by the wayside, the girls' friendship endured. At the age of twenty two, Delphine left behind her soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in Russia, as an assistant and lover to an older man. Now Delphine is back in Paris, fourteen years later, as a choreographer. Hopefully this will be the beginning of successful career, out from under the limelight of a man, standing on her own two feet, rather than in the shadow of her former lover.
Margaux and Delphine have a secret, something they did to Lindsay over fourteen years ago. Never does Delphine plan to reveal the secret but Margaux feels differently. Can the friendship of this trio, one that Delphine feels doesn't really includes her anymore, survive the truth? What does Delphine owe Lindsay? She's now willing to risk her new career by giving Lindsay a part that Lindsay probably can't handle. Their careers have been build on a cutthroat hill of sand and everything is about to collapse around them.
I was hesitant to pick up this book and I was correct in thinking it probably wasn't for me. Nobody is likable in this story other than one old lady who Delphine ignores unless she needs something from her. To have reached the heights they have reached, maybe narcissism is a necessity, but it's not enjoyable to read about selfish Delphine, who only remembers her obligations when she needs to do so for her own benefit. All the men in this story are made out to be misogynist buffoons, charming and suave until their true colors are revealed to the women. The writing is good but the subject matter is not for me.
Publication: December 7, 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
I love the cover of this book and it's one of the reasons that I wanted to read it. The fragile looking but athletic body, knowing what goes into working one's way to the top of the ballet world, the final result, if obtained, can look so appealing and desirable. But the reality is that achieving success requires climbing over countless others, sacrificing emotional, mental, and physical health for something that might evade one no matter how close one comes to the best of the best. And no matter how hard one may work, how high one may go, nepotism and politics can still overshadow talent and backbreaking work.
Delphine, Lindsay, and Margaux came together years ago, Delphine and Margaux when they were eight and Lindsay a few years later. Over the years, as they made the cut while so many other girls fell by the wayside, the girls' friendship endured. At the age of twenty two, Delphine left behind her soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in Russia, as an assistant and lover to an older man. Now Delphine is back in Paris, fourteen years later, as a choreographer. Hopefully this will be the beginning of successful career, out from under the limelight of a man, standing on her own two feet, rather than in the shadow of her former lover.
Margaux and Delphine have a secret, something they did to Lindsay over fourteen years ago. Never does Delphine plan to reveal the secret but Margaux feels differently. Can the friendship of this trio, one that Delphine feels doesn't really includes her anymore, survive the truth? What does Delphine owe Lindsay? She's now willing to risk her new career by giving Lindsay a part that Lindsay probably can't handle. Their careers have been build on a cutthroat hill of sand and everything is about to collapse around them.
I was hesitant to pick up this book and I was correct in thinking it probably wasn't for me. Nobody is likable in this story other than one old lady who Delphine ignores unless she needs something from her. To have reached the heights they have reached, maybe narcissism is a necessity, but it's not enjoyable to read about selfish Delphine, who only remembers her obligations when she needs to do so for her own benefit. All the men in this story are made out to be misogynist buffoons, charming and suave until their true colors are revealed to the women. The writing is good but the subject matter is not for me.
Publication: December 7, 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
While I thought the author's writing was strong and they did a great job of making you feel immersed in the world of ballet, the story wasn't as thrilling as I wanted it to be. The mystery aspect was pretty minor and very slow burn. The characters were also not very likable, which felt realistic for their consuming commitment to ballet but it made it hard for me to feel invested in this story.