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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I will have a list of content warnings at the end of this review in case you want them (they will include spoilers). We follow Delphine in present day (2018) at 36 years old coming back to her home in Paris, where she spent most of her life in the ballet. Now she's working as a choreographer following the end of her relationship with famous Russian choreographer Dmitri. She hopes to find her life exactly like it was before she left 13 years ago with her two best friends Margeaux and Lindsay.
However, life isn't that simple. We follow Delphine learning that just because you age doesn't mean you grow up. I loved the feminist route took where although yes it was 100% the focus in the end, it didn't feel like it was preaching. It felt like it was just, here's some real world subtlety about what feminism really is, and how the patriarchy continues to work against us in our daily lives.
CONTENT WARNING:
abortion
gaslighting
cheating
miscarriage
sudden death
death of a loved one (illness)
nonconsensual sexual videos
blackmail
physical injury descriptions (light gore)
However, life isn't that simple. We follow Delphine learning that just because you age doesn't mean you grow up. I loved the feminist route took where although yes it was 100% the focus in the end, it didn't feel like it was preaching. It felt like it was just, here's some real world subtlety about what feminism really is, and how the patriarchy continues to work against us in our daily lives.
CONTENT WARNING:
abortion
gaslighting
cheating
miscarriage
sudden death
death of a loved one (illness)
nonconsensual sexual videos
blackmail
physical injury descriptions (light gore)
I struggled to get through this one, because I was curious to see where the story was going, but not curious enough to constantly want to know what happened. The book jumped to the past and worked its way forward while also maintaining a story in the present day. Not all of the past stories had any impact on what happened in the present day (the one of Delphine at the airport? Why did we need that?).
Delphine was not a likeable character at all. She was self-absorbed and only interested in herself, and then was left wondering why her relationships fell apart. Perhaps this was the result of the world of a ballerina, perhaps this was what it took to be a successful ballerina. I don't know, but it was hard to like the main character. To be honest, I kind of wanted Lindsay's story! This book seemed long but it was only 300-ish pages. Not a lot of action and very slow moving, which is fine if there is character development occuring. In this case, there wasn't.
Delphine was not a likeable character at all. She was self-absorbed and only interested in herself, and then was left wondering why her relationships fell apart. Perhaps this was the result of the world of a ballerina, perhaps this was what it took to be a successful ballerina. I don't know, but it was hard to like the main character. To be honest, I kind of wanted Lindsay's story! This book seemed long but it was only 300-ish pages. Not a lot of action and very slow moving, which is fine if there is character development occuring. In this case, there wasn't.
I don't think I've ever come across a book about Ballet dancers that wasn't written for middle-grade or YA, so I was really excited to read this one. (I will basically read or watch anything dance related!). I did go into this book expecting a mystery/thriller as it was touted as "Black Swan meets Luckiest Girl Alive", and while that wasn't delivered, instead, I got a deep women's drama about the secrets and friendships of 3 ballerinas.
It was a long book, and often times felt a bit dragging, but I found myself fascinated and immersed in their lives and their passions for ballet. I truly enjoyed and appreciated just how much actual ballet talk was in this book (if you don't have a dancing background, this part might feel mundane, or perhaps educational, I can't say for sure since I spent most of my life growing up dancing). The narrative is told in a dual time line between the present day lives of the 3 ballerinas and their early years at the Paris Opera Ballet. The hardships they endured, the physical pain, the competition, the betrayals, and the one secret that binds them but could also tear them apart.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this book! Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. All opinions my own.
It was a long book, and often times felt a bit dragging, but I found myself fascinated and immersed in their lives and their passions for ballet. I truly enjoyed and appreciated just how much actual ballet talk was in this book (if you don't have a dancing background, this part might feel mundane, or perhaps educational, I can't say for sure since I spent most of my life growing up dancing). The narrative is told in a dual time line between the present day lives of the 3 ballerinas and their early years at the Paris Opera Ballet. The hardships they endured, the physical pain, the competition, the betrayals, and the one secret that binds them but could also tear them apart.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this book! Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. All opinions my own.
Wow oh wow is this a fantastic book! I learned so much about the life of a ballerina and how dedicated to a fault they are in their craft.
A book full of friendship, dance, and complicated relationships sure to keep you up all night reading.
(Check trigger warnings before you read***)
A book full of friendship, dance, and complicated relationships sure to keep you up all night reading.
(Check trigger warnings before you read***)
Definitely not Black Swan or a thriller. It wasn't a bad story but just confused and all over the place.
What happened to break the friendship of 3 ballerinas? How is it after spending almost every waking minute together for years that they haven’t been all together for 14 years? What secrets are they keeping?
Thanks to St Martin’s Press for providing an ARC for my honest review
Thanks to St Martin’s Press for providing an ARC for my honest review
4+ honestly. I’d read it again. The first half felt a little disjointed, but I loved the character development and the ending (!!!). Very much felt like the author had firsthand knowledge of the ballet world.
Disappointed with the second half of the book. The first half was very compelling and well told, but the second half felt underdeveloped and slapped together. Still a very fun read especially if you have a background in dance.
The Ballerinas follows three friends and ballerinas - Delphine, Margaux in their teenage years and present day. They may be beautiful ballerinas on stage, but behind the scenes their lives are filled with secrets and drama.
I will say this was listed as a mystery thriller, and I would not describe it as that at all. To me it was more of a character driven fiction story, but once I got past expecting a thriller I enjoyed it.
This book showed allll the parts of the ballet world, including the darker sides. The cutthroat rivalries, the perfectionism, the body issues (from body image to bad feet), but also the deep and complicated friendships that form. As someone who studied ballet for 18 years, so many pieces of this book felt so real. The way this book was told through alternating timelines added a lot of depth to the story and showed how the relationships and other issues progressed throughout their lives.
I went between the physical and audiobook and really enjoyed both. I thought the narrator was perfect for this book!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copies.
I will say this was listed as a mystery thriller, and I would not describe it as that at all. To me it was more of a character driven fiction story, but once I got past expecting a thriller I enjoyed it.
This book showed allll the parts of the ballet world, including the darker sides. The cutthroat rivalries, the perfectionism, the body issues (from body image to bad feet), but also the deep and complicated friendships that form. As someone who studied ballet for 18 years, so many pieces of this book felt so real. The way this book was told through alternating timelines added a lot of depth to the story and showed how the relationships and other issues progressed throughout their lives.
I went between the physical and audiobook and really enjoyed both. I thought the narrator was perfect for this book!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copies.