Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
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.
I picked this book because anything with dancing as the subject brings me nostalgia and naturally draws me in. But this book was not great, it took me over half the book to even figure out what the book was about, and I feel like it took it a really long time to get to any kind of a point. It still had every ballet story cliche woven through it, but almost in a lazy way that didn't really bring anything extra to the story. I thought this one going to be more of a murder mystery but it was more just rambling history of some girls in a ballet company.
Great mystery with interesting female leads and a lot to say about being a woman in today’s society. All wrapped up in tutus.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
"Sometimes a truth and a dare sound the same."
I liked this story, I did. I liked the peek into the world behind ballets. The girls were brutal, the expectation for perfection was almost overwhelming as the girls pushed themselves harder and harder to achieve and be great. The feel of competition, first love and crushing disapointment jumped off each page.
But I didn't think this was a mystery, not really. It's character driven, so you spend quite a bit of time getting to know the MC. She's just come back home, meeting up with her best friends again and planning a show, not as a dancer. I didn't find a lot of mystery in this.
I also think this story tried to tackle a little too much. Once we reached one twist - shocking and awful, I thought the story was pretty well complete. Well told, rage inducing and something I could imagine easily happening in this world. However, the story kept going and we were introduced to another twist and another shock. I did enjoy the story, found it interesting, I just didn't love it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
I liked this story, I did. I liked the peek into the world behind ballets. The girls were brutal, the expectation for perfection was almost overwhelming as the girls pushed themselves harder and harder to achieve and be great. The feel of competition, first love and crushing disapointment jumped off each page.
But I didn't think this was a mystery, not really. It's character driven, so you spend quite a bit of time getting to know the MC. She's just come back home, meeting up with her best friends again and planning a show, not as a dancer. I didn't find a lot of mystery in this.
I also think this story tried to tackle a little too much. Once we reached one twist - shocking and awful, I thought the story was pretty well complete. Well told, rage inducing and something I could imagine easily happening in this world. However, the story kept going and we were introduced to another twist and another shock. I did enjoy the story, found it interesting, I just didn't love it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
On the surface this is a fascinating look inside the elite world of professional ballet and a glimpse into the lives of the ballerinas who populate it. But this novel is so much more, delving into gender issues and what it means to identify as female in what is still, in so many ways, a patriarchal world.
The author deftly illuminates the myriad ways women are still subject to the whims, wills, and worries of the men in their lives. Yet she never shies away from showing the ugly side of the women in this story, revealing their humanity in ways that make
it impossible to ignore. In doing so she risks losing the reader’s empathy, but I feel that risk payed off as I was able to see true growth from the characters and find myself even more invested than I would have been had she only shown the pretty parts.
Relationships are also revealed in all their complexity, bringing up the question of how much we can ever truly know the people in our lives. Ultimately the author shows us that in order to form deep, real bonds we must confront the often transactional, selfish nature of our connections with others and be willing to embrace them for who they truly are, not who we need them to be.
This novel is bold, visceral, unafraid. The author clearly did her homework on the subject matter. I found myself drawn into the world the she created and have no doubt I will be thinking about it for quite some time.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The author deftly illuminates the myriad ways women are still subject to the whims, wills, and worries of the men in their lives. Yet she never shies away from showing the ugly side of the women in this story, revealing their humanity in ways that make
it impossible to ignore. In doing so she risks losing the reader’s empathy, but I feel that risk payed off as I was able to see true growth from the characters and find myself even more invested than I would have been had she only shown the pretty parts.
Relationships are also revealed in all their complexity, bringing up the question of how much we can ever truly know the people in our lives. Ultimately the author shows us that in order to form deep, real bonds we must confront the often transactional, selfish nature of our connections with others and be willing to embrace them for who they truly are, not who we need them to be.
This novel is bold, visceral, unafraid. The author clearly did her homework on the subject matter. I found myself drawn into the world the she created and have no doubt I will be thinking about it for quite some time.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
"No tragedy in mundane. Not while we're living it." -Rachel Kapelke-Dale, The Ballerinas
The Ballerinas is NOT a light read!
The Ballerinas is a captivating read, containing dark themes, shocking events, and a strong sense of femininity, wrapped up in a beautiful cover.
Upon completing The Ballerinas, I felt like I did when I completed Great Expectations: "I am positive, that my thoughts in this review, are not as is, but ever growing, due to the sheer complexity of the characters, originality and smooth narrative."
At the very bottom of the review, there will be a spoiler of potential triggering event, for sensitive readers to know beforehand.
How The Story Read:
The writing style is one that is very engaging, and easy to follow. I wanted to know what would happen next. Its not often that I am genuinely surprised by the twists within the story. There was foreshadowing up to the revelations, and I still was completely shocked.
There were some incredibly moving events.
The Ballerinas is told in broken timeline.
I did find a few quotes that I have saved for myself, though a few of them were a paragraph.
Main Character:
I feel the main character Delphine, is one both likeable and annoying. She constantly makes choices that made me question what in the world she was thinking, even though it shows what she was thinking. Delphine constantly makes questionable decision after questionable decision. The Ballerinas honestly felt like a diary of a downward spiral of chaos, that is Delphine's life. (The story is not told in diary format.)
Other Characters:
I really liked the woman mentor. The best friends: Margaux and Lindsay, are detrimental to Delphine's character, and who also have issues of their own.
Themes/Topics:
There is so many topics and themes explored, more than I can honestly mention in just one review. The Ballerinas is NOT a light read, but a dark and intense read.
One of the main themes is that women belong to themselves, their bodies belong to themselves, which is generally paired with the theme of oppression by awful men, misguided leaders, doubt in one's self, ect.
The Ballerinas explored the topic: 'What have I done in my life, Where am I in my life now, What is in the future for me'.
The Ballerinas explores the plethora of different types of relationships one has throughout their lives.
The Ballerinas explores consequences of one's actions, with pertaining towards one's own life and how one's actions affects others too.
The Ballerinas mentions alcoholism, sex, drugs, abortion, history of the Romanov Family, history of Paris in general, feminism, and more!
Who I Would Recommend The Story To:
I feel The Ballerinas is for older readers, not to say a very mature younger could enjoy or understand the story. I feel this way because there are so many topics touched therein that an older reader, particularly one with many life experiences, would be able to truly empathize and sympathize with.
The Ballerinas is told from a 36 year old woman, when in present timeline.
The mouth on these ladies and some of the men; there is quite a bit of profanity and at times vulgarity.
TRIGGERS:
There are some potentially triggering events which include and but not excluded to: things done without consent, abortion, physical altercations, intimacy scene(s), ect.
I would normally rank a book much much lower when certain topics come up within a book, for I just don't want to have those sorts of things in books I'm reading to relax and entertain myself, that also being said, I feel said issues was handled expertly.
Spoiler
There is a character, that is revealed, that they had recorded their private exploits, unbeknownst to those they were partaking activities with, and some of those said 'partners', several were underaged. When this is revealed, there is an intense and physical struggle.Overall Thoughts:
Overall, I felt The Ballerinas was very well written with engaging storytelling, and I glad I had read it. I also don't think I would ever reread The Ballerinas, due to the darker themes and topics touched therein.
3.5 stars
I support women’s rights, but more importantly I support women’s wrongs.
I support women’s rights, but more importantly I support women’s wrongs.