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emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
OMG! This book was amazing! The beginning was a little slow at the start however, there are little sprinkles of things that made me think, "wait what?" that appeared as though they were not going to be brought up again. I loved the details and the alternating timeline of telling the story. Kapelke-Dale kept my curiosity on it's toes through the many twists and turns of Delphine's life choices. Several times my mouth fell agape as I was shocked that not everyone is who they seem to be.
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Infertility, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Vomit
Let girls be petty! Not everything needs a feminist twist lol. Also the wrong person died, the deceased did not deserve that, just wanted their wishes heard
This is NOT a thriller in any way, shape, or form. Don’t let the Goodreads genre categories fool you!
As a professional ballet dancer myself, I can say that it is a pretty accurate depiction of a ballet dancers’ life.
I found myself enjoying this aspect of the book because it was so relatable. The toxic workplace environment, the body standards, and the sheer joy you feel when dancing were all so eloquently written.
But if you don’t particularly care about that specific experience, you will most likely find this story boring.
All in all, this was just a story about a bunch of self-centered dancers and their childish behavior as they approach their forties.
And the one thing I took away from this was: man=bad.
As a professional ballet dancer myself, I can say that it is a pretty accurate depiction of a ballet dancers’ life.
I found myself enjoying this aspect of the book because it was so relatable. The toxic workplace environment, the body standards, and the sheer joy you feel when dancing were all so eloquently written.
But if you don’t particularly care about that specific experience, you will most likely find this story boring.
All in all, this was just a story about a bunch of self-centered dancers and their childish behavior as they approach their forties.
And the one thing I took away from this was: man=bad.
I was much more interested in the sparing glimpses of the past than I was in anything going on in the present. The present for the story also felt disjointed and confusing.
Rachel Kapelke-Dale's novel, The Ballerinas, transports readers directly into the heart of the ballet dancers life, for better and worse. It's not all glamorous but it's a dancers entire world and with Kepelke-Dale's prose we get to experience that world for ourselves, the beauty, the grace, the strength, the competition that runs every dancers life. This novel is also very character driven, with each character so well developed they feel real and the reader forms love or distaste for each character without even realizing it.
After reaching a point in her career Delphine, harboring a secret, leaves her soloist role at the prestigious and exclusive Paris Opera Ballet (POB) to go to St Petersburg, where she remains until reappearing years later back in to the world of the POB, this time with an entirely different goal and career in mind.
This is a slow burn novel with Delphine's secrets very slowly being revealed as the story moves on. In the mean time the narrative goes between the past and the present, a narrative style that I'm not sure works the best for this story but if you pay close attention to the date's it's something you can get through.
If you've ever dreamed of being a ballerina or attending the ballet as an appreciating fan this book is for you. It is not an intense thriller, more of a drama with some suspense so I feel it would be appropriate for readers beginning from early teen to adult. The Ballerinas has something to appeal to all of us whether aesthetically, emotionally, or intellectually every reader will walk away with something positive from this book regardless of your opinion on the book as a whole.
For that reason I rate this book a 3.5, one that is worth reading and seeing it through the end.
Thank you to netgalley for providing an advance e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion. These opinions are mine and mine alone and influenced by nothing more than my own personal taste and experience with literature.
After reaching a point in her career Delphine, harboring a secret, leaves her soloist role at the prestigious and exclusive Paris Opera Ballet (POB) to go to St Petersburg, where she remains until reappearing years later back in to the world of the POB, this time with an entirely different goal and career in mind.
This is a slow burn novel with Delphine's secrets very slowly being revealed as the story moves on. In the mean time the narrative goes between the past and the present, a narrative style that I'm not sure works the best for this story but if you pay close attention to the date's it's something you can get through.
If you've ever dreamed of being a ballerina or attending the ballet as an appreciating fan this book is for you. It is not an intense thriller, more of a drama with some suspense so I feel it would be appropriate for readers beginning from early teen to adult. The Ballerinas has something to appeal to all of us whether aesthetically, emotionally, or intellectually every reader will walk away with something positive from this book regardless of your opinion on the book as a whole.
For that reason I rate this book a 3.5, one that is worth reading and seeing it through the end.
Thank you to netgalley for providing an advance e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion. These opinions are mine and mine alone and influenced by nothing more than my own personal taste and experience with literature.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes