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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“This is the promise we dancers make to each other: the world might not remember you, but the other ballerinas always will.”
Ballerinas, friends, sisters. Delphine, our storyteller, is the daughter of a famous ballet dancer. Margaux has been Delphine's best friend since they began at ballet school as young girls. Lindsay came to ballet in her early teens. She became friends with Delphine and Margaux, and the pair became a trio that nothing could divide. Except the secrets. There are several more characters that lend suspicion and mystery to the story, but we always circle back to our trio.
“Ballerinas are like pointe shoes: you have to break them down before they're of any use.”
This story reads as if it might be a memoir, but I think that’s because it’s told in first person, and you feel submerged in the existence of ballerinas instantly. From past to present you understand how the friendships formed and how they might break due to the presence of so many secrets. If you are intrigued by the world of ballet, this is a story for you. It is a slow to medium paced story, it does meander a bit, but the author gets us back to the main story quickly.
Like many other reviewers, I felt like this book was mis-marketed as a thriller. It was not, even a little bit. Once I got over that disappointment, I did mostly enjoy the story. It was slow-moving but not slow enough that I felt the desire to DNF. Margaux was woefully underdeveloped despite being perhaps the most interesting character in my opinion. However, the feminist elements were really well done - this is a story about women in a setting where they are treated as property, objects to be manipulated for others’ enjoyment even more so than how women are treated just in normal everyday circumstances. It’s also about friendship, and ambition and it crosses generational boundaries. I wish there had been more diversity, but as it was pointed out within the book, there really just isn’t enough diversity in ballet period. The Ballerinas wasn’t what I’d call a favorite but it was thought-provoking and I liked it.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Everything beautiful has an ugly side.
Delphine has long since moved on from her ballet dancing career, preferring to bring her ideas to life rather than embodying someone else's. She jumps at the chance to return to the Paris Opera Ballet as a choreographer, ready to be independent after working closely with her ex-boyfriend in Russia. Reunited with her best friends Margaux and Lindsay, Delphine can't help but feel awkward and out of place, crushed under the weight of a secret that could ruin them. The ballet company swells with secrets, tensions, competition and the darker side of the industry. Greatness comes with a price, and losing it could cost them everything.
I chose to read this eARC and listen to the audiobook at the same time. I really loved reading about the ballet dancing and imagining it in my mind. I have always had an appreciation for the beauty of ballet, despite knowing that the performing arts industry harbours a hidden darkness. The characters in this story were passionate and driven, and I felt they were very well portrayed. Ell Potter was the narrator for this audiobook and I found her voice very soothing and relaxing. I liked how she changed her voice for different characters and how perfectly the voices went with their personalities. I really appreciated this novel's strong messages about female empowerment, strength, friendship, and forgiveness. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys powerful women's fiction.
Delphine has long since moved on from her ballet dancing career, preferring to bring her ideas to life rather than embodying someone else's. She jumps at the chance to return to the Paris Opera Ballet as a choreographer, ready to be independent after working closely with her ex-boyfriend in Russia. Reunited with her best friends Margaux and Lindsay, Delphine can't help but feel awkward and out of place, crushed under the weight of a secret that could ruin them. The ballet company swells with secrets, tensions, competition and the darker side of the industry. Greatness comes with a price, and losing it could cost them everything.
I chose to read this eARC and listen to the audiobook at the same time. I really loved reading about the ballet dancing and imagining it in my mind. I have always had an appreciation for the beauty of ballet, despite knowing that the performing arts industry harbours a hidden darkness. The characters in this story were passionate and driven, and I felt they were very well portrayed. Ell Potter was the narrator for this audiobook and I found her voice very soothing and relaxing. I liked how she changed her voice for different characters and how perfectly the voices went with their personalities. I really appreciated this novel's strong messages about female empowerment, strength, friendship, and forgiveness. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys powerful women's fiction.
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
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Rachel Kapelke-Dale for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.
A trio of ballerinas met as a students at the Paris Opera Ballet School. She became close friends and keep this friendship though years of school, performances and long distance as one of them took a placing in St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre as a choreographer. Many years later, they reunite in Paris and live through another tragedy that bonds them together even more than their past.
Rachel Kapelke-Dale raises awareness about the ballet as a cruel discipline, about the place of men and women, about their power and what is happening when nobody sees, how sexist and how elite the whole establishment is. The relationship between powerful people (directors, board, etc) and dancers, friendship and betrayal, love and hate - the ballet is a little world within the whole world with its own rulers, benefactors and victims.
I think the message that the author tried to relay is powerful and very important. I have never thought about the issues she mentioned within a ballet world. What I saw was a perfect picture of the stage, performance, but I have never gave a though what was underneath all that. For making me ask questions and listen - I am eternally grateful to Rachel Kapelke-Dale.
Character-wise I think the author did a decent job, the girls came alive through pages, they lived and laughed, did some trouble and then payed for it. They seemed real - I could easily imagine this trio in any school. Plot-wise it was ok, with flashbacks and present narration the story built itself to be quite solid and interesting. I can't say I was always super engaged with it, it was just fine.
I am looking forward to read more work by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.
A trio of ballerinas met as a students at the Paris Opera Ballet School. She became close friends and keep this friendship though years of school, performances and long distance as one of them took a placing in St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre as a choreographer. Many years later, they reunite in Paris and live through another tragedy that bonds them together even more than their past.
Rachel Kapelke-Dale raises awareness about the ballet as a cruel discipline, about the place of men and women, about their power and what is happening when nobody sees, how sexist and how elite the whole establishment is. The relationship between powerful people (directors, board, etc) and dancers, friendship and betrayal, love and hate - the ballet is a little world within the whole world with its own rulers, benefactors and victims.
I think the message that the author tried to relay is powerful and very important. I have never thought about the issues she mentioned within a ballet world. What I saw was a perfect picture of the stage, performance, but I have never gave a though what was underneath all that. For making me ask questions and listen - I am eternally grateful to Rachel Kapelke-Dale.
Character-wise I think the author did a decent job, the girls came alive through pages, they lived and laughed, did some trouble and then payed for it. They seemed real - I could easily imagine this trio in any school. Plot-wise it was ok, with flashbacks and present narration the story built itself to be quite solid and interesting. I can't say I was always super engaged with it, it was just fine.
I am looking forward to read more work by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.
4.5 stars.
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is an enthralling friendship novel set in the world of ballet.
Delphine Léger, Margaux Bisset and Lindsay Price are childhood friends who met as ballet students. Despite the intense competition, the three remain close friends through their early twenties. After finishing school, they rise through the ranks of the Paris Opera Ballet together. But Delphine’s path diverges when she leaves the ballet to move to St. Petersburg. After her relationship with a much older Russian choreographer falls apart, Delphine returns to Paris where she has high expectations of picking up her friendships with Margaux and Lindsay. But her years of neglect are not easily overcome and she struggles to find her footing among her friends.
Delphine is a somewhat self-involved and a little immature despite being in her mid-thirties. She is determined to make up for past mistake but with the Paris Opera Ballet’s and her reputation on the line, she has to make a tough decision. It is also a choice that could destroy her chance at making amends. With a grand vision for the ballet she is choreographing, Delphine casts her past crush, Jock Gerard, in a lead role that soon leads to her butting heads with the person who could sideline her and her project.
In her personal life, Delphine attempts to mend fences with Stella, the woman she views as a mother figure and Margaux. Stella is forgiving and welcomes her back into her life until Delphine’s immaturity causes a seemingly unfixable rift between them. Margaux is angry at Delphine for essentially abandoning their friendship and making little attempt to stay in contact. She is quick to point out that Delphine knows nothing of her life and it might be too little, too late for them.
The Ballerinas is a compelling novel with a hint of mystery. The characters are well-drawn with realistic flaws and strengths. The details about the ballet are quite interesting and paint a vivid behind the scene portrait of the hard work, dedication and physical toll of ballet dancing. The storyline is engaging and moves at an even pace. With a shocking scandal and an unexpected plot twist, Rachel Kapelke-Dale brings this complex story of friendship to an unpredictable conclusion.
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is an enthralling friendship novel set in the world of ballet.
Delphine Léger, Margaux Bisset and Lindsay Price are childhood friends who met as ballet students. Despite the intense competition, the three remain close friends through their early twenties. After finishing school, they rise through the ranks of the Paris Opera Ballet together. But Delphine’s path diverges when she leaves the ballet to move to St. Petersburg. After her relationship with a much older Russian choreographer falls apart, Delphine returns to Paris where she has high expectations of picking up her friendships with Margaux and Lindsay. But her years of neglect are not easily overcome and she struggles to find her footing among her friends.
Delphine is a somewhat self-involved and a little immature despite being in her mid-thirties. She is determined to make up for past mistake but with the Paris Opera Ballet’s and her reputation on the line, she has to make a tough decision. It is also a choice that could destroy her chance at making amends. With a grand vision for the ballet she is choreographing, Delphine casts her past crush, Jock Gerard, in a lead role that soon leads to her butting heads with the person who could sideline her and her project.
In her personal life, Delphine attempts to mend fences with Stella, the woman she views as a mother figure and Margaux. Stella is forgiving and welcomes her back into her life until Delphine’s immaturity causes a seemingly unfixable rift between them. Margaux is angry at Delphine for essentially abandoning their friendship and making little attempt to stay in contact. She is quick to point out that Delphine knows nothing of her life and it might be too little, too late for them.
The Ballerinas is a compelling novel with a hint of mystery. The characters are well-drawn with realistic flaws and strengths. The details about the ballet are quite interesting and paint a vivid behind the scene portrait of the hard work, dedication and physical toll of ballet dancing. The storyline is engaging and moves at an even pace. With a shocking scandal and an unexpected plot twist, Rachel Kapelke-Dale brings this complex story of friendship to an unpredictable conclusion.
I love supporting women killing assholes. Just so beautifully written. But a bit messy and jumps around a lot.
While the description sounded interesting, I have to say I didn't love this book. It was slow at the beginning and never became the 'couldn't put it down' book. Parts of it were engaging and I liked reading about the life of a ballerina, but it just didn't hold my attention.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I have never had dance training but this book brought me into the middle of the Paris Opera Ballet. It’s intense and makes you feel like you’re apart of the struggle, the need, and the competition of it all. It’s the backdrop and the pedestal: everything revolves around it. The endgame is an ever approaching timeline that feeds competition into unhealthy actions—so hyper focused that Delphine Léger almost destroys multiple friendships to get to the top.
The descriptions of the ballet are intense, the ambitions realistic, the tipping point at the end was devastatingly perfect although the repercussions seemed easily evaded. It’s a great read!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.
The descriptions of the ballet are intense, the ambitions realistic, the tipping point at the end was devastatingly perfect although the repercussions seemed easily evaded. It’s a great read!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.