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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
It was ok, but I was looking for more about technique and details of ballet.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
protagonists/main characters never face any consequences in this world, apparently
SHE LITERALLY KILLS A DUDE WHAT DO YOU MEAN
dark
emotional
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
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Be warned if you decide to read this: this book takes pretty much all the glamor out of ballet. I've been fascinated by ballet since I was a little girl. I briefly took dance lessons but I got the feeling that the teacher told my mother I was hopeless! It's too bad because it might have actually helped me be more poised and less clumsy. Nevertheless I DO love ballet and was thrilled to see Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn dance Swan Lake although the author makes it clear that ballet dancers aren't fans of the ballet.
The main character is Delphine who returns to the Paris Opera Ballet to choreograph a ballet after having success as a choreographer with the Russian Ballet. Delphine's mother was a star with the Paris Opera Ballet and Delphine was a student there but she never achieved her mother's success. She comes back to Paris hoping to rekindle the friendships she had there with two other ballerinas: Lindsay and Margaux. However Margaux, in particular, is keeping her distance and is bitter about Delphine never leaving Russia for years and barely keeping in touch. Margaux has her own problems and tries to tell Delphine who really doesn't understand how to react without it being all about her.
The book goes back and forth in several different time periods - from her beginnings as a student to her time in Russia as well as the present as she tries to get her ballet, Tsarina, up and running. Running through the book is her relationship with Stella, a neighbor who she saw as the mother she wished she could have had. Stella, however, is tiring of Delphines self centered attitude as well and makes her feelings known as the story progresses.
Meanwhile Delphine is trying to rekindle a teenage romance she had with Jacques, now known as Jock after his time with the New York City Ballet, but that goes horribly wrong.
This is a really well written and interesting book. I liked it a lot although, as I said earlier, it does tarnish the glamor of ballet. The author has an interesting background. She was a dancer but got her BA at Brown, her MA in Paris and her PhD in London. She is truly an international writer!
The main character is Delphine who returns to the Paris Opera Ballet to choreograph a ballet after having success as a choreographer with the Russian Ballet. Delphine's mother was a star with the Paris Opera Ballet and Delphine was a student there but she never achieved her mother's success. She comes back to Paris hoping to rekindle the friendships she had there with two other ballerinas: Lindsay and Margaux. However Margaux, in particular, is keeping her distance and is bitter about Delphine never leaving Russia for years and barely keeping in touch. Margaux has her own problems and tries to tell Delphine who really doesn't understand how to react without it being all about her.
The book goes back and forth in several different time periods - from her beginnings as a student to her time in Russia as well as the present as she tries to get her ballet, Tsarina, up and running. Running through the book is her relationship with Stella, a neighbor who she saw as the mother she wished she could have had. Stella, however, is tiring of Delphines self centered attitude as well and makes her feelings known as the story progresses.
Meanwhile Delphine is trying to rekindle a teenage romance she had with Jacques, now known as Jock after his time with the New York City Ballet, but that goes horribly wrong.
This is a really well written and interesting book. I liked it a lot although, as I said earlier, it does tarnish the glamor of ballet. The author has an interesting background. She was a dancer but got her BA at Brown, her MA in Paris and her PhD in London. She is truly an international writer!
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-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