Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Dances by Nicole Cuffy

9 reviews

teryn's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My first pick from the Carol Shields Prize longlist was Dances, an immersive look into the life of Cece Cordell, the first Black principal at the New York Ballet. The story traces both her personal and professional lives. Her personal life certainly had interest including a complicated family background - a mostly absent father, a practical mother more concerned with survival than encouraging her daughter’s dream, an artistic older brother who did everything he could to support her but who fell prey to addiction and has chosen to go no contact, a less than fulfilling romantic partnership, and upheavals within her close friendship group. However for me the book really excelled in its exploration of Cece’s professional life. There is lots of ballet terminology including dance steps and choreography. I have zero knowledge of this so couldn’t picture the dances in my head. But it mattered not a jot because the words themselves rhymthically danced on the page, conveying Cece’s love of what she does and her talent. The hard work, dedication and determination required to excel; the sweat, the blisters, the constant niggling injuries, the personal sacrifices are all realistically represented. As a ballerina Cece’s body is always under scrutiny - by herself and others, more so once she is named principal, and especially because hers is a Black body, a rarity in the ballet world, that does not conform to the small, petite stereotype of an “ideal” dancer. Cuffy’s exploration of this is thoughtful but readers triggered by disordered eating and a focus on body size may find aspects of this story hard to get through. To me the author was not promoting these things, merely including them in an accurate depiction of the ballet world, and trusting that the reader would draw appropriate conclusions. The other aspect of this story that stood out to me was way it explored the devotion required to be an artist and how it could be a fine line between that being a positive or negative thing, between success or self-destruction. The juxtaposition of Cece and Paul’s experiences, albeit in different areas of artistic expression, really highlighted this. If I had one disappointment with the story it was the lack of resolution to the chasm that developed between Paul and Cece. It really felt unresolved. Part of me was frustrated; the other part recognised that sometimes that’s reality and admired the author for not tying everything up neatly. While I have no desire to take up ballet I very much enjoyed being immersed in the world of a dancer and seeing how being Black in a very white space impacted a dancer’s experience, adding an additional layer of challenge and complexity.

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zoefranka's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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veeteegee's review

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It took me a bit to feel invested in this book, but once I did, I finished it quite quickly. Cece is a professional performer who has been dancing since she was a child and whose every thought is on display in this novel. While the many, many dance terms were mainly lost on me, I was still fascinated by this inside look into her life as a dancer. It was also interesting to slowly understand where her deep commitment to this art form originated and how it developed into so much more over time.

Unsurprisingly, the parts of the book that I found the most compelling were the ones that were separate from the dance world: her dynamic with her family, her friendships, her romantic relationship and its eventual demise, her feelings on fame and being seen as a role model. All of these things were part of her dance story as well, but felt like the places where the story really evolved.

Even with that said,

Nicole Cuffy’s prose on the more technical aspects of ballet did make me wish I knew more about it. It’s clear the author loves this art form and it comes through in the main character’s thoughts and how she presents it. This was an enjoyable debut novel to page through and I would read more from Nicole Cuffy if given the chance in the future.

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al07734's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow. I read this book in a day. The book really brings you into the world of ballet. I love the resolute strength of the main character and the relationships she has with the others in her company. I found myself completely lost in the book. What would it be like to be so talented and still doubt yourself?

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megbee95's review

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

kenzienoellereads's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

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mrlzbth's review

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.5

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