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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Historical Fiction is my favourite genre, and I have always been drawn to stories about World War II, so when the SquadPod were offered the chance to read The Paris Dancer, I didn’t hesitate to sign up. The story follows Mim, who has flown to New York to sort through her late Aunt Esther’s belongings, including notebooks that tell the long-hidden story of what happened to their family during World War II and of Annie, a brave Jewish dancer who risked everything to help other Jews during the war. Moving between timelines, we follow their stories as Esther navigates the brutality while Mim tries to come to terms with not only the heartbreaking revelations in the diaries, but also her own trauma. And when a Swing Dancer named Lucky offers her the chance at a new beginning, Mim must decide if she’s brave enough to take it.
Beautiful, moving, heart-wrenching and hopeful, Nicola Rayner brought history to life with her skillful storytelling, meticulous research and evocative imagery. A story of love, loss, courage and resistance, Rayner also explored the importance of family and friendship, especially when we are at our lowest ebb. Trauma and grief are themes throughout the story, with Rayner examining how they can affect us differently and how trauma can sometimes impact those around us for generations.
The characters were fascinating, likeable and easy to root for. Esther and Mim were great narrators who pulled you into their stories, making you invested in their lives and what happened to them. I loved the friendship between Esther and Annie and her sweet relationship with her youngest sister. In Mim’s timeline, my heart broke for her over the loss of her best friend and found her fear of what she’d possibly found with Lucky very relatable. I was rooting for her to heal and to take a chance at happiness. One of my favourite characters was Bibi, Esther’s neighbour, who was so wise and entertaining. I loved her story arc, which showed that the small background characters can often be some of the most interesting ones you will read.
Powerful, tender and immersive, I highly recommend this book.
Beautiful, moving, heart-wrenching and hopeful, Nicola Rayner brought history to life with her skillful storytelling, meticulous research and evocative imagery. A story of love, loss, courage and resistance, Rayner also explored the importance of family and friendship, especially when we are at our lowest ebb. Trauma and grief are themes throughout the story, with Rayner examining how they can affect us differently and how trauma can sometimes impact those around us for generations.
The characters were fascinating, likeable and easy to root for. Esther and Mim were great narrators who pulled you into their stories, making you invested in their lives and what happened to them. I loved the friendship between Esther and Annie and her sweet relationship with her youngest sister. In Mim’s timeline, my heart broke for her over the loss of her best friend and found her fear of what she’d possibly found with Lucky very relatable. I was rooting for her to heal and to take a chance at happiness. One of my favourite characters was Bibi, Esther’s neighbour, who was so wise and entertaining. I loved her story arc, which showed that the small background characters can often be some of the most interesting ones you will read.
Powerful, tender and immersive, I highly recommend this book.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
June, 2012. Miriam (Mim to her friends) travels to New York from England to deal with her great-aunt Esther's estate as she requested. Struggling with the weight of her own issues, this is bound to add to the burden of grief she is already labouring under, but a serendipitous meeting on the plane with the handsome dancer, Lucky, might prove a distraction during her trip.
Mim begins to sort through Esther's possessions, and discovers a series of notebooks in which her great-aunt recorded her family history in Europe, during World War II. They tell of family secrets that Mim knows nothing about, especially Esther's connection to a brave music hall dancer who risked her own life to protect Jewish families like hers...
The story unfurls in two timelines flipping between Mim's time in New York in 2012, and Esther's story in worn-torn Europe through the handwritten volumes of the memoir she has left behind for Mim to discover - and both sides of the novel carry weighty emotional themes.
Mim's own story is one which has her bound by a paralysing state of guilt-ridden grief over her history with a former partner and the resulting tragedy that tore her best friend Frankie away from her. Loss and a sense of responsibility mean she cannot move forward, or allow herself to get close to another person, and Rayner keeps you guessing about exactly why with well-judged suspense.
Weaving in and out of Mim's journey, Rayner immerses you completely in Esther's life in Paris of the late 1930s and 1940s, delving into the horror of Nazi occupation and the palpable fear of those of Jewish descent as the Holocaust plays out. Esther's tale is a heart-breaking one, but Rayner also brings alive the vibrant music hall scene of Paris through Esther's family and friends - particularly Annie, the Jewish dancer from Canada whose tale of resistance is based on the very real Florence Waren (you will find yourself diving down some rabbit holes about her).
Tying the two strands of the novel together, Rayner uses dance to absolute perfection. Lucky's quest to help Mim through finding the dance that speaks to her soul in the present, and all the atmospheric moments of time, place, and character-led loveliness in Esther's complicated history, fuse in a choreography all of their own to examine themes of love, friendship, guilt, sacrifice, reconciliation, family, sisters, and sexuality that echo through the novel.
This book easily makes it on to my pile of 2025 stunners, and it is impossible to do it justice in a brief review. Rayner explores so much about a wealth of emotions, dealing with loss, and forgiveness, and the whole story thrums with the power of music and rhythm in a way that is hard to put into words. I loved it. Tears were shed...
adventurous
emotional
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
Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this eCopy to review
I absolutely loved The Paris Dancer! The dual timelines were perfectly balanced, and the intertwining stories of Annie and Miriam were both heart-wrenching and inspiring. The historical backdrop of wartime Paris was vividly portrayed, and the courage and resilience of the characters were truly moving. The storytelling was beautiful, and the emotional depth of the novel made it unforgettable.
The novel transports us between the vibrant streets of pre-war Paris and modern-day New York. In 1938, a young Jewish woman named Annie Mayer arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a renowned ballerina. However, as war looms and Paris falls under occupation, Annie must conceal her true identity. A chance partnership with a fellow dancer offers her a way to survive—together, they perform in ballrooms across Europe, secretly aiding the Resistance.
Fast forward to 2012, where Miriam is tasked with sorting through her great-aunt Esther's belongings in New York. Amidst the old letters and forgotten mementos, Miriam uncovers notebooks that reveal a hidden family history. She stumbles upon the story of Annie, a courageous dancer who used her art and fame to fight against oppression. As Miriam delves deeper, she finds herself piecing together a legacy of bravery and resilience.
A must-read for fans of historical fiction and anyone who appreciates a story of courage, friendship, and resistance
I absolutely loved The Paris Dancer! The dual timelines were perfectly balanced, and the intertwining stories of Annie and Miriam were both heart-wrenching and inspiring. The historical backdrop of wartime Paris was vividly portrayed, and the courage and resilience of the characters were truly moving. The storytelling was beautiful, and the emotional depth of the novel made it unforgettable.
The novel transports us between the vibrant streets of pre-war Paris and modern-day New York. In 1938, a young Jewish woman named Annie Mayer arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a renowned ballerina. However, as war looms and Paris falls under occupation, Annie must conceal her true identity. A chance partnership with a fellow dancer offers her a way to survive—together, they perform in ballrooms across Europe, secretly aiding the Resistance.
Fast forward to 2012, where Miriam is tasked with sorting through her great-aunt Esther's belongings in New York. Amidst the old letters and forgotten mementos, Miriam uncovers notebooks that reveal a hidden family history. She stumbles upon the story of Annie, a courageous dancer who used her art and fame to fight against oppression. As Miriam delves deeper, she finds herself piecing together a legacy of bravery and resilience.
A must-read for fans of historical fiction and anyone who appreciates a story of courage, friendship, and resistance
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes