Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Ballerinas

A compelling novel of three ballerinas, friends from youth and ballet school, and their friendship, competitiveness and relationships throughout their dancing life.

This isn't a book about ballerinas, but rather a journey of the hardships dancers go through to be the best they can be and want to be.

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krys_kilz's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is beautifully written. I finished it in two sittings - even though the story was more of a slow burn, I couldn't put it down. The characters are rich and messy and their relationships are complex and multilayered - the book itself is a very character driven story, which I love. I also liked how the timeline jumped between the past and present.

I am still sitting with the intense symbolism of

Lindsay's dancing career coming to an end because of the dancer statue she, Delphine, and Margaux bought in their youth.

There are so many layers there.

I also thought the book offered a lot of dark and heartbreaking observations about femininity, patriarchal institutions and gendered violence. Though, at times these observations skewed towards cisheteronormativity and white feminism.

Overall, this book is an engaging exploration of friendships - how they change over time, how to make amends, and how we often see people as who we want them to be instead of who they actually are.

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sfbookgirl's review

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tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Forgive me; I read this book almost two months ago and don’t remember a lot of it except for the fact that it was about ballet students in France who have a lot of friend group drama. The Ballerinas is categorized as a thriller, but it is anything but. There is some mystery as to why the main character, Delphine, gave up her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a very different life in St. Petersburg, but there is little build-up or suspense that kept me wanting to know what Delphine did and what caused her to move to Russia.

While it was not much of a thriller, I enjoyed The Ballerinas for its interpretation of the intense atmosphere found in the ballet world in Paris and in Russia. The drama between Delphine and her friends keeps the story moving forward, but overall, I found the novel to be just OK.

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