Reviews

Don't Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet by Alice Robb

lamotdite's review against another edition

4.0

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about ballet - as a child, I enrolled in a ballet class but lost interest and dropped out shortly afterwards - but I would lie if I wasn't captivated by this world and its trappings. I enjoyed the blend of memoir and history, and the exploration of gender politics, racism, body image, and how these various elements affect dancers' mental and physical health.

(As an aspiring writer, though, oh boy did all those 20- and 30-something former ballerinas-turned-writers lamenting their careers make me feel old and unaccomplished. I guess that's one side effect of having a completely skewed perception of success and achievement.)

filaret526's review against another edition

2.0

This was close to three stars. I thought it would be more of an autobiography, but it really wasn't. The author jumped around A LOT. Sometimes talking about her own experience, but more often she speaks about experiences of former classmates and some famous dancers. It was really hard to keep track of the narrative. There was some interesting information for sure, but the presentation was off and it goes in a lot of different directions.

lastmidnight's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

mariaslate's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

cossettereads's review against another edition

5.0

very validating for my younger self.

please read with caution; this contains a lot of talk around

Spoiler

eating disorders/weight/body image/etc., sexual harassment/assault, domestic violence, grooming

lilyrich's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

I don’t know if I should be relieved or angry about not having grown up in a pre professional ballet setting. This book was incredibly readable and had engaging writing, but I occasionally got lost. I also didn’t like that she gave directions on getting eating disorders. Like girl. I think I’ve accepted that I wish I had gone the professional performing dancer path, but I also know myself enough to be able to let go. I love how she connects her and her peers’ experiences to the larger ballet world and world in general. I will hopefully be reading some of the works she mentioned. The ballet world sucks and it seems like the solution is to tell people that it’s never that serious and then also tell them to stop bullying children. Seems simple enough. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

celestedeale's review against another edition

4.0

as a former dancer who realized her healthy size four body would never get hired by a major company and who quit because she was mentally and physically exhausted from the pressure of conforming to a double zero body type... this one hurt

mrsadler's review against another edition

5.0

Beautiful prose and insight on the world that ballet entails. The hardships were gut wrenching and the highs made me cry. A beautiful look into what dance can mean for anyone remotely interested in it.

ksteager's review against another edition

informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

elizabethjacobs's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed it, but hoped it would be more of a memoir than a review. Nevertheless, she captured the experience of a former ballet dancer beautifully.