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tinybibliophile 's review for:
The Ballerinas
by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5 stars
This is a story about Delphine and her two best friends Lindsay and Margaux. They are ballerinas at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet School. The timeline shifts back between when the girls are just starting out at the company, competitively growing up the ranks to hopefully one day be a Principal to when Delphine eventually comes back to POB as a choreographer. Delphine mysteriously leaves her position as a soloist and goes to St. Petersburg. The story eventually unfolds why she suddenly leaves her friends and why she is trying to mend the relationships of her past in the present.
This is a slow burn and takes a while to get into the story coming from someone that loves everything Ballet (and Paris for that matter). This is a cross between a more serious Centerstage meets Black Swan. My favorite part is the relationship and the evolution of Delphine’s relationship with Stella, her neighbor. Delphine is not supposed to be likable, she has many different facets and flaws to her personality that make her very self-involved and ignorant. She gets called out for it a few times - and it is very satisfying to watch her character’s growth. The ending surprised me - it definitely took a turn I wasn’t expecting and then I had to re-read it to make sure that’s what really happened. A very strong debut from Kapelke-Dale and definitely recommended for any ballet lovers.
Thank you to St. Martins Press & Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
This is a story about Delphine and her two best friends Lindsay and Margaux. They are ballerinas at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet School. The timeline shifts back between when the girls are just starting out at the company, competitively growing up the ranks to hopefully one day be a Principal to when Delphine eventually comes back to POB as a choreographer. Delphine mysteriously leaves her position as a soloist and goes to St. Petersburg. The story eventually unfolds why she suddenly leaves her friends and why she is trying to mend the relationships of her past in the present.
This is a slow burn and takes a while to get into the story coming from someone that loves everything Ballet (and Paris for that matter). This is a cross between a more serious Centerstage meets Black Swan. My favorite part is the relationship and the evolution of Delphine’s relationship with Stella, her neighbor. Delphine is not supposed to be likable, she has many different facets and flaws to her personality that make her very self-involved and ignorant. She gets called out for it a few times - and it is very satisfying to watch her character’s growth. The ending surprised me - it definitely took a turn I wasn’t expecting and then I had to re-read it to make sure that’s what really happened. A very strong debut from Kapelke-Dale and definitely recommended for any ballet lovers.
Thank you to St. Martins Press & Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!