A review by zenaidaaurita
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

4.0

My overall feeling at the end of this book was that it was an excrutiating read mostly because of the title character's choices. I really wanted her to make different and sometimes obvious (to me, the reader) choices. However, having said that, I think the book was good because of where the author took her characters. The first half to two-thirds of the book was more (what I would guess to be) typical ballerina interaction and experience. Interesting to hear about the differences between ballet companies. The juxtaposition of the idealized image of ballerinas vs hard-core feminism was jarring to read and experience. It was also what moved the book from a three to a four star novel.