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stilestastic 's review for:
The Ballerinas
by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
[2 stars]
“A feeling that everyone you’ve ever loved has found a place at the grown-up table and here you are, still searching. Still grasping, still alone.”
I know a ton of other reviews have already said this, but I have to point it out as well: How the heck is this book supposed to be a mystery/thriller ??? Where was the thrill ??? The only mystery I encountered was how I was supposed to be motivated to keep reading.
First: The framing. I understand why authors use the flashback chapters sprinkled into the present-day style of narration, and sometimes it really works (like in Where the Crawdads Sing) but here it just... did not. Some of the scenes felt oddly placed or just unimportant. We jumped from Delphine and Margeaux disliking Lindsay to them all suddenly being best friends a few years later. I would have rather seen their dynamic grow than just trust the fact that they were friends now.
Second: The repetitive descriptions. If I had to read about how Russian ballerinas express individuality whereas French ones focus on precision one more time, I would have gone bananas. One time is enough. We get it. I felt like I was constantly hearing about the differences between St. Petersburg and Paris as well. A few times would have been fine, but done so often, it got old quickly.
Third: I couldn't figure out who I was supposed to be rooting for, and in a novel marketed as a thriller/mystery, that's a pretty important feature to have. You're supposed to care about at least one character. The only one that came close for me was Stella, but she felt too flat, like her only purpose was to tell Delphine motivational quotes.
Fourth: Pacing. Some scenes felt like they dragged on while others went too quickly. Like one where Delphine wakes up late and has to leave for the studio like now, but proceeds to have a lengthy conversation with Stella about butterflies. Like girl... I thought you were in a rush?
I thought this book would be way more interesting than it actually was. I found myself skimming the last 40%.
“A feeling that everyone you’ve ever loved has found a place at the grown-up table and here you are, still searching. Still grasping, still alone.”
I know a ton of other reviews have already said this, but I have to point it out as well: How the heck is this book supposed to be a mystery/thriller ??? Where was the thrill ??? The only mystery I encountered was how I was supposed to be motivated to keep reading.
First: The framing. I understand why authors use the flashback chapters sprinkled into the present-day style of narration, and sometimes it really works (like in Where the Crawdads Sing) but here it just... did not. Some of the scenes felt oddly placed or just unimportant. We jumped from Delphine and Margeaux disliking Lindsay to them all suddenly being best friends a few years later. I would have rather seen their dynamic grow than just trust the fact that they were friends now.
Second: The repetitive descriptions. If I had to read about how Russian ballerinas express individuality whereas French ones focus on precision one more time, I would have gone bananas. One time is enough. We get it. I felt like I was constantly hearing about the differences between St. Petersburg and Paris as well. A few times would have been fine, but done so often, it got old quickly.
Third: I couldn't figure out who I was supposed to be rooting for, and in a novel marketed as a thriller/mystery, that's a pretty important feature to have. You're supposed to care about at least one character. The only one that came close for me was Stella, but she felt too flat, like her only purpose was to tell Delphine motivational quotes.
Fourth: Pacing. Some scenes felt like they dragged on while others went too quickly. Like one where Delphine wakes up late and has to leave for the studio like now, but proceeds to have a lengthy conversation with Stella about butterflies. Like girl... I thought you were in a rush?
I thought this book would be way more interesting than it actually was. I found myself skimming the last 40%.