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A review by lisa_setepenre
Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead
4.0
In the seventies, in the aftermath of a passionate affair with Russian defector and world-famous ballet dance, Arslan Ruskov, Joan Joyce abruptly retires from the ballet corps, marries her childhood best friend, Jacob, and gives birth to a son, Harry. She takes on the life of a wife and mother, eventually teaching ballet to children. But when Harry becomes a ballet prodigy himself, Joan's carefully constructed world might start to crumble.
Astonish Me was a novel that I absolutely loved reading. Initially, it did feel all over the place as each new chapter involved massive time jumps forward or backwards, but it was a style I settled into. Maggie Shipstead writes evocatively, creating situations that feel vivid and intense, no matter what happens. In some ways, this novel could have been much longer than it actually was because I could have easily explored these characters and scenarios for longer.
Shipstead depicts, in a way that feels very truthful, the struggle between having a dream and knowing one's limitations will mean that the dream is impossible to gain. The characters are well detailed, though I felt some confusion over how Joan was meant to be perceived in the end. The world was vivid and alive and I do miss it.
Overall, an excellent read.
Astonish Me was a novel that I absolutely loved reading. Initially, it did feel all over the place as each new chapter involved massive time jumps forward or backwards, but it was a style I settled into. Maggie Shipstead writes evocatively, creating situations that feel vivid and intense, no matter what happens. In some ways, this novel could have been much longer than it actually was because I could have easily explored these characters and scenarios for longer.
Shipstead depicts, in a way that feels very truthful, the struggle between having a dream and knowing one's limitations will mean that the dream is impossible to gain. The characters are well detailed, though I felt some confusion over how Joan was meant to be perceived in the end. The world was vivid and alive and I do miss it.
Overall, an excellent read.