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A review by meghan_thee_scallion
Maya & Natasha by Elyse Durham, Elyse Durham
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Thank you to Mariner Press for this ARC I received through my book club! As a former dancer, this one really hit home for me. It was full of nostalgia for my years destroying my feet in pointe shoes and living in leotards. And there are lots of fun little easter eggs for those of us who speak the language.
Maya & Natasha follows orphaned twin sisters in Soviet Russia who grew up at the Vaganova Ballet school. It's a sweeping novel that tells the story of the all consuming nature of being an artist, betrayal, learning what it means to get what you thought you desired, and discovering what love truly means.
I loved how detailed Elyse Durham was when it came to the balletic terms and descriptions. She really did her research here and it showed. I felt like I was at the barre with the students or on the stage. There is a specific hunger that coming of age dancers have, and Elyse writes so viscerally about that experience. I could feel the desperation and naiveté of the characters at 17 - when you think you know everything and are invincible.
And as all dancers do, they grow up. Getting everything you want and living your dreams isn't always what you think it will be like. Elyse ripped out my heart many times during the story, knitted it together, and ripped it out again. Having this story set against the backdrop of the Soviet Union gave this another level of depth that makes it not just a story about ballerinas.
My main criticism of the book was the writing tense. I would have loved more insight into how the sisters were feeling throughout. I felt like I was a bird flying over everyone at times by getting everyone's passing thoughts as opposed to being inside the brain of our main characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed Maya & Natasha. If you like historical fiction, stories about the arts, family drama, sisterhood, and stories that span many years then you should absolutely read this book!
Maya & Natasha follows orphaned twin sisters in Soviet Russia who grew up at the Vaganova Ballet school. It's a sweeping novel that tells the story of the all consuming nature of being an artist, betrayal, learning what it means to get what you thought you desired, and discovering what love truly means.
I loved how detailed Elyse Durham was when it came to the balletic terms and descriptions. She really did her research here and it showed. I felt like I was at the barre with the students or on the stage. There is a specific hunger that coming of age dancers have, and Elyse writes so viscerally about that experience. I could feel the desperation and naiveté of the characters at 17 - when you think you know everything and are invincible.
And as all dancers do, they grow up. Getting everything you want and living your dreams isn't always what you think it will be like. Elyse ripped out my heart many times during the story, knitted it together, and ripped it out again. Having this story set against the backdrop of the Soviet Union gave this another level of depth that makes it not just a story about ballerinas.
My main criticism of the book was the writing tense. I would have loved more insight into how the sisters were feeling throughout. I felt like I was a bird flying over everyone at times by getting everyone's passing thoughts as opposed to being inside the brain of our main characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed Maya & Natasha. If you like historical fiction, stories about the arts, family drama, sisterhood, and stories that span many years then you should absolutely read this book!