Take a photo of a barcode or cover
halliewilts 's review for:
The Ballerinas
by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
things i liked:
- the world of ballet is a complex and dark place. it is like a dancer’s body: beautiful on stage and broken and blistered underneath the layers of tulle. as a former ballet dancer myself, i believe i understood the setting to a greater degree than that of the target audience. it’s a cruel world where you have to be narcissistic and selfish to survive. the emotional abuse is astounding. and kapelke-drake wrote all of this in only a way that a former dancer could understand. this is one of the best representations of the realties of being a dancer that i’ve come across.
- the writing itself was beautiful to read. although incredibly unlikeable, the main characters, especially the narrator, were complicated and layered.
- the discussions of the misogyny faced by female dancers in an industry that relies on the exploitation of their bodies was important and fleshed out. although it was unfortunate that every male character was a piece of trash, regrettably this is likely an accurate reflection of the real world.
things i didn’t like:
- kapelke-drake spent a lot of time at the beginning of the book building up the context and setting of the dancing world. this was necessary to understand the characters and their struggles, but it meant that most of the plot was shoved into the final half of the book and thus felt rushed and disorganized.
- i wouldn’t call this a mystery or a thriller, which is how i believe it’s marketed. although it is certainly dark enough to be a thriller, there is no twist, so don’t start this with that expectation.
a solid read that i enjoyed, though it was not perfect. 3.75/5
- the world of ballet is a complex and dark place. it is like a dancer’s body: beautiful on stage and broken and blistered underneath the layers of tulle. as a former ballet dancer myself, i believe i understood the setting to a greater degree than that of the target audience. it’s a cruel world where you have to be narcissistic and selfish to survive. the emotional abuse is astounding. and kapelke-drake wrote all of this in only a way that a former dancer could understand. this is one of the best representations of the realties of being a dancer that i’ve come across.
- the writing itself was beautiful to read. although incredibly unlikeable, the main characters, especially the narrator, were complicated and layered.
- the discussions of the misogyny faced by female dancers in an industry that relies on the exploitation of their bodies was important and fleshed out. although it was unfortunate that every male character was a piece of trash, regrettably this is likely an accurate reflection of the real world.
things i didn’t like:
- kapelke-drake spent a lot of time at the beginning of the book building up the context and setting of the dancing world. this was necessary to understand the characters and their struggles, but it meant that most of the plot was shoved into the final half of the book and thus felt rushed and disorganized.
- i wouldn’t call this a mystery or a thriller, which is how i believe it’s marketed. although it is certainly dark enough to be a thriller, there is no twist, so don’t start this with that expectation.
a solid read that i enjoyed, though it was not perfect. 3.75/5