Review: The Ballerinas

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was in high anticipation when I was told that I had been chosen to be one of the ARC readers for this book. I love books about ballet, and to add in a twist (several twists actually) as is described in the synopsis of the book...well, that made this book a high priority for me.

Unfortunately, you must get through a lot of turmoil, inner angst, inner-dialogues aplenty, and a whole lot more before this book even really starts to get interesting. The last third of the book did hold my attention, and that is why I did not give this a lower rating 2.5 rating would have been perfect, but not many systems allow us to do that.

I will also say that this book deals with sensitive topics and is written with conflicting timelines that are sometimes difficult to tell apart.

If you do love books about ballet, may I also recommend this much older book (I think it was set in the mid and late '70s:

Ballerina: A Novel  "A beautiful and talented ballerina rises through the ranks to stardom as prima ballerina only to find herself struggling to maintain her status, grappling with tempestuous choreographers, ambitious agents, and other dancers."

*ARC supplied by the publisher St.Martins Press, the author, and NetGalley. My many thanks.

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SYNOPSIS: "Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive in a captivating, voice-driven debut novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Fourteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she's been away...and some secrets can't stay buried forever.

Moving between the trio's adolescent years and the present day, The Ballerinas explores the complexities of female friendship, the dark drive towards physical perfection in the name of artistic expression, the double-edged sword of ambition and passion, and the sublimated rage that so many women hold inside––all culminating in a twist you won't see coming, with magnetic characters you won't soon forget.