The Ballerinas
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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. Thirteen 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, Rachel Kapelke-Dale's 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.
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Sometimes I forget that I like a thriller, if it's more psychological than gory, and I don't think it's a stretch to say this is a ballet thriller. It's other things as well (a study of the complexity of long-term female friendships is certainly one of them), and I also love an author who will write a not-particularly-likeable protagonist. It reminded me a bit of Detransition, Baby in the sense that there were times I was cringing at various characters' choices, but because they were believably terrible, not unbelievable. Kapelke-Dale also writes with great precision about the underestimated depth of female ambition and desire in a patriarchy, especially in the particularly strange patriarchal microcosm of professional ballet. This does feel like a first novel in ways that are hard for me to specify, but if you're looking for a quick, evocative read with some interesting themes, it's good.
I have finally come to my last book of the year and I am so glad I stopped with The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. This was a stunning book I adored it. It is the tale of three friends that unfolds across their lives. All this is wrapped around the unique world of professional ballet. Which if I was coordinated enough I would want to at least do one lesson as a child. However, being as I am 34 I will live my fantasies through books. I will say that this read specifically shows the dark side of the profession which I loved and hated in equal measure, this story somehow captures enduring truths about how women struggle to achieve their dreams and potential. While some struggle to be at the top some struggle to find love. The truth is I think that can be said about any profession and any lifestyle and job. You will love and hate the friendships in this book but you will have one person in your reading circle that you want to share this story with. It is twisty, dark, and a must-read for those who love a thriller. I am so pleased to say that I ended my year at 1033pm with a 5-star read.
Nuanced and insightful narrative revolving around 3 ballerinas in Paris, the book deftly explores issues of friendship, betrayal, male/female relationships, ambition, women's sacrifices and career vs. family conflict. The author doesn't pull punches, exposing both the triumphs and dark challenges her three main characters experience. Her ideas will stay with me.
