I managed to find another book not set in my usual places! This book is set in Paris, and it’s wonderful! I don’t get much description of the city, because the city isn’t the focal point of the story, but I very much enjoyed what little I did get to read about in The Ballerinas.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book, in return for an honest review.
Rachel Kapelke-Dale wrote an amazing story of friendship, growing up, competition, and loving oneself, that gives such a great look into the life of a ballerina, that makes me eternally glad I didn’t continue with ballet lessons when I was a kid.
The story is wonderful, but sheez, ballet dancers go through a lot!
Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsey met at the PBA, or Paris Ballet Academy. They basically grew up together, so they became close friends quickly. The story is told through present time, and flashbacks, of when the three girls met, became friends, and when Delphine hasn’t been part of the group for 13 years.
Delphine has spent 13 years in St. Petersburg with Dimitri, learning to be a dance choreographer. In the beginning of the book, we have no clue why she’s given up dancing, and her friends don’t seem to understand either.
When Delphine arrives, she’s got a contract with the Paris Ballet Company to create a new dance, and she insists on having Lindsey dance the principal role. At Lindsey’s age, this is practically unheard of, but Delphine insists. Margaux insists that giving Lindsey a starring role won’t make up for what they did when they were kids, so the question becomes…what did they do?
First of all, I loved this book.
Second of all, I loved this book.
What’s hard to describe, is exactly WHY I loved this book. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to be full of adventure and dragons and elves, and all that stuff I’ve grown to love from all the fantasy books I read.
But every once in a while, I like to read something different from my usual. This book gave me that, and I gotta say, it was hard to put down. The Ballerinas is so well-written, and so full of drama and secrets, that I kept flipping to the next page, because I had to know the answers to those secrets. Each character was different from me, yet the same as me all at the same time, so I found each of the three girls highly relatable at different times.
Characters
I loved each character for her flaws, and her perfection. All three girls are full of both, so it was easy to say “I didn’t love one character more than the other.”
Delphine
Delphine is the main character. She’s come back to Paris after 13 years in St. Petersburg, in order to choreograph a dance for the Paris Ballet Company. While Delphine still loves ballet, she hasn’t actually danced in years. When she comes back, she expects that things will still be the same with her two best friends, when in fact everything is worlds from where they were.
Margaux
I loved Margaux’s spunk. She’s so feisty, and her defense of her friends goes deep into her soul. While she loves that Delphine is back, she also has to adjust some things in her own life, in order to make room for the people they’ve become. That adjustment is REALLY hard on her.
Lindsey
Lindsey is the American in the group, and while she was an amazing dancer when she was younger, the years have taken their toll. She’s determined to make to the coveted title of “star” in the company, even though she only has a few years of good dancing yet. When Delphine asks her to star in her new dance, Lindsey is thrilled, and believes it will lead to her being a Star.
Should you buy this book? Absolutely, you should. Well, if you don’t enjoy books about ballet, or ballerinas, you shouldn’t. But if you like stories with excellently complex characters? You’ll love this book! Even if you think this book isn’t completely your cup of tea, I urge you to give it a shot. You might be surprised!
I very much enjoyed this book. I know it’s hard to explain exactly why, but the characters were incredibly complex, and the story didn’t unfold in linear time, which is really great in some books. I can’t handle that in most books, but every once in a while, you’ll catch me with one that I absolutely love. The Ballerinas was one of those books. It wasn’t confusing, because each “time jump” was labeled, so I always knew where I was in the timeline.
I was so happy with The Ballerinas, and I honestly think it’ll make it onto my re-read list at some point. Maybe after a couple years, so it’ll be almost brand new again.
Let me know below if you’ve read this book, or if you want to read it! I’d love to hear from you!
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Until Next Time, Friends!
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