Delphine, Lindsay and Margaux are The Ballerinas. In flashbacks, we see their complicated friendship from the age of twelve set in the world of Paris ballet.
Now, Delphine has returned in her thirties to choreograph a new ballet with her old company, the Paris Opera Ballet, after a long stint in a Russian ballet company. She selects Lindsay as her principal dancer despite her advanced age. Was she selected for her remembered talent or because of something in the women’s shared past?
Complicated female friendships and romantic relationships are sprinkled throughout the plot. But the requirements and sacrifices of being a real-life ballerina are at the heart of this novel. I, personally, dodged a bullet by only taking a year of park and recreation ballet at the tender age of 5. No one works harder than ballerinas at their craft as graphically detailed here. I could never have managed that much selflessness for art.
Overall, if you like ballet and serious women’s fiction, you will love reading The Ballerinas. 4 stars!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.