Welcome to Litsy!

Engaging stories of three friends and a secret between them. The end was a bit rushed, but otherwise the book was enjoyable.

It is a rather dark and competitive world amongst the ballerinas who are always working hard to vie for key roles. The artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet, Nathalie Dorival, becomes fixated on portraying the story of Romanov and the country‘s last tsarina. The tumultuous relationships that develop and eventually reunite years later is convoluted and unexpected.

“No tragedy is mundane. Not while we‘re living it.”

“It‘s a story about love, I‘d written to her, but it‘s not a love story. It‘s about how you think love can save you and yet it never, ever does.”

#ThisWeekinNewBooks Actually books acquired since July 1st: 4 Litsy Swaps, 2 #BOTM, 1 #shelfsubscription, 2 Amazon points, 1 pre-owned. Been a good month!

Newest pick up from the library!

Also, i miss dancing! I havent gone to class since the pandemic started.

The ballet bits were amazing but the plot itself was too disjointed. Not bad, but not overly memorable either. That cover is gorgeous though! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was immersed in the Paris ballet school setting. There‘s a past and present timeline which normally I am fine with, but this was a little off, in that I wasn‘t as intrigued to hear about the “middle” part which connected the two timelines if that makes sense. Anyway, a bit longer than I‘d have liked but I‘m into ballerinas in general so kept me interested. Tried to do some super feminist stuff which I wasn‘t sold on.

Drop everything. Read this.

Paris, ballet, close friends, scandalous events…what‘s not to love.

It has been a long time since I‘ve read a book that I‘m not sure I liked. The first 200 pages were fantastic. The last 80 I couldn‘t get behind. Can I be in between a pick and so-so? 🤷🏻‍♀️

After finishing a few mysteries in a row, I feel like this will be a nice palate cleanser. The cover art is breathtaking.

I LOVED this book. I danced ballet back in the day and this is great insight into the world of ballet. The characters were great as well as storyline. Recommend this one! #balletreads #100readschallenge

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a behind the scenes look into the French ballet world, some things I felt got lost in translation but overall an interesting book

1-2-22: My 1st finished book of 2022! Having been a ballerina into my 20s, this book really hit home in some ways. 13 years ago, Delphine left the Paris Opera Ballet as a soloist, to join her choreographer boyfriend in St. Petersburg to be his assistant. Now she is back, as a choreographer at POB, reuniting with her best friends Margaux and Lindsay. The world of ballet is a difficult one and this book depicted it very well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️#️⃣1️⃣📖

Book two of 2022.

I wouldn‘t have read this except I heard about it from @booksparks as it was their December #bookclub pick.

This was a fascinating read about three women friends who “grew up” together in a ballet school. The story alternated between their teen and thirty years. The ruthless, politics and characters were beautifully written.

1-1-22: 2021 was a good year for reading. I beat my goal of 114! Lets see what 2022 brings!! Happy New Year! 🎆🎊📖

Delphine grew up in ballet alongside her two best friends as they all tried to achieve the top ranks of the Paris Opera Ballet. Now a choreographer, she remains enmeshed in the ballet world as she tries to find her footing. This book is really good, but the atrocious accent work in the audio is very distracting, so I recommend print.

I started this audiobook today and there‘s a major thing about it that really irritates me. It‘s set in Paris with French characters and they all speak with…British accents. 😑 Is it really so hard to do proper accents for these people? The one American character gets to have an American accent, after all. So annoying!

12-31-21: Top 16 books of 2021! I couldn‘t list every book I gave a 5 star rating to, but these 16 stuck with me. The tagged book is what I will be ushering the new year in with. Happy New Year everyone! 🎊🎆⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖

Out now, this makes for an interesting look at friendship, the Paris Opera Ballet and relationships- those that bring you up and those that are more toxic. Narrator Delphine isn‘t always likable, but she always feels authentic. With brushes into #MeToo as well as murder, the past & present (well 2018) narratives work well together to make this hard to put down! I wish the epilogue had been set a but farther in the future though! Paris shines here!

Wow not what I expected so good!🩰

The book is fine, but I wished it had a ton more substance than headline catching topics.

The Ballerinas is a great story of friendship, forgiveness, perseverance, and determination. It shows the strength that women have in the face of adversity and the chains placed on them by society. I like that it is told along two timelines, the past and the present, and how the two seamlessly merge together at just the right time. I also like the ways things always seem to circle back as the past mirrors the present.

Paris ballerinas are pitted against each other even as they build friendships. Add a main character who struggles with showing up for others and #metoo. An enjoyable read.

Beyond the ballet and the plot 'The Ballerinas' is a testament to being a woman in a world that always pits us against each other. Women are compared to the younger, thinner model, and always as an accessory to a man. It's about friendship and finding agency and success on your own terms.

At times I felt the book was a little heavy handed (every male character was horrible), but overall I found it a successful, if not completely enjoyable read.

🩰

I got up to refill my drink and found Pippin in my spot. What an adorable jerk. 🐈‍⬛

#CatsOfLitsy

This cover... 😍😍😍

I'll read anything about ballet or Paris. And this has both. Double win.

3 girls meet at the Paris Opera Ballet school and it's about achieving your dreams. It's also about taking control of your own life and body in an environment where you are seen as an object.

I expected a love story. And I guess it is but not in the traditional sense.

#BookSpinBingo square 17
@TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 12/7/2021