Astonish Me (Vintage Contemporaries)

There was something slow and languid about reading this, that reminded me of dancers stretching just like in the book. But it was anything but slow, if anything the story moved to its conclusion under the force of its own weight with a steady inevitability. I think the flow that came from the movement of the story produced that languid feeling.The story, itself is interesting, but not particularly original (but maybe as an '8o's child, stories of the collapse of communism, just feel familiar to me). The true strength of this book is in the characters. As I looked at Shipstead's writing and tried to break down why it was so good and satisfying - I realized that she writes in these wonderful "narrative nuggets." She writes whole paragraphs of pithy description that give you the essence of a character, a sense of time and place (that is no easy feat given the 25 year span of the novel) and a sense of momentum. She also writes these paragraphs in such a way for each character that it feels like them. This is most notable in Elaine who, for me, was the strongest character. Shispsteads's writing takes on a crispness and directness with the Elaine chapters that totally puts you in Elaine's head. With Joan there is a certain ambivalence and slow contentment as the book builds to its conclusion. For Jacob there is an air of bewilderment moving towards acceptance.Then there is the dancing, always the dancing, that cocoons the whole book in it's own little bubble. Shipstead says more than once and make its clear throughout that the world is divided into dancers and non-dancers. Reading this book, knowing the characters makes you feel like you are a part of the club and in on the secret. And it is a secret that drives the novel and even though it is an open sort of secret, you don't feel clever for having figured it out early you feel like Elaine who knew it all along and waited like a sage for it to unfurl on its own. This feeling of being in on it combined with the beautiful writing made for an incredibly satisfying read.

The life of a ballerina is misery. The dancer drifts off the stage to stand gasping, "heaving like racehorses." Their feet are ruined and grotesque from hours of defying anatomy on the tips of their toes or from leaping and landing until arches scream. For those who love ballet, it is the knowledge of the impossibility of perfection that drives the watcher and the dancer. No dancer can fold the vision of the brain into flesh and blood. It is that despair that the divine Arslan holds to be the essence of dance and of his passion. He requires it from himself and from all around him.In the center of this classic ballet story is Joan who is not good enough. She is not only short of her own deeply pursued dream, she is also not good enough to solo. She is in the corps, the chorus. Yet Arslan chooses her to help him escape from Communist Russia. He tries to teach her to dance with him. He turns to her often. The prima dancers do not understand, the socialites do not understand, and the world is mystified. The tension of the dream against the reality of performance and of life runs throughout the lives of all the characters in the book. While it is ballet that demands what is not possible, the life off the stage is also prone to the same tension.I love ballet, but I found the implicit assumptions wearying at times. Joan and her more gifted friend Elaine have not had a cheeseburger since the age of five. Despite the real world fact that ballerinas do in fact struggle to maintain their mandated wispy bodies, these dancers view bodies in degrees of thinness. They are all beautiful in their own way. They assume the neat, compact form of the ballet dancer. The anorexia and injuries that plague ballet corps testify to the fact that this slender body type is not to be assumed. Shipstead does understand the anguish of the dancer struggling against body type. Women are born with hips already dicated by genes. One dancer notes that American ballet schools are cruel not to take x-rays before acceptance to the school. The classic turn out at the hip and the suppleness of leg are not attainable by everyone no matter how determined. This part is well written.Diaghelev had famously said to his dancers, "Astonish me." This book shines in its portrayal of the cost of that pursuit.

This author writes well and I have enjoyed her books. This one is about ballet and for a reader who doesn’t know much about dance it drags tremendously in the middle. Maybe more focus on the characters and less on how to do ballet would help. The back and forth of time period doesn’t flow well for me. The ending is very good.

Immersive, wonderfully written. Shipstead is a master of her craft.

Well written and an engaging story. I loved reading about the world of professional ballet. I could not put it down!

I adored this novel, about a ex-ballerina and what her life is like once she is married and no longer dances.I thought the writing was absolutely beautiful and I strived to read through the pages slowly, savouring each word and sentence. I felt it was a sensuous novel, beautifully describing the world of dance and the sacrifices ballerinas make, what Paris is like, and also the way in which we all make sacrifices and transform as we grow older.I cared immensely about Joan, the protagonist, to the extent that I sometimes wanted to shout at her, for falling for the wrong boy and not always being able to show the man who does love her that she loves him back. I was really gripped by the story and felt fully immersed into it.

Easy read but there was nothing really exciting about the storyline. Ending was disappointing. Expecting a darker representation of ballet.

It is the story of an American ballerina involved in the defection of a Russian ballet dancer in the 70'. The book however is not based on plot and adventure, it paints in details the intrigues, the ambitions, the rivalries, the love entanglements of the world of classical ballet, which demands an all absorbing life of hard work. Not only the ambience and the atmosphere are well rendered, but the feelings and emotions of the characters as well. The reader is soon captivated and moves right away at ease in that world, while following with interest the lives of the characters and their interaction through the space of 20 years. I enjoyed the book. There is also suspense in the outcome of the relationships and in the unveiling of secrets long kept. The world of ballet is painted with great passion and knowledge, and it fascinates you even if you are not a ballet lover.