Books en Pointe

Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead is a sophisticated tale of desire, betrayal, secrets and artistic sacrifice set in the glamorous New York ballet world during the 1970’s. Joan is an undistinguished ballerina who’s defining moment comes when she helps a magnetic Baryshnikov-like Russian dancer defect to the US. The repercussions of her decision trickle down the years eventually affecting her marriage and family, her friendships and, most painfully, her career. With beautifully restrained prose and fascinating characters Astonish Me is a passionate ode to ballet and finding balance in a creative life.

If you like reading about ballet these following novels are also about dancers:

The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey – This is the tale of Kate Crane, a soloist in a celebrated New York City ballet company who is struggling to keep her place in a very demanding world. At every turn she is haunted by her close relationship with her younger sister, Gwen, a fellow company dancer whose career quickly surpassed Kate’s, but who has recently suffered a breakdown and returned home.

Dancer by Colum McCann – Taking his inspiration from biographical facts, novelist Colum McCann tells the erotically charged story of the Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev through the cast of those who knew him.

Dancing for Degas by Kathryn Wagner – An ambitious and enterprising farm girl, Alexandrie joins the prestigious Paris Opera ballet with hopes of securing not only her place in society but her family's financial future. Her plan is soon derailed, however, when she falls in love with the enigmatic Impressionist artist Edgar Degas.

The Master’s Muse by Varley O’Connor – A fictional account of the marriage of ballet master George Balanchine and Tanaquil Le Clercq describes how polio ended Tanny's dancing career, the rehabilitation that deepened their relationship, and how Balanchine's return to ballet tested their marriage.

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan – In belle époque Paris, the Van Goethem sisters struggle for survival after the sudden death of their father, a situation that prompts young Marie's ballet training and her introduction to a genius painter.