January 1, 2024
The lives of three Southern California women and their teenage ballerina daughters are thrown into turmoil during rehearsals for The Nutcracker. Ever Henderson, Josie Jacobs, and Lindsay Chase (mothers of Beatrice, Savannah, and Olive, respectively) have spent most of their daughters' lives ushering them to and from the Costa de la Luna Conservatory of Ballet, where the girls have undertaken intensive training under master teacher Vivienne. All three girls, now seniors in high school, are preparing to fight for their last big roles in The Nutcracker. But when the CLCB announces that controversial 27-year-old wunderkind Etienne Bernay will be directing this year's production and will select one dancer to receive a scholarship to the Ballet de Paris Acad�mie, the always-fierce competition among the girls turns cutthroat. And Bernay's arrival does even more to shake up their family lives. Ever, who's still grappling with the death of her husband, hasn't been able to write since her last novel failed, and this scholarship may be the only way she can afford to keep Bea in ballet. But while Bea needs the scholarship most, Josie and Savannah may be the only two prepared to do whatever it takes to get it. Meanwhile, Lindsay senses that her marriage is falling apart just as Olive seems to be losing interest in dance and, perhaps most concerning, spending more time with Savvy as her best-friendship with Bea deteriorates. As dark secrets lead to explosive revelations, all six of their lives will be forever changed. The author sometimes stretches things out, but the plot is deliciously propulsive, pairing the brutally beautiful world of ballet with universal human foibles that will keep the reader guessing at characters' motivations to the end. More twists and turns than a pirouette; readers will stay rapt till the final curtain.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 22, 2024
Greenwood (Keeping Lucy) choreographs a gratuitous drama of three child dancers and their mothers as the girls compete for a prestigious ballet scholarship. Beatrice Henderson, Olive Chase, and Savvy Jacobs have trained together for several years at a ballet school in Southern California. On the cusp of their senior year of high school, famous French dancer Etienne Bernay promises one of these budding dancers a scholarship to Ballet de Paris Academie. The selection process, recorded for a documentary film, pits the girls against each other, alienating Beatrice from the other two despite her need for support after her father’s death in a surfing accident. Meanwhile, Etienne’s presence creates rifts between the mothers, too. During a night at a bar, one of them lets Etienne draw her close on the dance floor, to the distress of another, who later jeers, “When opportunity knocks, you answer, right? Invite it in for a drink and a quick screw?” In many scenes of similarly fraught interactions, Greenwood hammers excessively at the themes of cutthroat competition and desperation. This one doesn’t quite make the cut. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management.
January 26, 2024
Seventeen-year-old Bea is a dancer. She and her classmates begin their final year at their elite dance school, preparing to graduate from online high school. Like many teens, they are looking forward to the next step in the journey. That means finding places in prestigious dance programs or companies. Dancing at such high levels requires determination--and money. As Bea returns from a summer program, she learns that there will be a guest teacher leading them in their winter production of The Nutcracker. Etienne Bernay is a famous dancer from Le Ballet de Paris, notorious for his behavior on- and offstage. Etienne also brings a scholarship for one student and a film crew that is making a documentary about the process of selecting the winner. The dancers and their parents strive to win this coveted spot in Paris. Amid rumors and insinuations and teenage angst, friendships shatter and re-form. One winner is announced. VERDICT This latest from Greenwood (Such a Pretty Girl; Keeping Lucy) provides an insider's glimpse into the world of elite ballet school competitions. Readers who liked Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies or Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid should enjoy.--Elizabeth Masterson
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.