Scan barcode
alana1's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written! This is a book of the ups and downs of having a deep from the soul love for dance. Astonish me is woven around the life story of a ballerina named Joan and the effect of her passion on those she loves and just so happens to meet in life. I love ballet, and to be a dancer that willing endures the physical and mental demands of this art form can only come from a deep driving passion. Its beautiful and all consuming. This book embodies the sacrifice of doing something out of the sheer love for it.
The author intertwines two generations of dancers in the most unforgettable way; this book is a must read for dancers or anyone who lets passion and not necessarily reason direct their life course.
The author intertwines two generations of dancers in the most unforgettable way; this book is a must read for dancers or anyone who lets passion and not necessarily reason direct their life course.
lunaseassecondaccount's review
3.0
I enjoyed the vast majority of this book. Ballet will always be a passion close to my heart, even though I'm unable to dance the way I once did. The ballet scenes were exquisite, and though Shipstead claims to not be a dancer herself, there's a real understanding there. There's a sound understanding of both what it takes to be a good dancer, and what it takes to be a great dancer.
The non-linear storytelling style was an interesting choice, and one that I felt worked in this novel. If it was told linearly, I believe it would be a far more dull story.
The book hooked me until the end, when the relationships become, uh, a little bizarre. I didn't like the sudden relationship development between Arslan and Chloe, which felt just a touch incestuous. Then there was the gratuitous ballet Arslan staged at the end and it all felt just flat. The rest of the novel had developed so wonderfully, and it felt as though Shipstead wasn't sure how to end it all- and maybe she didn't. Arslan and Harry eventually needed to meet, for certain, but there was the issue of Chloe. It all left a sour taste in my mouth.
The non-linear storytelling style was an interesting choice, and one that I felt worked in this novel. If it was told linearly, I believe it would be a far more dull story.
The book hooked me until the end, when the relationships become, uh, a little bizarre. I didn't like the sudden relationship development between Arslan and Chloe, which felt just a touch incestuous. Then there was the gratuitous ballet Arslan staged at the end and it all felt just flat. The rest of the novel had developed so wonderfully, and it felt as though Shipstead wasn't sure how to end it all- and maybe she didn't. Arslan and Harry eventually needed to meet, for certain, but there was the issue of Chloe. It all left a sour taste in my mouth.
abigaillaurawriter's review against another edition
3.0
This was another recommendation from "the Skimm." I seriously love that news email! Astonish Me is about ballet, or rather a group of characters whose lives intertwine because of ballet. I have always been fascinated by ballet. I took it as a 5 year old (why did I stop?!?!), went to "The Nutcracker" for many years, read and reread Ballet Shoes (and watched the movie), and then just loved it from a distance-watching the odd documentary or reading a book about it. So, quite naturally, when I heard of this novel about ballet, I was curious and wasted no time on requesting it from my library. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. I was disappointed in how relationships turned out (yes, I get totally swept into the story and invested . . . reading is emotional, what can say?), and I found her tense difficult to get into at first. That being said, I had a hard time putting the book down-sweet irony! I really got invested in the characters and once I got reading, I got into her style of writing. Overall, I feel rather ambivalent about the book. I wouldn't read it again, but I find myself wanting to read her first book Seating Arrangements. (I'll definitely let you know what I think after I read it!) Summing it up: I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. I'd recommend it if you enjoy ballet and have gotten through your reading list. ;)
apasc's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book and the author's first book, Seating Arrangements. This was a quick read where you get a glimpse into various points of the characters' lives. It does a great job of exposing you to the ballet world without going into too much detail and history. I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out what was happening in their lives next.
melissa1991's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
deathcabforkatey's review against another edition
4.0
I was a professional ballet dancer for 3ish years (barely professional, but I’ll allow it) so there’s a lot this book got right. The undying love for ballet, the obsession and almost self-destructive way we become about our technique and ability to succeed. This book made my heart ache at times for how much I miss the ballet world. Like an ex-boyfriend, my love for ballet is always there, and I’m always filled with what-ifs about what could have been and this book definitely feeds on that a lot. For that reason I identified a lot with Joan.
This book is really more about ballet drama than ballet, though. The characters are really compelling and it’s very character driven. The crossed love lines are intricate and very deep. A perfect valentines read! I actually really loved the way the book ended. It answered the most important question I (and Joan) had the entire time and it was perfect.
Not sure how I would feel about it if I didn’t love ballet as much as I do, though. Although it was recommended to me by a non-dancer. I’d say it’s definitely time period accurate from the stories I’ve heard/read from the 80s, but my experiences in the ballet world were definitely different. A solid read that made me pine for my previous life as a dancer. Filled me with longing for the what could have been.
Also, I recommend the audiobook! An excellent narrator.
Read if you like: ballet, Soviet-era drama, character driven novels, complex love/family stories.
This book is really more about ballet drama than ballet, though. The characters are really compelling and it’s very character driven. The crossed love lines are intricate and very deep. A perfect valentines read! I actually really loved the way the book ended. It answered the most important question I (and Joan) had the entire time and it was perfect.
Not sure how I would feel about it if I didn’t love ballet as much as I do, though. Although it was recommended to me by a non-dancer. I’d say it’s definitely time period accurate from the stories I’ve heard/read from the 80s, but my experiences in the ballet world were definitely different. A solid read that made me pine for my previous life as a dancer. Filled me with longing for the what could have been.
Also, I recommend the audiobook! An excellent narrator.
Read if you like: ballet, Soviet-era drama, character driven novels, complex love/family stories.
berls's review against another edition
4.0
This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.
**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
**This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.**
Oh gosh. This is such a hard review to write because I can't stop thinking about how it ended. And I can't talk to you about that too specifically, since that would be one hell of a spoiler. I think the only thing is to explain how the ending made me feel.
In Astonish Me, Joan (the main character) tries to describe the word "exquisite" to a dancer learning English as a third language. She talks about the perfect beauty of a dancing ballerina, how it's so perfect it's painful. That's the ending of Astonish Me. Its abrupt, but perfectly so, because saying more would ruin the way it hangs with emotion and the poignancy of all it means (and has meant). It's exquisite.
You'd think with how I just described the ending that Astonish Me would be a five star read. But as much as it sucked me in during the last 25%, I struggled to get to that point. The problem with Astonish Me is that you have to be patient. It jumps you around a lot between time periods (ranging from 1970s - 2002ish) and view points. Just when you get committed to one part of the story, you're removed from it and placed in another. Its not until the last 25% that all the threads start to really come together into a clear picture. Once it does, good luck putting it down.
It entertains the whole time though, as long as you're willing to go along for the ride. I grabbed Astonish Me because I love dance and have always been enthralled by the way movement can make a person feel so much. I never dreamed of being a dancer or anything - that was never in this clumsy giant's cards. But the life of a ballet dancer is so mesmerizing, because ballet is so often a cruel lover for dancers. And Astonish Me captured that love, pain, and heartbreak of a life in ballet beautifully.
Maggie Shipstead clearly knows ballet well, because the dances came to life in her words (though I do think knowing ballet terms really helped me appreciate the movement. I don't know what it would be like if you don't know them) and the narrator, Rebecca Lowman, did the words justice, providing the perfect rhythm. The variety of characters provided a challenging set of accents, but I thought Rebecca Lowman pulled them off really well. She did take some getting used to, because she speaks softly and slowly, but after I got used to her and the book, I felt she was a perfect fit.
Astonish Me is about so much more than dance, though. It takes place haphazardly during the late 60s to about 2002. There are two generations of dancers whose lives are tangled together through more than dance, but through life, love, and heartbreak. The characters feel so damn real - I actually want to look up the situations from this book and see how much really happened. It's not described as a biographical fiction, but I believed these characters, with their flaws and insecurities and passions, so intensely it's hard to imagine they aren't out there somewhere.
The author did a really fantastic job weaving in generational moments that appear in your history books and showing the way they impacted these dancers world. The role of the cold war was shocking and exciting, as much as the shock of AIDS was devastating and poignant (sorry to keep using that word, but I can't find another one that works as well for me).
By the end, I felt like Astonish Me had actually been a dance made up of beautiful, disconnected acts, tied together in a shocking, poignant, and a bit devastating way. Not a feel good book, but one that is sure to make any dance lover FEEL the full range of emotions.
**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
**This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.**
Oh gosh. This is such a hard review to write because I can't stop thinking about how it ended. And I can't talk to you about that too specifically, since that would be one hell of a spoiler. I think the only thing is to explain how the ending made me feel.
In Astonish Me, Joan (the main character) tries to describe the word "exquisite" to a dancer learning English as a third language. She talks about the perfect beauty of a dancing ballerina, how it's so perfect it's painful. That's the ending of Astonish Me. Its abrupt, but perfectly so, because saying more would ruin the way it hangs with emotion and the poignancy of all it means (and has meant). It's exquisite.
You'd think with how I just described the ending that Astonish Me would be a five star read. But as much as it sucked me in during the last 25%, I struggled to get to that point. The problem with Astonish Me is that you have to be patient. It jumps you around a lot between time periods (ranging from 1970s - 2002ish) and view points. Just when you get committed to one part of the story, you're removed from it and placed in another. Its not until the last 25% that all the threads start to really come together into a clear picture. Once it does, good luck putting it down.
It entertains the whole time though, as long as you're willing to go along for the ride. I grabbed Astonish Me because I love dance and have always been enthralled by the way movement can make a person feel so much. I never dreamed of being a dancer or anything - that was never in this clumsy giant's cards. But the life of a ballet dancer is so mesmerizing, because ballet is so often a cruel lover for dancers. And Astonish Me captured that love, pain, and heartbreak of a life in ballet beautifully.
Maggie Shipstead clearly knows ballet well, because the dances came to life in her words (though I do think knowing ballet terms really helped me appreciate the movement. I don't know what it would be like if you don't know them) and the narrator, Rebecca Lowman, did the words justice, providing the perfect rhythm. The variety of characters provided a challenging set of accents, but I thought Rebecca Lowman pulled them off really well. She did take some getting used to, because she speaks softly and slowly, but after I got used to her and the book, I felt she was a perfect fit.
Astonish Me is about so much more than dance, though. It takes place haphazardly during the late 60s to about 2002. There are two generations of dancers whose lives are tangled together through more than dance, but through life, love, and heartbreak. The characters feel so damn real - I actually want to look up the situations from this book and see how much really happened. It's not described as a biographical fiction, but I believed these characters, with their flaws and insecurities and passions, so intensely it's hard to imagine they aren't out there somewhere.
The author did a really fantastic job weaving in generational moments that appear in your history books and showing the way they impacted these dancers world. The role of the cold war was shocking and exciting, as much as the shock of AIDS was devastating and poignant (sorry to keep using that word, but I can't find another one that works as well for me).
By the end, I felt like Astonish Me had actually been a dance made up of beautiful, disconnected acts, tied together in a shocking, poignant, and a bit devastating way. Not a feel good book, but one that is sure to make any dance lover FEEL the full range of emotions.
mazza57's review
3.0
This is a perfectly nice read but does not fulfil the promise of its blurb. The twist to the tale is thoroughly predictable and headlined from an early stage in the tale. The rest is an easy not unenjoyable read but fails to astonish me as the title suggests it will
healingtothemax's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the actual ballet scenes with my favorite characters in the 2nd tier whose relationship, I found, to be more authentic and interesting. Whenever Elaine & Mr. K were "on stage" is when the book crackled alive for me. I also enjoyed the full ballet performance descriptions, more prevalent in the book's later stages. This version, the audiobook, was well-done and easy to follow the action and dialogue and to notice Shipstead's writing craftsmanship. Certain turns of phrasing did "astonish me" especially the very last scene. Recommended strongly for ballet fans.