A review by hummeline
Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

3.0

Very interesting. I really truly enjoyed the writing here—so evocative, and I was firmly rooted in the places that the book took me, from California poolside to backstage at the Opéra. I also loved Joan, loved her love for dance but realization that she just could never make it as a GREAT dancer, and had to settle for good and teaching. I loved Elaine, Joan's friend, and her relationship with their creative director. I loved how magnetic Arslan was, the story of the defection. But something seemed off. The jumping around in time confused me, and I think I would have preferred less. Certain perspectives seemed unwarranted or frankly boring, and frankly the ending seemed to come like a ton of bricks. It didn't quite make sense, and suddenly you realize that this character has been groomed to fit in this one place in the narrative, but it seems forced. So three stars: loved parts of it, but not others.