bexbringsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
celandine's review against another edition
4.0
A fine, gentle romance with a dashing feel of an old gothic novel. It beautifully mixes in the world of ballet with the mysterious Amazon settlements. The setting is gorgeously painted, making one feel as though they are in the Amazon, or on the stage as a ballerina. The humor and small plot twists keeps the book and plot moving at a sedate pace that isn't too slow as to be boring. I thoroughly enjoyed the growth of the main character, Harriet, as well as the development of the secondary character. An excellent timeless romantic novel to be enjoyed!
louise_marie97's review against another edition
3.0
This book can take a while to get into for some people but i enjoyed it after a little while i really started to like it.
amelie5m's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kindledspiritsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Eva Ibbotson is always the author I turn to when I want to comfort read. She has the most incredible talent for transporting her readers to far off locations and writing wonderful characters that you want to spend forever reading about. A Company of Swans is no exception. It tells the story of Harriet Morton, the nineteen year old daughter of a stuffy Cambridge professor, who lives a life devoid of love and excitement. Her only outlet is her weekly ballet lessons, where she is able to express herself freely and creatively. When a Russian dancing master offers her a role in the corps of a ballet company that plans to tour South America, she runs away from home and finds herself dancing in the grand opera house of Manaus and finding love and friendship on the banks of the Amazon. Ibbotson's descriptions of the natural beauty of Brazil are stunning, the story is lovely and it is filled with her signature brand of humour that never fails to absolutely delight me. In the absence of being able to travel anywhere, Ibbotson's novels remain the next best means of escape.
zoolmcg's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I’m a lover of ballet, and so seeing the title and blurb of this book guaranteed an immediate purchase. While I enjoyed the premise and the settings, even the era of its story, I think it could’ve been so much more.
Beginning with the aspects that I enjoyed, the world of ballet and Harriet’s life in Brazil were brilliant. The start of her romance with Rom is amazing, with a distance and a yearning that is clear as ever. The hi-jinx with the cake and Simonova’s status all mix together to make a very entertaining segment in this novel, parts that I’m sure will stick with me. However, the rest of the book is ultimately forgettable, especially once Harriet and Rom spend the night together.
Their romance is far too rushed for my liking. That’s not to say the book ought to be longer and add more and more detail, but it’s to say that there are far too many distractions involved if we want them to be the central focus. All that I’ve described that I loved doesn’t foil their relationship or romance, but it takes away from it by being more enjoyable than it. The age gap between the two is another factor that depreciated my enjoyment, as Harriet seems to be the young, frail, impressionable teenager and Rom this Byronic, troubled and brooding older man that sweeps her off her feet. There were times I wasn’t clear on his motive or tone of voice, and it seems everything they wanted became too happy of an ending considering all the conflict they’ve both been through in their lives.
The introduction to my copy goes on and on about how this book would’ve enraptured them as a teenager, how this is a perfect YA romance for teens, and I ought to have paid attention to that. I think it’s definitely enjoyable for someone out there, but not especially to me. With some good prose and interesting settings, it’s certainly a nice novel, but one I couldn’t recommend without prefacing that it’s undeniably juvenile.
Beginning with the aspects that I enjoyed, the world of ballet and Harriet’s life in Brazil were brilliant. The start of her romance with Rom is amazing, with a distance and a yearning that is clear as ever. The hi-jinx with the cake and Simonova’s status all mix together to make a very entertaining segment in this novel, parts that I’m sure will stick with me. However, the rest of the book is ultimately forgettable, especially once Harriet and Rom spend the night together.
Their romance is far too rushed for my liking. That’s not to say the book ought to be longer and add more and more detail, but it’s to say that there are far too many distractions involved if we want them to be the central focus. All that I’ve described that I loved doesn’t foil their relationship or romance, but it takes away from it by being more enjoyable than it. The age gap between the two is another factor that depreciated my enjoyment, as Harriet seems to be the young, frail, impressionable teenager and Rom this Byronic, troubled and brooding older man that sweeps her off her feet. There were times I wasn’t clear on his motive or tone of voice, and it seems everything they wanted became too happy of an ending considering all the conflict they’ve both been through in their lives.
Spoiler
Although, Harriet’s ending isn’t the happiest it could be, and that rubbed me the wrong way. After being recaptured by her father and aunt, she’s doomed to never dance again, until she’s miraculously saved by Rom!… And marries him and never dances again because she must bear his children. While obviously more romantic and happy than the former option, it still seemed awfully patriarchal and anti-climactic to read.The introduction to my copy goes on and on about how this book would’ve enraptured them as a teenager, how this is a perfect YA romance for teens, and I ought to have paid attention to that. I think it’s definitely enjoyable for someone out there, but not especially to me. With some good prose and interesting settings, it’s certainly a nice novel, but one I couldn’t recommend without prefacing that it’s undeniably juvenile.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Eva Ibbotson's historical fiction is charming, and this is no exception. Harriet, a young woman brought up in an oppressive university atmosphere in England, runs away to join a ballet troupe that is touring South America in the 1910s. Harriet has promised a young boy in England to find his uncle Rom in Brazil and deliver the message that the family's ancestral hall is crumbling into ruin. Both Rom and Harriet are just a little too good to be true; but the story reads like modern-day fairy tale so that doesn't really matter; I enjoyed the book anyway. I liked the descriptions of the land, rivers, flora and fauna of Brazil. I would read this again, and I probably will.