holly333's review
5.0
I love this book! It's my favorite of the year so far (even though the year just begun...)
I was hesitant about reading a book about ballet, which I didn't think would hold my interest; but this book is captivating. I couldn't put it down.
I was hesitant about reading a book about ballet, which I didn't think would hold my interest; but this book is captivating. I couldn't put it down.
tinyhandsmcgee's review
3.0
Okay this is my fault for not reading the description closely enough. I don’t normally read contemporary as a genre, and this wasn’t one I’d say I enjoyed, but I found it intriguing enough to finish. I liked the writing style. It was poetic and lyrical, much like dance itself. For a debut novel, the syntax was done well and the structure overall was refreshing. This felt like a retelling of Lolita in a way. I don’t know how I feel about the overall ending. Things didn’t seem fully resolved to me. Things wrapped up quickly in comparison to the lead-up and I think we needed more exploration into what happens at the climax and how Kate handles the situation.
katylang's review
3.0
I love a ballet novel. I think many former dancers like myself are drawn to the mystery and emotion of ballet. It stays with you, and I thought this book communicated that very well. I loved Mira's story and the past/present structure of the book. Wilson really catapults you into the world of dance- I felt like a ballerina again, reading this. However, the ending dragged on and at times the writing felt too overdone, too cloying.
demottar's review
3.0
This could also be titled: "Astonish Me Lite: a Less Interesting, Less Provocative, Less . . . Balletic Version of Maggie Shipstead's Novel."
firerosearien's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely well-written, but alas the plot is more or less predictable from the moment you start reading.
cheryl1213's review against another edition
5.0
I usually write reviews chronologically, but I feel compelled to review this one first because it is without question one of the best books I read in 2015. To be clear upfront, this is a great novel but it is often an unpleasant one and the topic(s) will turn off some readers. It is far from identical...this is much broader, focused on a different player, and involves a very different relationship...but I couldn't help but think of Lolita, a beautiful telling of a disturbing tale and a reference made by the author herself in interviews about the book.
The book is told from two viewpoints, young Mira's and adult Kate's. We meet Mira at eleven when she is rising in the world of ballet from a talented child to a true star. She pushes ever harder, struggling for the perfection in her art that she lacks in her home life. Mira meets Maurice, a man obsessed with her dancing and a vision of her a the perfect ballerina, developing a relationship we know from the start can't be "right." Although we know where its headed, parts of their story still come as a surprise and the story still manages to shock the reader who has been waiting for it all along. Meanwhile, middle-aged Kate struggles in her professional life as a college instructor while trying to make peace with her past life as a young dancer.
There is a lot here. For me, the book is largely about "the gaze," about performance, about watching and being watched. Wilson explores what an intense gaze does to the watcher and the watched,. She explores how the gaze turns person into object and what that does to the mind, especially when the watched is just a child. An attentive reader can't help but notice her own role as watcher as the story unfolds. Maurice's relationship with Mira is central to this story, but far from the book's only theme. We see a crumbling marriage, the impact of dysfunctional parents on an attentive child, the sacrifice artists make for art, the internal struggle for perfection, and the complex relationship between our adult selves and our child pasts. Ballet plays a role in this book, but I'd hesitate to call it a book about ballet.
This book, in language and theme, is mesmerizing and beautiful. It isn't for everyone, but readers willing to delve into often uncomfortable territory will find beauty in the language (that parallels beauty in performance). It is a book that makes you think and makes you feel. The reader anticipates certain scenes, knowing they must be coming while still hoping somehow they won't. Five stars.
This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The book is told from two viewpoints, young Mira's and adult Kate's. We meet Mira at eleven when she is rising in the world of ballet from a talented child to a true star. She pushes ever harder, struggling for the perfection in her art that she lacks in her home life. Mira meets Maurice, a man obsessed with her dancing and a vision of her a the perfect ballerina, developing a relationship we know from the start can't be "right." Although we know where its headed, parts of their story still come as a surprise and the story still manages to shock the reader who has been waiting for it all along. Meanwhile, middle-aged Kate struggles in her professional life as a college instructor while trying to make peace with her past life as a young dancer.
There is a lot here. For me, the book is largely about "the gaze," about performance, about watching and being watched. Wilson explores what an intense gaze does to the watcher and the watched,. She explores how the gaze turns person into object and what that does to the mind, especially when the watched is just a child. An attentive reader can't help but notice her own role as watcher as the story unfolds. Maurice's relationship with Mira is central to this story, but far from the book's only theme. We see a crumbling marriage, the impact of dysfunctional parents on an attentive child, the sacrifice artists make for art, the internal struggle for perfection, and the complex relationship between our adult selves and our child pasts. Ballet plays a role in this book, but I'd hesitate to call it a book about ballet.
This book, in language and theme, is mesmerizing and beautiful. It isn't for everyone, but readers willing to delve into often uncomfortable territory will find beauty in the language (that parallels beauty in performance). It is a book that makes you think and makes you feel. The reader anticipates certain scenes, knowing they must be coming while still hoping somehow they won't. Five stars.
This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
jaclynday's review
4.0
I have mixed feelings about Girl Through Glass, the story of Mira, a young ballet dancer, and her complicated and later predatory relationship with a middle-aged mentor. As a psychological study, it’s haunting. Mira is an intense personality throughout and her passion for beauty and for love is told well through Wilson’s cerebral writing style. But as a whole, the book is slightly less successful. I can’t put my finger on why, exactly. I did, after all, read this almost in one sitting. But there is something vaguely unsatisfying or disconcerting about it. At times I felt that Wilson’s literary aspirations for the text took precedence over simply writing emotions. I wanted more life and realness to the characters—I wanted to see them more clearly, understand them. This is improved when Wilson writes Mira as an adult. There you can feel the darkness, pain, triumph in all its varying degrees.
ciska's review
4.0
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review*
This review contains spoilers!!
I loved dancing when I was younger. Ballet, modern dance, ballroom dancing I tried it all. Not that I was any good or able to make a career out of it but it has always been an interest. I loved watching people who could really dance. I often visit the theatre to see various performances and I love stories and movies where dance is involved. It was no question for me I wanted to review this book.
Mira her mindset is how I imagine girls with a lot of talent but also the will to make something out of it are. Going all the way to make a dream come true. Loosing contact with the 'real world'.
The book holds two stories. that of Mira as a child and looking back as an adult. She has such a strong personality that it is clear you are reading about the same person in different years. Though the story of Mira as an adult was intriguing I was hoping for the child chapters all the time. These chapters tell the story of the struggle, the hard work and how much is given to be the best. To fully connect to Mira both views are necessary though. Her decisions now are based on what happened when she was younger. I started watching Flesh and Bones around the same time I started reading this book and it was a nice addition to the whole experience.
This review contains spoilers!!
I loved dancing when I was younger. Ballet, modern dance, ballroom dancing I tried it all. Not that I was any good or able to make a career out of it but it has always been an interest. I loved watching people who could really dance. I often visit the theatre to see various performances and I love stories and movies where dance is involved. It was no question for me I wanted to review this book.
Mira her mindset is how I imagine girls with a lot of talent but also the will to make something out of it are. Going all the way to make a dream come true. Loosing contact with the 'real world'.
The book holds two stories. that of Mira as a child and looking back as an adult. She has such a strong personality that it is clear you are reading about the same person in different years. Though the story of Mira as an adult was intriguing I was hoping for the child chapters all the time. These chapters tell the story of the struggle, the hard work and how much is given to be the best. To fully connect to Mira both views are necessary though. Her decisions now are based on what happened when she was younger. I started watching Flesh and Bones around the same time I started reading this book and it was a nice addition to the whole experience.
stefanicox's review
5.0
Beautiful writing in this haunting novel. I've always loved dance, and this book gives you the chance to peer into the life of an elite child ballerina.
bookscatsyarn's review against another edition
3.0
Highly evocative of the glamour of the Russian ballet world set against the crumbling NYC of the 1970s, this was a trashy and fun read.