A review by bunnieslikediamonds
Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

4.0

I'm about as graceful as a drunken sloth, so I get all wide-eyed and impressed just reading about elegant, athletic ballerinas. The world of ballet is fascinating, and Shipstead does a great job describing both the beauty of the dance and the hard work it requires. The story shifts effortlessly between decades, following two generations of dancers and the people who love them. As I also have a soft spot for Cold War stories, I was delighted to find that part of the story takes place in the seventies, where a Baryshnikov-like Russian dancer defects to Canada. More books need to be written about ballerinas and the Cold War! I will read them all.