LadySpark's Library

I am kind of speechless over this one. Idk if it would matter to anyone else like it did me, but I found this book utterly moving and profound for the way it described being an ex-ballerina, the strange and distorted power dynamics between teacher/muse and the impact it can have on a young person who is desperately searching for someone to "love them best".

Following Carlisle, a forty-something choreographer who is going to confront her father on his death bed after nineteen long years of silence. It switched between timelines, highlighting the relationship between Carlisle, her father, her mother, her father's husband, and herself throughout her entire life and the dissolution of her identity as she went from wanting to be a ballerina to never wanting to dance again to finding her calling as a choreographer. Truly such a good story and some just drop dead gorgeous imagery in there that made me hurt and want to do some plies and tendus at the same time. As an ex ballerina, I felt it in my soul. This book is for anyone who loves a story about a woman who has to grow up in confusing and often conflicting roles, but one who overcomes them by forming her own identity beyond the box everyone has always tried to put her in. Though, as Carlisle finds out, even when you are okay with who you are - old ghost stories of past selves and relationships will make you question everything. I related to Carlisle, yes, but I also adored the way her story unfolded - a coming of age story that came full circle with the conclusion of a life. This story is for anyone who loves beautiful prose that paints beautiful vignettes that eventually build to tell a full story of who someone is. Over the course of the book, you fall in love and hate with all the characters - so if you love to feel conflicted about a character, this is the one.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.5)