GRANNY DAN

by Danielle Steel ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1999

Steel's 46th romance (after Bittersweet, p. 405, etc.), this time about a young woman who finds her grandmother's letters . . . as well as her old toe shoes. After Granny Dan's death, the nursing home where she died sends her granddaughter a package of last effects--pictures, a locket, the ballet slippers, and a pile of letters tied together with faded blue ribbon and written in Russian, Dan's native tongue. Assuming the role of translator and plucker of heartstrings, Steel (perhaps we should call her Auntie Dan) creates the memoir of a woman who had always been old to her granddaughter. For those looking for a 3-D rendering of a 22-year-old ballerina who goes to New England during the Russian Revolution, look elsewhere. For those interested in the paper-doll version, including a ballgown presented by the czarina, Steel's story will not disappoint. Danina Petroskova arrived at the Maryinsky school in St. Petersburg at age seven, where she studied with religious dedication to become a prima ballerina. Years later, when she is felled by influenza, her doctor, Nikolai Obrajensky, also the czar's physician, brings her to the royal family's summer palace to recuperate. While staying with Nick, Alex, and the kids, Danina and the unhappily married Nikolai fall in love. From here on, the gentle reader can pretty much write the book herself. Back in St. Petersburg, Danina endures a botched abortion that almost kills her. Then, once she's back in prima condition, and after a couple of interludes with Nikolai at Tsarsko Selo, she breaks her ankle and will never be able to dance again. Meanwhile, the Revolution is in full swing. Nikolai arranges for Danina to go to his cousin in Vermont, where as soon as he can leave the czar's family, now under arrest, he'll join her. With her gift for turning tragedy into treacle, Steel writes the equivalent of one of those children's jewelry boxes where a plastic ballerina twirls to a very old tune.

Pub Date: June 15, 1999

ISBN: 0385317093

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1999

Categories: FICTION