More twists and turns than a pirouette; readers will stay rapt till the final curtain.
The lives of three Southern California women and their teenage ballerina daughters are thrown into turmoil during rehearsals for The Nutcracker.
Ever Henderson, Josie Jacobs, and Lindsay Chase (mothers of Beatrice, Savannah, and Olive, respectively) have spent most of their daughters’ lives ushering them to and from the Costa de la Luna Conservatory of Ballet, where the girls have undertaken intensive training under master teacher Vivienne. All three girls, now seniors in high school, are preparing to fight for their last big roles in The Nutcracker. But when the CLCB announces that controversial 27-year-old wunderkind Etienne Bernay will be directing this year’s production and will select one dancer to receive a scholarship to the Ballet de Paris Académie, the always-fierce competition among the girls turns cutthroat. And Bernay’s arrival does even more to shake up their family lives. Ever, who’s still grappling with the death of her husband, hasn’t been able to write since her last novel failed, and this scholarship may be the only way she can afford to keep Bea in ballet. But while Bea needs the scholarship most, Josie and Savannah may be the only two prepared to do whatever it takes to get it. Meanwhile, Lindsay senses that her marriage is falling apart just as Olive seems to be losing interest in dance and, perhaps most concerning, spending more time with Savvy as her best-friendship with Bea deteriorates. As dark secrets lead to explosive revelations, all six of their lives will be forever changed. The author sometimes stretches things out, but the plot is deliciously propulsive, pairing the brutally beautiful world of ballet with universal human foibles that will keep the reader guessing at characters’ motivations to the end.
More twists and turns than a pirouette; readers will stay rapt till the final curtain.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781496739339
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Kensington
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
