Rachel Kapelke-DaleRecensioni

I am a sucker for a ballet book, so I was super excited for this. It started off well, establishing both a trio of three teenage elite dancers in Paris and a second timeline, when one returns as a choreographer after over a decade in Russia and the friendship has clearly been badly strained. But things came apart in the second half, with several plotlines resolving rather too neatly.

Came into this blind and mixed on this one:

The good: propulsive, reads quickly. I wanted to keep turning pages to see how it all played out! Dark academia ft. tarot reading was a catnip combo.

The not-so good: insufferable characters, that I could neither root for nor even relate to; requires suspended disbelief at points; plot relies very heavily on equestrianism.

The spoiler-free setup:

Four girlfriend/roomies on their Yale equestrian team take on a fifth their sophomore year of college. Things are good in the friend group until they aren't. Relationship fractures appear. Someone dies somewhat mysteriously, though Yale and the girls' lives go on as if nothing happened.

Main character - Rosie - is upper middle class, but is alternatively resentful and ashamed that compared to her Yale classmates, she's a 'poor' with financially struggling (vet) parents. She's a social striver, so entranced by the trappings of wealth and privilege, that her goal was to become uber-wealthy by proxy and proximity. She's so hungry for table scraps from her wealthy roommates that she doesn't realize she's seen as invisible and dismissible to those she's trying so hard to impress. She's willing to sellout anything - including herself - for money.

Although it's definitely YAish, this book kept my attention. If you like PLL, or Yellow Jackets or similar, you'll probably like this, too. Coincidentally, after finishing this I blind picked up In My Dreams, I Hold A Knife, which is thematically very similar.½

Very atmospheric novel mixing dark academia with ruthless ambition.

I have finally come to my last book of the year and I am so glad I stopped with The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. This was a stunning book I adored it. It is the tale of three friends that unfolds across their lives. All this is wrapped around the unique world of professional ballet. Which if I was coordinated enough I would want to at least do one lesson as a child. However, being as I am 34 I will live my fantasies through books. I will say that this read specifically shows the dark side of the profession which I loved and hated in equal measure, this story somehow captures enduring truths about how women struggle to achieve their dreams and potential. While some struggle to be at the top some struggle to find love. The truth is I think that can be said about any profession and any lifestyle and job. You will love and hate the friendships in this book but you will have one person in your reading circle that you want to share this story with. It is twisty, dark, and a must-read for those who love a thriller. I am so pleased to say that I ended my year at 1033pm with a 5-star read.

Hace trece años, Delphine Léger abandonó su prestigioso puesto como solista en el Ballet de la Ópera de París para empezar una nueva vida en San Petersburgo. Se llevó consigo un secreto que podría poner patas arriba la vida de sus mejores amigas y compañeras de ballet, Lindsay y Margaux. Ahora, a los treinta y seis años, Delphine ha regresado a su antiguo hogar y al legendario Palacio Garnier para coreografiar la obra de ballet que hará despegar la siguiente fase de su carrera y que, espera, conseguirá que se arreglen las cosas con sus antiguas amistades. Sin embargo, Delphine no tarda en descubrir que las cosas han cambiado durante su ausencia y que algunos secretos no pueden permanecer enterrados para siempre.

Las bailarinas se mueve entre el pasado, cuando las tres eran todavía adolescentes, y el presente. Explora las complejidades de la amistad entre mujeres, la enfermiza voluntad por conseguir un físico perfecto en nombre de la expresión artística, el arma de doble filo que representan la ambición y la pasión, y la rabia sublimada que tantas personas guardan en su interior. Todo ello culmina con un giro inesperado y unos personajes que no serán fáciles de olvidar.

One of the most meh books I've read in recent memory. There's a lot of really interesting conflicts set up, especially in the first half, but I can't think of any plot point that wasn't resolved in the most cheap way possible. The back half is a speedrun of increasingly inane pseudo-feminist microplots, none of which last longer than...I don't know, twenty pages? The writing itself is fine insofar as its unremarkable (aside from brief moments where it dips into a tone so undeservedly self-righteousness that I rolled my eyes), and I think this author probably could write something enjoyable if she planned the story out instead of repeatedly writing herself into a corner and then, like, drawing ideas out of a hat.

I wanted to like this one and was hopeful for this with the comparison to Black Swan and alluding to this being a mystery, suspense, and/or thriller type of story, but there was little to none of any of those types of story here. This was a story about the world of ballet, about the weird and obsessive perspective of ballerinas with these 3 ballerinas who meet and become friends in the 90s when they're attending ballet school together. There are two timelines and it goes back and forth between the timelines with the 3 friends and what goes on in their lives.
They each go through things and try to deal with their experiences while living their dreams or trying to achieve their goals with dance despite their age, health, or circumstances. I wasn't impressed with the event that did happen at the end of the book that was the only part that could have been considered suspense or otherwise with the one murder.
It was somewhat interesting, but not enough to keep my attention and keep me wanting to read it to see what happened. I read it but had a hard time pushing through to the end to finish it. This book just wasn't for me. Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me have the chance to read and review this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Ballerinas is an exploration of female friendships set within the world of professional ballet where competition is a fierce motivator. The story features three dancers: Delphine, Lindsay and Margaux, who all began studying at the Paris Opera Ballet when they were young girls. Over the years, they are intensely focused on the careers to which they aspire. As they mature, they might secure spots as members of the ballet company or, if they are good enough, become soloists or principal dancers, featured in productions. The path to becoming a principal dancer is long and fraught, requiring not just superior talent, dedication, and tireless preparation, but the ability to navigate the politics of getting noticed and championed by the ballet company's teachers, choreographers, and artistic directors. For debut author Rachel Kapelke-Dale, little research was required, aside from learning about the workings of the Paris Opera Ballet because she trained intensively in ballet as child. "My training allowed me to sketch in the background action for various scenes without too much trouble, as the format of those classes is so deeply ingrained in my memory," she relates.

For Delphine Léger, dance is a family matter. Her mother was a star ballerina whose career was cut short by her unplanned pregnancy. Delphine feels pressure not just to live up to her mother's example, but her expectation that Delphine will avoid making the same mistake she did and enjoy a long, successful career. Lindsay and Margaux also struggle with the stressors that challenge young dancers as they mature, including the never-ending effort to maintain an ideal body even as natural changes threaten to render perfection unattainable, the harsh criticisms of instructors ("You start out a whole and then you break," Delphine observes), expectations of parents and family members, and the destruction and debilitating effects of self-doubt and competition that can drive fragile adolescents to behave in harshly shocking ways.

It is 2018, and Delphine has decided that "Paris is always a good idea." After a thirteen-year absence, she has returned to Paris to choreograph Rasputin, a ballet she wanted to stage the entire time she was in St. Petersburg working as a choreographer at the Mariinsky Ballet with her romantic partner. And she has definite ideas about who she wants to star in the production: her old friend Lindsay, who has been a soloist for years. But Lindsay is now thirty-five years old – the company has a mandatory retirement age of forty-two -- and not a good partner. But Delphine is convinced that her staging of the classic, with Lindsay as the tsarina, will revitalize the company . . . as well as her friends' careers. Nathalie Dorival, the artistic director, reluctantly agrees to give Delphine one month to determine if Lindsay is up to the challenge. But she must name an understudy -- an insult to a ballerina of Lindsay's status. Delphine must accept Nathalie's condition because the production will be mounted as part of the opera's three hundred and fiftieth anniversary season, she desperately wants to make the most of the opportunity Nathalie has given her by agreeing to take her back into the company, . . . and she is intent on giving Lindsay "something that would change her life. Fourteen years after I had ruined it." Delphine's one true love, Jock (formerly Jacques), will be Lindsay's co-star, and there will be a role for Margaux, as well. While Lindsay is eager to take on the role Delphine is customizing for her, Margaux is resentful and suspicious, given that Delphine has been out of there lives for so many years and failed to make an effort to maintain their friendship. Kapelke-Dale says Margaux is “disillusioned,” but do not have any training to pursue a different career and has “taken her frustration and turned it in on herself.”

Delphine's first-person narration moves back to 1995, when Delphine, Lindsay, and Margeaux are students . . . and competitors. Kapelke-Dale notes that it was her editor who recommended adding the second timeline in order to fully reveal the characters’ pasts. She immerses readers in the girls' world, providing insight into the grueling physical demands of ballet, their emotional struggles, the imbalance of power in their relationship, and the machinations it inspires, including one particularly stunning betrayal. As the narrative moves incrementally forward in time, Kapelke-Dale reveals the characters' secrets at deftly-timed intervals, providing context for their behavior and illuminating their motivations.

The Ballerinas is a taut, evenly-paced, and absorbing glimpse into the world of ballet. Delphine would be easy to dismiss as unlikable and, therefore, irredeemable. But that misses the point. Delphine is a product of the world into which she was born, and all the people and events that influence her. She is self-centered, selfish, driven, and vengeful. But she also cares about her friends and colleagues, and eventually returns to Paris intent on making up for her mistakes. But is it too late?

The themes Kapelke-Dale delves into through her characters resonate against the ballet backdrop, they are universal. Female friendships are complicated, but their complexity is magnified in Kapelke-Dale's convincing portrayal of women facing consequential choices about reproduction, work-life balance, and workplace harassment and abuse in an industry where men have, for centuries, been the powerbrokers and women have been vulnerable to and dependent upon their desires, whims, and approval. Kapelke-Dale says that as she was writing the book, she thought deeply about an institution that “purportedly celebrate femininity in some ways also reinforce draconian standards,” and wanted to impart the sense of urging that Delphine feels as her fortieth birthday looms and she wonders if her best professional years are behind her. Ultimately, her characters must decide how they will shape their futures, what matters most to them, and what kind of people they want to be. Kapelke-Dale delivers an entertaining story with a conclusion that is nothing less than jaw-dropping, despite early foreshadowing because so much transpires in succeeding chapters.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.

It took me a while to get into this novel. Early on it seemed to be about the inheritance of a mansion that has been in a family for generations. As the plot develops it seems that the man who will inherit it is not a family member but a man who sexually abused the likely heir when she was a fourteen year old concert pianist. Now she has grown and wants to know why her mom named this man heir and to seek revenge for her sexual abuse

Saskia is a former piano prodigy turned boxer. She has returned home to Milwaukee and the Elf House after her mother’s unexpected death. But, the bad memories are outweighing the good. Then she discovers her mother left the house to someone else. Saskia was supposed to get this house…so what happened?!?

Saskia is unsure where to turn after this shocking revelation. So, she goes straight to the source. The man she had an affair with at a VERY young age!

This story started strong and I was totally giving it 5 stars. Then the main character, Saskia does something completely out of character. And to be honest, it made me mad. I expected something, just not exactly that. I changed my rating to a 4. So you need to read this to find out! Then you need to find me somewhere online and let me know what you think.

The narrator, Stephanie Willis, did a good job. There were places in which her voice was too low. Not sure if this is a production problem or a narrator problem. Now, don’t get me wrong…I just kept turning the volume up. Because I HAD TO KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING!

There is so much more I want to say…but I just do not write long reviews. No one has time to read that. But this novel really hit the emotions from all directions! So, I am changing my rating back to a 5…mid review mind you! Any book which keeps the emotions rolling as you are writing the review…FIVE STARS IT IS!

Need a good novel with dark undertones and a freaking twist…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

Title: The Ingenue
Author: Rachel Kapelke-Dale
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
"The Ingenue" by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

My Assessment:

'The Ingenue' gives the reader quite interesting 'fairytales, with many themes of an aging prodigy and familial relationships.' We find the main character somewhat complex. However, her growth through the read was good...with the setting ...of the Elf House being mainly gothic. One must keep up with this story because it switches back and forth in time as you read a somewhat twisted and dark tale of what happens to Saskia when she realizes what had happened to her when she was young.

This author did an excellent job of moving this storyline along, giving the reader a well-paced read and a good ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this advance copy.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This review is my voluntary and unbiased opinion.

This story is told in alternate timelines.
Margaux is a 13 year old ballerina admitted to the infamous Paris Opera Ballet. It is quite an honor to be chosen at such a young age. She immediately feels pressure from new student Linsey Price who is beautiful and very talented. Both girls arrive at the prestigious institution hoping to leave behind troubled, dysfunctional family lives.

It is a rather dark and competitive world amongst the ballerinas who are always working hard to vie for key roles. The artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet, Nathalie Dorival, becomes fixated on portraying the story of Romanov and the country’s last tsarina. The tumultuous relationships that develop and eventually reunite years later is convoluted and unexpected.

Delphine has returned from Russia to choreograph for the Paris Opera Ballet. As a child and young adult, Delphine, along with Lindsay and Margaux, where ballet dancers, competing for a limited number of spots in the company. The story begins with Delphine wanted to make amends to Lindsay, for something that she and Margaux did in their youth.

I did not enjoy this story. Delphine was not very likeable and was completely unsympathetic. She was self centered and her growth felt artificial. Almost every chaptered referred to the mystery of what Delphine and Margaux did to Lindsay, not in a suspenseful way, but in a cheap bid to keep the reader interested. Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend.

I really enjoyed it. I liked both girls and they felt like good friends of mine. They say that every book projects on your life experience (or vice versa) and this projected strongly in a bittersweet nostalgic way. I had similar years after my graduation, at a similar age, even during the same years (it appears I am the same age as the authors). Even with all the mistakes and uncertainty, it is one of the best periods in life and many great memories are connected to it.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale's novel, The Ballerinas, transports readers directly into the heart of the ballet dancers life, for better and worse. It's not all glamorous but it's a dancers entire world and with Kepelke-Dale's prose we get to experience that world for ourselves, the beauty, the grace, the strength, the competition that runs every dancers life. This novel is also very character driven, with each character so well developed they feel real and the reader forms love or distaste for each character without even realizing it.

After reaching a point in her career Delphine, harboring a secret, leaves her soloist role at the prestigious and exclusive Paris Opera Ballet (POB) to go to St Petersburg, where she remains until reappearing years later back in to the world of the POB, this time with an entirely different goal and career in mind.

This is a slow burn novel with Delphine's secrets very slowly being revealed as the story moves on. In the mean time the narrative goes between the past and the present, a narrative style that I'm not sure works the best for this story but if you pay close attention to the date's it's something you can get through.

If you've ever dreamed of being a ballerina or attending the ballet as an appreciating fan this book is for you. It is not an intense thriller, more of a drama with some suspense so I feel it would be appropriate for readers beginning from early teen to adult. The Ballerinas has something to appeal to all of us whether aesthetically, emotionally, or intellectually every reader will walk away with something positive from this book regardless of your opinion on the book as a whole.

For that reason I rate this book a 3.5, one that is worth reading and seeing it through the end.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an advance e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion. These opinions are mine and mine alone and influenced by nothing more than my own personal taste and experience with literature.

Horribly disappointing and tedious. I expected so much more from this novel.

This is a book about more than ballerinas. It's about friends, secrets, and how powerful time can be.

The book wasn't extremely surprising, but it was entertaining none-the-less. We've all heard the stories of what ballerinas are willing to do to be the best. The women in this book are no different. Things are never the same when you return home. You cannot visit the past, but the past is always applicable in the present. I think this is painfully obvious in this book. I enjoyed the characters as well as the plot twist. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.

If you enjoy dancing and dark books, this is perfect for you.

he good and the horribly bad in the life of a dancer

The opening sentence of “The Ballerinas” hints at the entire book. “You start out as potential energy and then you fall.” Delphine Léger narrates, and readers know immediately that unusual events will be recounted because she states that many things happened “before I killed anyone.” What did she do so long ago that changed lives? The past hangs ominously over everything, every action, every encounter, every moment. Readers find out bit by compelling bit as the narrative goes back and forth in time between 1995 and 2018.

Delphine is a dancer because her mother was a dancer, not just any dancer, but a star ballerina with the Paris Opera Ballet. Delphine has also been part of the P.O.B. since she was a child. Through her first-person narrative, readers learn that she was not just one of the little dancers; she was so much more. Gradually Delphine’s past advances as her role changes from student to corps member, quadrille, principal dancer, solo dancer, star étoile, and finally to a choreographer in the present. The full impact of those years becomes evident as details of impact of what happened emerge. Ballerinas are like pointe shoes — you have to break them down before they are of any use.

“The Ballerinas” is a startling story of both the good and the horribly bad in the life of a dancer. It is about both the purpose of life and what defines it. I received a review copy of “The Ballerinas” from Rachel Kapelke-Dale and St. Martin’s Press. As Delphine so aptly states, “Dancers are like violins. Handcrafted, unbelievably beautiful, their whole bodies joined only by fine slivers of wood. Likely to crack at any time.” As a bonus, readers get a chance to imagine a ballet to the music of Janis Joplin

3.5 I have long been fascinated by ballet, gymnastics, ice skating, all these endeavours that take a large commitment, passion, and so much work. I'm in awe of the people who pursue their dreams, overcoming many obstacles. Which is what this book is about. Margaux and Delphine met at the Paris opera ballet when they were very young. Lindsay comes in a little later, but the three are fast friends. Friendship though only goes so far when there are only two slots for a promotion, but thre of them.

The training it takes to be a dancer is mind boggling. It's an insulat works leaving little time for outside passions. Competition is rice and many will do whatever it takes to get to the top. The book is divided in alternating chapters, between the past and present. Delphine is back after a many years absence but now as a new coreographer, her two friends are still dancers but now at 36 their time is waning. How they recoonect and what happens after was both surprising and not. There is a big secret in the past that will come out as well as a few secrets in the present that could ruin both the Paris ballet opera as an institution and their revived friendship. It will also impact the relationship of one in a horrifying way.

A book about passion for an art, women and friendship and the impact of secrets, choices.

ARC from Edelweiss½

I was in high anticipation when I was told that I had been chosen to be one of the ARC readers for this book. I love books about ballet, and to add in a twist (several twists actually) as is described in the synopsis of the book...well, that made this book a high priority for me.

Unfortunately, you must get through a lot of turmoil, inner angst, inner-dialogues aplenty, and a whole lot more before this book even really starts to get interesting. The last third of the book did hold my attention, and that is why I did not give this a lower rating 2.5 rating would have been perfect, but not many systems allow us to do that.

I will also say that this book deals with sensitive topics and is written with conflicting timelines that are sometimes difficult to tell apart.

If you do love books about ballet, may I also recommend this much older book (I think it was set in the mid and late '70s:

[book:Ballerina: A Novel|21402830][bookcover:Ballerina: A Novel|21402830] "A beautiful and talented ballerina rises through the ranks to stardom as prima ballerina only to find herself struggling to maintain her status, grappling with tempestuous choreographers, ambitious agents, and other dancers."

*ARC supplied by the publisher St.Martins Press, the author, and NetGalley. My many thanks.

The words in this book are beautifully written just as dancers perform seamlessly on stage with artistic perfection. It draws us in with our visual imagination.

There are rules for women in ballet. They must be thin, beautiful, strong and indistinguishable. "You're not in charge of anything...except your body." However, there's one unwritten rule of not getting pregnant. Yet, this is what happened to the ballet star, Isabelle, who instantly became a single parent with her daughter, Delphine in Paris. Her birth was an accident. She took a year off and retired four years later.

Delphine from birth stepped into the world of dance watching her mother's enormous success. She followed her career and became best friends dancing with Lindsay and Margaux at a young age. The book has two timelines alternating between 1996 and 2018 when their careers on stage peaked. They supported each other with fierce competition as they focused tirelessly on reaching their goals at the Paris Opera Ballet as a soloist.

This isn't just a book about dancers. It revolves around the complexities of friendship at its core. It's about work and love relationships. It's how women are used as sexual objects. It gives us a glimpse behind the scenes in the world of ballet in Paris, NY and Russia.

I hope others enjoy this books much as I did. My thanks to Rachel Kapelle-Dale, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy to be released on December 7, 2021.

This is a story about friendship, secrets and competition in the ballet world with a touch of murder. The first chapter starts with Delphine receiving an invitation to return to Paris as she reminisces about her turbulent past.


Another novel with the feature on ballet and it's competitive and harsh world. When you are good at a something and you devote your entire life to it, your world is small. You eat, breathe and live in the world of practice and performance. A devastating event causes Delphine, Lindsey and Margaux to keep a secret which wuld upend thier lives and careers.

I enjoyed reading about the backstage world of ballet and would probably read more by this author.
Publication date December 7, 2021 by St. Martin's Press. Genre: Mystery, Thrillers and Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this book, but I have to say, it was kind of depressing. I can usually finish books this length in a couple of days but I think it took me over a week to finish; I had to take it in in chunks. Almost nothing good happened to these character until the end. And even then that made me cry!

The story revolves around Delphine, her secrets, one of them you find out on the first page; you just don't find out who the secret involves until the end. I was very surprised, unexpected for sure, and her relationship with her friends Lindsay and Margaux. Delphine is kind of selfish, but at least she grows a little in the end, which I was worried about. She likes to alienate the people she loves and cares about for boys.

Lindsay is the wild and crazy American. She wants nothing more than to be an etoile. Not to give too much away, but this girl, she gets screwed over so much in this book.

Margaux is the mean one. She seems to be the Debbie Downer of the group even when they were kids. She was trying to be the sensible one, but giving orders too. In one part of the book, Delphine said something to the affect of, 'we did what Margaux said because we were afraid of her.'

The author does a wonderful job of going back and forth between time periods. I've read books that have done it poorly and it is most definitely done well here. You also really get immersed into the city of Paris and the ballet culture. I did think that this was going to be more of a mystery or thriller type book based on the synopsis and the mention of secrets and stuff being buried.

Overall I think this was a solid read and very well done, even if it was a little depressing. I think it would be good for a book club, especially if you are looking for something that is about friendship and feminism.

Thank you, NetGalley, for my e-ARC.

Although my exposure to ballet is limited to taking a childhood class and watching Flesh & Bone, a TV series, I am in awe of the artists. The physical, mental, and emotional stress they endure is unimaginable. And, from childhood, ballet is their whole world. Their single-minded focus. Their obsession. Above everyone and every thing. Much is sacrificed : romance, family, friendship...morals.

Delphine, Margaux, and Lindsay : friends and ballerinas from their time as students, rapidly approaching the end of their dancing careers. As is the case with many female friendships, theirs is also complicated. They comiserate and compete.

The plot shifts in time from the past to the present and is told from Delphine's perspective. As a legacy at the Paris Opera Ballet, she would inevitably be compared to her mother, a legend, whose photo was displayed prominently at the academy. She felt pressured to measure up and prove herself. It was this relentless pursuit of excellence, of being the best, that led her to do something desperate. She convinced herself it was for the best. But, things didn't go according to plan.

Unable to endure the guilt, she runs, leaving everything and everyone behind. But, for how long? Will she ever find redemption? Forgiveness?

Overall, I liked this book, but I would not categorize it as a thriller. It did not have me on the edge of my seat. I was intrigued by the plot and setting. And the cover art is beautiful. However,too many under-developed sub-plots and wordy writing style made it seem interminable.

I received a free copy of this ebook (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

A story about ballet dancers studying at the Palais Garnier in Paris? Yes, please! (Even though I'm not much of a thriller reader.) This story is about ballet, friendships, feminism and body autonomy. I'm not sure this falls into the thriller category, but I'm okay with that. Yes, there is a mystery involving some sort of horrible thing one of the characters has done. When we find out what happened with this supposedly huge plot element, the response is a bit underwhelming. "Meh, I knew you did it. No big deal."

I found later events even twistier than the original mystery, so that was quite interesting. The final twist was a bit too much for me. I'm sorry, you murdered a guy because he had broken his wife's foot? I get that her feet are her life in ballet, but you had to push him out a window? And the wife's not really made about it? And you suffer no legal consequences? Okay. . .

Aside from that, I really did enjoy getting to follow the three man characters as they move through the Paris Opera Ballet School. And I loved the character of Stella. She's just awesome.

If you're into ballet this would probably be a good pick, but I'm not sure it is thriller enough to captivate the thriller enthusiasts.½