Astonish Me: A novel Hardcover – Deckle Edge, April 8, 2014

I danced ballet for three years, from the tender age of three to the age of six. I hated it. I ran away from it as soon as I could. But then, years later, I discovered how much I love going to the ballet, and how fascinated I am by it; I don’t know if anyone shares this opinion, but for me, watching dancers move their bodies in such an effortless and beautiful way is mesmerizing.That’s what "Astonish Me" is. It is a story that unfolds so elegantly and precisely, never demanding the reader’s attention, but instead stealing it discreetly until he/she is unable to look away from the dance that is taking place.Joan is a ballerina, but she’ll never be a soloist or a prima ballerina. She’s just one of the girls, with a small exception: she drove Arslan Rusakov’s getaway car when he defected. They dated, lived together for a while, then broke up, and he went on to marry another defector, a soloist by the name of Ludmilla. The story begins during a performance, and we learn that Joan is pregnant; she knows her career is coming to an end, so she decides to marry Jacob, the father of her baby. However, little does she know that her son is going to be a great ballet dancer, greater than she ever was, and that the boy’s talent is eventually going to lead her right back to Arslan."Astonish Me" is an incredible look into the world of ballet, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a story about intertwined stories, about the lives of five dancers and how they all come together to deliver this breathtaking performance.As I mentioned earlier, I had extremely high expectations for this novel, and it met and surpassed them. Any fan of Maggie Shipstead’s "Seating Arrangements" should most definitely read "Astonish Me."What I Loved:-The writing style. I love how elegant this story is, and even though some readers may interpret it as boring, in my opinion there’s a lot of class in this novel.-The characters. There is great character development, and each of them is given a significant place in the story.-The pacing. The pacing was perfect for this book, fast when it needed to be fast and slow when it needed to be slow. There’s no fixed pacing for the book, and I really enjoyed that.What Could Have Been Better:-The timeline. It skips around, sometimes in chronological order, other times skipping from one decade to the next. It’s rather confusing, because the entire novel is written in present tense, so I didn’t particularly like that. (See The Night Circus)-The ending. I’ve compared this book tirelessly to a ballet, but instead of having a grand finale, it has a rather bland ending that I’m not entirely satisfied with. It had all the potential for a great ending, but ended up being lacking in that department.

The life of a ballerina is misery. The dancer drifts off the stage to stand gasping, "heaving like racehorses." Their feet are ruined and grotesque from hours of defying anatomy on the tips of their toes or from leaping and landing until arches scream. For those who love ballet, it is the knowledge of the impossibility of perfection that drives the watcher and the dancer. No dancer can fold the vision of the brain into flesh and blood. It is that despair that the divine Arslan holds to be the essence of dance and of his passion. He requires it from himself and from all around him.In the center of this classic ballet story is Joan who is not good enough. She is not only short of her own deeply pursued dream, she is also not good enough to solo. She is in the corps, the chorus. Yet Arslan chooses her to help him escape from Communist Russia. He tries to teach her to dance with him. He turns to her often. The prima dancers do not understand, the socialites do not understand, and the world is mystified. The tension of the dream against the reality of performance and of life runs throughout the lives of all the characters in the book. While it is ballet that demands what is not possible, the life off the stage is also prone to the same tension.I love ballet, but I found the implicit assumptions wearying at times. Joan and her more gifted friend Elaine have not had a cheeseburger since the age of five. Despite the real world fact that ballerinas do in fact struggle to maintain their mandated wispy bodies, these dancers view bodies in degrees of thinness. They are all beautiful in their own way. They assume the neat, compact form of the ballet dancer. The anorexia and injuries that plague ballet corps testify to the fact that this slender body type is not to be assumed. Shipstead does understand the anguish of the dancer struggling against body type. Women are born with hips already dicated by genes. One dancer notes that American ballet schools are cruel not to take x-rays before acceptance to the school. The classic turn out at the hip and the suppleness of leg are not attainable by everyone no matter how determined. This part is well written.Diaghelev had famously said to his dancers, "Astonish me." This book shines in its portrayal of the cost of that pursuit.

I was not sure what to expect when I began reading and I had not quite remembered why I had wanted to read it to begin with, but I am so happy that I did!This is a story about ballet. It is the story about a family that ballet, ultimately, made. It is about the sometimes cut-throat world of ballet; the corps de ballet, the soloists, those who aspire to reach to the top. It is also about love, between friends, families and self. How love can grow despite less than ideal beginnings. There are many things this book is about, but the best thing is reading it. Enjoy!

I adored this novel, about a ex-ballerina and what her life is like once she is married and no longer dances.I thought the writing was absolutely beautiful and I strived to read through the pages slowly, savouring each word and sentence. I felt it was a sensuous novel, beautifully describing the world of dance and the sacrifices ballerinas make, what Paris is like, and also the way in which we all make sacrifices and transform as we grow older.I cared immensely about Joan, the protagonist, to the extent that I sometimes wanted to shout at her, for falling for the wrong boy and not always being able to show the man who does love her that she loves him back. I was really gripped by the story and felt fully immersed into it.

a very sttange little book describing ver weird relationships under the prottective covering of great art in the form of classical ballet- both silly nd ptetentious

I loved Maggie Shipstead's debut novel, Seating Arrangements, so was excited to read Astonish Me. It introduced me to a world I knew nothing about - that of professional ballet dancers - and one which I found very interesting. It didn't grip me in quite the same way as Seating Arrangements did, principally because I found Joan, the central character, to be rather cold and distant. There is a twist which I won't reveal, after which the writing gathers more pace, and I think the novel is better for that. I loved the ending and look forward to Maggie Shipstead's next book.

Despite being recommended this book I did not enjoy it. I found the story, characters and setting superficial. It is quickly forgotten.

Interesting subject, beautifully written. Sometimes the descriptions of the ballet classes were a bit too detailed and therefore dull for my liking, but as an insight into one of the most rarefied and difficult art forms (and one of the most poorly paid), it is terrific.