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Title: Astonish Me
Author: Maggie Shipstead
Narrator: Rebecca Lowman
Format: Unabridged
Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
Language: English
Release date: 05-08-14
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher's Summary:
From the prize-winning author of Seating Arrangements comes an exquisitely written, fiercely compelling glimpse into the demanding world of professional ballet and its magnetic hold over two generations.
Astonish Me is the irresistible story of Joan, a young American dancer who helps a Soviet ballet star, the great Arslan Rusakov, defect in 1975. A flash of fame and a passionate love affair follow, but Joan knows that, onstage and off, she is destined to remain in the shadows.
After her relationship with Arslan sours, Joan decides to make a new life for herself. She quits ballet, marries a good man, and settles into the rhythm of Californian life with their son, Harry. But as the years pass, Joan comes to understand that ballet isn't finished with her yet: for there is no mistaking that Harry is a prodigy. Inevitably Joan is soon pulled back into a world she thought she'd left behind and back to Arslan.
Gripping and dramatic, Astonish Me is a story about the nature of talent, the choices we must make in search of fulfilment, and how we can never truly escape from the secrets of the past.
Critic Reviews:
So graceful, so dazzling, so sure-handed and fearless, that at times I had to remind myself to breathe. Astonish Me is a treasure of small surprises (Maria Semple)
Shipstead is a gifted writer who examines families and relationships in a poignant, insightful way (Stylist)
A novel you must read Shipstead has captured the mercurial flow of artistic genius (Washington Post)
Etonnez-moi, Diaghilev famously challenged Jean Cocteau: Astonish me. That's a fair description of what Maggie Shipstead did to me on nearly every page of this impressive novel. Like its subject, the ballet, this book is intricately choreographed, technically demanding, yet seemingly relaxed, written in a prose of great emotional range and acuity. I will be paying close attention to Shipstead's career from here on in. (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Members Reviews:
A beautifully written book
I loved every page of this book. The quality of the writing lured me in as much as the story did. Ballet made an interesting backdrop to the story because it demands perfection from its participants, as the characters demanded perfection from themselves and each other. It came as no surprise that perfection is an unachievable, though admirable, goal. Yet, the search for perfection can be a perilous journey as it was in "Astonish Me."
The characters were well-developed and believable in the context of a competitive, artistic setting. Professional arts, like professional sports, lead to dog-eat-dog scenarios, where relationship often take second priority to success.
I love ballet and, having known a professional ballerina, am aware of the rigors of becoming a member of the corps, let alone a prima ballerina. Those who are unfamiliar with ballet might find some of the terminology confusing, but I do not think a lack of understanding would detract from the story. The author did an excellent job of describing the sacrifices and dedication one must make to get to the Big Show.
In the first ballet I saw, I thought the dancers were as dainty as little flowers. In my second experience, I was seated in the second row and realized that I was watching very graceful athletes! I could hear their feet pounding and watch the sweat roll down their faces.
