Bunheads : A Book Review
As a young child I was fascinate with ballet. Ballerinas always seemed perfectly poised on the stage. They got to wear gorgeous outfits and special shoes and the makeup... They had captured my imagination and I was in love with the art form.
Of course life took me in a different direction, mostly because I didn't love the art enough to commit my life to it.
But fiction has allowed me to take small glimpses of the life of a ballerina and experience it. Most recently I got wrapped up in a fun contemporary fiction about the life of a ballerina in Bunheads, by Sophie Flack.
Story Overview
Hannah Ward loves being a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company. She dreams of getting selected for a soloist spot while keeping up with the demanding schedule the company requires. She doesn't have a life outside of ballet, and for the most part, she is fine with that.
Then, on one evening trip outside of her small ballet circle she meets a boy, Jacob, who introduces Hannah to other aspects of life that ballet keeps her from.
She begins to wonder if she wants ballet to be her whole life...
Then, on one evening trip outside of her small ballet circle she meets a boy, Jacob, who introduces Hannah to other aspects of life that ballet keeps her from.
She begins to wonder if she wants ballet to be her whole life...
Personal Likes
This book gives a great glimpse into the lives of professional ballet dancers. The author, Sophie Flack, danced in the NYC ballet, which gave her first hand experience to write this book, and you can tell. I was quickly whisked away into a world I would have never dreamed of all those years ago when I was young and in love with the art form.
Hannah, as a character, is likable. She has dreams and has decided to work hard to get them. Yet, we get to see the sacrifices that decision has caused her, specifically in relation to her family life. She lives and breathes ballet... there simply isn't time for anything else.
Hannah, as a character, is likable. She has dreams and has decided to work hard to get them. Yet, we get to see the sacrifices that decision has caused her, specifically in relation to her family life. She lives and breathes ballet... there simply isn't time for anything else.
Personal Dislikes
At the beginning I really liked the fact that Hannah had a ton of inner monologues. It allowed me to get to know her quickly. However, the inner monologue grew old fast, as that seemed to take up the majority of this book. It might have been done to simply show how little Hannah had in her life, but for this reader, it was boring after a while.
Overall, I just wanted more from the ending. It just sort of winded down to the end, and while I get that is more realistic, I didn't pick up a biography, I picked up a piece of fiction. I just needed some kind of action I guess.
Overall, I just wanted more from the ending. It just sort of winded down to the end, and while I get that is more realistic, I didn't pick up a biography, I picked up a piece of fiction. I just needed some kind of action I guess.
Reasons to Read
If you love ballet, or loved it, this would be a fun read. Like I mentioned above, this reads like a fictional biography of the author, so there are a lot of facts of ballet and the life style that aren't usually discussed. So that is fun.
Also, if you are looking for a story that shows how determination and dedication can look like in someone's life, this book will give you that. There is no doubt that Hannah learns that you can only completely excel at something by focusing on that one thing. If you split your attention between many things, you won't excel at any of them... even if you do become proficient at all of them.
Also, if you are looking for a story that shows how determination and dedication can look like in someone's life, this book will give you that. There is no doubt that Hannah learns that you can only completely excel at something by focusing on that one thing. If you split your attention between many things, you won't excel at any of them... even if you do become proficient at all of them.
Reading List Rating
My Suggested Audience
This is a teen fiction, and I'd suggest an age of 15 for this one. There are some heavy topics about life decisions in the book that might go over a younger teens head (of course, some are mentally more mature, so...). Overall this is a very clean read, so parents do not need to be overly concerned for the topics discussed. Hannah is focus on ballet over all else.
As an adult, this could be a fun book if you enjoy watching ballet, or if you have a ballerina (or ballet dancer...) in your life. It's a fun quick read, so don't shy away completely.
As an adult, this could be a fun book if you enjoy watching ballet, or if you have a ballerina (or ballet dancer...) in your life. It's a fun quick read, so don't shy away completely.
What fascinated you when you were a young child? Did you get to taste it ever?
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