What this book does really well is illustrate the dependence women had on men during the height of the Paris Opera. Our heroine's only options are as follows: 1) Find someone to marry, 2) Find someone who will set her up as a lorette (high-class prostitute), or 3) Sell her body every night after the show. Now, it bothers me a little bit that the author indicated that the Paris Opera was pimping out their ballerinas to the patrons on a nightly basis. There was a bit of pimping that went on, but there wasn't some unspoken contract that every ballerina had to give it up to every interested party on a nightly basis as soon as she turned twenty-five. That's a bit of an exaggeration (something the author admits in her follow-up notes).There's enough drama that I didn't think the book needed that bit of fiction. The life of a ballerina in the Paris Opera was tremendously strange and demanding without also being forced into daily prostitution by their dancing masters. I get it added a sort of countdown/ticking bomb element to the story, but in truth, there is a real life countdown in the disintegration of the physical body as a dancer ages. What is an uneducated, "immoral" woman going to do with her life once she can no longer perform?The women were treated as commodities - something that the book did a great job of capturing. It also did a good job of illustrating the sexual nature of performance and high art at that time. Anyone interested in some light reading centered around the art world and the Paris Opera would probably find this an entertaining read. The prose is light and immersive, though it has a tendency to skim over less sensational/romantic plot elements (like the war and temporary ruin of Paris!). It says a lot that I didn't hate the character, since she was in the unenviable position of deciding which man to hitch her star to. Normally I hate that kind of thing, but she was portrayed more as a modern girl trying to live in a dangerous world, than as a scheming gold-digger. The battle for her virginity got a little silly.Other stuff I liked:-The other ballerinas. The ins and outs of their relationships and competitiveness with each other.-How the MC got rid of an unwanted lover. Showed intelligence and wit.Stuff that bothered me:-The author is clearly not a dancer. She did her research, but a few of her technical mistakes were frustrating. Described transitions between dance steps were illogical and a dancer would not perform a ballon. A ballon is a quality of movement, not an actual dance step. A ballonne, on the other hand, might work. Not to get nitpicky... but... Anyhoo, there you go. It isn't high art, but it's kinda fun. I recommend doing some follow-up research if you find the topic interesting, because it was a fascinating time in dance history. This was just a lot of words strung together to make what can vaguely be called a novel. The random uses of French words and repetitive nature of the characters was less than compelling. Character development was pretty much nonexistent. It wasn't so terrible that I did not want to finish but I do not feel s if I have gained anything from reading this novel. It's a beach/plane/finish in a weekend type of read.
What do You think about Dansatoarea Lui Degas (2009)?
I enjoyed this book and gained much insight into the Parisian ballet program of the time of Degas.
—cat0515
It's beautiful. I cried so bad at the end. :(
—Rose
