Astonish Me is April's Book of the Month
About the Book
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 background. She will never
possess Arslan, and she will never be a prima ballerina. She will rise
no higher than the corps, one dancer among many.
After her relationship with Arslan sours, Joan plots to make a new life for herself. She quits ballet, marries a good man, and settles in California with him and 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. Through Harry, Joan is pulled back into a world she thought she’d left behind—back into dangerous secrets, and back, inevitably, to Arslan.
Combining a sweeping, operatic
plot with subtly observed characters, Maggie Shipstead gives us a novel
of stunning intensity and deft psychological nuance. Gripping, dramatic,
and brilliantly conjured, Astonish Me confirms Shipstead’s range
and ability and raises provocative questions about the nature of
talent, the choices we must make in search of fulfillment, and how we
square the yearning for comfort with the demands of art.
Labels: book of the month club, ReaDiNG RooM News, reading suggestions
Remember to READ 4 THe FuN oF iT @ Aaron Cutler Memorial Library!
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