Pages: 294
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 1st March 2012
As a dancer with the Manhattan
Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream.
And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she’s moving up the ranks and
surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen.
But devoting her whole life to
ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have
all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn’t mind, until a chance encounter brings
Jacob into her life. He’s cute, plays guitar and he’s offering a whole future
that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong
dream and what could be the love of her life...
Bunheads
didn’t immediately grab me when I first heard about it, but when it arrived and
I read the first few pages, I knew I was going to enjoy it. I didn't realise I
would love it, though.
There’s
a certain charm surrounding ballet for every girl. I think every six-year-old
goes through a phase of wanting to be a beautiful ballerina and wear a tutu
when they grow up, especially those with no grace, balance or coordination
(i.e. me). That ambition never left Hannah and after twelve or so years of
brutally hard work, she’s dancing with one of the world’s best ballet companies.
And it’s nothing like we dreamed of as little girls.
Before
reading Bunheads I knew that being a
ballet dancer is an incredibly difficult and challenging, both mentally and
physically, career, but I had no idea to what extent. The girls in the corps abuse
their bodies with punishing exercise routines on top of a day full of dancing
and put very little back into it all to fight for a solo and get promoted. But
for the dancers, it’s completely worth it for the utter euphoria Hannah feels
when she’s onstage. I’d love to have something like that in my life.
One
of my favourite things about Bunheads is
that Hannah is nineteen. There are very few protagonists in YA that are this
age, What Happened to Goodbye by
Sarah Dessen is the only one I can call to mind right this second. It was so
nice to read about a girl who is the same age as me who was still only just
falling in love and having an adventure and those typical teenage life-changing
moments. It’s a breath of fresh air for those of us who are older than the
usual YA main character.
Bunheads is
a fascinating glimpse into the world of ballet and I can’t wait to see what
else Sophie Flack has up her sleeve.
Thank
you to Atom for providing me with a copy to review.
Sophie
Great review. I love ballet and reading stories that involve ballerinas and dance. I have been reading a lot of books that focus on young adults who spend a significant amount of time on a specific action (Virtuosity and Bittersweet). Have you read either? I like the intensity that is involved in these stories. I will definitely read Bunheads!
ReplyDeleteI've read and loved Virtuosity and really want to get my hands on Bittersweet - I love Sarah Ockler.
DeleteGreat review :) I put it on my TBR list,,, it sounds like something I might like... I'm into stories about dancers-they fascinate me!! I'm a new follower and thought I'd drop by and say HI!
ReplyDelete-Riya
The Teen Book Guru
Hey! Great review. I want to read this but I know my sister will too. I might have to get it for her birthday. She loved ballet but had to stop at 13 because of knee problems. My mum made me do it because she wanted me to be more graceful. I gave up as soon as my sister did. I was born a tomboy :-)
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this! Thank you for the wonderful review.
ReplyDelete