I really enjoyed this story about professional ballet and the intricate relationships between principal dancers, their co-workers and their non-ballet friends and family. The story sets its focus on Joan, a dancer in the corps with no hope for advancement, and her unlikely relationship with a Russian star who defects from Russia to dance in New York. Over decades we learn what happens to Joan, her family, and the Russian dancer.

Had I not recently watched a few seasons of reality TV that showed the backstage of a professional ballet company I don't know that I would have really appreciated this story. Knowing what I know about how difficult the life of a ballet dancer is added a great deal of depth to the story for me. I also did some quick googling to determine that the defector and the mysterious Mr. K seem to be representations of Baryshnikov and Balanchine.

The story tended to be dark but I found it all quite enjoyable. ( )

This was an interesting book, mostly for character study. The reason I didhn't rate it higher was due to the repetition which was not always necessary. Most of the protagonists were involved in the world of ballet in a variety of different ways. It also showed the importance of both love and caring. The ending was quite realistic, and I would be interested in being told what happened to the Blintz family. The writing style was such that the reader had to often deduce many of the details, which I liked. ( )

I have read all 3 of Shipstead's novels and this one is good but not at the same level as the other 2. It deals with world of ballet and is probably accurate in its portrayal of the industry. This book constantly bounces around in time so it can be hard to follow but that worked for me. Joan is a ballet dancer who realizes that she will never be a star and the book shows her relationship to a star dancer, her "best" friend who becomes her husband, and her son. The story had some plausibility issues but the book kept me interest. If you want to look behind the scenes at ballet then I think this would be a good choice. The writing is excellent. ( )

Astonish Me is set in the competitive world of American ballet. Shipstead dissects the disappointments of her characters at the gap between dreams and reality.

The story jumps backwards and forwards in time between 1973 and 2002. As the novel opens in 1977, young dancer Joan has realised that she is never going to be a star, and when she becomes pregnant she drops out to marry her old schoolfriend Harry. She is also running away from a failed relationship with Arslan, another dancer, whom Joan helped to defect from the Soviet Union. Joan’s more talented friend Elaine continues her dance career.

The story jumps forward a few years to Southern California, where Joan, her husband and son have moved in next door to Sandy. The competitive focus has shifted to the women’s ambitions for their kids.

I was drawn to the ballet/theatre setting of the story, but there is little of the glamour and excitement associated with that environment here. What made it a good read was the characterisation, and Shipstead’s ability to maintain a fine balance of spiky wit and compassion. Shipstead’s characters are not always likeable, sometimes they do things which are frustratingly foolish, sometimes I found them really annoying, but they came to seem very real and I was drawn into caring about what might happen to them.

I received a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine programme.

Reviewed 9 September 2014. ( )

Received from NetGalley

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Be forewarned that if you aren't a big fan of books that jump around in time, this is not the book for you. It also jumps around in character POV but I never found it confusing in either regard.

The book centers around the ballet and all the drama, love, intrigue, etc that goes on behind the scenes. Most of the book is told from the perspective of Joan. She has a secret that is revealed toward the end of the book. I'm not sure if the author was attempting to make it a big reveal or have the reader suspect or what but I guessed pretty early on what it was. That being said, I still enjoyed getting there and was left wanting more. I don't necessarily want a sequel to find out what happened to the characters but I feel like the ending was a bit lacking. If given the choice between leaving it the way it is and having my mind wonder what happened and having a sequel, I'd leave it alone. Definitely worth a read if you like books that are mainly (what seems to me anyway) a character study. ( )

This is one of those novels that reminds you why you love to read. Like a fine ballet, Shipstead crafts her multi-generational tale with graceful technique. Astonish Me is certainly "en pointe." ( )

I enjoyed this story but I'm starting to rethink some of the critics I listen to because although it was interesting and the characters were compelling the prose was nothing to write home about. ( )

Reading a book set against the backdrop of ballet, it should not surprise that there is more than a hint of melodrama to the story. The grand elevations and crashes of love, the harsh spotlight characters flash on each others' shortcomings wove through this novel and gave it life, even if it was a somewhat unpleasant life.

I admit to being captivated by the story and, especially, the gorgeous writing even as I cared little for the characters. I'm still not sure whether I liked or disliked this book, but it is still with me, which perhaps is more telling.
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Powerful! ( )

I took a long time getting into this book. I was over half way through before I was reading with enthusiasm.
A gambit of ordinary and extraordinary life situations centred on the ballet scene.
She is very good at narrating people's thought life, their concerns, conflicts and challenges.
‘It's like there's an empty space in the world that was meant for me, but I can't get inside.’

I really loved Maggie Shipstead's "Seating Arrangements"and thought that novel was a fresh and often crazy look into a family during the wedding weekend of the oldest daughter.

"Astonish Me" is about professional ballet which I have to say besides thinking it looks very pretty and often breathtaking I know nothing about at all.

This novel focuses on Joan. Joan helps a professional ballet dancer named Arslan defect from the USSR in 1975. Though Joan loves to dance and loves Arslan she realizes that she is never going to be a prima ballerina and just remind a dancer in the corps. Her relationship begins with Arslan suffers due to this and she finally decides on a different path for herself.

I have to say that Maggie Shipstead can still turn a phrase. I loved how she put words together in "Seating Arrangements". It was seriously a pleasure for my eyes and brain. Readers will definitely get an in depth look at the world of ballet. I loved movies like Center Stage and Step because they give you just a minor glimpse at how hard it is to be a ballet dancer and actually continue on in this career. Reading about the rigors of ballet dancing and the many things that dancers go through with regards to their diet, their forms, how damaged their bodies and feet get. I really loved that insider's glimpse that Shipstead provided.

That said I only gave the novel 3.5 stars just because the the shifting chronology at times was a bit much to take in. I am never that big a fan of a story being told with shifting timelines unless it is done well. In this particular novel, it was not done well for me. Additionally, I wish that Shipstead had went a different way with Joan's child, Harry. I don't want to spoil for potential readers but as soon as you find out certain details you can start to call what is going to happen in the rest of the story. I am always disappointed when I can guess which way an author is going while reading a novel. I love to be surprised. It doesn't have to be a storyline that is totally out of left field but at least not something that you can read in a dozen other novels.

Please note that I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program. ( )

It's astonishing that Shipstead and I are the same age, yet she writes as if she's been doing it for decades. Absolutely loved this book, the timeline and narrator jumps. All of it. Also, the last page. This book has broken me of my habit to not read the last paragraph before starting at the beginning. ( )

Quick and enjoyable read, but ultimately too slight for me. The inclusion of a surprise twist near the end didn't help its case much. ( )

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I felt very lukewarm about this book -- the milieu was interesting, but the characters weren't, and I thought that the whole thing was pretty predictable. ( )

"Etonnez-moi" was a saying by Sergei Diaghilev the Russian ballet master. Astonish Me. #TBT to a book published in 2014 that's been on my list to read for awhile. It was the highly anticipated second novel by Maggie Shipstead and I thought it was brilliant. But I've also been around the ballet world for over 20 years so I understood every nuance she described from tendons to summer programs. The novel spans several decades and is broken into four parts. It follows Joan (a very good but will never be great ballet dancer) from her childhood with her best friend Jacob to her professional years when she helps a Russian dancer defect (think Baryshnikov) to America. Upon becoming pregnant, Joan marries Jacob, retires from the ballet company and moves to suburban LA where she teaches ballet and nurtures budding dancers including her son and her neighbor's daughter, Chloe. The children grow and become competitive dancers themselves and things get very interesting. I'll leave it at that so as not to provide any spoilers! If you've ever danced, been a dance mom or been obsessed with ballerinas, you will love this book. Regardless, the writing is superb but I think anyone not familiar with the industry could get bored with the details of her descriptions. My favorite passages were when Chloe was a mouse in the Nutcracker. I felt like I was back in the theater watching my girls during dress rehearsals. ( )

A stayed-up-to-finish-it book — and I don't even like ballet. ( )

Bravo!
Nothing earth shattering happens in this novel, but I found myself unable to stop turning the pages as if I was reading the most edge-of-your-seat thriller. Shipstead's ability to immediately hook the reader with her writing prowess isn't loud and aggressive, but more subtle and gentle, an enjoyable experience that leaves you wanting to read more by this gifted author even before the last page is turned. ( )

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I felt very lukewarm about this book -- the milieu was interesting, but the characters weren't, and I thought that the whole thing was pretty predictable. ( )

“Though she would never say so, Sandy holds the opinion that mothers who keep their figures have sacrificed less than mothers who have widened and softened.”

This book was so real and relatable. The main character is broken and, at times, a terrible person, but I slowly grew to love her. She sees her faults and slowly fixes them. The book was easy to read and very enjoyable, but I was not expecting that major plot twist. Again, I may be naive and it might have been obvious to other readers what was coming, but I audibly gasped and I tore through the rest of the book. I thought this was a wonderful read. ( )

Joan Joyce, a member of the corps de ballet, realizes that she will never become the prima ballerina of her heart’s desire, nor will she be good enough for the Russian danseur she helped defect. She heads for Chicago where she marries her high school love; they have a child and she settles into being a wife and mother; ultimately, she becomes a dance instructor.
When Joan’s son, Harry, and Chloe, one of her dance students, both show great promise as dancers, she finds herself thrust back into the world of ballet. But a long-held secret threatens to destroy the life she has built for herself.

Although not particularly likeable, the characters are well-drawn and seem at home in the competitive world they inhabit. This tale of hopes, dreams, and of the pursuit of perfection plays out against the backdrop of the professional ballet and, despite the rather jaded outlook spun out in this narrative, the behind-the-scenes look at the ballet is a highlight of the book. Although astute readers will easily deduce the long-held secret long before its reveal, this nuanced, emotional tale will remain with them long after they’ve turned the final page. ( )

Perfectly satisfactory novel that revolves around the world of ballet.

Joan has been training to be a ballerina all her life. It is her only goal. She makes it into a crops in NY, and gets to perform in Paris. But somewhere along the line she realizes she will never be a soloist--no matter how hard she works, her body just can't do it. Should she just keep going until she is too old?

In the meantime, she helps a Russian dancer defect. She then marries her best-friend-since-forever. They have son, move to CA, and she finally does start teaching dance, and her son and his best friend (the next door neighbor girl Chloe) both work with her.

And so it goes. Can Harry or Chloe achieve Joan's long-ago dreams? ( )

(Via Hardcover from BookPeople, while listening to Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, which is what my very sneaky mom used to play to put me to sleep. Ok so, Swan Lake would have been more appropriate on the surface, but Sleeping Beauty is, understandably, one of my favorite symphonies and the stuff of dreams, and exactly right for this book, especially because we wouldn't have this book without the author's mom, who shared with her the love of ballet).

In a sea of blue covered books which I can't for the life of me keep straight, this one stands out. (I may have to boycott blue covers this year- book world hear my plea - except Jimmy Carter's book, I'll make an exception for that, thank heaven I have already read John Green). The cover deserves attention. Simply deceptively perfect. Look at it, what do you think you will get? Ballet. Not overly done, not lost in romance, but determined ballet at the cross roads of life, on a crisp white platter, with a demanding presence - The teacher? The audience? The star? The reader? Life? You? Me? Astonish me. Astonish me. Astonish me.

Meet Joan who has a secret which perhaps is why she has never danced as well as she danced tonight. Joan is good enough to dance in the corp, but is not a star. Yet, the star chose her to help him defect. And off we go, through a world that I'd long since forgotten and don't know - ballet, the barre, tutus, and the Cold War (remember White Knights?), and through relationships, which are always changing in predictable and unpredictable ways. This is a world of a much different kind of performance art than I'm used to, a world the book penetrates with seeming truth. But even there, it's a world where determination and love are what matters, in the end. ( )

The plot was engaging, but someone predictable. I just couldn't get into her prose. ( )

Für mich ist es eigentlich eher eine Biografie über Joan deren große Liebe wie eine Seifenblase zerplatzt. Sie ist schwanger und ihre Karriere als Tänzerin vorbei ehe sie richtig begonnen hat. Sie heiratet ihren Jugendfreund Jacob und zieht aus New York weg. Die Geschichte wird in verschiedenen Erzählsträngen (Personen und Zeitabschnitte ) erzählt. Mir fiel es am Anfang (Teil I) schwer dem Verlauf zu folgen da er sich in die Länge gezogen hatte. Ab Teil II wurde die Geschichte etwas interessanter da die Spannung stieg und die erzählweise flüssiger und bildhafter wurde. Das brachte mich dazu etwas tiefer in die Geschichte einzutauchen.

Hatte ich im ersten Teil eine Meinung zu den Protas musste ich diese in den anderen Teilen wieder ändern. Die Symphatien wechselten. Es geht nicht nur ums Tanzen obwohl das natürlich als Geschichte im Vordergrund steht. Es geht hier auch um Emotionen die im weiteren Verlauf des Buches sehr lebhaft beschrieben wurden. Sei es Eifersucht, Unsicherheit, Neid, Wut, Hoffnung und Liebe. Diese Emotionen ziehen sich durch das ganze Band und ich hatte immer mehr das Gefühl das die Protas eine Lüge leben.

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I think this is my new favorite author. She develops characters wonderfully, takes me to a new place I'd not been before and I feel at home there, and then ends her books in such a satisfying way. They just stop, but they stop in the best place. Can't wait for the next one she writes. And will own this when it comes out in paperback. ( )