R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on + 1438 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A famous ballerina is selling her jewelry to benefit the Boston ballet. Nina Revskya is ill, in pain, and confined to a wheelchair. However, her decision to auction her jewels opens past memories that she would prefer to forget. The novel moves back and forth between her past and the present. The present is likewise divided between Nina's thoughts and emotions and that of the young woman, Drew Brooks, who is researching and evaluating the collection plus the reactions of a professor, Grigori Solodin, who believes that he is related to Nina.
Nina recalls her experiences as a child, later as an aspiring ballerina, and finally as a an accomplished and well revered ballerina. Even at this point she is poor, hungry and always repairing costumes, tights and ballet shoes. When she falls in love with the wealthy poet, Viktor Elsin, the two marry they still must live with his mother, who dislikes her and ridicules her.
As Nina's story unfolds, Viktor's best friend is arrested and sent away. Nina's friend, Vera, is devastated as she is in love with the friend. Nina becomes more and more distrustful of those around her and focuses primarily on dance. Viktor wants to have a child but Nina is afraid to bring one into this world. She and Vera quarrel and avoid each other. However, there is so much to the relationships and her marriage than one can share in a few lines.
Back in the present, Grigori Solonin owns an amber necklace that he believes belongs with a set that Nina has listed for sale. In his attempt to discover if it is and if he is related to Nina he finds himself attracted to Drew and another story line evolves.
I loved the novel and the bouncing back and forth between characters and time frames only seemed to me to enhance the story. It's a wonderful read well documented by the author's research. While these comments may seem disconnected it is difficult to share impressions about this read without giving away too much. Suffice it to say that this is a most enjoyable novel that I highly recommend.
Nina recalls her experiences as a child, later as an aspiring ballerina, and finally as a an accomplished and well revered ballerina. Even at this point she is poor, hungry and always repairing costumes, tights and ballet shoes. When she falls in love with the wealthy poet, Viktor Elsin, the two marry they still must live with his mother, who dislikes her and ridicules her.
As Nina's story unfolds, Viktor's best friend is arrested and sent away. Nina's friend, Vera, is devastated as she is in love with the friend. Nina becomes more and more distrustful of those around her and focuses primarily on dance. Viktor wants to have a child but Nina is afraid to bring one into this world. She and Vera quarrel and avoid each other. However, there is so much to the relationships and her marriage than one can share in a few lines.
Back in the present, Grigori Solonin owns an amber necklace that he believes belongs with a set that Nina has listed for sale. In his attempt to discover if it is and if he is related to Nina he finds himself attracted to Drew and another story line evolves.
I loved the novel and the bouncing back and forth between characters and time frames only seemed to me to enhance the story. It's a wonderful read well documented by the author's research. While these comments may seem disconnected it is difficult to share impressions about this read without giving away too much. Suffice it to say that this is a most enjoyable novel that I highly recommend.
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