Review: Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Title: Bunheads

Author: Sophie Flack

Publisher:  Poppy

Publication Date: 10.10.2011

Pages: 294

Genre: Contemporary

Series: No

Source: Finished copy from publisher

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

Review:

I have been fascinated by dancers for as long as I can remember. Now I personally have the balance and coordination of a drunken ostrich on a good day, so dancing isn’t exactly my forte. But I love and respect the elegance of dance, both choreographed and improv. I admire the dedication people have to this sport; they constantly and consciously inflict damage and pain on their body to achieve that perfect move, that perfect moment. I found myself just as captivated by Sophie Flack’s Bunheads as surely as if I were watching a live ballet.

Watching dancers on stage or in a movie was one thing, but I wasn’t sure about how I would enjoy reading about them. I often find that when a book revolves around a specific sport or hobby that isn’t as well known, it can be somewhat offsetting to the reader. We don’t understand the technical jargon that the writer casually tosses about, but I felt Flack handled herself wonderfully. If I didn’t completely understand a move or maneuver, the rest of the description in the page was more times than not enough compensation. And while the novel does focus heavily on dance, it’s so much more than that.

Hannah struggles as a dancer translate easily to life. She’s making decisions now as a young adult that will not only shape her career, but her life. After devoting her life to dance, Hannah starts to yearn for something more. While she still loves dance, she starts to realize she’s missing the little things in life that we non-dancers take for granted regularly. When she meets Jacob she starts to really notice all those little things and that adds up into one big question: Can she have both ballet and a life of her own?

With Flack’s background as a dancer, this novel could have easily slid into the category of preachy and confusing. There is no doubt that Flack knows her stuff when it comes to ballet, but there’s a fine line between knowing and writing. I must say that Flack danced that thin line with the finesse one would expect of a ballet dancer. This book is graceful, fast, and intoxicating to watch unfold.

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