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Title details for The Still Point by Tammy Greenwood - Wait list

The Still Point

by Tammy Greenwood
Vanessa Johansson
Audiobook
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Ever, Lindsay, and Josie have ushered their daughters—Bea, Olive, and Savvy—through years of dance classes. They've tended bloodied feet, stitched ribbons to countless pairs of pointe shoes, and forged friendships that seem to transcend rivalry.
But now Etienne Bernay, enfant terrible of French ballet, has come to their conservatory. Not only will he direct this year's production of The Nutcracker, but he's brought along a film crew to document his search for one special student who will receive a full scholarship to the Ballet de Paris Academie. For the girls, this is the chance to fulfill lifelong dreams. For Ever, recently widowed and struggling financially, it may be the only way to keep Bea dancing. And Bea is a truly gifted dancer.
Lindsay, meanwhile, frets that Olive is growing tired of the punishing reality of training, while Josie has no such qualms about Savvy, who is a powerhouse of ambition.
From auditions to casting to rehearsals, the cameras capture the selection process, with its backstabbing and jealousy, disappointment and triumph. But it's behind the scenes that Bernay's arrival will yield the most shocking revelations, exposing secrets and lies of all three families.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 20, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9798765077436
      • File size: 315503 KB
      • Duration: 10:57:17

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 22, 2024
      Greenwood (Keeping Lucy) choreographs a gratuitous drama of three child dancers and their mothers as the girls compete for a prestigious ballet scholarship. Beatrice Henderson, Olive Chase, and Savvy Jacobs have trained together for several years at a ballet school in Southern California. On the cusp of their senior year of high school, famous French dancer Etienne Bernay promises one of these budding dancers a scholarship to Ballet de Paris Academie. The selection process, recorded for a documentary film, pits the girls against each other, alienating Beatrice from the other two despite her need for support after her father’s death in a surfing accident. Meanwhile, Etienne’s presence creates rifts between the mothers, too. During a night at a bar, one of them lets Etienne draw her close on the dance floor, to the distress of another, who later jeers, “When opportunity knocks, you answer, right? Invite it in for a drink and a quick screw?” In many scenes of similarly fraught interactions, Greenwood hammers excessively at the themes of cutthroat competition and desperation. This one doesn’t quite make the cut. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Vanessa Johansson adds a youthful, energetic tone to this backstage melodrama. Dance moms and close friends Ever, Josie, and Lindsay-- who are the mothers of Bea, Savvy, and Olive--deal with critical personal issues, but each is always ready to do whatever's necessary to advance her ballet-dancing daughter. Johansson believably handles the heated competition to win choice roles among the girls, the duplicitous manipulations of the mothers, and the desperation associated with a coveted scholarship to the Ballet de Paris Acadmie. As friendships disintegrate, well-hidden and devastating secrets emerge. While Johansson's French pronunciation is uneven, she is spot-on at capturing the nuanced motives and double-dealings that resonate throughout the story. While these aren't likable characters, an able narration offers keen insights into the ballet world. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2024

      Accomplished teenage ballet students Bea, Olive, and Savvy (and their ambitious mothers) vie for the attention of renowned French dancer �tienne Bernay, who arrives from Paris to direct their dance academy's production of The Nutcracker. Bernay, who brings a film crew along to make a documentary about the process, promises to give a full scholarship for the academy of the Ballet de Paris to the school's most promising student. Each young woman dreams of being chosen for the scholarship. When �tienne appears to favor Bea over the others, however, Savvy stoops to dirty tricks to get the scholarship for herself. In addition to their ambitions for their daughters, the mothers contend with their own problems with money, men, and relationships. Their dreams for their children often result in woefully bad decisions. Greenwood (Such a Pretty Girl) creates a story of struggle, ambition, and friendship while underlining the darker side of the world of ballet. Vanessa Johansson narrates, believably capturing the emotional volatility of life for both teens and adults. VERDICT A tension-filled coming-of-age story offering a glimpse into the cutthroat world of ballet. An excellent counterpoint to Rachel Kapelke-Dale's The Ballerinas.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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