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Alice Simpson

Autor/a de Ballroom

10 obres 59 Membres 8 Ressenyes

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Obres de Alice Simpson

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This is an OK story but the main character (Jane Carter) who says she is 24 years old, acts more like a 14 year old girl detective. Her father owns the local newspaper so she is not lacking for money. If he can afford to hire a nanny/housekeeper who literally raised Jane from the time her mother died, then Jane has a very cushy life.

This novel was more telling and less showing and there was several errors that editing clearly did not catch!!

I was also disappointed to notice that there was NO mention of what life was really like in the 1920s, other than the occasional mention of Rudolph Valentino. Otherwise the way these girls used their cars and the telephones, was written exactly how a girl in the 1980s would have used her car and the telephone (before the internet and cell phones came out).

All in all, it read just like a contemporary novel, which was quite disappointing.
… (més)
 
Marcat
Robloz | Sep 23, 2021 |
A poignant character study, "Ballroom", pulses with the underlying rhythm of the Tango dance. Author Alice Simpson's debut work centers around a New York dance hall of the late 1990's--long past its glamorous heyday, but still offering an essence of grandeur and the hope of grand dreams. Connecting its devotees with a fleeting reprieve from the realities of daily life, the Ballroom is an escape route set to a rhythmic beat. Among those linked together in interconnected storylines are: Harry Korn, the aging dance master; Sarah Dreyfus, single and approaching forty with a loudly ticking clock; Gabriel Katz, resplendent in his self-styled presentations; Joseph, who longs for Sarah to notice him as more than a dance partner; Maria Rodriguez,a star in her own right, and the apple of dance master's eye; and Angel Morez, Maria's partner, and a man with many plans of his own. Caught up in the atmosphere and ambiance of the grand old Ballroom, each of them seeks their own version of time in the spotlight--time to dance, to dream, to dare to engage in something more than the routine of their everyday lives. Each of them will experience unimagined highs and lows as they are propelled ever forward by the driving force of the dance.

BookCopy Gratis Amazon Vine
… (més)
 
Marcat
gincam | Hi ha 5 ressenyes més | Sep 15, 2019 |
I found this book to be a bit boring. Yes sexy but boring.
 
Marcat
pamkaye | Jul 4, 2016 |
Ballroom by Alice Simpson is a recommended novel only for those who enjoy character studies of the disagreeable and ballroom dancing.

In Ballroom, a debut novel, we meet a cast of characters who gather to dance at The Ballroom. All of them are loyal patrons who love to dance, even if for most of them it is simple a way to escape their sad, dreary lives and create superficial connection with others. We also meet 65 year old Harry Korn who has been teaching 20 year old Maria how to dance since she was a child. Harry is under the illusion that he and Maria will run off together when she turns 21. Maria has a dance partner, Angel, and they are winning trophies together even as Maria finishes college and heads off to grad school. Sarah is a lonely woman searching for love with a dance partner, while Joseph is a lonely man who thinks his dream of a family will be realized through a dance partner at the Ballroom. Gabriel is a man who is seducing women he meets to escape from his real life.

While Simpson does a good job at characterization, I couldn't relate to or sympathize with even one of these characters. They are all so sad and unlikeable, even young Maria, and desperately wanting to change their lives but totally ineffectual and impotent to do anything concrete. Frankly, I found the whole Harry and Maria plot line repulsive, disgusting, and creepy, which might have worked had Simpson used that feeling in the plot, but, alas, she doesn't.

This is one of those novels where the quality of the writing is good, the characters are there, but then nothing is really done with them. We learn about their past, and their dreams, but then nothing is brought to a satisfactory conclusion. There is no big dramatic ending or plot twist.

The opening of each chapter is prefaced by quotes from old school books on ballroom dancing etiquette and the whole story is infused with dance. Those who enjoy ballroom dancing and can see how the steps in each dance can mirror life might find Ballroom a more satisfying novel than I did.

If you visit Alice Simpson's website you will see that Ballroom began as an Artist Book and you can see a picture of the cover and one of the exquisite watercolors: www.alicesimpson.com/artist-books/directory/ballroom.html In fact, I am much more impressed and in awe of her art work than this novel.

Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.
http://tlcbooktours.com
… (més)
 
Marcat
SheTreadsSoftly | Hi ha 5 ressenyes més | Mar 21, 2016 |

Llistes

Estadístiques

Obres
10
Membres
59
Popularitat
#280,813
Valoració
3.2
Ressenyes
8
ISBN
4

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