REVIEW: Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Name: Bunheads

Author: Sophie Flack

Publisher: Atom

Date published: 1st March 2012 

Pages: 294

Source: Gifted

Rating: 

As a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream. She gets to be up on stage in front of adoring crowds every night. And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she's moving up the ranks and surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen.

But devoting her whole life to ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn't mind, until a chance encounter in a restaurant brings Jacob into her life. He's cute, he plays guitar and he's offering a whole future that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong dream or what could be the love of her life...

[summary taken from Goodreads]

This is one of those books which I felt sad to be finishing.  I didn't want it to end!!!  Sophie Flack writes so beautifully: her style is simplistic yet elegant and I just felt completely absorbed into the whole story.  Every  detail is described so vividly, allowing me to feel as if I was peeking backstage into an elegant world of ballerinas and dance...

Ballet terms are scattered throughout the book and as I do ballet myself, I understood some of these but with the more complicated ones, I was probably as clueless as someone who doesn't dance.  This didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, it actually made the story more authentic and graceful and I loved it even more for that reason <3  I'm not trying to be cheesy, but the reading experience of Bunheads was pretty magical: I felt like my younger self, the little girl who went to see ballet shows with her mother, eyes widening as the dancers moved swiftly from one side of the stage to another... A book that makes you nostalgic for your childhood has to be pretty good!

Many books about ballet are for younger kids so I was definitely glad to see one targeted at teenagers and young adults.  I loved reading from Hannah's point of view and it was obvious how determined she was to succeed in the ballet world.  She's a strong nineteen-year-old who seems clear on what she intends to do with her life and she's a tough cookie - after all, she has lived away from her parents since the tender age of fourteen!  But then, enter Jacob - a laid-back college student. I personally kind of hate him.  I didn't fall for his charm at all; I just couldn't connect with him.  Yes, he was sweet but he didn't seem supportive nor did he fully appreciate Hannah's love for ballet.  My furiousness peaked when he stormed out after they had sex because Hannah said she wouldn't be able to spend the rest of the day with him due to ballet rehearsals. Really, Jacob?  Really? Get a grip!  That is no way to treat a girl!

Thinking back, I suppose I didn't like him because he was just a normal guy in a beautiful, almost surreal setting.  He was normal, boring compared to the ballet dancers and even Matt - the rich guy who tries to woo Hannah with his gentlemanly charm.  If he was the male interest in an book set in secondary school, I guess I might have fallen for him...  But his normality cropping up and tearing away all the magic of the ballet just really frustrated me :(  

Bunheads has a real 'behind-the-scenes' feel to it and I loved exploring the theatre and 'watching' over everyday ballet classes, led by strict ballet mistresses.  It also revealed the nitty-gritty aspects of dance. The competition between each dancer was pretty tough and oh my, the bitchiness between the girls was definitely surprising!  Hannah had no 'real' friends apart from Bea: Bea was the only supportive one: the one who listened to her worries and cheered her up when she was upset.  There were some occasional poignant moments with Zoe but since they both usually competed for the same roles, their friendship was often put aside which really put into perspective how tough it must be for dancers everyday.  I actually grew quite protective of Hannah, even though she's four years older than me!  Maybe it was the fact that she had a lack of parental love when she was growing up and the constant pressure she was under to perform well.  It's a feeling I can't really describe but maybe if you read it, you'll realise what I'm talking about...

And I just couldn't write this review without mentioning the ending.  Let's just say I was a little disappointed by it but I think you either love it or you hate it, depending on your viewpoint so it's really just a matter of opinion :)

Overall, a beautiful, enchanting novel about self-discovery, competition and romance in the world of ballet.  If you're interested in the world of dance, then this is THE book for you - even if you're not, this is still a wonderful contemporary with a difference!  I've been having difficulty on how to rate Bunheads, considering the flaws I've mentioned.  However the elegant, glamorous nature and 'backstage feel' of this book teamed with the flawless writing of Sophie Flack and her creation of realistic characters allowed me to forget tolerate Jacob and to see that the 'finale' was inevitable, so TOP marks for Bunheads!

5 teacups for Bunheads!

P.S. Apologies for the long review! I know I said I wanted to cut down on the length of my reviews but I just could not summarise the magic of this book in a few paragraphs, hopefully it was fun to read :/  Feel free to virtually slap me if I bored you :)