Set in the elegant and capricious world of professional
ballet, this is the story of a brilliantly talented male
ballet star and the young actress who falls in love with
him. It chronicles the life of Jean-Baptiste St. Michel,
whose dream is to become a world-class dancer. He's also
consumed with proving himself to his father, a famous
dancer-choreographer who abandoned his family for fame. Not
only is Michel extremely ambitious, he's also handsome and
talented. However, that talent has not been developed to
its full potential, until he's taken in and tutored by the
head of the Islington Ballet, a world-renowned company.
While a member of this company, Michel meets the pretty
aspiring actress Jonni Kendal. They're immediately
attracted to each and are soon married. However, Michel is
unable to devote himself to Jonni and the emotions of their
relationship, since dance is his all-consuming passion.
Having attained the rank of featured solo dancer, and with
a beautiful loving wife, Michel is still unfulfilled. If
order to do so, he must come to terms with his past and
confront his unfeeling parents.
With lyrical and elaborate prose, Horsfall has written a
stunning debut novel that pulls readers into the tumultuous
world of talented young artists on the edge. At 786 pages,
it's a big read, but once immersed in this well-written,
character-driven volume of work, you won't want to put it
down.
When Jonni Kendal comes to London to pursue her dream of
becoming an actress, she's young, naive, full of courage and
determined to excel. Just nineteen, she's made up her mind
to escape the narrow, parochial life her parents have
planned for her.
Jean-Baptiste St. Michel is haunted by his father: the man
who abandoned him as a child, the man he can hardly
remember, the man he cannot forget. Driven by his
determination to forge a life for himself outside of the
shadow of his father's famous name, he's ambitious, talented
and dangerously attractive -- but suspicious of emotional
attachments.
When Michel rescues Jonni one night and takes her home,
there's an immediate attraction. Jonni finds herself
embraced by an exciting new world she never suspected
existed, and Michel, ever wary of commitment, finds himself
growing used to her presence in his life. But before he can
commit to any kind of future, he must release himself from
his past.