Bea, Savvy and Olive have studied ballet at the same conservatory for years and this is their final year there. This will be a year like no other because Etienne Bernay, a French ballet dancer, has come with a film crew to create a documentary as he directs this season's production of The Nutcracker and chooses one dancer to be the recipient of a full scholarship to the Ballet de Paris Academie. Coupled with coming-of-age growing pains and a heightened sense of competition, jealousy and backstabbing begins. While THE STILL POINT, a novel by Tammy Greenwood, is about ballet, it is also about so much more. The characters are three dimensional and the story is told in three of their voices. Ever, Bea's mother, is recently widowed and she is floundering. Her career as a writer has stalled and she has serious financial issues. A scholarship could make all the difference in the trajectory of Bea's dance career. Lindsay, Olive's mother, is a successful realtor whose marriage has died. She fears Olive is on the verge of giving up ballet, but this scholarship could change that. Josie, Savvy's mother, is currently a single parent. There is no doubt in her mind that Savvy is the best dancer, but what will she do if Savvy goes to Paris? While on the surface they don't seem to have much in common, there is one major commonality: they are fiercely devoted to their daughters and have devoted years of their lives to their daughters' commitment to ballet. Now that the ultimate prize is at stake, how far will any of them go to win the coveted scholarship? The author expertly takes readers into the lives of the three families and this is the power of the story. While ballet brought the families into the same sphere where friendships were formed, there is much more that binds them together. They find themselves tested in ways they never saw coming. Secrets and shocking acts are revealed. As for the conclusion, it is a total surprise. I found THE STILL POINT to be a fascinating story that took me into a world I knew nothing about. Beautifully crafted and engrossing, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.
Dance Moms meets Little Fires Everywhere in award winning author Tammy Greenwood’s addictive new novel set in the hyper cutthroat world of ballet girls and their mothers as they compete for a prestigious prize…“She had never seen Bea dance like this. Ever sat spellbound as her daughter grew from a little girl into a woman before her eyes…”Ever, Lindsay, and Josie have ushered their daughters—Bea, Olive, and Savvy—through years of dance classes in their coastal California town. They’ve tended bloodied feet, stitched ribbons to countless pairs of pointe shoes, and in the process, 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—poetic and ethereal, breathtaking to watch.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 the secrets and lies at the heart of all three families—and the sacrifices women make for their children, for friendship, and for art.
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