A vibrant and absorbing novel about the competitive world of professional ballet, written by a former New York City Ballet dancer.
As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances, and complicated backstage relationships. But when she meets a spontaneous and irresistibly cute musician named Jacob, her universe begins to change.
Until now, Hannah has happily followed the company's unofficial mantra, Don't think, just dance. But as Jacob opens her eyes to the world beyond the theater, Hannah must decide whether to compete against the other bunheads for a star soloist spot or to strike out on her own.
Don't miss this behind-the-scenes look at the life of a young professional ballet dancer, written by an insider who lived it all.
Sophie Flack danced with the New York City Ballet from 2000 to 2009. She lives and writes in New York City, and has contributed to
theBoston Globe,
theWall Street Journal,
theWeekly Standard,
O Magazine, and
Ballet Review.Bunheadsis her first novel.
Praise forBunheads: She [Flack] brilliantly captures the arc from soaring ballerina toexhausted dancer collapsing in a pool of sweat...details havebeen changed, but fans of ballet will nonetheless relish the inside scoop. A multi-layered and absorbing good read by a promising debutnovelist.
Kirkus(starred review) A measured, vibrant, un-melodramatic account... with a lively cast of literary soloists and corps de novel who present possible ways to survive, or not, as a dancer. Even the ballet-neutral will understand the conflict between career and personal life explored here, but this book will be absolutely irresistible to those who've always felt just one pirouette and years of ferocious training away from ló&
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