The characters in the book are Hannah she’s 19 and the main character, She dances in Manhattan Ballet. Jacob he’s 20 year old and goes to NYU, he meets Hannah and they have a thing. Matt he is about early to mid-20’s he is a regular to the ballet and starts a thing with Hannah. Bea she is Hannah’s best friend also a dancer at the ballet they have known her since they started in the Manhattan ballet academy. Daisy is a dancer in the ballet and is in the same dressing room with Hannah. Zoe is one of Hannah’s friends they are close but they always are put up against each other and sometimes it puts tension on the friendship. Otto the creator of the ballets and castor of them he runs everything at the Manhattan ballet. Harry a stage help that is involved with Hannah they are friends and he gives her advice.
The settings are mainly set in the wings of the Manhattan ballet or dressing rooms also Hannah’s apartment too. Its view is first person because it’s all in Hannah’s view and what she is going through. And how she talks too people and her thoughts. There is one theme though out the whole book the is Hannah’s life in the ballet and her wanting to get a promotion in the ballet from corps dancer to soloist. Hannah loves the ballet but she is starting to see how life is when you don’t have dance and that it might be time for things to change.
My overall opinion on this book is really good. I loved the concept on how it is based off the real image of the ballet and real experiences. And how hard work pays off.
Hannah’s hard work pays off when Hannah saw girls getting promotions and she got some harsh criticism from her instructors. ” Hannah, come here! Jonathan practically shouts to me. He’s pointing to the casting sheet Sammy just tacked to the wall. M name under the lead for rubies, is my name. My name. Not Zoe’s. My heart does a somersault in my chest. Congratulations darling. Jonathan beams at me. Oh my god I whisper. I bite my lip to contain my excitement.” Hannah finally got her chance to shine in a lead position.
Hannah has basically no life expect for the ballet her “second home” I her apartment she normally spends all her time in the wings or her dressing room with Bea, Daisy, and Zoe. She many times explains that she never has time so she turns stuff down “ I picture her narrow , pinched face, her small , unforgiving mouth. Your job is not to live life. Your job is to dance.” This is what Annabelle Hayes says to the girls reminding the girl what comes first. Also Hannah says “I thought about the text I’d gotten from Jacob: prove you’re not chained to that theater. NYU party in wmsburg, 675 Bedford Ave. I could go to surprise him.” They end up going this is after Hannah and Jacob had a fight about Hannah being at the theater all the time.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It met all I thought it would be and more I really enjoyed reading it. I would suggest it to all the people who likes dance because you read it and can picture yourself in Hannah’s spot. Multiple time I have start to read it and lost track of time and ended up readying for 4 hours instead of 1.