Dancing for Degas

by Kathryn Wagner

Book Overview

In the City of Lights, at the dawn of a new age, begins an unforgettable story of great love, great art--and the most painful choices of the heart. With this fresh and vibrantly imagined portrait of the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas, readers are transported through the eyes of a young Parisian ballerina to an era of light and movement. An ambitious and enterprising farm girl, Alexandrie joins the prestigious Paris Opera ballet with hopes of securing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385343868
• ISBN13: 9780385343862
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

I was transported...

This was a really great read!...As a dancer and art history major, I was enthralled and captivated by the tale of Alexandrie's life as a ballerina and her relationship with Degas. I couldn't put it down and raced through the last pages just to see how it would end. While surprising, the ending did not disappoint. I did cry, though!

Dancing for Degas

When I was a girl I was absolutely obsessed with books about ballerina's. That in itself was not so uncommon, I know my little niece loves her ballet classes and dreams of being able to dance on stage and perform. For years I've admired Degas' paintings depicting the ballerina's in Paris. There is just this.. calm, quiet grace about them. I'm not knowledgeable about art, by any means, but I've always enjoyed looking at these paintings and imagining the lives of the girls posing for them. Kathryn Wagner delves into the life of a woman who may inspired many of Degas' paintings. A look into the life of the Parisian ballerina's is also offered and the story turns into a beautiful, if somewhat tragic, romance between the ballerina and the artist. This was a beautifully written book. I read it in a morning, unable to put it down and breathed a sigh of somewhat wistful relief at the ending.

Excellent debut novel!

I am a huge fan of historical fiction as I prefer a more personal storyline entwined with the factual aspects of history, and Wagner's book is as captivating as some of my favorites. Rather than trying to answer the typical "what do you think he was trying to say in this painting" question like so many art history-related books, Wagner delves deeper into the harsh reality of Parisian society in the 1800s by telling the story from the point-of-view of one of Degas' models, Alexandrie, a young, naïve dancer forced into the unfamiliar and unrelenting world of the Paris Opera ballet to support her family. Alexandrie, is easy to route for as she embarks on her journey to find love and success when neither was guaranteed for a woman. Sex, politics, love, greed - all the things that have driven society for centuries - play out in this intimate portrait of the world that made Degas' work shocking, but ultimately wildly successful. 5 stars, and I'm truly looking forward to more of Wagner's work.

Parents MUST read this

There must be a thousand books out in the world for parents right now. How to do this or that with your baby/toddler/child, OR How to get your baby/toddler/child to do this or that. From pregnancy through college there is a guide for every problem, or perceived problem, that you may possibly have. How Children Learn, though, is not a guide. It is simply a demonstration, through the journal of John Holt, that children are smart and know how to learn, from the moment they are born. He shows that by giving children the space and freedom they need to explore things that interest them, we allow them to develop thinking skills. We allow them to figure the world out, learn that things work in certain ways, and that the world is generally a predictable and benevolent place. Holt shows through his experiences that not only do we not need to force children to learn, or to teach them much, but that teaching (and especially coersion) are counterproductive to learning.It would be impossible to explain in a short space the thinking behind How Children Learn. By sharing his experiences, Holt shows us about children, not educational philosophies or theories. Get this book and read it. It will change the way that you think about children and learning forever.

I wish John Holt were still around.

The only thing that disappointed about this book was learning that the author is deceased, so I couldn't tell him how moved and inspired I was. I was the converted, already strongly leaning towards homeschooling when the time comes, but this book gave me insights that have changed how I interract with my 10 month old daughter, to my own great joy. How refreshing to read the words of a man unafraid to admit his errors and his regrets. His compassion also moved me, sometimes to tears. This book is be a validation for any one who needs one, of the choice to homeschool. It is an eye-opening inspiration for a parent seeking greater understanding of their toddler. This book, and the "companion volume", "How Children Fail", should be required reading for education legislators, and given out with diaper packets in maternity wards. If you have a first edition, get the latest one with Holt's further thoughts and self-critiquing updated commentary.