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BookBrowse Reviews The Dance of the Dolls by Lucy Ashe

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The Dance of the Dolls

by Lucy Ashe

The Dance of the Dolls by Lucy Ashe X
The Dance of the Dolls by Lucy Ashe
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  • First Published:
    Sep 2023, 352 pages

    Paperback:
    Sep 10, 2024, 352 pages

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Book Reviewed by:
Maria Katsulos
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The Dance of the Dolls features the world of early British ballet, brilliant description, and multiple fascinating characters.

Twins Clara and Olivia Marionetta (née Smith; they chose far more glamorous stage names) are at the forefront of a groundbreaking artistic movement. As dancers with the Vic-Wells Ballet — which will become the modern-day Royal Ballet — in the 1930s, the sisters are part of one of the first established ballet companies in Britain. Though the setting they are in is one that will become iconic, and though the novel takes place against a backdrop of pre-World War II fears, Clara and Olivia's story, with its thrilling twists and creeping character development, focuses primarily on the personal anxieties, victories, and threats they encounter. Lovingly researched by former ballerina and current English literature teacher Lucy Ashe, The Dance of the Dolls is full of brilliant description and the deep inner thoughts of multiple fascinating characters.

Particularly because ...

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