The Dance of the Dolls Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Beginnings of British Ballet and our BookBrowse Review of The Dance of the Dolls.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Clara and Olivia are identical twin sisters and some characters struggle to tell them apart. They are also ballet dancers, working every day on a discipline that expects each dancer in the corps de ballet to move as one—identical mirror images of each other. What did you think were the differences between the two sisters? And in what ways were they similar? Did their differences get in the way of their relationship and their love for each another?
2. The twin sisters have very different motivations and desires. How did the way you related to each of them differ? Was there one sister you found yourself drawn to more than the other?
3. Samuel, the pointe shoemaker apprentice, is obsessed with Olivia. However, his feelings for her change throughout the novel. How would you describe these changes? By the end of the novel, how does he feel about her? How did your opinion of Samuel change as the novel progressed?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Union Square & Co.. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.