Set in 1870s Paris, the novel follows the impoverished van Goethem sisters after their father’s death. Marie, a young student at the Paris Opera Ballet, becomes the model for Edgar Degas’s famous sculpture, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. While Marie endures grueling rehearsals and the predatory gaze of wealthy male patrons, her older sister Antoinette sinks into a turbulent relationship with a young man linked to a high-profile criminal trial. Their youngest sister, Charlotte, struggles to maintain her place in the ballet school’s strict hierarchy as the family faces eviction and moral decline.
Historical fiction enthusiasts read this book to understand the gritty reality behind Impressionist art and the Belle Époque. It is for those interested in the social history of the working class and the exploitative nature of nineteenth-century French theater. Readers walk away with a specific perspective on how poverty shaped the lives of the young dancers nicknamed the little rats, along with a detailed look at the intersection of art, criminality, and the limited choices available to women in urban history.
Clear-cut; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2012
- Language
- EN
