Dancer

Rating:
Summary: Divine Monster
Review: To be touched by greatness is one thing, to be consumed by greatness is entirely another. "Dancer" would have us believe Rudolf Nureyev was consumed by greatness, and I have no reason to believe otherwise. This fictionalized biography follows Nureyev through most of his life. It gives us the discipline, the passion - the obsessions - necessary to the fame Nureyev achieved. It also gives us the selfishness that comes with obsession, and a taste of the fabulous rewards that can so easily poison genius. But ultimately, nothing was more important than the dance, and this is both the sadness and the splendor of the story. The stage is Nureyev's redemption, but it is also his curse. No matter how much love, joy, or suffering, no matter what riches, life is finally for the stage, and all the rest - grist for the mill. Colum McCann is a fine writer. He writes with formality, but also with a rush of experimentation, giving us the voices and visions, real and imagined, that guided Nureyev's life. "Dancer" is not only a good read, it's also a meditation of one artist's creative process, and therefore an insight into the creative process per se. I reccommend this book whether you are a ballet fan or not - it's an adventure, a romance, and a study, and well worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: I was a dancer and couldn't finish this book!
Review: very disappointed-being a dancer and reading the reviews, thought i would very much enjoy this book! boy was i wrong-couldn't finish it! very slow and overly narrative-hardly any dialogue and in the first chapters of the book-I didn't even think I had the right one-discussed WWII......

don't waste your time. read allegra kent's autobiography if you want a good read referencing the ballet world.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid!
Review: You can tell from the very first line this book is wonderful. Rare and unputdownable, vivacious and sad -- all the superlatives you care to use. The prose is fantastic and flowing, the story a rare and strangely successful blend of fact and fiction. The sentences dance like Rudolf Nureyev himself, and I was very sad to see it end so soon. I'll keep my eyes on Colum McCann, no doubt!