City of Night Birds
A Reese's Book Club Pick
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4.2 • 14 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
'A novel that will be read and loved for the next one hundred years, and essential reading for right now. I could not have loved it more.' Coco Mellors, author of Blue Sisters
'This story left me thinking about the ways we overcome setbacks and redefine what truly matters.' Reese Witherspoon
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK FOR DECEMBER 2024 * A HARPER'S BAZAAR BEST BOOK OF 2024
Slowly recovering from a terrible accident, Natalia is faced with a devastating choice – to return to the cutthroat world of Russian ballet that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever – in this sweeping novel of love and redemption
Prima ballerina Natalia Leonova was once celebrated across the world, her signature bravura in demand on stages from St. Petersburg to Paris to New York. But at the top of her career, an accident forces her into sudden retirement. Injured and alone, she turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past, still haunted by her relationships with two gifted dancers, Dmitri and Alexander. These men were responsible for her soaring highs, her darkest hours and, ultimately, both played their part in her downfall.
So when Dmitri resurfaces with a tantalising offer for Natalia, she must decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to dance again – and for the chance to return to the great love of her life. Painting a vivid portrait of a world in which ruthless ambition, desire and sublime artistry collide, City of Night Birds unveils the making of a dancer with profound intimacy and breathtaking scope.
From the author of Beasts of a Little Land, winner of the Yasnaya Polyana Award
'A beautifully crafted must read' Jason Mott, author of Hell of a Book
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A dancer contemplates returning to the same cut-throat world of ballet that nearly destroyed her in this sweeping, emotional novel. It’s been two years since an injury forced Natalia into a depressive semiretirement in Paris. When she finally visits her hometown of St. Petersburg, her old frenemy Dmitri is ready and waiting with an offer for her to reclaim her signature role in Giselle at the Mariinsky Theatre—if she’s up to it. But would accepting the role mean conquering her demons…or diving back into the snake pit? We were caught up in the massive pressure and intense drama of Natalia’s world right from the start. We loved how the narrative jumps around in time, from her first successful landmark audition at age seven to the romance that bloomed between Natalia and her dance partner at the Mariinsky Company to the explosive secret that broke her world apart. This peek behind the curtain will leave you contemplating what it means to be a truly dedicated artist.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kim (Beasts of a Little Land) weaves a dramatic tale of a Russian ballerina facing intense competition over the course of her career. Natalia Leonova, now in her mid-30s and living in Paris, hasn't danced for two years after an unexplained accident. During a visit to her hometown of St. Petersburg, she runs into Dmitri Ostrovsky, an old enemy, who offers her the lead role in Giselle at the Mariinsky, but she'll need much physiotherapy first. Kim alternates the present-day narrative with Natalia's origin story, beginning with her successful audition at seven at the Vaganova ballet school, where she finds a happy home away from her seamstress single mother. At 18, she makes it into the Mariinsky company as a corps de ballet member. Later, after beating superstar Alexander Nikuliu at Moscow's International Ballet Competition, the two thrill audiences as dance partners and find happiness as lovers until the revelation of an explosive secret, which Kim reveals late in the novel along with the details of Natalia's accident. Some of the transitions between past and present can be confusing, but Kim offers an illuminating look into the backstage life of a ballerina and her dedication to her art. This will land with readers.
