City of Night Birds
A Novel
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4.5 • 71 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
"This story left me thinking about the ways we overcome setbacks and redefine what truly matters." - Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club December '24 Pick)
A once-famous ballerina faces a final choice—to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever—in this incandescent novel of redemption and love
On a White Night in 2019, prima ballerina Natalia Leonova returns to St. Petersburg two years after a devastating accident that stalled her career. Once the most celebrated dancer of her generation, she now turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past.
She is unmoored in her old city as the ghosts of her former life begin to resurface: her loving but difficult mother, her absentee father, and the two gifted dancers who led to her downfall.
One of those dancers, Alexander, is the love of her life, who transformed both Natalia and her art. The other is Dmitri, a dark and treacherous genius. When the latter offers her a chance to return to the stage in her signature role, Natalia must decide whether she can again face the people responsible for both her soaring highs and darkest hours.
Painting a vivid portrait of the Russian ballet world, where cutthroat ambition, ever-shifting politics, and sublime artistry collide, City of Night Birds unveils the making of a dancer with both profound intimacy and breathtaking scope. Mysterious and alluring, passionate and virtuosic, Juhea Kim’s second novel is an affecting meditation on love, forgiveness, and the making of an artist in a turbulent world.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A dancer contemplates returning to the same cutthroat 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.
Customer Reviews
City of Night Birds
As a young preteen I attended Jeannette Garett’s dance studio. I heard stories and whispers about her life performing in New York City. I was always curious about the lives of these dancers and it became personal. Whenever a Fonteyn, Nureyev, Baryshnikov, became a news item I wanted to know more about them. This excellent book does that, it makes the lives of these dancers honest and real. For any athlete to compete at the highest level life takes a toll. For these athletes it was no different. Psychologically alone is a challenge that most normal people will never experience. While ballet is visually pretty and the interpretation enchanting, the personal demands of these athletes are often overlooked.
This story by this author makes it real and honest.
Thank you