Astonish Me
Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead is a reprint edition published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on January 6, 2015. This 272-page novel explores the life of Joan, a mother who grapples with her past as a young ballerina in Paris, where she experienced a passionate romance with Soviet dance superstar Arslan Rusakov. As she seeks peace in her suburban life, the memories of her thrilling history and the choices she made continue to haunt her.
Readers will find a narrative that delves into themes of family life and the complexities of identity. As Joan’s son reveals his own ballet talent, she is drawn back into a world filled with secrets and unresolved emotions. The story unfolds against the backdrop of various settings, including mid-1970s Manhattan and Southern California, capturing the intricate dynamics of Joan’s relationships and her longing for a past that remains just out of reach.
Official synopsis Publisher
From the New York Times bestselling author of Great Circle comes “a novel you must read” (The Washington Post) about a mother who is trying to forget her past as a young ballerina in Paris who fell into a passionate romance with a Soviet dance superstar.
For years Joan has been trying to find peace and satisfaction in her role as wife and mother. Few in her drowsy California suburb know her thrilling history: as a young American ballerina in Paris, she had a doomed affair with Soviet dance superstar Arslan Rusakov.
After playing a leading role in his celebrated defection, Joan bowed out of the spotlight for good, heartbroken by Arslan and humbled by her own modest career. But when her son turns out to be a ballet prodigy, Joan is pulled back into a world she thought she’d left behind—a world of dangerous secrets, of Arslan, and of longing for what will always be just out of reach.
“The inner lives of [Shipstead’s] characters feel as real and immediate as the shifting settings they inhabit: still-gritty mid-1970s Manhattan, shabbily elegant Paris, the sunbaked suburban sprawl of Southern California.” —Entertainment Weekly
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