The Flamenco Academy: A Novel
by Sarah Bird
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sarah BirdEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-16
ISBN: 0345462386
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Flamenco Academy: A Novel
Book Review: Vivid, compelling, emotional read
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a Sarah Bird fan since ALAMO HOUSE, her first. I thought she would have to go a long way to top THE YOKOTA OFFICER'S CLUB, a beautiful novel about (among other things) growing up as a military brat. But she has absolutely topped herself with FLAMENCO ACADEMY.
Granted, the writing gets a little heavy-handed in spots, but that's a minor complaint compared to what she pulls off here. The book combines comedy, drama, romance, mystery, and history--but even citing those categories trivializes the accomplishment. Bird ignores formulas and grounds all of her work in real locations, real research, and real feelings. Her characters sweat and get bad breath and say the wrong things and fall down and get back up again, and sometimes they amaze themselves as much as they do the reader.
I don't dance flamenco, but I have friends who do, and this book is true to what I know about the dance. More importantly, it's true to the idea of becoming obsessed with dance, and that's something I do know about firsthand.
But none of that matters as much as the way I was absolutely hooked by the story. When I wasn't reading the book I was thinking about it and looking forward to being with it again. I could see everything in my head--all the characters, all the dances, the landscapes and the cheap motels. I can't think of a book I've read in ages that has so completely transported me to the universe inside the covers. What more can you ask from a book than that? Maybe an ending that feels inevitable and perfect, happy and sad, and that I did not see coming. She gets that right, too.
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