Ehh...it was okay. As a former ballerina, I absolutely loved how ballet was incorporated into the story; it wasnt just used as a way to describe the characters, but it had its own place in the story. But past this general positive, my feelings about the book get a little more confused. This is the only Eva Ibbotson I've read (and you know, while it wasnt an awful read, I certainly dont feel the impulse to go out and read more of her stuff) and her writing style is descriptive and at times even elegant but her characters are very vacillated and her story pacing is really, REALLY weird. This is first and foremost a romance story (there's little to no actual "HISTORY" here) and so therefore the romantic aspect should be the most important and the one that carries the weight of the story. Well, the whole thing just left me feeling rather confused: the relationship is way WAY too rushed at the expense of a moderately-paced blossoming love story in which the reader gets to know the characters well and really see their relationship grow. What could have been sweet and "romantic" gets questionable and downright tawdry. And I consider myself one of the last true Romantics running around today. I love "happily-ever-afters." I love "true love" and all that jazz. But this is just weird. Now granted, there were some good dialogue segments here and there, but not evenly or properly spaced throughout the story. And this is just a personal pet peeve of mine, but I don't understand why authors feel the need to include "previous encounters" of the love interest... THIS IS NOT A CARFAX HISTORY REPORT! I dont want to know all the other people who have driven your car!!! And I am certainly not a progressive, but I found it just a bit weird that this seemingly good-natured, innocent but grounded character would be so quick to tramp herself up. Girls, when you're shacking up with someone on a regular basis (well, that is what "shacking up" means), that's trampy. When the main character (who is at the ripe old age of 18 i might add) communicates a willingness to live as a "kept woman," that's trampy. that's adultery, also. How is that romantic? Like I said before, the characters' profiles just seem to constantly contradict each other. The ballerina in me was satisfied, and there were SOME parts of the harriett-rom romance that i thought was sweet (i like it when guys "rescue" girls--not because girls cant do anything for themselves, but because guys need to get off their butts and be productive! Not because we're weak, because WE'RE WORTH IT!) but overall, not one of my favorites. Ann Rinaldi is still the queen of "HISTORYCAL FICTION" in my book!
Once again Ibbotson shows how apt she is at expressing just how her character is feeling, in such a way that the reader sets the book down in her lap and sighs, "Yes. That is exactly how it feels."When we first meet Harriet, it is indeed difficult to find an aspect of her life that is not dreary and isolated. Kept on an unbelievably tight rein by her scholar father and spinster aunt, her only outlet is the weekly ballet lessons that have somehow slipped under the radar. When a talent scout offers her the chance to join a touring ballet company on its way to Brazil, Harriet can't sit back and watch life pass her by once more. Escaping from her father, her insect-obsessed intended, and England in general, she sails to the Amazon and into another life.In Manaus, Harriet finds friendship, hard work, inspiration, and Rom--the mysterious and wealthy expat who owns the Teatro Amazonas where the company performs. Ibbotson's novels are all about home. About finding it somewhere you least expected it, about returning to it again after you thought all was lost. Harriet is, without a doubt, the most beleaguered of all her heroines, and this tale is a particularly sweet one because it is about a young woman trying so hard to do the right thing and keep a grasp on happiness at the same time, and a man who is afraid to hold onto hope when it is offered him for what, he is certain, is the last time.
Do You like book A Company Of Swans (2007)?
Ok, I don't know if I can justly review this because I didn't finish it. But here's my bit: The story was great. I loved it. Tons of Ballet and fun and love and mysterious attractive people. Wonderful! Everyone loves the main character because she is so good and nice and innocent and kind. And then.... BANG! She leaves all her goodness behind and revels in being immoral. I mean, it's not gratuitous or anything, it's simply that Ibbotson completely changes the character and then the character loves the fact that she's being immoral.
—Merritt
A Company of Swans, by Eva Ibbotson, is a great book for people who like romance. The plot is kind of complex, but you have to keep reading it in order to figure out the whole story. If you look really hard in the reading, there is a lot of hidden things in the text that will really help you understand the story. In other words, this is the kind of book that you can’t skim, because if you do, you will miss something. tHarriet Morton is a girl living in 20th century England. Her mother died when she was a young girl, and her father is a very controlling professor at the local college. He sent Harriet to school when she was young, and she absolutely loved it, but he didn’t allow her to go to college, because he had a thing against women and advanced learning. Now, the only thing that Harriet had were her dancing lessons at Madame Sonia Lavarre Academy of Dance. She loved dancing, and it was the only time that she could really get away from the loveless home that she lived in. tHarriet runs away from home in order to be in a production of Swan Lake. It took place in the Amazon, but her father and Aunt sent someone after her. The owner of the Opera House, the very same one where they were performing, discourages that someone, and saves Harriet. Unfortunately, when she steps off of the boat, her father and aunt are standing there, along with two armed guards, waiting to take her back home. Later, Harriet figures out that she loves the Opera House owner, but will they ever be able to be together?tI rated this book with five stars, because I believe that this book has all of the right parts in order to be on my five star list. A great plot, a little bit of romance, and a different kind of writing style that isn’t the norm. I hope that you like this book as much as I do.
—Molly811
I surprised myself and liked this book more than I thought I would. Since I used to dance, I was probably swayed by the nostalgia of reading a bunch of french ballet terms and feeling intelligent understanding the references to famous ballerinas. But, even without all that, it remains that, I really liked Harriet. I liked that she was Good. And yes, I intended that capital G. She grew up in such a harsh atmosphere, but instead of making her afraid or bitter, is made her thirsty for information and hungry for life and love. She gives without expecting in return. She buries her sadness in hard work. She cares deeply for her friends and associates, and makes those around her BE better people. Just because she is so aware and in love with people and the world around her.The 'unfortunate' circumstances in her life were portrayed in such a way that you could laugh and shake your head and the absolute ridiculousness that can come from those who think too much of themselves and their own rules, rather than feel heartsick and depressed.And the romance was great. Although, in the end, the conclusion that relations before marriage is a fantastic way to go and it'll all work out for you...of course bothered me. But the romance, the part where love makes you better and more, was great.
—Karen
