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Hester's Story
Considered the leading ballerina of her day, Hester Fielding's life is the stuff of a bleak childhood transformed by the discovery of her amazing gifts as a dancer, a dangerous love affair that can only lead to heartbreak, and a secret that would topple her from her pinnacle of fame if it ever came out. Now Hester has returned home, where each Christmas season sees a ballet performed in the little theater on Twelfth Night. Just before the company arrives this year, however, Hester receives a phone call that brings back haunting memories. As the dancers prepare for the opening night of Sarabande , loyalties shift, tempers flare, and the past comes crashing into the present in ways that Hester could never have imagined.
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Adèle Geras
183 books130 followersAdèle Geras FRSL (born 15 March 1944) is an English writer for young children, teens and adults. Her husband was the Marxist academic Norman Geras and their daughter Sophie Hannah is also a novelist and poet.
Geras was born in Jerusalem, British Mandatory Palestine. Her father was in the Colonial Service and she had a varied childhood, living in countries such as Nigeria, Cyprus, Tanzania, Gambia and British North Borneo in a short span of time. She attended Roedean School in Brighton and then graduated from St Hilda's College, Oxford with a degree in Modern Languages. She was known for her stage and vocal talents, but decided instead to become a full-time writer.
Geras's first book was Tea at Mrs Manderby's, which was published in 1976. Her first full-length novel was The Girls in the Velvet Frame. She has written more than 95 books for children, young adults, and adults. Her best-known books are Troy (shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal) Ithaka, Happy Ever After (previously published as the Egerton Hall Trilogy), Silent Snow, Secret Snow, and A Thousand Yards of Sea.
Her novels for adults include: Facing the Light, Hester's Story, Made in Heaven, and A Hidden Life.
Geras won two prizes in the United States, one the Sydney Taylor Book Award for the My Grandmother's Stories and the National Jewish Book Award for Golden Windows. She has also won prizes for her poetry and was a joint winner of the Smith Doorstop Poetry Pamphlet Award, offered by the publisher of that name.
(from Wikipedia)
Geras was born in Jerusalem, British Mandatory Palestine. Her father was in the Colonial Service and she had a varied childhood, living in countries such as Nigeria, Cyprus, Tanzania, Gambia and British North Borneo in a short span of time. She attended Roedean School in Brighton and then graduated from St Hilda's College, Oxford with a degree in Modern Languages. She was known for her stage and vocal talents, but decided instead to become a full-time writer.
Geras's first book was Tea at Mrs Manderby's, which was published in 1976. Her first full-length novel was The Girls in the Velvet Frame. She has written more than 95 books for children, young adults, and adults. Her best-known books are Troy (shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal) Ithaka, Happy Ever After (previously published as the Egerton Hall Trilogy), Silent Snow, Secret Snow, and A Thousand Yards of Sea.
Her novels for adults include: Facing the Light, Hester's Story, Made in Heaven, and A Hidden Life.
Geras won two prizes in the United States, one the Sydney Taylor Book Award for the My Grandmother's Stories and the National Jewish Book Award for Golden Windows. She has also won prizes for her poetry and was a joint winner of the Smith Doorstop Poetry Pamphlet Award, offered by the publisher of that name.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 25, 2011
Estelle Prevert escapes an unhappy childhood and becomes Hester Fielding, prima ballerina. The story charts her career and the difficulties within her personal life through to her middle age when after retiring from performing she reinvents herself as the organiser of the Wychwood Ballet Festival where unexpected events force her to face her past.
Considering that one of my favourite books as a child was "Ballet Shoes", there were elements within this novel that I loved! It was an indulgent holiday read and I devoured it in a day! Yes, it was predictable and full of stereotyped dancers, but the whole backstage, gossipy aspects made me feel twelve years old again!
Considering that one of my favourite books as a child was "Ballet Shoes", there were elements within this novel that I loved! It was an indulgent holiday read and I devoured it in a day! Yes, it was predictable and full of stereotyped dancers, but the whole backstage, gossipy aspects made me feel twelve years old again!
January 21, 2015
The world of the ballet always fascinated me, although it's a romantic image that I've created. This book showed all the aspects of dancing: the shows, the flowers, but also the suffering and the, sometimes unbearable, pressure. Hester is a defined character, all her life is written down, and because we've met her when she was a little girl, we know her fears and weak spots. This makes it more easy to understand her actions. This book is a must-read for all balletlovers. But: prepare for drama.
January 8, 2021
An enjoyable read but the twist was a bit predictable
March 7, 2021
I am not sure how many people knew this author but I do. In fact, after I have read one book from her, I begin looking out for her other books. Not easy to find in Malaysia until someone sold it online second hand & I bought all 3 books of hers.
This book is highly recommended - an enjoyable and pleasureable book to be read. You just can't stop turning the pages. Even though the story revolves around the modern and past, it is interesting to know what happened to Hester. She has gone through many agonies and challenges in her life. Great storyline and interesting characters. Open my eyes to the world of ballet too. Highly recommended author!!!
This book is highly recommended - an enjoyable and pleasureable book to be read. You just can't stop turning the pages. Even though the story revolves around the modern and past, it is interesting to know what happened to Hester. She has gone through many agonies and challenges in her life. Great storyline and interesting characters. Open my eyes to the world of ballet too. Highly recommended author!!!
July 30, 2020
Such a great read!!! Like most girls of a certain age, I was obsessed with the popular movies of our time... “Center Stage”, “Save the Last Dance” and such. Behind the scenes ballet has always been an interest.
Heartwarming and dramatic at times, a cast of characters that is expansive but not overwhelming. Great character development and I don’t feel that anyone was lost... in fact I’m wanting more!
Heartwarming and dramatic at times, a cast of characters that is expansive but not overwhelming. Great character development and I don’t feel that anyone was lost... in fact I’m wanting more!
November 4, 2022
Αρκετά καλό και απολύτως προβλέψιμο.
Ο κόσμος του μπαλέτου δεν μου άσκησε ποτέ καμία γοητεία, αντιθέτως έβρισκα μάταιο όλον αυτόν τον κόπο για την τελειότητα, τόσο μικρής διάρκειας ...
Το βιβλίο περιγράφει με επιτυχία τις ατελείωτες πρόβες μέχρι τα πόδια να ματώσουν, τις δίαιτες, τα σκληρό πρόγραμμα ...
Η διάσημη μπαλαρίνα αναπολεί τη ζωή της με κριτική διάθεση και αναγνωρίζει ότι κάποια πράγματα έπρεπε ίσως να έχουν γίνει αλλιώς ...
Ο κόσμος του μπαλέτου δεν μου άσκησε ποτέ καμία γοητεία, αντιθέτως έβρισκα μάταιο όλον αυτόν τον κόπο για την τελειότητα, τόσο μικρής διάρκειας ...
Το βιβλίο περιγράφει με επιτυχία τις ατελείωτες πρόβες μέχρι τα πόδια να ματώσουν, τις δίαιτες, τα σκληρό πρόγραμμα ...
Η διάσημη μπαλαρίνα αναπολεί τη ζωή της με κριτική διάθεση και αναγνωρίζει ότι κάποια πράγματα έπρεπε ίσως να έχουν γίνει αλλιώς ...
July 30, 2020
Hester, born in France as Estelle, gained her stage name when taken on by a London ballet company. She had been sent to England at the age of five sand lived with an aunt until her discovery by her dance teacher. Her success was almost immediate and she loved her new life. The story is full of passion going back and forth to her days after retirement, her life and loves and secrets.
December 10, 2020
Such a beautiful and moving book. I really enjoyed it.
November 9, 2015
The novels about ballerinas were hot in the decade of '80s, as the pianistas or the actors, but today they seem a little old fashioned. By the way, the author, in her first adult literature, gives a simply given story beneath flashbacks about a famous ballerina that she never got married. What is completely realistic is the life of a ballerina, with all the beautiful but also hard details (that almost dried but still wet collants which the dancers had to wear in the cold!). The book is written on 2004 but it screams the decade of '80s much more that '50s which is one of the flashback. The greek title is more interesting as called The Secret of the Ballerina, that the neutral Hester's Story and the characters are well built and likeable, the most of them. I enjoyed very much the chapters about the ballets and Hester's and Adam's passionate and secret love. It's a good written book and she gives an incredibly realistic side of Hester's character when she faces the tragedy in her personal life. Well, after the story becomes so soapopera of '80s, especially about Hugo, that my interesting gone away. It's a the first time that a happy end seems to me so unrealistic as so the change of the characters that I wished instead of this, a really sad but more logical end.
July 9, 2011
Published back in 2005, and probably been sitting on my shelf for almost as long!
I was never one of those little girls who was interested in ballet, in fact I only read Noel Streatfield's 'Ballet Shoes' for the first time last year, so I wasn't really sure if I would be interested in this story.
The story opens in 1986 at Wychwood House in Yorkshire, the home of former prima ballerina Hester Fielding. Hester was at the top of her field, the most famous and talented ballerina in the world for a while. She's now a ballet teacher and the director of an annual Festival at Wychwood. Hester receives a phone call that makes her think back on her life and her career.
The story flits back and forth. Between Hester's childhood and her rise to fame and back to the 1980s as the preparations for the Festival are underway.
Depsite knowing nothing at all about ballet, I enjoyed this story very much. I was reminded of the novels of Barbara Taylor-Bradford or Penny Vincenzi, it was an easy read with a good central plotline and some interesting characters.
I was never one of those little girls who was interested in ballet, in fact I only read Noel Streatfield's 'Ballet Shoes' for the first time last year, so I wasn't really sure if I would be interested in this story.
The story opens in 1986 at Wychwood House in Yorkshire, the home of former prima ballerina Hester Fielding. Hester was at the top of her field, the most famous and talented ballerina in the world for a while. She's now a ballet teacher and the director of an annual Festival at Wychwood. Hester receives a phone call that makes her think back on her life and her career.
The story flits back and forth. Between Hester's childhood and her rise to fame and back to the 1980s as the preparations for the Festival are underway.
Depsite knowing nothing at all about ballet, I enjoyed this story very much. I was reminded of the novels of Barbara Taylor-Bradford or Penny Vincenzi, it was an easy read with a good central plotline and some interesting characters.
June 26, 2016
The magical world of ballet has always fascinated me since watching a performance of The Nut Cracker as a child although I have found it difficult to image a normal life through a ballerina eyes Adele Geras has captured a lot of the on and off stage dramas a dancer goes through in a life time. I am so glad I continued to read Hester Story as I felt like I has a member of the audience watching every character movement on stage a talent which Adele Geras has written with ease. I would love to read more of her books in the future and I would gladly recommend to all ballet lovers to read Hester's Story with a open mind.
July 9, 2009
Bought because I fell in love with the cover image and althought the story wasn't bad, it wasn't great either...probably the best thing about the book is the cover and I remain in possession of it purely for that reason!! I may however re-evaluate the worth of holding on to this next time car boot sales are in the running...
September 26, 2011
Ballet Fairy tale - prepared NOT to like but got swept up in big drama, being a ballerina and post WWII England. This was fun to read and uber Romantic with captial R. Get lost in this story, not surprising but fun if you are in the mood.
Shelved as 'dnf'
March 24, 2016I love ballet but even my love for ballet couldn't make me read on. Not that this is a particularly badly written book, but whilst reading I just realised that I am truly done with this type of saccharin stories. To each his own but I'm just done.
April 4, 2008
This was a book about a balerina. It was interesting but had too many affairs & such.
July 19, 2009
This is a lovely story of a young girl's dream to become a ballerina. An easy enjoyable read
Read
August 12, 2010Enjoying this, but some aspects of the way Adele Geras writes make me feel that this was intended for a younger audience.
April 28, 2011
I was disappointed as it wasn't a patch on her "Troy", which is one of the best teen reads I've ever read.
May 9, 2011
One of my favorite books ever!
November 16, 2012
Wonderful story...if any man wants to know how a woman thinks of a man in a passionate way, he should read this...if he cared.
March 17, 2013
Gelezen in het NL (Het erfstuk).
June 14, 2013
Ballerina will love this tale
December 14, 2013
Enjoyable story of a dancer. I kept on turning the pages - I wanted to know what happened next, particularly about the baby.
January 4, 2014
Amazingly well written story. As a dancer I got lost in the descriptions of the events around setting up the ballet and Hester's history
September 2, 2016
I think this book would appeal to anyone interested in the life of a ballet dancer. It is a fictional story but it does give you an idea of the hardship and dedication that leads to greatness.
September 16, 2013
Very predictable ending.
July 25, 2014
wonderful book
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews