Hello Book Lovers!!!
I've finished my reread for the month which was Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. I couldn't remember much about this book so revisiting it was a lovely experience.
In this novel we meet Hilary and Rachel. Hilary was adopted by Rachel's parents and the two have classed each other as sisters for years. When their parents die, they are sent to live with their Aunt who owns a dancing troupe called Mrs Wintle's Little Wonders.
There are 3 groups in this troupe. Group 1 are for the best dancers and the ones that Mrs Wintle sends off for auditions in films/stage productions etc. Group 2 is for the dancers that aren't as strong as Group 1 but are used for understudy work and Group 3 are for the weakest dancers and they barely get any work at all.
Hilary eventually gets put into Group 1 and auditions for various parts and also understudies a lot. Rachel however is put in Group 3 and doesn't progress from there. Dulcie is Mrs Wintle's daughter and Hilary and Rachel's cousin. She is always getting praised and gets the best roles in the shows and because of this is a very spoilt child with a huge ego. But when Hilary and Dulcie are put against each other in a competition, which girl will end up on top?
Hilary really enjoys dancing in the troupe and has no intention at this moment in time to do anything else. But Rachel and Hilary's mother wanted Hilary to go to the Royal Ballet School. Rachel finds this difficult to deal with as Hilary has no intention to ever do that.
This story is about the girls coping with working in the troupe and their feelings about it. It is also about friendship and family and having both of these as support systems during tough times.
I really enjoyed revisiting this story and the characters and for me it was lovely reading about dance again. I loved most of the characters, didn't so much like the ones you weren't meant to like. I really enjoyed the relationship Hilary and Rachel had and even when they bickered, you could still tell that they needed each other and if anything bad happens, they will always be there for each other.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how the girls were feeling during auditions and touring with the troupe as the emotions varied so much. As Rachel and Hilary have completely different views throughout the story, it was easy to know who you were reading about.
The only thing I would have liked is for Dulcie and Rachel and Hilary to make friends at the end. Of course they will always be rivals in the dance world, but they don't need to be outside of the dance world.
Overall I think this was a lovely read and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in dance and loves a good peep into the dance lifestyle.
Rating /5
4
If you've read Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild then let me know what you thought of it in the comments below and I'll speak to you all very soon.
Happy Reading!!!
xHannahx
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