A photo of the sculpture appears on the back of the jacket.- Jennifer Mattson

Phrases in French are smoothly integrated, and an author's note separates fact from fiction. Readers drawn to historical fiction for lavish, romantic costume drama more than gritty realism may find the story a bit harsh, but the novel scrupulously adheres to the 'truth is beauty' philosophy that inspired Degas to sculpt a gangly, somber dancer and call it art. By the time the sculpture is unveiled, four years after she models for Degas, her innocent dreams of stardom have been compromised by family obligations.

Marie vows never to sink to courtesanship, as her frivolous elder sister does, nor to abuse absinthe like her mother. Building on facts known about Marie van Goethem, Meyer imagines Marie as the most levelheaded of three sisters, Paris Opera dancers all. In this historical novel, readers meet a character humbler than the noblewomen of Meyer's Young Royals series but iconic in her own way: the dancer who modeled for Degas' statuette Little Dancer-14 Years Old. Paris Opera Ballet (Ballet de l'Opera de Paris) (from the publisher) Subject Headings & Major Themes : In this deeply moving, historically based account, Carolyn Meyer examines the life of the model for Edgar Degas's most famous sculpture, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. And she dreams about being with her true love. She dreams about a life as a ballerina on the stage of the Opera. Degas each week, she dreams about supporting her family without being corrupted like most young dancers. But when famed artist Edgar Degas demands Marie's presence in his studio, it appears that her life will be transformed: He will pay her to pose for a new sculpture, and he promises to make her a star.Īs Marie patiently stands before Mr. For her, dancing is the only joy to counter the pain inflicted by hunger, her mother's drinking, and her selfish older sister. In Marie, Dancing, Marie van Goethem, a fourteen-year-old ballet dancer in the famed Paris Opera, has led a life of hardship and poverty. Publishing Information :Harcourt: Orlando, Fla., 2005Ī fictionalized autobiography of Marie Van Goethem, the impoverished student from the Paris Opera ballet school who became the model for Edgar Degas's famous sculpture, 'The Little Dancer.'

Gideon's People by Carolyn Meyer