#BlogTour: Little Dancer by Melanie Leschallas @unbounders @RandomTTours #LittleDancer #MelanieLeschallas #historicalfiction #fivestars

Book Synopsis:

Paris, 1878. Ballet dancer Marie van Goethem is chosen by the unknown artist Edgar Degas to model for his new sculpture: Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen Years.But Marie is much more than she seems. By day she’s a ‘little rat’ of the opera, contorting her starving body to entertain the bourgeoisie. By night, she’s plotting to overthrow the government and reinstate the Paris Commune, to keep a promise she made to her father, a leading communard who died in the street massacres of 1871.As Marie watches the troubling sculpture of herself come to life in Degas’ hands, she falls further into the intoxicating world of bohemian, Impressionist Paris, a world at odds with the socialist principles she has vowed to uphold.With the fifth Impressionist Exhibition looming, a devastating family secret is uncovered which changes everything for both Marie and Degas. As Degas struggles to finish his sculpture and the police close in on Marie, she must decide where her loyalties lie and act to save herself, her family and the Little Dancer.

My Review:

Little Dancer is an absorbing, atmospheric read which perfectly blends real historical events with fiction.

Firstly I absolutely loved the main character Marie and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She is a very determined, strong little girl who is frustrated with how things are for the poorer citizens of Paris and wants to make a difference. I really felt for her when she’s cowed by her position in life and forced to do things she knows is wrong to get by. The characters are all based on real historical figures and I loved learning more about them by researching on Google.

The author has clearly done her research and I could really envision Paris in my mind. This was a new era of history for me so I enjoyed learning more about the Paris Commune and the Communard’s battle to get better rights for the poor. The huge divide between rich and poor was quite striking and it was tough to see what they needed to do to raise money to live. It was the beginning of the revolutionary movement that sparked the fight for other causes including woman’s suffrage.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I loved this book and will definitely be recommending it to other historical fiction fans. The dramatic opening helped draw me into the book and set the scene for what Paris was like at the time. There was always something happening to keep my interest and I soon found myself wanting to learn more. The ending was brilliant and I didn’t see the twist coming at the end either.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater and Unbound for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Melanie Leschallas holds MAs in Creative Writing from Sussex and in Drama and Movement Therapy from Central School in London as well as a BA(Hons) in French and Italian from Bristol University. She was trained as a dancer and worked at the Moulin Rouge in Paris during her twenties. Mel is also a jazz singer and loves to sing Jacques Brel songs at the Savoy Hotel in London. She runs http://www.lunarlemonproductions.com with her husband, Craig, teaches yoga in Brighton and leads wellness and writing retreats at her home in the Malaga mountains.