Book Synopsis:
An unputdownable tale of obsession, jealousy and heartache against the backdrop of WW2
May 1945 and at long last, Rosamund Caradon is feeling optimistic. As she returns the last few evacuees to London from her Devonshire manor, she vows to protect dance-obsessed daughter Jasmine from further peril.
But a chance meeting with a Sadler’s Wells ballet dancer changes everything.
When the beautiful, elusive Briar Woods bursts into Rosamund’s train carriage, it’s clear her sights are set on the immediately captivated Jasmine. And Rosamund cannot shake the eerie feeling this accidental encounter is not what it seems.
For Briar may be far away from the pointe shoes and greasepaint of the Sleeping Beauty ballet that is so much a part of her, but her performance for Rosamund might just be her most successful yet.
This, Briar feels, is a show for a mother and daughter. A dance that could turn deadly…
One of Lucy Popescu’s Books to Look Forward to in 2024 in Camden New Journal
My Review:
The Sleeping Beauties was an absorbing, twisty read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Firstly I thought the author did a great job in setting the scene and I enjoyed exploring post war London alongside the characters. It was interesting to see the aftermath of the war, with bomb sites still visible and the effort that was going into trying to clear all signs of the war so that people could carry on as before. It must have been really hard for people returning to London, wondering if their house was still standing or their loved ones were alright. I felt a lump in my throat watching all the evacuee’s that had been in Rosamund’s care returning home to parents that they didn’t remember and for the parent’s having lost a huge chunk of their kid’s childhood.
The story is told in two timelines of before and after the war as well as two points of view. This sounds like it should be confusing but it was easy to follow. I didn’t particularly like either or the main characters as I didn’t find them particularly likeable though I did feel a degree of sympathy for them and all that they had been through. As a mother myself I did feel very uneasy with Briar’s attention towards Jasmine and I found myself holding my breath as we learn more about the situation there. As the story continued and we find out the whole story I just wished I could reach into the book and grab Jasmine as I was very fearful about what might happen next.
The story does start off a little slowly but soon picks up and becomes very gripping. The two points of view work well together and help to increase the tension in the book as the story switches between characters and the reader learns new things about the situation. There were a surprising number of twists that kept me guessing and I soon found the book hard to put down as I had to keep reading to find out what would be revealed next. The ending, and final twist, was brilliant and I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Oneworld for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
LUCY ASHE is the author of CLARA & OLIVIA (Magpie, Oneworld publications, UK)/ THE DANCE OF THE DOLLS (Union Square & Co, US)
CLARA & OLIVIA is out now in the UK. It was published as THE DANCE OF THE DOLLS in the US in September 2023.
Lucy trained at The Royal Ballet School for eight years, first as a Junior Associate and then at White Lodge. She has a Diploma in Dance Teaching with the British Ballet Organisation.
She studied English Literature at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, while continuing to dance and perform. After graduation, she obtained a PGCE teaching qualification and became an English teacher.
Her poetry and short stories have been published in a number of literary journals and she was shortlisted for the 2020 Impress Prize for New Writers. She also reviews theatre, in particular ballet, writing for the website Playstosee.com.
Lucy’s second novel, THE SLEEPING BEAUTIES, will be published in 2024.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
LikeLike