Various Positions

Mar 22, 2013 Oceana Fern {Assorted Insanity} rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: two-stars, owned, e-books, young-adult, gurl-get-yo-rape-whistle

1.5

This review contains unmarked spoilers.

Dude, that was a really weird book.

Weird in the way that you're going to remember it, but not in a good way.

VARIOUS POSITIONS ~~I'd love to see you try to come up with a dirtier title than that shit~~ is the story of fourteen year old Georgia and her adventures in seducing her ballet teacher, copying porn poses, acting like an idiot, and hurting everyone around her.

I mean, it sounds about right to me.

VARIOUS POSITIONS had a really strange plot, because it wa...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Sasha added it

Shelves: macmillan, contemporary, young-adult

Since the beginning of time (okay, so maybe not that long), there has been a great debate of "What is YA?". I mean, really? What makes a YA book different from a Middle Grade book and a different from an Adult book? I feel like most people would automatically assume it would be the age of the protagonist. If he/she is between 12-18 (the target audience), then the book is YA. HOWEVER, I would consider Sophie Flack's Bunheads to be YA and her main character is 19. The main character in Various Pos ...more Since the beginning of time (okay, so maybe not that long), there has been a great debate of "What is YA?". I mean, really? What makes a YA book different from a Middle Grade book and a different from an Adult book? I feel like most people would automatically assume it would be the age of the protagonist. If he/she is between 12-18 (the target audience), then the book is YA. HOWEVER, I would consider Sophie Flack's Bunheads to be YA and her main character is 19. The main character in Various Positions is 14 years old, a ninth grader, and this book is NOT YA .

The synopsis says that the main character, Georgia, is a ballerina and that the only time she truly feels alive is when she's dancing. She's accepted into a prestigous ballet school and then begins to have a crush on her (much older) ballet instructor.

This book is masquerading as a YA book just as much as it's masquerading as a ballet book. The content is neither YA nor does it have anything to do with ballet. Other than the fact that Georgia attends class, where she not-so-YA-ly has SEXUAL (not cutesy crush) thoughts about her 40 year old instructor, ballet is hardly ever mentioned.

Various Positions is an adult book. I don't think a 14 year old girl watching porn in her bedroom and then taking naked photos of herself (while trying to make "seductive faces" to imitate the porn stars) is the type of book I would consider YA. (view spoiler) But, maybe I'm crazy.

Also, can I just say, especially in today's society where teen stars are getting younger and younger, that the words 14 year old and sexy should never go together. 14 year olds are CHILDREN, they are sweet and cute and NOT sexy, ever.

I can't even bring myself to give this book ONE star because it offended me so much.

If you're looking for an intelligent, funny, fresh contemporary YA book about ballet I HIGHLY recommend Bunheads by Sophie Flack.(less)

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Jan 22, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-and-literary-fiction, netgalley-arc, young-adult-fiction, contemporary-fiction, 2012-reads, 2012-reviews, reviewed, arc, curious-and-curiouser, drama-drama-drama

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That was... odd. Weird. Uncomfortable. Utterly not what I thought I was getting: a book about ballet dancers at an exclusive academy. This made me think quite often of last year's movie Black Swan ~~except the whole thing where ballet is not the focus at all~~: the sexualized teacher-student relationship, the unhealthy obsession with food and thinness, the messed-up family dynamic at home. This is not a dance book at all: this is a book masquerading as...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Merary rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dancing, student-teacher-relationships, canada-eh-books, author-you-don-t-know-your-audience, it-s-all-about-sex-baby, strangle-them-with-a-chain-please, the-worst-i-d-ever-read, fucked-up-situations, oh-no-that-didn-t-just-happen, where-s-the-fucking-conflict, you-are-an-idiot, eating-disorders, left-me-with-a-passionate-fury

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Calm down, Merary, calm down.

A fourteen year old did that! A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD!!

THIS BOOK MAKES ME SO MAD THAT I'M YELLING IN CAPS WITHOUT NO REASON AT ALL!!

That's one of the most misleading plots ever.

Plot: Georgia has a dysfunctional family. She lives for dancing. Her friends are obsessed with sex. She has a crush on her ballet teacher. She gets into trouble.

What really happened: The delusional, sex-crazed mind of Georgia thinks that her teacher is hitting on her, so she tries to seduce him an...more

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May 20, 2012 Karin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic, teacher-student-affairs, teachers, ballet, teenagers, eating-disorders, anorexia, sex, sexual-identity, sexuality, coming-of-age, young-adult-fiction, adult-ya-crossovers, borrowed-from-the-library, disturbing, secrets

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Georgia comes from a troubled home. Her mother is insecure and depressed, and her father is arrogant and disdainful (and also probably sleeping with another woman). They met and had an affair (which resulted in Georgia) when he was still married and she was a graduate student. That aside, Georgia’s passion for ballet, however, has earned her a place in a prestigious academy under the tutelage of Roderick Allen. She becomes obsessed with Roderick and with her own emerging sexuality. At first Geor...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Melanie McCullough rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-challenge

Various Positions is a gorgeous debut from an exceptional new talent and is written with an authenticity that only a dancer could achieve. It is a deep and powerful story, deftly choreographed. Each word is meaningful, each step purposeful. I could feel the cold Toronto air, see the gray and fading landscape, taste every kiss, experience every embarrassment and stab of guilt. You'll have no choice but to tear through the pages.

Martha Schabas is a wonderful writer and she weaves a tale filled wi...more Various Positions is a gorgeous debut from an exceptional new talent and is written with an authenticity that only a dancer could achieve. It is a deep and powerful story, deftly choreographed. Each word is meaningful, each step purposeful. I could feel the cold Toronto air, see the gray and fading landscape, taste every kiss, experience every embarrassment and stab of guilt. You'll have no choice but to tear through the pages.

Martha Schabas is a wonderful writer and she weaves a tale filled with so much tension, it was at times almost unbearable. Her characterization is flawless. With Various Positions, she has created individuals as real as any living, breathing person I've ever met. I couldn't help but care deeply for each one of them. Especially Georgia. Poor Georgia whose life has revolved so fully around ballet and navigating her dysfunctional family that she's nowhere near as mature as the other kids her age.

And with no one to turn to except a sister who is away at college, a depressed and self-involved mother, and an emotionally unavailable father, it's no wonder the instant she receives positive attention she's confused. Add to this mixed messages she receives from her sex-obsessed classmates and her own mother and she begins to fantasize that the attention means more than it does. She begins to obsess about Roderick. To over-analyze every action. To see in them more than there is.

I will warn you that there is a fair amount of language and sexual innuendo, but it is a fundamental element of the plot, woven throughout the fabric of the story, holding it together. There is nothing gratuitous or disturbing about it. It merely exists, as essential to Georgia's story as her love of ballet. I mention it only as a caution to those who shy away from this type of subject matter.

In the end my love affair with Macmillan and its imprints continues. I definitely NEED a finished copy of this for my bookshelf and you should grab one for yours as well. This is a novel not to be missed. One of those stories that will get under your skin (in a good way), evoking so much passion from its readers that I honestly believe you're either going to love it or hate it. (less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-readers-copies, chick-lit

So I thought the cover was cute and I love me a good ballet book so I grabbed this Advance Reader's Edition to read on the plane ride home yesterday. Whoa....did I misjudge it. Honestly, I felt physically ill as I read this book.

Georgia is only fourteen, immature, and immersed in the world of ballet. She jumps at the chance to join a Canadian ballet school and escape her house, where her mom is slowly going crazy and her dad is constantly absent. She's innocent, but her actions in the book just...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Sara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Various Positions by Martha Schabas follows fourteen year old Georgia as she starts the Royal Ballet Academy. Georgia's classes are run by Rodrick a cruel man whom Georgia develops a sexual obsession with which overwhelms her life. Georgia has a confusing home life and does not know how to ask for help.

This book was horrifying. I finished it, however only because I was so horrified that I couldn't stop reading. The entire thing reads like an explanation as to why statutory rape isn't wrong becau...more Various Positions by Martha Schabas follows fourteen year old Georgia as she starts the Royal Ballet Academy. Georgia's classes are run by Rodrick a cruel man whom Georgia develops a sexual obsession with which overwhelms her life. Georgia has a confusing home life and does not know how to ask for help.

This book was horrifying. I finished it, however only because I was so horrified that I couldn't stop reading. The entire thing reads like an explanation as to why statutory rape isn't wrong because it's normal and natural for girls to be enamored and try to seduce much older men. That it can't be the man's fault because the girl really wants it. The main plot of the book is Georgia's sexual obsession with her teacher. She doesn't just obsess over him but obsesses over men that she sees on the subway and the relationship between her father and her mother (as she finds out that her mother started dating her father when she was a student). She looks up information on the internet on teen-adult relationships and becomes fascinated with an internet pornstar.

As for this being a dance book. It's isn't. She's in class and talks about putting her shoes on and doing singular dance moves occasionally but there are no scenes to put the reader into the dance or the lifestyle of a real dancer. Her dance teacher is mean and cruel to his students putting them all up for ridicule on a regular basis. Her classmates are just as screwed up as she is (which is not like ballet students at all) and are into partying, boys and extreme bullying (to the point where they told a girl that she had to go perform a sexual act on a group of strange boys). In response to her teachers critique of her friends weight Georgia encourages her friend to diet and develop an eating disorder (and never acknowledges that it was a problem even commenting several times how much better her friend looked).

Appropriateness: This is not a young adult book even though it seems to be marketed as such and it's not a book that I would give to a teen. It did not read like a young adult book and the content is certainly not what teens would be comfortable with. I could see readers of literary fiction enjoying the weird character study but it's not what readers of YA fiction will enjoy. As for adult content we've got a teen-adult relationship, alcohol, teen bullying, eating disorders (and not presented in a way to teach) and unprotected casual sex. All of the relationships in the book are unhealthy and destructive. (less)

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Apr 23, 2013 Pinkie Pie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss

Wow, what a roller-coaster ride. VARIOUS POSITIONS was an emotional read for me. I had that constant feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was very, very wrong, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. So much like that proverbial train wreck everyone talks about, this book held my attention through and through, and I just could not look away.

Georgia, the 14 year old ballerina protagonist seemed too mature, and yet too naive for her age. She spoke in a way that was much older than she wa...more Wow, what a roller-coaster ride. VARIOUS POSITIONS was an emotional read for me. I had that constant feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was very, very wrong, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. So much like that proverbial train wreck everyone talks about, this book held my attention through and through, and I just could not look away.

Georgia, the 14 year old ballerina protagonist seemed too mature, and yet too naive for her age. She spoke in a way that was much older than she was, and yet did not have the social skills that a 14-year-old girl should have. She misinterpreted nearly everyone around her. By the end of the book I was left wondering if maybe she lived with a spectrum disorder -- not a severe one, but just enough to affect her social interactions.

Halfway through the book Georgia starts to have sexual feelings towards her ballet instructor. This sets the wheels in motion for the catastrophe alluded to in the prologue. She deludes herself completely into believing he feels the same way towards her, and ends up making some very fatal, career-damning mistakes because of it.

Nearly every thought that crossed Georgia's mind made its way back to sex. I get that teenage girls are starting to grow into womanhood and yes, even at that age, think about sex. But when I was fourteen, I didn't ONLY think of sex. I thought about my friends, and my personal trainer, my athletic career, and sex, too. I don't think it's uncommon for sex to at least be talked about in that age range, but when it's all a girl can think about I think that there's something wrong there.

Now, all these points may seem negative, but trust me, they're not. I really did love this book. I could see that something was wrong with Georgia, sympathize with her when her parents' marriage fell apart, and even understand a crush on her teacher -- a stable male influence in her life. Coupled with the fact that her parents had the same student-teacher relationship when they met, I understood that it make perfect sense to Georgia, and she used that as more ammunition to further her delusions.

I think VARIOUS POSITIONS is an important book, or at least, is has an important message. VARIOUS POSITIONS opens the door to great conversation, about eating disorders and pressures for thinness, and also about how girls younger and younger are becoming more and more sexualized. If you can handle lewd comments from teenagers, and enjoy a good ballet book, I'd recommend reading VARIOUS POSITIONS. It was an entertaining read, with a sympathetic protagonist/antagonist.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Ariel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Various Positions is extremely well written, especially for a first novel. Martha Schabas, a Toronto Canadian, absolutely knows her English. The overall mood of the book leaves many mixed feelings jumbling around inside.
It starts and ends with Georgia, a high school student at the beginning of losing her innocence. It’s evident early on her family isn’t functioning. Her father is a doctor and is never around and her mother’s depression is weighing on everyone. Georgia lands herself a spot at the...more Various Positions is extremely well written, especially for a first novel. Martha Schabas, a Toronto Canadian, absolutely knows her English. The overall mood of the book leaves many mixed feelings jumbling around inside.
It starts and ends with Georgia, a high school student at the beginning of losing her innocence. It’s evident early on her family isn’t functioning. Her father is a doctor and is never around and her mother’s depression is weighing on everyone. Georgia lands herself a spot at the prestigious, National Ballet School. There she discovers girls who are comfortable leaving adolescence and boys who are treating her in a whole new way. Confused, Georgia misinterprets their signals to devastating degrees. Georgia becomes infatuated with her dance teacher, Roderick Allen, and in trying to become his perfect student her blindness to reality overcomes her. Georgia threatens not only her future in ballet, but Roderick’s own career.
It’s important to note that this book is a little sexually explicate, so fair warning. The reason I chose it is because it demonstrates something that few fiction books I’ve come across have: the way women perceive their sexuality when they are entering high school. I think the answer is they don’t. Women have no idea how they are supposed to view themselves or how they are supposed to feel and they look for outside reassurance. Young girls have so many mixed messages thrown at them they don’t know how to act. Georgia is one of those girls. She pushes so hard not to become sexualized that she ends up with an opposing outcome. She turns her life into public domain, ruins other’s lives in the process and throws her future as a ballerina in the trash. On the one hand I feel pity for Georgia, her home life isn’t perfect, she had no guidance, no support - no mother teaching her how to be a woman or telling her right from wrong from crazy. In a sense, she is the victim.
On the other hand, (because yes, there is always two sides), she created all of the problems herself. She fabricates events inside her head, over-thinks until it completely changes the dynamic of her relationships and situations. The way Georgia responds to her actions is in a way, believable, and yet somehow tragic. She seems unable to take responsibility and in the culmination becomes a victim of the plague that is depression. You see it coming, you want to stop it, you want to slap Georgia across the face and tell her to smarten up. But then you also want to slap her parents and say, “Raise your child. Do you not see what you’re doing?” And in the end, no one really learns any lessons.
The writing is exceptional, the idea is interesting, the character development and the plot line are unfulfilling. So… like I said, I have mixed feelings. However, if you wanted to read it, I definitely wouldn’t try to stop you.

If you want to read more of my reviews visit my blog at www.whimsicalreader.com (less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Johanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was very surprised to find that this book was classed as a young adult read – I found it in the adult fiction section in my library – because the rampant sexual curiosity that engulfs the protagonist Georgia is quite graphic. The book explores the teacher-student dynamic at an exclusive ballet academy where Georgia becomes enamoured with her male ballet professor Roderick. At first Georgia’s desire to please Roderick is from a purely technical approach: she desires to be the perfect ballerina,...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars

Georgia is a teenage ballet dancer who is largely unhappy with her life outside of ballet. She doesn't have any true friends and her dysfunctional family grates on her nerves. After being accepted to the Royal Ballet Academy, her world is thrown into turmoil. Roderick, the unforgiving and harsh ballet instructor, expects absolute perfection and isn't afraid to point out the harsh realities to his students. He singles out Georgia as a star and someone to emulate for the other students. As a resul...more Georgia is a teenage ballet dancer who is largely unhappy with her life outside of ballet. She doesn't have any true friends and her dysfunctional family grates on her nerves. After being accepted to the Royal Ballet Academy, her world is thrown into turmoil. Roderick, the unforgiving and harsh ballet instructor, expects absolute perfection and isn't afraid to point out the harsh realities to his students. He singles out Georgia as a star and someone to emulate for the other students. As a result, Georgia starts to interpret attraction from his actions and she fantasizes constantly about what their relationship would be like in her head. Is Georgia's fantasy real or is she completely delusional? How will the repercussions of her actions effect her future?

The description for Various Positions read kind of like a Black Swan for teens, but it was actually a lot different. I had a lot of problems with the book, but there were some things I liked. The writing was engaging and kept me reading despite the problems I had with the novel. Georgia was an interesting character with very little connection to others in her life. I really felt for her in the first half of the novel because of her abusive, horrible friends and her constantly fighting parents. The way she thought about her sexuality and the way she explored it is something I haven't seen before in teen fiction. Typically, girls in YA novels don't seem to be interested in their own sexuality outside of a relationship, which I don't find very realistic. As in Black Swan, Georgia viewed sexuality as horrible and thought ballet was ideal without it until she met her ballet teacher. She believed he wanted her to be completely virginal while dancing and outside of dance he wanted the opposite extreme. This aspect never really developed into anything meaningful, which was disappointing.

The rest of the book was a disappointment. Ballet wasn't featured in the book very much despite the marketing and back cover description. In the latter half of the novel, Georgia was simply an unapologetically horrible person. She put a girl with body image issues on a very strict diet, contributing to and worsening the girl's anorexia. Afterwards, Georgia's only concern was for people finding out her own part in it instead of having concern for the girl who became practically skeletal with her help. Her imagined relationship with her teacher was horribly damaging to everyone involved in the end. She tried to seduce him and left suggestive pictures in his desk. Roderick was a harsh and blunt teacher, but not a sexual predator and never gave her any indication that he was sexually interested in her. Her actions and the photos that were found of her made everyone assume that the teacher had raped her or traded better ballet roles for sexual favors. Even if the situation was cleared in the end, irreparable damage was done to his reputation and career that wasn't deserved. Georgia only really cared that she was rejected by the man she was interested in and nothing more. She also was never really punished for her horrible actions and didn't seem to learn much from the experiences at all. By the end of the book, I was really angry.

Various Positions was a strange read with some interesting concepts and good narrative, but was overall disappointing and maddening.(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Hannah added it Recommends it for: nobody

Shelves: hated-it-with-a-passion

I cant even begin to describe how much I hate this book. I found it on the 'teen prize' shelf at my local library (prizes for ages 11-17ish)and, judging on the cover (I dont tend to read the summary, they can give to much away, and I like to be surprised) it looked worth reading. So by half way I was like, "Well, this is... Boring. And Georgia needs to get her head out of the gutter." So I was just flipping through the pages, looking for a climax, and well, I found quite a few... Not so young ad...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Christie rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Fourteen year old Georgia Slade feels like her life is completely out of control unless she is dancing. Her mother has severe emotional problems and her Father, a psychologist, is never around. When she gets accepted into Toronto’s elite ballet Academy, she thinks she finally has a grip on things until she develops an unhealthy sexual obsession with her dance instructor and everything starts to unravel.
This book is by no means appropriate for younger readers. Georgia is a fourteen year old girl...more Fourteen year old Georgia Slade feels like her life is completely out of control unless she is dancing. Her mother has severe emotional problems and her Father, a psychologist, is never around. When she gets accepted into Toronto’s elite ballet Academy, she thinks she finally has a grip on things until she develops an unhealthy sexual obsession with her dance instructor and everything starts to unravel.
This book is by no means appropriate for younger readers. Georgia is a fourteen year old girl yet she acts and thinks like she is in her mid-twenties and many of the themes and issues in this book are very disturbing and inappropriate. Not only does Georgia begin searching the internet for clues on how to make older men like teenaged girls, she imagines herself being raped and takes nude pictures of herself that are modeled after pornography she found on the internet. Many of the girls in the academy are obsessed with sex, and although this may be somewhat true to real life, Schabas takes it a little bit too far.
The exploitation of sex in this book is not the only issue at hand. One character is also a little bit heavier than the rest of the girls in the academy and she suffers though ridicule and humiliation until she finally succumbs to anorexia, even though she is easily one of the best dancers hands down. Georgia in fact, is at large part to blame because she encourages her to practice extreme dieting and resisting the urge to eat. What is most upsetting about this situation is that Georgia refuses to take any blame for the disease and instead comments multiple times that she does look much better.
The characters in this book, mainly Georgia, are naïve, selfish, immature, and highly irrational. Georgia never seems to learn from her actions or grow as an individual and the ending of the book suggests that she would start the cycle all over again were she given the opportunity. There are many issues that lie below the surface of “Various Positions,” such as the effect of parental neglect and the interrelationship of a family where the child was the result of an affair, but the subject matter is too uncomfortable to really focus on those issues. While Schabas’s writing style is technically well done, I do not recommend this book at all, especially to young adults and children.
(less)

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May 19, 2012 Jesylyn Batman rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't stop turning pages, absorbing the book like a drug. I love how a lot of it was about being perfect and wanted in ballet, and the story takes many unsuspected turns. I thought that Roderick and Georgia's relationship was going to be different, however, focusing more on the taboo and less on the "a man is always a man" theory. I actually thought it was going to be a taboo love story ending in tragedy, and while that had disappointed me, the book itself was...more

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May 02, 2012 Hilary added it

Shelves: contemporary, tri-review

****This review contains spoilers!****
****This book was provided to the reviewer to be reviewed for a teen book review group. ****

Martha Schabas’ debut novel takes readers behind the scenes of professional ballet. The characters are authentic; Schabas’ early training in classical dance serves her well here. The novel is well-written. However, this is an adult novel with mature sexual themes and offers little detail about dancing technique.

Georgia is an unusually talented and promising young danc...more ****This review contains spoilers!****
****This book was provided to the reviewer to be reviewed for a teen book review group. ****

Martha Schabas’ debut novel takes readers behind the scenes of professional ballet. The characters are authentic; Schabas’ early training in classical dance serves her well here. The novel is well-written. However, this is an adult novel with mature sexual themes and offers little detail about dancing technique.

Georgia is an unusually talented and promising young dancer. At the age of fourteen, the shy teen escapes from the confusing youth culture that seems obsessed with exploring sexuality and the dysfunctional chaos that is her family, into dancing, the only aspect of her life where she feels in control. When Georgia is accepted into the elite Royal Ballet Academy (Canada’s preeminent dance school) Georgia thinks she has found the loophole that will let her lead her own life, free of emotional entanglement.

Training at the Academy is demanding, even brutal. Artistic Director Roderick Allen singles Georgia out, which results in even more viciousness. Georgia obsessively strives to be the perfect disciplined, sexless student, but when she suddenly drops her boundaries to intimacy, both Roderick’s and Georgia’s futures are threatened.

This book contains adult themes and situations. Readers looking for a book similar to “Bunheads” by Sophie Flack will not find it here. For example, Georgia watches porn in her bedroom and then takes nude photographs of herself and there is also a sex scene that involves a clumsy loss of virginity after swigging beer. The focus is on Georgia’s fantasies regarding Roderick; as she obsesses over every action until she sees more in their relationship than there is. Although professional dance requires dancers to mature at a young age -- the physical rigors and demands of dance are not for any but the most physically fit youth -- it takes young people much longer to achieve emotional maturity than it does to reach physical perfection. Some readers may be offended and/or disturbed by Georgia’s Spring-Winter desires while others may deem it part of dance/contemporary culture. In either case, the outcome of Georgia’s perceived relationship is destructive and unhealthy. (less)

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Mar 02, 2012 April (CSI:Librarian) marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)

To be fair, what I read of this book was very well written if a bit depressing and anxiety-inducing. Schabas' main character, Georgia, was very believable so it was easy to connect and feel sorry for her as she struggled to find her place in school, at home, and in life in general. Eventually it occured to me that I had no idea what the plot of this book was supposed to be. So I eyeballed the summary on GoodReads and was a bit horrified because criminently! Va...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: I was excited to read Various Positions because I love diving into the world of ballet and other forms of dance. I’ve never been a dancer myself, but I know quite a bit about ballet since I have some friends and family that are dancers. So for me, it is rather exciting to see a book about ballet and I was really hoping that this book would live up to my expectations. There hasn’t been a good ballet book out in qu...more See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: I was excited to read Various Positions because I love diving into the world of ballet and other forms of dance. I’ve never been a dancer myself, but I know quite a bit about ballet since I have some friends and family that are dancers. So for me, it is rather exciting to see a book about ballet and I was really hoping that this book would live up to my expectations. There hasn’t been a good ballet book out in quite a while and I was crossing my fingers in hopes that Various Positions would be great.

First 50 Pages: Unfortunately, by the time I got to around page 50, I realized that this book is not at all what I thought it was going to be. I’ll get to that more in a minute. First I want to start with what I thought was really good, and that is the writing. The author is clear and concise and technically speaking, a very good writer. The pace felt good and I can see the author doing well for herself in the future because she IS a very good writer. The problem I had with this book was the topics she chose to write about.

Characters & Plot: The story follows Georgia, an angsty teen with a bad home life and some pretty messed up thoughts and actions. Georgia is a dancer, a fairly good one, but dancing isn’t the main focus of the story like I thought it was going to be; sex however, is the main focus.

This novel, for me, was deeply, deeply disturbing and I am not even a conservative reader. I can handle really tough subject matter and I rather enjoy it when authors decide to push the envelope. Darker subjects are important because not many people like to talk about them, so I can see why the author chose to write what she did…but I think she went too far. Let me give you a few examples:

-Georgia is supposed to be just 14 years old, yet she talked and acted much more like a 20-something year old woman. I had to keep reminding myself that the things Georgia decided to do, and the things Georgia thought, were way beyond a 14 year olds maturity level. This book is completely obsessed with sex. Little dancing, lots of sex.

-Georgia comes across as having no empathy for other people. She is very insecure and self-centered, like a lot of teens are. The difference is, by the end of the book, Georgia never really changes and matures. I expected more character growth and there wasn’t any at all. Georgia doesn’t seem to learn any life-lessons from all of the mistakes she makes. If she had grown as a character, I probably would have liked this book a lot more than I did.

-Georgia’s view on sex is the most disturbing aspect of this book and highly inappropriate for young girls. There is some pornography and at one point Georgia even fantasizes, and becomes turned on, about being raped. Do I need to say more?

Final Thoughts: I didn’t enjoy this book and I can’t believe it is being marketed towards young teens. I would never consider giving this book to a younger reader since it made me feel uncomfortable and hardly anything can make me feel that way. I was disappointed in the lack of dance in this book as well. I won’t give this book a recommendation unless you feel comfortable reading a book that has the elements I listed above. I am, however, not opposed to reading more from this author because I do think she is a good writer and can do better next time. (less)

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Jan 18, 2012 Bailey (IB Book Blogging) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-challenge

I'm a bit speechless after finishing this one. I thought it was going to be about ballet and the obstacles Georgia has to face in that world. Instead, what I got was one of the worst books that I have ever read. Seriously, this book is so messed up that I don't even know where to begin. I am a bit disgusted at everything that happened in VARIOUS POSITIONS and although I try to find the good in every book, I can't think of anything for this one.

Georgia infuriated me. She is supposedly a fourteen...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Aisling rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not quite sure of my opinion on this book. It doesn't rank as a favourite, and I probably wouldn't read it again, but I didn't hate it.

It's been 9 years since I was 14, so not too close to the age of the protagonist, but not too far. I flip-flopped between thinking some of the heightened emotion felt unbelievable, to remembering how dramatic every little thing felt when I was that age. Sometimes I forgot that Georgia was 14 altogether, which skewed my perception a bit (obviously, things lik...more I'm not quite sure of my opinion on this book. It doesn't rank as a favourite, and I probably wouldn't read it again, but I didn't hate it.

It's been 9 years since I was 14, so not too close to the age of the protagonist, but not too far. I flip-flopped between thinking some of the heightened emotion felt unbelievable, to remembering how dramatic every little thing felt when I was that age. Sometimes I forgot that Georgia was 14 altogether, which skewed my perception a bit (obviously, things like sex with an older man is less taboo when you're over 18).

Georgia is an interesting character, she has that kind of 14 year old hysteria to her that's pushed even farther over the edge by the way her brain works. She apparently has OCD, but I think she behaves sort of like anyone whose mind is behaving a slightly-different-than-what-is-traditionally-considered-"normal" would when faced with puberty and the pressure found in a competitive activity such as ballet. I think the whole "ballet school" aspect was overdramatized for the purpose of the story (although my experiences in public school also had some rather horrifying moments, looking back. Teenage angst is pretty universal). Growing up around performing arts, I definitely can agree with the pressure of body image. And thinking back on the girls I knew in junior high, I know how the glance or casual touch of a male teacher can be blown up into a HUGE thing in the girls' mind and through gossip (I remember the schoolgirl crushes on teachers that I would absolutely not consider to be crush worthy today, simply because male teachers are still often such a novelty).

In those aspects, I found the novel to be very believable if not entirely relatable now that I'm out of that mindset. And the fact that the teacher didn't seem to actually harbour any of the feelings Georgia projected on him was incredibly believable to me. The ending was a bit muddled to me, but it seems like, for the most part, things worked out the way I would have expected them to. And I think that's what made this a good read, but not one that will really stick in my mind. I mean, not that I wanted to see a 14 year old hook up with an older man, but I would have wanted something other than what I probably would have figured would be the sequence of events from reading a synopsis. (less)

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Aug 30, 2011 Gem rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read2011, adultfiction, canadiana

This debut novel from journalist Martha Schabas is absolutely enthralling. I was skeptical of it at first because the back cover made it sound like another version of Black Swan, but the writing is so good that any similarities between this story and other dark ballet stories were completely forgotten. Georgia is a wonderfully flawed character. So many times, I wanted to yell at her “What are you thinking?” But then I remembered that she is only 14, and she definitely has some emotional issues g...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Georgia is a shy, slightly awkward girl who doesn’t really know what to do with herself or her body, except when she’s dancing. As a ballerina, Georgia is in complete control, but as a normal girl, she’s stuck between a dysfunctional family and boy crazy friends. That’s why she loves dancing so much, and why she’s beyond thrilled to be accepted into the Royal Ballet Academy, Canada’s top dance school. But attending the Academy presents a new set of problems and pressures for Georgia. She wants t...more Georgia is a shy, slightly awkward girl who doesn’t really know what to do with herself or her body, except when she’s dancing. As a ballerina, Georgia is in complete control, but as a normal girl, she’s stuck between a dysfunctional family and boy crazy friends. That’s why she loves dancing so much, and why she’s beyond thrilled to be accepted into the Royal Ballet Academy, Canada’s top dance school. But attending the Academy presents a new set of problems and pressures for Georgia. She wants to be the best, but when Artistic Director Roderick Allen recognizes her potential, she’s not sure what to think of his extra attention. Are the extra rehearsals and training to help make her an even better ballerina, or are they opportunities for Roderick to show he means something else? And how can Georgia remain an instrument of dance, rigidly disciplined and sexless, when her image of her own body is becoming increasingly sexual? Georgia’s life at the Academy has become a treacherous dance, and one misstep could cost a teacher’s career—and her future.

Schabas’s debut novel Various Positions is a gorgeous yet chilling look at coming of age in ballet school. Readers are given a glimpse into the harsh but alluring world of professional ballet and a look into the mind of a young girl who dreams of a future in this world. I loved the way that Schabas was able to really peel away the layers of protagonist Georgia’s mind; it was so fascinating to see how Georgia analyzed and responded to each new development at the Academy—and how each misinterpretation would affect her behavior. I found this book impossible to put down, even as reading from Georgia’s perspective became increasingly creepy because of her obsession with becoming the perfect sexual and completely asexual student for Roderick. This is the kind of story that will really make readers wonder who is at fault in the loaded and politically dangerous situations Georgia finds herself in. Various Position is truly an impeccably written novel with an addictive story and delicious taste of a young, confused danger’s psyche.

Various Positions is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Now You See Her by Jacquelyn Mitchard and Liar by Justine Larbalestier.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Nov 18, 2012 Jeff Raymond rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-ya-contemporary

Every so often you pick up a book because of a random recommendation you read somewhere. You read the book, tear through it, even as you're making faces about how weird and dark and kind of bad it is, and yet you read on, not so much because it's a trainwreck (even though it is) but more because you end up kind of puzzled about how this came to be to begin with.

Thus is Various Positions, which is truly a cross between the show Bunheads and the movie Black Swan, with some truly destructive stuff...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Ailurophile rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, 3-star, young-adult, psychology, ballet

I picked this young adult title up hoping for some light weekend reading about a dance academy. Instead, I found a heavy book about dance, yes, but also about sexual awakening, the breakdown and dysfunction of family units, lying (or at least truth that is evasive and unclear), and the ugliness of mental illness. I'm not sure, based on other reviews, that Schabas intended the last—it's quite obvious that if she did, most readers did not get it—but for me mental illness and its consequences domin...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Searnold rated it 5 of 5 stars

Authored by Martha Schabas, but narrated by the Juliet precocious and aged Georgia Slade, “Various Positions” tells the story of Georgia’s prodigal decent and redemptive return to the sanctuary, her chrysalis of ballet. And her telling style, which is as lean as she is, is as legible and as engaging as an Ivanov pas; and too, she so clearly marks the episodes and chapters of her story with the connectives of time that any member of her corps of readers can smoothly count her moves. And although...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Megan (Book Brats) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, from-publisher, netgalley

Martha Schabas’ debut VARIOUS POSITIONS has had a less-than-stellar reputation amongst my friends and other online reviewers, with a lot of hatred going towards it. I went into it not knowing what to expect other than ballet and sex. But something about the premise intrigued me, even though I am normally not a fan of contemporary books, nor do I know ANYTHING about ballet. What I found, though, was a book pitched as young adult that really should be on adult shelves only, a book about a girl goi...more Martha Schabas’ debut VARIOUS POSITIONS has had a less-than-stellar reputation amongst my friends and other online reviewers, with a lot of hatred going towards it. I went into it not knowing what to expect other than ballet and sex. But something about the premise intrigued me, even though I am normally not a fan of contemporary books, nor do I know ANYTHING about ballet. What I found, though, was a book pitched as young adult that really should be on adult shelves only, a book about a girl going through a sexual awakening in the competitive world of ballet.

VARIOUS POSITIONS is about a 14 year old ballet student named Georgia, who has recently been accepted to the most prestigious ballet school in Canada. With girls pushing each other to do horrible things (become anorexic, lose their virginity to strangers, etc), Georgia has set her sights on the school’s notorious head teacher, a famed choreographer named Roderick. Famous for his harsh words and brash teaching mechanisms, he incites fear in most of the girls. Showing any emotion to his criticism, girls claim, is grounds for expulsion and the end to their ballet dreams. But for Georgia, he is the object of her affection. She imagines a relationship between them despite their massive age difference, and even thinks about having sex with him. Things only escalate from there.

This is definitely not a book for everyone. As I mentioned, I don’t think this book should be targeted at the YA audience. The book is heavily based on sex between teacher and student – Georgia with her teacher and then again between Georgia’s parents in the past. She spends a great deal of time fantasizing about sex, watching porn, and getting into compromising situations with Roderick. Although the protagonist is 14, she comes off more as a 19 or 20 year old, with her thoughts, mannerisms, and words. The publisher says this book is for teens aged 14-18, but I disagree with this. This is a book for girls 16 and up, if not adults outright, and I think marketing it to adults instead would have done this book a much greater service.

While I did not sympathize with Georgia, I did enjoy her narration, looking at it from a purely outsider perspective. Her thoughts were strange and repulsive, yet at the same time they draw the reader into her world. The life she has adopted for herself and decided to love is utterly fascinating, from the lengths these girls go to in order to succeed or their relationships with one another. Schabas portrays the trials and tribulations of young ballet dancers well, from their struggles with weight to the expectations put on their heads by their teachers, their families, and themselves. In addition, after reading this book, I really wanted to rewatch Black Swan. Totally random thought, I know.

The writing was for the most part strong, although there were a few too many awkward metaphors used too often, comparing smiles to leaving the lights on when you leave a room. Schabas definitely shows promise, but I think with better marketing, this book would have been a much stronger debut. It is not YA and marketing it as YA really did take the book down a notch for me.

VERDICT: A strong debut in a category where it doesn’t belong, VARIOUS POSITIONS is a well-written story of a girl’s sexual awakening in the world of ballet. But really, this book is not for young adults, and I would not recommend this to girls under the age of 16 at all.(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Georgia Slade has just been accepted into Toronto’s prestigious Royal Ballet Academy. At just fourteen, Georgia is one of the youngest students, and most talented. With her ballerina muse, Gelsey Kirkland, in mind, Georgia strives for faultlessness in her dancing. But as Georgia tries to command her body to perfection, her home life is unravelling.

Her mother, a university lecturer, is becoming increasingly erratic and embarrassing. Her emotional theatrics are nothing new, but in recent weeks the...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2011

Many of these reviews are not really treating this book fairly. This isn't a book about what really happens at a dance academy. This isn't a book about ballet. Yes, these things play a big role in the book, but apparently some are just missing the point.

Georgia is a young, inexperienced in the ways of the world, girl who has just been admitted into a ballet academy. It is obvious during the first few chapters before she enters the academy that because she is so involved in ballet and her dance c...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction

Very well written and very honest, even if the main character did at least one especially stupid thing.

I liked how everything was experienced through the eyes of a dancer. I've heard criticisms that this book isn't really "about" dance; I'd argue that it *is* about dance, and trying to fit together an apparently asexual art form with a sexual physical/mental/emotional self. The tension between the two realities is what drives the story. If it were just about dancing, pardon me, it would be bori...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, scandals-drama

This is certainly an unusual type of novel that is not common in YA fiction. Firstly, I must command the author, Martha Schabas for taking the plunge and writing about two subjects that are quite controversial. Ballet with all it's tough pressure and the themes of sexuality, the coming into awareness of it and all.

Georgia is a fourteen year old ballet dancer who is immersely talented but comes from a dysfunctional family. For starters, she has a sister, Isabel from another mother and her parents...more

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