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Letters From Yelena
*WINNER OF ARTS COUNCIL UK LITERATURE AWARD*
'I finished Letters from Yelena in two sittings. Romantic, dark, uncompromising, and beautiful.' Hanna Jameson, author of The Last
'Letters from Yelena, is a fantastic literary achievement from this immensely talented author. Astounding.' Andrew Kirby, reviewer for New York Journal Of Books.
'From opening this book I was unable to put it down until I had finished it. I was talking about it through dinner, and thinking about it too. It is wonderfully written, and I was fascinated.' Ruth Dugdall, bestselling author of The Woman Before Me.
'It's unusual to find a young male writer who can write with such sensitivity and maturity. This is clearly a writer of great talent.' Man Booker long-listed author Andrew Crumey.
'I finished Letters from Yelena in two sittings. Romantic, dark, uncompromising, and beautiful.' Hanna Jameson, author of The Last
'Letters from Yelena, is a fantastic literary achievement from this immensely talented author. Astounding.' Andrew Kirby, reviewer for New York Journal Of Books.
'From opening this book I was unable to put it down until I had finished it. I was talking about it through dinner, and thinking about it too. It is wonderfully written, and I was fascinated.' Ruth Dugdall, bestselling author of The Woman Before Me.
'It's unusual to find a young male writer who can write with such sensitivity and maturity. This is clearly a writer of great talent.' Man Booker long-listed author Andrew Crumey.
- GenresFiction
256 pages, ebook
First published July 16, 2012
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Guy Mankowski
14 books40 followersGuy Mankowski's biography of Kristen Pfaff from Hole is now available for subscribers at https://iknowhowtolive.substack.com/
The biography No Treble magazined described as 'long awaited'- which Substack certified as a 'bestseller' in February 2025 (a top 30 'Rising in Music Substack) follows volume one of two about Pfaff's life (taking the reader up to her joining Hole). Subscribers to the Substack are also hearing on there unheard songs by Pfaff, excerpts from her journal recordings, unseen photos from her time at the heart of the alt-rock music scene and other media. John Robb (the first journalist to interview Nirvana) said 'This book ultimately places Kristen back in the deserved centre of the narrative.’
Jane Savidge said of it, ‘Mankowski’s brilliant retelling of the extraordinary life of Kristen Pfaff- one of the most important players in the Seattle / Sub Pop scene- is a timely reminder that sometimes the heroes don’t always win and the truth is out there if you look hard enough.’
Mankowski is a Senior Lecturer at Lincoln University, and his agent is Matthew Hamilton at The Hamilton Agency.
The biography No Treble magazined described as 'long awaited'- which Substack certified as a 'bestseller' in February 2025 (a top 30 'Rising in Music Substack) follows volume one of two about Pfaff's life (taking the reader up to her joining Hole). Subscribers to the Substack are also hearing on there unheard songs by Pfaff, excerpts from her journal recordings, unseen photos from her time at the heart of the alt-rock music scene and other media. John Robb (the first journalist to interview Nirvana) said 'This book ultimately places Kristen back in the deserved centre of the narrative.’
Jane Savidge said of it, ‘Mankowski’s brilliant retelling of the extraordinary life of Kristen Pfaff- one of the most important players in the Seattle / Sub Pop scene- is a timely reminder that sometimes the heroes don’t always win and the truth is out there if you look hard enough.’
Mankowski is a Senior Lecturer at Lincoln University, and his agent is Matthew Hamilton at The Hamilton Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 21, 2013
My letters to you, my darling Noah, will be maps, in which I hope I can be found.
Yelena, a brilliant but flawed Ukrainian ballerina, comes to the UK to fulfil her dreams and dance in one of ballet's most prestigious roles: Giselle. While researching content for his new book, Yelena meets Noah, and here begins a journey of discovery.
Firstly I would like to say that this novel was beautifully written. Yelena's voice through her letter writing is easily heard - and her story is compelling. Her passion for her dancing shines through as does the hardship and pure determination that is required in that field - it gave me an insight into just how much blood, sweat and tears goes into what we eventually see on stage...
This is very much a book about human feelings and emotions - through Yelena's hopes, fears and dreams, her world comes to life. Both the light and the dark side - the author tackles some emotive subjects through this character and it is heart wrenching and addictive reading.
A bittersweet tale to be sure, one that will hold your heart in its hands for the length of the reading experience and will not let go.
This was one of those novels I would describe as "Poetic". It won't be for everyone, but personally I loved it. Wonderful and sublime writing.
Thank you as always to Legend Press for the copy of this book via netgalley.
Happy Reading Folks!
Yelena, a brilliant but flawed Ukrainian ballerina, comes to the UK to fulfil her dreams and dance in one of ballet's most prestigious roles: Giselle. While researching content for his new book, Yelena meets Noah, and here begins a journey of discovery.
Firstly I would like to say that this novel was beautifully written. Yelena's voice through her letter writing is easily heard - and her story is compelling. Her passion for her dancing shines through as does the hardship and pure determination that is required in that field - it gave me an insight into just how much blood, sweat and tears goes into what we eventually see on stage...
This is very much a book about human feelings and emotions - through Yelena's hopes, fears and dreams, her world comes to life. Both the light and the dark side - the author tackles some emotive subjects through this character and it is heart wrenching and addictive reading.
A bittersweet tale to be sure, one that will hold your heart in its hands for the length of the reading experience and will not let go.
This was one of those novels I would describe as "Poetic". It won't be for everyone, but personally I loved it. Wonderful and sublime writing.
Thank you as always to Legend Press for the copy of this book via netgalley.
Happy Reading Folks!
November 8, 2022
Epistolary novels are hard to do well. There is a lovely, lovely story inside this book, but it is hamstrung by the choice to try to wedge that story into a series of letters. The book sings when Yelena is writing about herself and her own internal monologue, but these are often brought to a jarring halt when she needs to switch to narrative.
It feels like a speedbump placed into a highway when she needs to start telling Noah about things they did because then it shifts to "You did this," and "You did that." He knows that. He was there for it. There's no need to tell him things he did. There are a couple of parts where this becomes a particular problem when she is telling him about his own encounters with someone she has never met and was never there to see. The shift to "You did..." is especially problematic because "you" usually means the reader, yet she is referring to another character, causing a form of mental dissonance where "you" doesn't really mean "you."
This problem should have been sorted out during the editing process. If the frame had either been shifted to these being letters she wrote to her daughter that she never intended to be read until after she had died, she could have used "Noah did this" or "Noah said that" instead of using "you." Or if this was, perhaps, a diary she wrote to herself while she was in the hospital, the problem would have been solved in a similar fashion.
This is an at-times lyrical and insightful book and an absolute pleasure to read when it is in between the abrupt narrative portions. There is a ton of great writing and effort inside this book, and it would have easily been a 4 or 5 star book had it been written from the correct perspective. While I admire Mankowski's effort to write in a way that is rarely done, sometimes it's not necessary to put five wheels on a car just because all the other cars have four.
That said, I'm not disappointed to have read this book; just sad that what could have been a work of such beauty has such an enormous mar.
It feels like a speedbump placed into a highway when she needs to start telling Noah about things they did because then it shifts to "You did this," and "You did that." He knows that. He was there for it. There's no need to tell him things he did. There are a couple of parts where this becomes a particular problem when she is telling him about his own encounters with someone she has never met and was never there to see. The shift to "You did..." is especially problematic because "you" usually means the reader, yet she is referring to another character, causing a form of mental dissonance where "you" doesn't really mean "you."
This problem should have been sorted out during the editing process. If the frame had either been shifted to these being letters she wrote to her daughter that she never intended to be read until after she had died, she could have used "Noah did this" or "Noah said that" instead of using "you." Or if this was, perhaps, a diary she wrote to herself while she was in the hospital, the problem would have been solved in a similar fashion.
This is an at-times lyrical and insightful book and an absolute pleasure to read when it is in between the abrupt narrative portions. There is a ton of great writing and effort inside this book, and it would have easily been a 4 or 5 star book had it been written from the correct perspective. While I admire Mankowski's effort to write in a way that is rarely done, sometimes it's not necessary to put five wheels on a car just because all the other cars have four.
That said, I'm not disappointed to have read this book; just sad that what could have been a work of such beauty has such an enormous mar.
February 3, 2024
3 stars because I did enjoy reading this book and I found it easy enough to read.
Sadly, the letter format didn't always work (Yelena often told Noah about events he'd been there for which you wouldn't do when writing a letter to someone).
I also found it hard to place the events in the book in any particular era. Yelena writes letters and postcards to family but texts Noah and uses email with C, then she calls England the country of David Bowie... When was this set??
Overall enjoyable but it felt a bit like the creative writing exercise of a young author with potential which then got published without much editing.
Sadly, the letter format didn't always work (Yelena often told Noah about events he'd been there for which you wouldn't do when writing a letter to someone).
I also found it hard to place the events in the book in any particular era. Yelena writes letters and postcards to family but texts Noah and uses email with C, then she calls England the country of David Bowie... When was this set??
Overall enjoyable but it felt a bit like the creative writing exercise of a young author with potential which then got published without much editing.
December 4, 2013
Reading the book at first I found it hard to tell how much of it was imaginative, and how much researched. I eventually realized the book was indeed very well researched, and it really got what it is like to start a new life in a foreign land. At the end it says Mankowski travelled to Russia and lived with ballerinas for a while and it shows in the depth of the novel. Yelena is a beautiful and enchanting character and I found myself wishing there were more letters in which she 'maps' herself out. The letters themselves eventually show themselves to be the work of a mind feeding back on itself, and though I could have interpreted some of Yelena's recollections as faulty or flaws in the writing I felt they were deliberate on the part of the author who was challenging our idea of 'reality' by making an alternative reality throughout someone's letters. I might be wrong. A spellbinding novel, but dark at times and challenging too.
March 13, 2015
Letters From Yelena is an interesting read - a book that should work but doesn't quite. I liked the concept and there were moments I really enjoyed, but overall I found I couldn't completely relate to Yelena. At times her story seemed too extreme to be believable and that yanked me out of the moment. I also would have liked more from the prose, which often felt repetitive - as if I'd read the page before.
In conclusion, if you are keen on novels set in the world of dance with a slight Black Swan twist, then you might want to give this book a try. I'm glad I did read it and I enjoyed it to an extent, but it would not make my reread list.
I received this book as a free e-book ARC via NetGalley.
In conclusion, if you are keen on novels set in the world of dance with a slight Black Swan twist, then you might want to give this book a try. I'm glad I did read it and I enjoyed it to an extent, but it would not make my reread list.
I received this book as a free e-book ARC via NetGalley.
September 6, 2016
I have no idea how I stumbled across it. I picked it up on a whim and what a fantastic choice that turned out to be.
I really loved the style of this book. It is told only through the letters from a young woman on her quest to become a ballerina. I found her voice compelling.
I think if films like Black Swan stirred a bit of curiosity in you then this might be worth a go. It does highlight the pressure and sacrifices the desire for success brings. I expect it's not a book for everyone though.
I really loved the style of this book. It is told only through the letters from a young woman on her quest to become a ballerina. I found her voice compelling.
I think if films like Black Swan stirred a bit of curiosity in you then this might be worth a go. It does highlight the pressure and sacrifices the desire for success brings. I expect it's not a book for everyone though.
February 14, 2017
So I couldn't decide if I should give this book one or two stars and ended up opting for two stars. Mostly because the book wasn't awful, just really far fetched at times. What upset me the most were the book's lack of time continuum and incorrect references to literature (C. S. Lewis didn't write 'The Wind in the Willows'!), events etc. Oh well...
September 6, 2013
Clever construction of the progression of the career of a prima ballerina illustrating the pressures to which she was subjected and the ultimate consequences. The mounting tension of the storyline riveted my attention to its poignant conclusion. I await with interest any further work from Guy Mankowski.
October 9, 2014
Mankowski has a singular talent for conveying the internal monologues of the heart and mind and giving the reader the chance to feel as if they are experiencing, at first-hand, the joy and pain of the characters. His work reminds me of two Michaels: Cunningham & Ondaatje. Very good company to keep.
July 9, 2013
A brilliant book, if a little heartbreaking.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews