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Madame Holbein's #1
A Candle for St. Jude
A Candle for St. Jude is the tender, evocative tale of a London ballet school, the heroic taskmistress who is its guiding force, and the young dancers whose passionate devotion to the dance fill the school with buoyant hopes, clashing tempraments, and the vibrant energy of youth.As the Madame and her students prepare for a forthcoming recital to commemorate her fifty years of dedication to the ballet, the reader shares in their special world...the unique relationship between Madame and the brilliant youngers sshe trains, the backstage tensions and onstage triumphs, the tender loves and the burning frustrations of youth.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
About the author
Rumer Godden
154 books578 followersMargaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 4, 2022
Godden writes of the ballet world as only an insider can. She evokes the backstage, the school culture, the sometimes cutthroat nature of dance with her trademark intuition. Yet...almost all of her characters are divas and exceedingly annoying to read about. Madame Holbein may have danced with grace, but she had no grace of character. Hilda was fun to root for but dropped out of the narrative towards the end, for some reason. Caroline...let's not talk about Caroline.
A Candle for St Jude would have been more of what I was expecting from a Godden novel had the main character been Ilse instead of Madame Holbein. She was the heart of the novel, the one who kept everything together in the end. The real strength of the book is its setting, and how clearly Godden knows the world of ballet, music, costume, set design, and so forth. She ran her own dance school for a while so perhaps there was something autobiographical in the story.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it, though the characters (which are always a make-or-break aspect of a book for me) did not tug on my heartstrings. After growing up on Streatfeild's Shoe books, I love reading anything about the performing arts in 1940s London. I doubt I will return to A Candle for St Jude because I'd rather live with happy memories of my blissful, drama-free years in ballet school than see these characters again.
A Candle for St Jude would have been more of what I was expecting from a Godden novel had the main character been Ilse instead of Madame Holbein. She was the heart of the novel, the one who kept everything together in the end. The real strength of the book is its setting, and how clearly Godden knows the world of ballet, music, costume, set design, and so forth. She ran her own dance school for a while so perhaps there was something autobiographical in the story.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it, though the characters (which are always a make-or-break aspect of a book for me) did not tug on my heartstrings. After growing up on Streatfeild's Shoe books, I love reading anything about the performing arts in 1940s London. I doubt I will return to A Candle for St Jude because I'd rather live with happy memories of my blissful, drama-free years in ballet school than see these characters again.
March 17, 2013
I didn't know this book existed until I reread Listen to the Nightingale and came online to rate it, at which point I noticed the series tag.
I was surprised - in a good way - by A Candle for St. Jude. Listen to the Nightingale is a book about a young dancer; A Candle for St. Jude is primarily a book about an older dancer, her company, and her young students. There is a subplot about a young dancer - Hilda! - which does contrast well with the main plot, but this is Madame Holbein's book, and it presents a very different side of her. It's also a much more mature work. I didn't love it the way I did Listen to the Nightingale, but I didn't read it when I was eleven, either. It's a good read.
I was surprised - in a good way - by A Candle for St. Jude. Listen to the Nightingale is a book about a young dancer; A Candle for St. Jude is primarily a book about an older dancer, her company, and her young students. There is a subplot about a young dancer - Hilda! - which does contrast well with the main plot, but this is Madame Holbein's book, and it presents a very different side of her. It's also a much more mature work. I didn't love it the way I did Listen to the Nightingale, but I didn't read it when I was eleven, either. It's a good read.
December 16, 2011
Rating: 3.5* of five
All the talk around LT about Rumer Godden was making me a little hankersome for a quick dip in that pond. I dredged this oldie up, since it's a short book and a re-read, and sailed through it on a cloud of appreciative smiles.
Now, to make sure you understand how weird that is, I do not love the ballet, which is the subject of this book. I do not love it so much that I refer to it as the Charles Dickens of the dahnse: Ponderous, possessed of a cliquish, cultlike following with its own icky little patois, and able to scrutinize the itsy-ootsy-teensiest of twitches with all the seriousness that a normal person would give their bank statement.
Unpromising beginning, in short, for me and this novel. I love it. It's just stellar. The characters are so vivid and real, the stakes of the story are so vividly presented, the ending so exactly what would happen inevitably, that there is no way not to appreciate the craftsmanship of the tale.
Since I know from my own life that miracles occur, I had no problem with the basics of the plot. I don't respond to this book as a religious tract, but as a tale well told, and I think that's what Rumer Godden would want a reader to do...she slipped her messages into the book so well that I wouldn't even have clipped them out as her editor.
Know any balletomanes? Give them this book immediately! It's in print! Are you of a faith-and-family bent? Read it read it read it! Interested in midcentury writers? A minor book by a major talent of the day, but worth reading.All the talk around LT about Rumer Godden was making me a little hankersome for a quick dip in that pond. I dredged this oldie up, since it's a short book and a re-read, and sailed through it on a cloud of appreciative smiles.
Now, to make sure you understand how weird that is, I do not love the ballet, which is the subject of this book. I do not love it so much that I refer to it as the Charles Dickens of the dahnse: Ponderous, possessed of a cliquish, cultlike following with its own icky little patois, and able to scrutinize the itsy-ootsy-teensiest of twitches with all the seriousness that a normal person would give their bank statement.
Unpromising beginning, in short, for me and this novel. I love it. It's just stellar. The characters are so vivid and real, the stakes of the story are so vividly presented, the ending so exactly what would happen inevitably, that there is no way not to appreciate the craftsmanship of the tale.
Since I know from my own life that miracles occur, I had no problem with the basics of the plot. I don't respond to this book as a religious tract, but as a tale well told, and I think that's what Rumer Godden would want a reader to do...she slipped her messages into the book so well that I wouldn't even have clipped them out as her editor.
Know any balletomanes? Give them this book immediately! It's in print! Are you of a faith-and-family bent? Read it read it read it! Interested in midcentury writers? A minor book by a major talent of the day, but worth reading.
All the talk around LT about Rumer Godden was making me a little hankersome for a quick dip in that pond. I dredged this oldie up, since it's a short book and a re-read, and sailed through it on a cloud of appreciative smiles.
Now, to make sure you understand how weird that is, I do not love the ballet, which is the subject of this book. I do not love it so much that I refer to it as the Charles Dickens of the dahnse: Ponderous, possessed of a cliquish, cultlike following with its own icky little patois, and able to scrutinize the itsy-ootsy-teensiest of twitches with all the seriousness that a normal person would give their bank statement.
Unpromising beginning, in short, for me and this novel. I love it. It's just stellar. The characters are so vivid and real, the stakes of the story are so vividly presented, the ending so exactly what would happen inevitably, that there is no way not to appreciate the craftsmanship of the tale.
Since I know from my own life that miracles occur, I had no problem with the basics of the plot. I don't respond to this book as a religious tract, but as a tale well told, and I think that's what Rumer Godden would want a reader to do...she slipped her messages into the book so well that I wouldn't even have clipped them out as her editor.
Know any balletomanes? Give them this book immediately! It's in print! Are you of a faith-and-family bent? Read it read it read it! Interested in midcentury writers? A minor book by a major talent of the day, but worth reading.All the talk around LT about Rumer Godden was making me a little hankersome for a quick dip in that pond. I dredged this oldie up, since it's a short book and a re-read, and sailed through it on a cloud of appreciative smiles.
Now, to make sure you understand how weird that is, I do not love the ballet, which is the subject of this book. I do not love it so much that I refer to it as the Charles Dickens of the dahnse: Ponderous, possessed of a cliquish, cultlike following with its own icky little patois, and able to scrutinize the itsy-ootsy-teensiest of twitches with all the seriousness that a normal person would give their bank statement.
Unpromising beginning, in short, for me and this novel. I love it. It's just stellar. The characters are so vivid and real, the stakes of the story are so vividly presented, the ending so exactly what would happen inevitably, that there is no way not to appreciate the craftsmanship of the tale.
Since I know from my own life that miracles occur, I had no problem with the basics of the plot. I don't respond to this book as a religious tract, but as a tale well told, and I think that's what Rumer Godden would want a reader to do...she slipped her messages into the book so well that I wouldn't even have clipped them out as her editor.
Know any balletomanes? Give them this book immediately! It's in print! Are you of a faith-and-family bent? Read it read it read it! Interested in midcentury writers? A minor book by a major talent of the day, but worth reading.
October 14, 2012
Rumer Godden writes three types of books - ones about India (which I adore), ones about nuns and convent life (which I enjoy immensely) and ones about ballet which I don't like so much. This one is about ballet. Enough said.
June 2, 2012
I think... what it is... is... I don't really like Rumer Godden's writing all that much.
There. I said it. I feel better.
There. I said it. I feel better.
January 2, 2018
"'Why should it be good?' said Madame. 'Think what it takes to make something good . . . Isn't it enough that you can do it at oll?' asked Madame. No, it isn't enough, cried Hilda. Not for me."
There really aren't words to describe how much I love this book, besides to say it's one of my favorites. One of my five-books-on-a-deserted-island favorites, or five-books-that-best-represent-what-you-love favorites.
The language is lyrical, strong, full of imagery. Passages evoke smells and tastes and memory. Describing something so physical as dancing is difficult, as is switching point-of-view within a paragraph, but by combining the challenges, Godden actually imitates the experience of dancing with a partner.
Like her other work, shifting power dynamics and identity are addressed with steadiness and subtly. This is especially interesting here, where identity can be tied solely to a physically demanding art form, and so a dancer might still be a dancer long after she has ceased to dance. In the struggle between Madame, Hilda, and Caroline, aging, and the push and pull of past prestige vs. promising future, is so well displayed, even as the characters themselves are not always aware of it.
This is easily one of the most beautiful books I've ever read, and every time I put it down I'm already aching to begin it again.
There really aren't words to describe how much I love this book, besides to say it's one of my favorites. One of my five-books-on-a-deserted-island favorites, or five-books-that-best-represent-what-you-love favorites.
The language is lyrical, strong, full of imagery. Passages evoke smells and tastes and memory. Describing something so physical as dancing is difficult, as is switching point-of-view within a paragraph, but by combining the challenges, Godden actually imitates the experience of dancing with a partner.
Like her other work, shifting power dynamics and identity are addressed with steadiness and subtly. This is especially interesting here, where identity can be tied solely to a physically demanding art form, and so a dancer might still be a dancer long after she has ceased to dance. In the struggle between Madame, Hilda, and Caroline, aging, and the push and pull of past prestige vs. promising future, is so well displayed, even as the characters themselves are not always aware of it.
This is easily one of the most beautiful books I've ever read, and every time I put it down I'm already aching to begin it again.
March 7, 2026
This is such a hard book to review. I went into it thinking it was a middle grade story, but it's definitely not. A Candle for St. Jude is a very introspective novel with a private London ballet studio as a setting. It switches from various points of view of Madame Holbein, a few of the main ballet dancers (such as Hilda, Caroline and Lion), Madame's assistant Miss Ilse, and a young ballet student starting off her ballet "career".
I felt that none of the characters are very likable and the tone of the novel feels generally frustrated, bitter, selfish and sad. But, although this doesn't sound like the most wonderful book ever, it made me very thoughtful—both during and after reading it.
It's so well-written that I can't help but give it 4 stars. I don't know if I'd read it again, but I did love reading about the life of the ballet school and how it all works. The story has this whole other level that I feel like I just touched on. I wonder if I would learn or feel more if I read it again.
I'm definitely interested in reading the next book in this series, since that's the one people seem to enjoy most. This Rumer Godden title truly shook me up, though not in a bad way. There's something about it that gets to the heart of the ballet world. If I had experience being a part of that, I think I would have liked it even more.
If you give it a try, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I felt that none of the characters are very likable and the tone of the novel feels generally frustrated, bitter, selfish and sad. But, although this doesn't sound like the most wonderful book ever, it made me very thoughtful—both during and after reading it.
It's so well-written that I can't help but give it 4 stars. I don't know if I'd read it again, but I did love reading about the life of the ballet school and how it all works. The story has this whole other level that I feel like I just touched on. I wonder if I would learn or feel more if I read it again.
I'm definitely interested in reading the next book in this series, since that's the one people seem to enjoy most. This Rumer Godden title truly shook me up, though not in a bad way. There's something about it that gets to the heart of the ballet world. If I had experience being a part of that, I think I would have liked it even more.
If you give it a try, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
July 17, 2012
I read this, and loved it, many years ago. As part of my on-going reappraisal of a number of much loved titles I saved this spring from recycling, I read it again.
And, loved it even more!
This book is so much fun--for anyone who loves dance, ballet, an intimate view of the inner world of a small, exclusive ballet school, a look at one writer's view of life in London in the 50's, a bit of romance...
But it's also a lovely, and inspiring, read for a writer.
On this reading, I was very struck by how skillfully, smoothly, and uniquely Godden manages to insert what writers (and some readers) call 'backstory' into her prose. None of the clunky, often long-winded flashback paragraphs for Godden; no way! Instead, she deftly transports the reader from the story's present time to the main character's past over and over again, often within the space of a page or two, and often via snippets of remembered dialogue.
Example: we (the reader) are within the mind of the main character (the aging, stern, emotive ballerina/ballet mistress of the school) in the story's present time (the day before her gala anniversary opening), we are hearing her present thoughts, worries, ruminations about the building crisis concerning said gala. Then, with little or no warning--but, stay with me, it really does work!--we are privy to the characters memories. And these are conveyed to us, not in bold-faced, "then she recalled" paragraphs. No, they are conveyed to us artfully, delicately, and naturally: snips of remembered words, things said, things heard, tasted, felt are recalled. They just appear. And, if the details are remembered words or sentences, they appear in quotes or italics, or, sometimes, in neither.
One would think you'd be forever lost--Who is speaking now? When, where, is this?--but the reader is not. With next to no instances, I was never confused.
As a writer, I can only say, how interesting, how intriguing a style. I can only think that Godden sought out this style in order to render the insertion of these types of details--those that let us know what and who is resting on our characters' minds, laying claim to their current preoccupations and attitude--as naturally as possible. And that she labored long and hard to develop this technique, and that in this novel, A Candle For St Jude, she perfected it.
And I have been trying to see if I can do more of this in my own work...!
And, loved it even more!
This book is so much fun--for anyone who loves dance, ballet, an intimate view of the inner world of a small, exclusive ballet school, a look at one writer's view of life in London in the 50's, a bit of romance...
But it's also a lovely, and inspiring, read for a writer.
On this reading, I was very struck by how skillfully, smoothly, and uniquely Godden manages to insert what writers (and some readers) call 'backstory' into her prose. None of the clunky, often long-winded flashback paragraphs for Godden; no way! Instead, she deftly transports the reader from the story's present time to the main character's past over and over again, often within the space of a page or two, and often via snippets of remembered dialogue.
Example: we (the reader) are within the mind of the main character (the aging, stern, emotive ballerina/ballet mistress of the school) in the story's present time (the day before her gala anniversary opening), we are hearing her present thoughts, worries, ruminations about the building crisis concerning said gala. Then, with little or no warning--but, stay with me, it really does work!--we are privy to the characters memories. And these are conveyed to us, not in bold-faced, "then she recalled" paragraphs. No, they are conveyed to us artfully, delicately, and naturally: snips of remembered words, things said, things heard, tasted, felt are recalled. They just appear. And, if the details are remembered words or sentences, they appear in quotes or italics, or, sometimes, in neither.
One would think you'd be forever lost--Who is speaking now? When, where, is this?--but the reader is not. With next to no instances, I was never confused.
As a writer, I can only say, how interesting, how intriguing a style. I can only think that Godden sought out this style in order to render the insertion of these types of details--those that let us know what and who is resting on our characters' minds, laying claim to their current preoccupations and attitude--as naturally as possible. And that she labored long and hard to develop this technique, and that in this novel, A Candle For St Jude, she perfected it.
And I have been trying to see if I can do more of this in my own work...!
December 20, 2017
I'd been looking for this book for quite a while and eventually found it in a second-hand bookshop in London. Then it languished on my shelves for quite a while until I finally got around to reading it a couple of months ago. Great story, kind of knew where it was going long before it got there, but then I'm not exactly the target audience envisaged at the time of publication (1948). I wasn't even the beginning of a twinkle in anyone's eye then! Just glad to have to found the book, to have read it eventually and to have it complete my shelf of books by Godden.
August 2, 2010
Really good. The main character was really unappealing.
July 22, 2021
I wish I could give this seven stars. I love Rumer Godden so much. She is such a good writer.
This book is about an aging ballerina who now runs a ballet school and takes place over the course of the couple of days before the performance of the new ballet of the season.
It's so funny in places; all the characters are sharply observed. So much meaty introspection about aging and art and the nature of creative talent.
Godden has this gift for making her novels seem as if they are genuinely a curtain drawn back on real people's lives and we are being given the opportunity to peek in. Which means that there are no easy morals to the story or life lessons to be learned, and characters don't always make the choices the reader roots for them to make. And I love that.
This is a quick and easy read; it's simply written, but that simplicity of pose should not be mistaken for simplicity of plot/theme. This book is quite complex, I think, in what it has to say about human nature. Highly recommended.
This book is about an aging ballerina who now runs a ballet school and takes place over the course of the couple of days before the performance of the new ballet of the season.
It's so funny in places; all the characters are sharply observed. So much meaty introspection about aging and art and the nature of creative talent.
Godden has this gift for making her novels seem as if they are genuinely a curtain drawn back on real people's lives and we are being given the opportunity to peek in. Which means that there are no easy morals to the story or life lessons to be learned, and characters don't always make the choices the reader roots for them to make. And I love that.
This is a quick and easy read; it's simply written, but that simplicity of pose should not be mistaken for simplicity of plot/theme. This book is quite complex, I think, in what it has to say about human nature. Highly recommended.
July 8, 2023
Gave me a real strong Ballet Shoes vibe(the classic children's book by Noel Streatfeild). Like if the book had focused on the adults instead of the kids.
Not a lot happens in the book. It covers two days in the life of a small ballet company, as they prepare for an anniversary show. Godden does a marvelous job depicting the frenzy of preparations involved. I enjoyed all the different supporting characters.
I also got a Grand Hotel vibe from the lead character Madame in the book. She's like the elderly version of the ballet dancer that Greta Garbo portrayed.
Even though I am not a dancer, I am drawn to the ballet world and find it fascinating. That is a requirement for liking the book. You'd die of boredom if you attempted to read this without liking ballet.
Not a lot happens in the book. It covers two days in the life of a small ballet company, as they prepare for an anniversary show. Godden does a marvelous job depicting the frenzy of preparations involved. I enjoyed all the different supporting characters.
I also got a Grand Hotel vibe from the lead character Madame in the book. She's like the elderly version of the ballet dancer that Greta Garbo portrayed.
Even though I am not a dancer, I am drawn to the ballet world and find it fascinating. That is a requirement for liking the book. You'd die of boredom if you attempted to read this without liking ballet.
April 10, 2010
This is a charming little book without the bittersweet tinges of a lot of Rumer Godden's other work. (It's been years since I've read any, so I may be being uncharitable, but...) An aged ballerina has her jubilee, to celebrate her long career. In the day leading up to the jubilee, all the creativity, passions, jealousies, and passions of the ballet come into play, ultimately creating a joyous occasion celebrating talent, stages of life, and beauty. The characterizations are wistful, incisive, compelling, charming, and poignant.
March 27, 2013
My most recent car book, a quiet novel about a Russian ballerina, celebrating her 50th anniversary of dancing, and the school that she runs.
A sweet side story is the deep and abiding faith of her assistant. Not the strongest Godden book I've read, but I'm definitely glad that it crossed my path.
A sweet side story is the deep and abiding faith of her assistant. Not the strongest Godden book I've read, but I'm definitely glad that it crossed my path.
September 10, 2017
From her genius (especially) in 'In This House of Brede' and 'Black Narcissus,' Rumer Godden is well-established in my mind as one of the best female authors of last century able to combine ordered (Roman Catholic) religiosity, mystical leanings, and true yearning for connection to the 'something that is' in whatever form it takes (strong Buddhist influences), with adventures in pre-war British empire lands.
This book was different from the variety of Godden books that I've read in the past (I've read about 1/3 of her entire collection) in that it is a 250 page study of a few days in the life of a single character, Anne Holbein. The entire book centers around the 50 year anniversary of the career of a great ballet teacher, and the school that she founded. While Godden's writing is as flowery and thoughtful as ever, quite truthfully this novel is seriously lacking in the poignancy that she's known for at her best. As a character study, it's a useful example. As an introduction to the author, don't bother. It's not the subject, it's the depth of writing that's the miss on this one.
This book was different from the variety of Godden books that I've read in the past (I've read about 1/3 of her entire collection) in that it is a 250 page study of a few days in the life of a single character, Anne Holbein. The entire book centers around the 50 year anniversary of the career of a great ballet teacher, and the school that she founded. While Godden's writing is as flowery and thoughtful as ever, quite truthfully this novel is seriously lacking in the poignancy that she's known for at her best. As a character study, it's a useful example. As an introduction to the author, don't bother. It's not the subject, it's the depth of writing that's the miss on this one.
April 29, 2024
Published in 1973 this old-timey book is quite remarkable. A quick read, full of drama and angst, novice ballerinas, egos, jealousies, and the backstories of the mains plus Madame Holbein, whose small but renowned London theatre company survives the heartbreak of dancers leaving, and relives the joy of her past in dance and her hopes for the future, that her school will carry on. Miss Ilse, her sis in law, believes it is the patron saint of lost causes, St. Jude, who gets them through the turmoil of the day of the big event, a new ballet thrust into the program having everyone involved running willy-nilly in securing costumes, feathers, back drops and more. Great setting, pacing, character studies. Godden shows the reader the passion of the dance, we can feel it, the music, the positions, the rustle of fabrics...Indeed, this is a beautifully written book by a master novelist.
October 6, 2017
Madame Holbein is putting a special performance celebrating 50 years since her debut but a new ballet her dancing school is performing is all wrong and her strong reaction against it causes more problems.
This is quite a gritty book about performing. It makes a change from the usual child prodigy who despite struggles gets into a ballet school. This is all about the struggles performers have when the show still isn't working the day before opening night. I enjoyed it for the realism and the artistic temperaments but sometimes found it hard to read as it was a bit too close to my day job!
An interesting book and I loved learning about St Jude!
This is quite a gritty book about performing. It makes a change from the usual child prodigy who despite struggles gets into a ballet school. This is all about the struggles performers have when the show still isn't working the day before opening night. I enjoyed it for the realism and the artistic temperaments but sometimes found it hard to read as it was a bit too close to my day job!
An interesting book and I loved learning about St Jude!
October 8, 2020
I regularly give Rumer Godden 4 to 5 stars so I was surprised that I did not enjoy this particular title.
Anna Holbein was a gifted and highly-acclaimed ballerina in her day. She has invested her retirement years in training other young dancers. This book recounts the trials and triumphs of her preparations for her jubilee celebration. Tensions run high and everyone bends over backwards to meet Madame Holbein's unrealistic demands. The success of her efforts rang a little hollow for me.
St. Jude is the saint of lost causes and the title refers to Holbein's assistant, Ilse, who holds everything together with her patient servant attitude and prayers for the group's success.
Anna Holbein was a gifted and highly-acclaimed ballerina in her day. She has invested her retirement years in training other young dancers. This book recounts the trials and triumphs of her preparations for her jubilee celebration. Tensions run high and everyone bends over backwards to meet Madame Holbein's unrealistic demands. The success of her efforts rang a little hollow for me.
St. Jude is the saint of lost causes and the title refers to Holbein's assistant, Ilse, who holds everything together with her patient servant attitude and prayers for the group's success.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2020
I loved Rumer Godden's book "In This House of Breder," and as a former dancer, I love ballet. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. The descriptions of the parts of a ballet and the dancers themselves were spot on and beautiful, but I disliked the protagonist immensely. Madame is good - the best - at what she does, but she treats people horribly. She's conceited and harsh, and never has a redemption moment. I was shocked when the book just...ended. Disappointed.
January 20, 2026
I liked the sequel more (this didn't seem to me to be a children's book especially, I think I would have struggled with it as a child), but it was still a very nice book!
June 13, 2022
This book was written in a time long ago, dating the story. Usually, that does not affect how I like a story. I am a Rumer Godden fan, but this is not one of my favorite stories.
April 4, 2016
This is not my favorite among Godden's many books, but like every she wrote it's worth reading for her psychological insights and faultless prose. The story takes place within the confines of a ballet school run by a mercurial former danseuse étoile, Madame Anna Holbein, and her deeply religious sister-in-law, Ilse, who in times of crisis always starts by lighting a candle to Saint Jude. And there are crises galore during the run-up to Madame's Jubilee. Initially, Madame gave the go-ahead to a new choreography by a very ambitious student called Hilda, but when she decides that the piece should be shortened, Hilda rebels and withdraws her composition. Then, under the influence of Lion, her gorgeous partner, she relents and rehearsals start again. But in fact Madame isn't really happy with Hilda's piece in either version, and during a long vigil she agonizes over what's best for her own legacy as well as for Hilda's future. Eventually she stumbles on another choreography that Hilda had started to rehearse with Lion but hadn't had the chance to show her. The quality of this second piece of work overcomes all her reservations about Hilda and she commandeers all the resources of her troupe to have it produced to the highest standards in record time. An older pupil of hers who is on the first rung of her professional career tries to scupper the performance, but she fails and all is well that ends well. Madame is a great character, both petty and principled, vain and generous, unfair and shrewd. It's a beautiful story of jealousy between rivals and between generations, and of the hot-house atmosphere of a place where only the very best have a future.
July 29, 2011
I was hoping this would be Ballet Shoes for grown-ups, and it's pretty darn close. What I liked about it was that we got to see the inner workings of the school--who choreographs the ballets? who puts the music together? who designs the sets and costumes? I also felt about this book the way I felt about The Land of Spices when I read it after having read Frost in May--the latter is about a Catholic schoolgirl, the former involves Catholic schoolgirls but is mainly about the Mother Superior. This one had some very good writing about student dancers--especially Hilda and Lion, because come on, who doesn't love some good sexual tension in rehearsal?--but the meatiest parts of the story were when we went inside Madame Holbein's head, history, and motivations.
It actually started out a little slowly--and in true Rumer Godden fashion, with people talking about the events of the story that were to come--but then it picked up. The woman knew how to write a story.
It actually started out a little slowly--and in true Rumer Godden fashion, with people talking about the events of the story that were to come--but then it picked up. The woman knew how to write a story.
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July 8, 2015Madame Anna Holbein is another of Rumer Godden’s single-minded, self-centered characters who bully others into producing good things. Her ballet school in Hampstead, founded when she retired thirty years before, is to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of her ballet début, and she expects everyone to work as hard as she does. That includes her sister-in-law, called “Miss Ilse” even though she was married to Anna’s brother, always in the background lighting candles to St. Jude to bring off miracles but also doing whatever practical fetching and carrying is needed. Readers see, though Madame is slow to, that the 17-year-old Hilda is destined for a greater career than the more conventionally beautiful Caroline, and that the young man Madame calls Lion is better at strong dancing than at courageous action in real life. I read the first edition, published by Michael Joseph in London, 1948.
December 25, 2014
Rumer Godden is my new favorite author, and, sorrowfully, most of her books are no longer in print. This one jumped off a shelf at the DI, into my cart, and into my heart. It’s about a small ballet school in London, but there’s nothing British about the setting; it feels like Paris. The school’s director is Madame Holbein, an aging Russian ballerina, who guides her protégés with love and caprice. The characters are vivid, tender, and quirky. The book seemed way too short. When I finished it, I started again from the first page.
September 9, 2010
The patron saint of lost causes. This is, like all work by Rumer Godden, beautifully written. It's about a woman, a ballet dancer, who is beyond her prime and in very serious denial. She causes suffering to all those around her, as she refuses to accept her situation gracefully. It's a compelling story that entices you into thinking about the future and how you will behave when you reach old age.
April 15, 2018
Story of a ballet school and theater run by an aged former star. She is so jealous of one of her pupils that she can't bear to recognize the girl's talent. The first couple chapters were a bit dry, but once the in-fighting and tension start mounting, it zips right along. The madame is quite a character.
February 18, 2013
I read this when I was really young, loved it and was hoping it would stand up to a reread. It did and i may like it even more after a second read. It's like Ballet Shoes for adults. I love Godden's refelctive style and although her world seems long ago it doesn't seem out of date.
November 26, 2008
I read this every year - it reminds me that people are who they are, the arts are what they are, and everything is worth it. I love her other books (Godden's) but I keep this one on a special shelf with CS Lewis.
November 22, 2009
Charming Ballet School story. A small 'Fame' with all the backstage goings-on. Romance, jealousy, gossip, etc. among the students, Madam the stern Ballet Master reminiscing about the Ballet triumphs of her youth. Good story especially if you love the Ballet (I do).
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