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jbrugge's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful poetic tale of the life of and around Nureyev, of the internal and external worlds of the dancer, his friends, his family. It is a tapestry of stories that keeps you spinning, sometimes disorienting as you try to keep track of whose voice is talking, but always moving you on through the landscape of Soviet Russia, ballet, gay life, love and loss.
creekhiker's review against another edition
5.0
McCann writes with such confidence, switching from POV to POV with dizzying ease.
nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
chrisclear33's review against another edition
I never got to a place where I wanted to pick this up to continue reading, so I gave up.
rashi_verma's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Beautiful portrayal of the life of an enigmatic man, told from the perspectives of everyobe he influenced. The story has undercurrents of political turmoil, leading to a decision whose consequences would span decades. Nuryev is an inspiring figure, and McCann does a great job of giving the reader a glimpse into the determination and single-mindedness that led to the formation of one of 20th century's greatest artists.
hearingtrumpet's review against another edition
5.0
The strongest first ten pages I've read in a long time! Amazing surrealist speech from Victor and a vivid description of gay night-life in NY.
seejennread's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars but bumped up to 4 because I really want to read some actual bios of him now so it definitely kept my interest!
emmmmmmmmmmmmmmma's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
scifi_geek's review against another edition
4.0
B+ This is the second Colum McCann book I've read in the past few weeks and while I enjoyed "Let the Great World Spin" more, this was still a very good read. The first half was five stars, the middle three, but the end of a good book - one that leaves you missing the characters and feeling emotions at good-byes - is what showed me how much I really enjoyed this. I'm not sure I fully grasped all the nuances of the underlying motifs, but I did (and will continue) to spend time thinking about loss, sacrifice, loneliness, and life after reading this. I'm not sure I'll read this again, but it definitely deserves another reading.
The writing is elegant and this confirms my love for McCann's work. I put him up there as one of the top authors of our time and look forward to reading his past, and future work.
The writing is elegant and this confirms my love for McCann's work. I put him up there as one of the top authors of our time and look forward to reading his past, and future work.
danvinci's review against another edition
4.0
“When everything is said and done I would not swap anything I have either said or done. If you look back you’ll only fall down the stairs..”
A glimpse into life of one of the most talented and troubled dancers of the last century, Rudolf Nureyev. His journey from utter poverty in Soviet Tatarstan to world fame and wealth. I liked the style of the book - the array of diary entries and interviews of people who one way or another touched his life - from his personal assistant, to family members, to partners in “crime”, to shoemaker.. everyone reveals yet another edge of his character and yet another side of life that was anything but dull. Easy, fast and immersive read. Recommend!
A glimpse into life of one of the most talented and troubled dancers of the last century, Rudolf Nureyev. His journey from utter poverty in Soviet Tatarstan to world fame and wealth. I liked the style of the book - the array of diary entries and interviews of people who one way or another touched his life - from his personal assistant, to family members, to partners in “crime”, to shoemaker.. everyone reveals yet another edge of his character and yet another side of life that was anything but dull. Easy, fast and immersive read. Recommend!