84 Ribbons
Holly’s Review from GoodReads ★★★★★ June 7, 2014
84 Ribbons is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. I love ballet and think it is beautiful so I thought this would be a light summer read. It wasn’t but it was a really beautiful,heartbreaking story.
The book is set in the 50’s and Marta is a very dedicated and quite mature 17 year old perusing a ballet career. Her dream since a young girl. She is not your average teenager wanting to go to the mall. Her commitment and love for ballet is serious. She chases a dream and goes to extreme lengths pushing herself to her limit to get what she’s been wanting forever. Keeping herself slim and purposely dieting to look like a true ballerina. Hitting some small bumps along the way and a few major ones, she still keeps her dream in sight. This is an inspirational, educational, beautiful story. It’s also sad. It made me smile, laugh and almost cry a few times. It made me sigh from the beauty of the visions of her dancing but then had me huffing over her misfortune. Marta is a strong young woman. I was always keeping hope up for her.
I’ve always been fascinated with ballet. I used to watch it and be in wonder, because they looked like they were floating. When you start to look at the struggles, and misfortunes that can happen in the life of a dancer, then you really see a story. Paddy Eger’s “84 Ribbons” is one of those stories.
Marta, 17, has been accepted into the Intermountain Ballet Company. It’s all she’s ever wanted. But, as we all know, no fairy tales happen in life, and Marta experiences that first hand, she’s away from home, lonely, trying to make friends, and trying to succeed when it seems like everything is stacked against her. The ballet mistress is set against her, and causes her to struggle and make tough choices.
For a YA novel, this is an interesting option. I expected a ballet story that only teetered on the edge of unhappy, and provide us with a beautiful, happy ever after picture of life as a ballerina, but Eder doesn’t choose that route. She provides real struggles, honest characters, and situations which call for a person to reevaluate what they truly want in life. I did feel it was a bit deep for a YA novel, but wonderfully well written. I don’t know much about ballet, so I can’t speak on the reality of this world and these situations, but to me, as a reader, I felt Marta was a good character. A bit naïve and a little fragile at times but overall, a character that can be built up and torn down through the novel to create a solid coming of age story. Download the full review PDF here or visits Rebecca’s Reads.
Reviewed by Cianna Reider for Rebecca’s Reads
February, 2014
84 Ribbons was my first accepted book request (from Netgalley). I can honestly say it was an absolute pleasure reading this book!
84 Ribbons is about 17 year old, Washington State native Marta traveling to Billings, Montana to fulfill her dreams as a professional ballerina. While there she makes life long friendships, finds love, looses herself and begins the journey of finding out who she is. As a child she figured that it would take her 84 worn pointe shoe ribbons for her to be ready to dance her first solo piece professionally. The story takes you through her many trials and tribulations in an attempt to meet this goal.
There are 3 things that this book contained that I personally thoroughly enjoyed. Read more of Anna’s review on brunette with brains…
Reviewed by Anna Swenda of brunette with brains
5.0 out of 5 stars the challenging world of ballet
The dancers in a ballet make it look so easy, their movements so graceful, their bodies so thin. Seventeen-year-old Marta has danced long enough to know how much work is involved, but dancing with a professional ballet company is all she ever wanted to do. …Worst of all, the ballet mistress doesn’t like her. …84 Ribbons is a beautiful coming-of-age story for anyone who has had a dream or found a “plan B.”
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful!
I just had the pleasure of reading 84 Ribbons, a delightful YA story of a young ballerina and her struggles with the tough and competitive world of ballet. The story is set in the late ’50s and is full of clever references to that period. I particularly enjoyed the bits about clothes and dating – life was so much more simple then that it made me long for a time when people regularly took trains and buses, commercial flights were a thrill, and young women wore white gloves. As someone who has had dancers in the family I can recommend the book to anyone young person aspiring to be a part of the dance world, or to their parents who must provide so much support.
A perfect story of how ballet is more than just the performances. Each dancer has a story, daily struggles and dreams. It is in the moment of the counting of the ribbons the heart realizes the truth.
My Thoughts on 84 Ribbons:
I read this on a sunny Saturday afternoon in my back garden, with Clair de Lune playing on my ipod and it was a perfect timeout after a hectic week. This book is set in 1957 which I hadn’t realised before I started but was something I really enjoyed. It added to the nostalgic, old fashioned charm that just jumped off the pages of this book.
The ballet setting is spot on. This isn’t just a book with token ballet shoes on the front, this is a realistic look at the ballet world and how it demands blood, sweat and tears if you are to ever succeed. It is also a coming of age book as Marta (age 17) has moved away from home and is learning to survive on her own in a new town where her ballet company is located.
Overall, this book was a pleasant surprise. It is the best ballet book I have read in a long, long time and I’m excited to see that Paddy Eger has a follow up planned as I’m keen to see what happens next.
Who should read 84 Ribbons?
I’d highly recommend this to all who love books with a strong ballet setting and also to those who like an old-fashioned nostalgic feel from their reads. If you liked Drina books by Jean Estoril or Girl in Motion by Miriam Wenger-Landis; then I’d also recommend this book to you.
5.0 out of 5 stars 84 Ribbons by Paddy Eger is a great contemporary read
84 Ribbons by Paddy Eger is a great contemporary read. It isn’t in my normal reading comfort zone but it sounded good so I decided to give it a try. I am glad that I did because I enjoyed it thoroughly. The author paints a vivid behind the scenes picture of the ballet world. I loved the cast of players and the plotline of the story. 84 Ribbons is Marta’s story. It is about her struggles, triumphs, and the in between.
Following a young ballet dancer as she sets her heart on joining a corps and dancing her way up to solo, 84 Ribbons is immersive and strong.
.Paddy Eger is bringing her own experiences to the page and we have no doubt that this is how it felt to be a young dancer. Teen readers and interested adults will find this memorable book a fine read, with much of relevance to our current lifestyle.
5.0 out of 5 stars Every Character is Authentic; Every Situation, Involved
I have three little ballerina wanna-be’s among my granddaughters so I was intrigued by Paddy Eger’s debut novel after becoming aware of her award-winning ‘Educating America’ (we are a family of educators).
Paddy Eger, writing for the YA crowd places on her young, maturing readers the expectation of maturity-of-choices in this grounded coming of age story. Marta Selbryth wants one thing in her life — her young life — to be a ballerina. But what that means — really means — becomes clear as her goal ebbs and flows through the pages of ’84 Ribbons’.
Every character is authentic; every life-situation is involved. I closed the book reciting the mantra that has followed me most of my adult life, by Woody Allen: “We are the sum total of our choices. . .” Choose THIS book for your YA crowd.
5.0 out of 5 stars A ballerina’s story, beautifully told by an extremely talented author.
84 Ribbons is a WINNER. Reading this story is like opening a gift and finding a treasure under every layer of tissue paper. What an eye-opener it was to learn how rigorously demanding the life of a performance ballerina is. Marta Selbryth has spent her life in preparation for a career as a professional performance ballerina. When she auditions for and is selected to try out for the Intermountain Ballet Company, her life becomes even more difficult than before. Madame Cosper – her nemesis – is biased against Marta, causing Marta much grief as she practices harder and makes additional sacrifices to her personal life.
Twists and turns make this book a real page-turner. Congratulations to Paddy Eger, whose lyrical voice carries us through this story with believable characters, breathtaking settings, and a heartwarming story that includes the beauty of spring and the harsh reality of winter. I look forward to reading her next book.
5.0 out of 5 stars I really truly enjoyed this book
I really truly enjoyed this book. I liked observing Marta, she’s driven, talented, and intelligent. She is so focused on her goal that she refuses to let anything be more important than dancing. It’s why she makes some of the decisions that she does. Because she needs to have some semblance of control, when it seems like everything is going wrong.
This book talks about addiction, and weight issues in a very real way. It shows that anyone can have problems. Even if someone insists that they’re fine, they may not be, if you never see them eat.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read!
As a novice to the world of ballet, I found Paddy Eger’s debut novel 84 Ribbons fascinating. Set in the middle of the last century, Marta’s coming of age story seems fresh and relevant as today. Leaving the security of her home in Washington, we follow her dream to Montana where she begins training at Intermountain Ballet Company. We watch Marta grow through life experiences – homesickness, friendships, even a love interest but it’s the physical expectations of training that become her biggest challenge. I highly recommend Paddy’s book for youth and adults alike for an interesting and satisfying read. I look forward to reading more in this series.
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the read. . .even for “older” adults!
I love this book because it deals with some of the hard realities of a career in ballet. Marta is drive by her love of ballet and makes unhealthy decisions along the way to what she hopes will be great success.
As a retired middle/high school teacher, I know that many young dancers will relate to this character and this story. The writing is superb and the details included enhance the story.
All school libraries should purchase copies for young readers!!
5.0 out of 5 stars A realistic and lovely read by a talented author!
Paddy Eger’s talent shines bright in this debut novel. Using all the elements of good storytelling, the author weaves a beautifully and realistically rendered coming of age story set in the exciting, yet sometimes painful, world of ballet. 84 Ribbons captured my heart. Let it capture yours!
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best stories I have ever read!
Loved, loved, loved this beautifully written Novel! Great summer read! I am excited for the author to release her next book!