04/01/2014
The work of internationally known artist Simpson has always been inspired by dance—she's the daughter of a vaudeville dancer—so it's no surprise that her fiction debut is set in a ballroom. A past-its-prime New York City dance hall still attracts patrons like Sarah, 40 years old and yearning for love, and aging dance instructor Harry. With a 30,000-copy first printing.
07/21/2014
United by their love for ballroom dancing, a disparate group of New Yorkers gather, but never really connect, in this lackluster debut novel. Elderly dance teacher Harry has been romantically obsessed with young competitive dancer Maria since she was a child. Sarah, middle-aged and disconsolate, finds an admirer in 60-year-old Joseph, who phone-stalks her in his spare time. Rounding out the sprawling cast of characters is Angel, Maria's ambitious dance partner, and Gabriel, an unhappily married diamond dealer. Gathering weekly to waltz and tango at the dilapidated Starlight Ballroom, they all yearn to be a "part of the dance, of something larger" than themselves. Yet despite the inviting premise, the execution stumbles. Pedestrian prose dims the sparkle of the glamorous setting, and dialogue conveys information but rarely emotion. Occasionally, evocative images hint at the prettier world these characters long for, but we never find a reason to hope along with them. Agent: Marly Rusoff and Michael Radulescu, Marly Rusoff Literary Agency. (Sept.)
A beautifully written novel…filled with complicated (sometimes unlikeable) characters and spectacular imagery that makes any novelist’s mouth water.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“The vividly drawn characters in this novel, each driven by their own poignant desires, spark in their interactions. Simpson writes in luscious, sensual prose. A completely absorbing read.” — Regina McBride, author of The Nature of Water and Air and The Land of Women
“Simpson is a master at creating realistic characters who are flawed…yet sympathetic.… Readers who enjoy seeing inside the hearts and minds of others will relish sharing the lives of Simpson’s creations.” — Kirkus
“Well-crafted.… This touching debut captures the intricacies and the unexpected of personal relationships.” — Library Journal
“Simpson’s lush prose will envelop readers in the sights, sounds, and textures of the dance hall…. Fans of Jennifer Haigh and those welcoming a many-voiced, richly drawn experience will enjoy the poignant and emotional Ballroom.” — Booklist
The vividly drawn characters in this novel, each driven by their own poignant desires, spark in their interactions. Simpson writes in luscious, sensual prose. A completely absorbing read.
Simpson’s lush prose will envelop readers in the sights, sounds, and textures of the dance hall…. Fans of Jennifer Haigh and those welcoming a many-voiced, richly drawn experience will enjoy the poignant and emotional Ballroom.
A beautifully written novel…filled with complicated (sometimes unlikeable) characters and spectacular imagery that makes any novelist’s mouth water.
Simpson’s lush prose will envelop readers in the sights, sounds, and textures of the dance hall…. Fans of Jennifer Haigh and those welcoming a many-voiced, richly drawn experience will enjoy the poignant and emotional Ballroom.
2014-07-31
Simpson brings to life the vibrant essence of the Ballroom, a once-grand dance club in late 1990s New York City, in her debut novel.Every Sunday night, Simpson's six characters head to the Ballroom; they all know each other on a superficial level but don't share the deeper secrets and longings they carefully hide behind their groomed facades. We get to know them as we hear their stories in alternating chapters, as in Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge. Harry, old and alone, lives a private life in his top-floor apartment; when he shares a secret with young Maria, it eventually comes to light with tragic results. Maria finds salvation in her longtime dance partner, Angel. Dull Joseph, never married, yearns for insecure Sarah, who's been married three times, while Sarah dreams of married playboy Gabriel. There remains an emotional divide between partners, despite the physical intimacy of the tangos, salsas and waltzes they share. There's sexual tension but little true closeness. The Ballroom is a place of rampant hopes and dreams that seldom get fulfilled, in spite of the dancers' efforts. The characters strive for what they want, but most have no real sense of how to get it. Simpson is a master at creating realistic characters who are flawed, a bit unappealing and yet sympathetic. Life goes on much in the manner in which it began. But this isn't a bad thing—it feels real, even refreshing, not to have a neatly wrapped, feel-good ending—but rather a plain old life-goes-on. Readers who enjoy seeing inside the hearts and minds of others will relish sharing the lives of Simpson's creations.
