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Audition
When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she's deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem's muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she's chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent.
458 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2011
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4314 people want to read
About the author
Stasia Ward Kehoe
15 books120 followersReview Info: I give 5 stars to every book I finish, adding craft-focused commentary as time permits. Writing a novel is too difficult and terrifying an act to be rewarded with anything less than five sparkles. Author Info: Stasia Kehoe grew up dancing and performing on stages from New Hampshire to Washington, DC. She now writes, reads, and raises boys in the Pacific NW.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
October 23, 2011
(4.5 stars)
“Am I lonelier now
Than when my sad imagination
Had him disappear?
Heart torn,
Loosing tiny droplets
Of sorrow
No tape can measure
No needle can mend.”
I was ecstatic when I found out my library had a copy of Audition, as it was one of my highly anticipated books of the year. The greatest surprise was my library having a copy four days after its release date!! I wasted no time in downloading my copy (yes my great library does free e-books!!) and getting stuck in straight away. Let me tell you this book did not disappoint.
Audition tells the story of Sara, who auditions for a dance scholarship and gets selected for a place to study at the Jersey Ballet. Initially Sara has a hard time fitting in with the other girls, she finds herself standing out from the other girls because of the style of her leotard, the colour of her legwarmers or she feels she’s always playing catch up as the other girls are more sleek and graceful in their positions and elegant in their posture and beauty.
“While Simone and Madison,
Who look high school age like me,
Bonnie and Lisette,
With their ballerina-straight backs,
So where do I sit?”
And then there’s Remington (Rem) one of the students/choreographers/ teachers, (he doesn’t really have a specific role, but sort of flits from one group to another). He has the confidence about him, the way he saunters around the studio and his brooding eyes always seem to distract Sara from her positions during rehearsals. Sara can’t help herself. She finds herself heating up at the slightest brush of his touch; her body has an unnatural aching for him that she can’t stop
“Rem is like chocolate,
Making me feel hungry and guilty
Always and at the same time”
And which she doesn’t really want to end. But does Rem have his own agenda for being with Sara?
I really felt for Sara, she finds herself on a scholarship miles away from her close friends and family all alone. She doesn’t really talk much to the other girls or feel that she fits in, as they’ve been at the school longer than she has. And then her relationship with Rem, from first meeting his character I knew I wouldn’t like him, he just seemed really self-assured and full of himself and then how sometimes he didn’t even acknowledge Sara after they’d spent the night together infuriated me. I know that Sara was in a situation she hadn’t found herself in before, and that she didn’t have anyone, and that by spending time with Rem gave her a small amount of comfort that she had longed for. But I just wanted her to have the courage and stand up for herself and question exactly why she kept going back to Rem.
Despite these minor irritations I did really enjoy reading Audition. This book gave me a huge insight into the life of a ballet dancer; about the extremely busy day to day schedules, the gruelling routines and techniques they have to learn, pushing their bodies to the furthest they could go and restricting their diets;
“Dare I tell them that since I came here to dance
I have been giving pieces of my body away
To ridiculous diets,
To repeated injuries,
To Remington?
And that maybe
I think
With each bit of my body
I lose a little piece of my soul”
Also Stasia Ward Kehoe’s writing was beautiful, as you can tell from my review so far there were so many quotes that I adored and which left an aching in my chest. Audition was a book which I could have devoured in one sitting, but I took my time reading, so that I could savour the powerful verse. Audition has definitely left me with a longing for more verse books in the future. Also Stasia Ward Kehoe is very talented author; I look forward to reading what she publishes next!
Some more of my favourite quotes (I know my review is already full of so many beautiful quotes, but I just couldn’t leave these out)
“Today he will lift me into the air,
Hold my hand,
Support my back,
And make me more beautiful
Than I could ever be alone.”
“Sitting in the back of a car behind a boy and a girl
The way I do each day in Jersey, pretending
That I don’t ache all the time,
That I’m not lonely,
That such tenderness exists for me
Outside my dreams”
“Am I lonelier now
Than when my sad imagination
Had him disappear?
Heart torn,
Loosing tiny droplets
Of sorrow
No tape can measure
No needle can mend.”
I was ecstatic when I found out my library had a copy of Audition, as it was one of my highly anticipated books of the year. The greatest surprise was my library having a copy four days after its release date!! I wasted no time in downloading my copy (yes my great library does free e-books!!) and getting stuck in straight away. Let me tell you this book did not disappoint.
Audition tells the story of Sara, who auditions for a dance scholarship and gets selected for a place to study at the Jersey Ballet. Initially Sara has a hard time fitting in with the other girls, she finds herself standing out from the other girls because of the style of her leotard, the colour of her legwarmers or she feels she’s always playing catch up as the other girls are more sleek and graceful in their positions and elegant in their posture and beauty.
“While Simone and Madison,
Who look high school age like me,
Bonnie and Lisette,
With their ballerina-straight backs,
So where do I sit?”
And then there’s Remington (Rem) one of the students/choreographers/ teachers, (he doesn’t really have a specific role, but sort of flits from one group to another). He has the confidence about him, the way he saunters around the studio and his brooding eyes always seem to distract Sara from her positions during rehearsals. Sara can’t help herself. She finds herself heating up at the slightest brush of his touch; her body has an unnatural aching for him that she can’t stop
“Rem is like chocolate,
Making me feel hungry and guilty
Always and at the same time”
And which she doesn’t really want to end. But does Rem have his own agenda for being with Sara?
I really felt for Sara, she finds herself on a scholarship miles away from her close friends and family all alone. She doesn’t really talk much to the other girls or feel that she fits in, as they’ve been at the school longer than she has. And then her relationship with Rem, from first meeting his character I knew I wouldn’t like him, he just seemed really self-assured and full of himself and then how sometimes he didn’t even acknowledge Sara after they’d spent the night together infuriated me. I know that Sara was in a situation she hadn’t found herself in before, and that she didn’t have anyone, and that by spending time with Rem gave her a small amount of comfort that she had longed for. But I just wanted her to have the courage and stand up for herself and question exactly why she kept going back to Rem.
Despite these minor irritations I did really enjoy reading Audition. This book gave me a huge insight into the life of a ballet dancer; about the extremely busy day to day schedules, the gruelling routines and techniques they have to learn, pushing their bodies to the furthest they could go and restricting their diets;
“Dare I tell them that since I came here to dance
I have been giving pieces of my body away
To ridiculous diets,
To repeated injuries,
To Remington?
And that maybe
I think
With each bit of my body
I lose a little piece of my soul”
Also Stasia Ward Kehoe’s writing was beautiful, as you can tell from my review so far there were so many quotes that I adored and which left an aching in my chest. Audition was a book which I could have devoured in one sitting, but I took my time reading, so that I could savour the powerful verse. Audition has definitely left me with a longing for more verse books in the future. Also Stasia Ward Kehoe is very talented author; I look forward to reading what she publishes next!
Some more of my favourite quotes (I know my review is already full of so many beautiful quotes, but I just couldn’t leave these out)
“Today he will lift me into the air,
Hold my hand,
Support my back,
And make me more beautiful
Than I could ever be alone.”
“Sitting in the back of a car behind a boy and a girl
The way I do each day in Jersey, pretending
That I don’t ache all the time,
That I’m not lonely,
That such tenderness exists for me
Outside my dreams”
October 30, 2011
Audition is Stasia Ward Kehoe's highly anticipated YA verse novel debut.
At sixteen years, Sara leaves her friends and family, moves away on a scholarship to a prestigious dance school. Sara feels lost amongst her peers, who too often are pitched against one another competitively to form true friendship. Dancing is a constant discipline in which dancers strive for perfection with their routines and in their bodies. It is not an easy burden to bear, and you can feel the shackles and tension in the pages.
To add to those swirling feelings of homesickness, Sara fast leaves her innocence behind. Remington is a dance instructor, gorgeous, older (in his early twenties, against her sixteen years) and Sara fast becomes entangled in the addictive pull of his attention.
Sara becomes Rem’s muse. It is not a happy, giddy love story. There are sparks, swift, all-consuming romancing, followed by a dark underside where Rem’s previously charming enigmatic vibe is swallowed up into something much more foreboding.
Audition is swirling and ambiguous and dark in parts. There were not many moments of comic relief, lightness or joy shining through. Alongside Sara, I felt plunged in a world full of pressure, doubt and the lonely struggle of an artist. The glimpse into the world of dance was insightful: often harsh, intense and yet with moments of beauty. My gosh, I felt weary just reading about it all (The physical effort and extreme commitment).
Sara’s extremely driven, yet as the story unfolds, it shifts to become more of an internal struggle. Sara frustrated me in parts, seemingly unsure, unquestioning and yet in the end I felt proud of her ~ scraping out from under the pressure to find who she really is and what she really wants, and the story is ultimately triumphant.
True to most verse novels, the prose is gorgeous in parts and extremely quotable. I think verse was a great medium to tell Sara’s story. It is most effective in that relaying of emotions and completely getting under Sara’s skin:
On the flipside, the sparse wording did give me a sense of weightlessness while reading. I felt burdened by the emotions of it all, yet not at all grounded in the plot, if that makes sense? It’s such an internal exploration, barely any dialogue, and I missed the sense of feeling like I was in the story alongside Sara, I was very much in her head, but not in the story. Argh, it’s hard to describe. The setting seemed vague, some of the characters interchangeable, the story more emotive than tangible.
I am a fan of the verse novel and have read many. Stylistically, this one drove me a bit crazy. Rather than just capitalising at the beginning of every sentence (like every other verse novel I have read), Ward Kehoe capitalised at the beginning of every line. Which meant she was capitalising random words mid-sentence. It drove me crazy and really broke that smooth rhythm and flow. It was quite jarring, even unnerving, LOL (with each capital, I kind of gave pause, as if the sentences were broken with full stops ~ after I while, I tried to tune out to those random capitals).
I can see the talent in Ward Kehoe's debut, cleverly crafted and gorgeously written, yet I wish I had connected with the story more. (I felt mostly numb most of the time, even while appreciating parts of it). It just wasn't the story for me. 2.5 stars
At sixteen years, Sara leaves her friends and family, moves away on a scholarship to a prestigious dance school. Sara feels lost amongst her peers, who too often are pitched against one another competitively to form true friendship. Dancing is a constant discipline in which dancers strive for perfection with their routines and in their bodies. It is not an easy burden to bear, and you can feel the shackles and tension in the pages.
To add to those swirling feelings of homesickness, Sara fast leaves her innocence behind. Remington is a dance instructor, gorgeous, older (in his early twenties, against her sixteen years) and Sara fast becomes entangled in the addictive pull of his attention.
I feel him trace my body
With his eyes
Panic
Numbs my fingertips
Desire
Makes my face burn.
Sara becomes Rem’s muse. It is not a happy, giddy love story. There are sparks, swift, all-consuming romancing, followed by a dark underside where Rem’s previously charming enigmatic vibe is swallowed up into something much more foreboding.
Audition is swirling and ambiguous and dark in parts. There were not many moments of comic relief, lightness or joy shining through. Alongside Sara, I felt plunged in a world full of pressure, doubt and the lonely struggle of an artist. The glimpse into the world of dance was insightful: often harsh, intense and yet with moments of beauty. My gosh, I felt weary just reading about it all (The physical effort and extreme commitment).
Sara’s extremely driven, yet as the story unfolds, it shifts to become more of an internal struggle. Sara frustrated me in parts, seemingly unsure, unquestioning and yet in the end I felt proud of her ~ scraping out from under the pressure to find who she really is and what she really wants, and the story is ultimately triumphant.
True to most verse novels, the prose is gorgeous in parts and extremely quotable. I think verse was a great medium to tell Sara’s story. It is most effective in that relaying of emotions and completely getting under Sara’s skin:
It seems I am living
Believing
Doing
Almost everything
In halves.
On the flipside, the sparse wording did give me a sense of weightlessness while reading. I felt burdened by the emotions of it all, yet not at all grounded in the plot, if that makes sense? It’s such an internal exploration, barely any dialogue, and I missed the sense of feeling like I was in the story alongside Sara, I was very much in her head, but not in the story. Argh, it’s hard to describe. The setting seemed vague, some of the characters interchangeable, the story more emotive than tangible.
I am a fan of the verse novel and have read many. Stylistically, this one drove me a bit crazy. Rather than just capitalising at the beginning of every sentence (like every other verse novel I have read), Ward Kehoe capitalised at the beginning of every line. Which meant she was capitalising random words mid-sentence. It drove me crazy and really broke that smooth rhythm and flow. It was quite jarring, even unnerving, LOL (with each capital, I kind of gave pause, as if the sentences were broken with full stops ~ after I while, I tried to tune out to those random capitals).
I think I have disgusted him
With my childishness
Even though I am more afraid
Of being lonely
Than of losing anything
Rem could take from me.
I can see the talent in Ward Kehoe's debut, cleverly crafted and gorgeously written, yet I wish I had connected with the story more. (I felt mostly numb most of the time, even while appreciating parts of it). It just wasn't the story for me. 2.5 stars
March 11, 2012
As a former dancer, I love movies and books about dancers---I'll never dance again (long story) but it is nice to be back in the world of dance for that short period of time; it's good to read about/watch girls who struggled with the things I struggled with in the ballet world.
However, I wasn't a big fan of Audition. First of all, it was in verse, without actually being in verse, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you're going to write in verse, don't just write sentences and periodically hit "enter" a few times in the middle of them. Make it worth my while to read your poetry. e. e. cummings it up a little, I don't know. Something.
Second of all, Sara was such a flat character, I couldn't put myself in her shoes. This happened, then this happened, then this happened, and Sara reacted to none of it, voiced an opinion about none of it, cared about none of it. She just let the plotline wash over her and vaguely danced. It took her until the last few pages to start growing a pair about anything, and frankly all she did was decide to quit, not because of an injury or a disservice done to her, but because... I don't know, she wasn't happy? Because of Remington? I couldn't quite tell, and at that point I wasn't about to flip back a few pages to look again; I just wanted to get to the end. And then there wasn't even a satisfying ending.
Meh. Just not a fan overall.
However, I wasn't a big fan of Audition. First of all, it was in verse, without actually being in verse, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you're going to write in verse, don't just write sentences and periodically hit "enter" a few times in the middle of them. Make it worth my while to read your poetry. e. e. cummings it up a little, I don't know. Something.
Second of all, Sara was such a flat character, I couldn't put myself in her shoes. This happened, then this happened, then this happened, and Sara reacted to none of it, voiced an opinion about none of it, cared about none of it. She just let the plotline wash over her and vaguely danced. It took her until the last few pages to start growing a pair about anything, and frankly all she did was decide to quit, not because of an injury or a disservice done to her, but because... I don't know, she wasn't happy? Because of Remington? I couldn't quite tell, and at that point I wasn't about to flip back a few pages to look again; I just wanted to get to the end. And then there wasn't even a satisfying ending.
Meh. Just not a fan overall.
February 10, 2017
I actually didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. I found it interesting for the first half of the book and after that it was way too much romance for me and it was kinda lame. Too much kissing and not that it was extremely descriptive, but after awhile it got old and too repetitive for me in all honesty and felt it had no point to it personally. and the end, I mean, I felt it lacked a true ending. it was ok but at the same time, I thought it didn't have that strong of an ending. But I'm not a ballerina and I've never danced ballet so unless you do dance or not and like this kind of story/book, then you may or may not like it but I have a feeling it's more on the person with this one. Some won't like it, some will probably think it "okay" or some may ABSOLUTELY love it. But I fall into that where it wasn't all that great, too fast of a read and couldn't enjoy it enough, and had such a lacking end to it and wish some other open holes were filled back in...oh well. :D
January 3, 2012
There are so many things that I am not okay with about this book. The whole thing was about a 22 year old male and a 16 year old dancer having a regular and lengthy sexual relationship with no consequences. Not only is that illegal, but there wasn't any closure to the fact that the she is essentially being used the entire time. Does anyone else think it is creepy that Rem peeps on Sara while she is changing? I know teen/ adult liasons happen in the real world, but not okay! Add the fact that she is also attracted to another much older male - her teacher with children. I really don't want to read about it. Especially with no solution or insight coming to the young girl from outside supports.
I also struggled with some of the little facts about the Chilean family she is living with. Because I lived in Chile among native homes for a year and a half I know the food and customs well. The details the author put in were not accurate. Chileans don't eat spicy beans or peppers. I was excited when I found out she would be housing with a Chilean ballet master only to be disappointed. Depressing read. Content is not suited for young teens.
I also struggled with some of the little facts about the Chilean family she is living with. Because I lived in Chile among native homes for a year and a half I know the food and customs well. The details the author put in were not accurate. Chileans don't eat spicy beans or peppers. I was excited when I found out she would be housing with a Chilean ballet master only to be disappointed. Depressing read. Content is not suited for young teens.
January 30, 2012
I don't read a lot of novels in verse, nor do I read a lot about dance. The former is more because I don't really know how to sift through the good stuff and the bad stuff, the latter because dance (especially ballet) kind of freaks me out--the body obsessive, intense grind of it is extremely disturbing to me. However, despite my reluctance with both of these elements, Audition was a fantastic read.
Lots of interesting themes are tackled in this one:
-Fish out of water, rural girl in an urban, sophisticated setting, is one of my favorites and it's handled so, so well. Having lived that experience as a 17 year old, I appreciate when this is done well, and in a nuanced, non-stereotypical manner. Audition really nails the feelings of having the wrong everything--the wrong clothes, the wrong accent, etc. I haven't seen this addressed in a lot of reviews, but it's an important element.
-Relationships at the intersection of Dysfunction Junction and Userville Road. Audition really explores the attraction of these types of relationships, especially the younger girl-slightly older, very talented, dude dynamic. Rem, the dude, is not an inherently bad person, but he sure sucks at normal, functional relationships. The way his character is handled reminded me much of the way Cardidad Ferrer handled the male protagonist in When the Stars Go Blue--and that's a good thing. Lots of nuance there.
-The whole "muse" thing is fascinating to me both in fiction and as a very real part of the arts world (I have an art history background and the female muse is such an interesting facet of the history of many great artists and their work). It's explored in all of its beautiful WTFery is wonderful in Audition.
-I found myself lost in the words of this novel. I love it when that happens (which is funny, because my favorite novels have very sparse language, but every once in awhile, I want something different). For example:
And this... this killed me:
And finally...
The only thing that kept me from giving this one five stars is because the ending felt extremely rushed, and that the resolution was just too tidy. It was a let-down after the slow-burn of the rest of the novel. Highly recommended.
Note: there's an odd format to the verse in Audition. The beginning of each line is capitalized, as opposed to only the beginning of each sentence. This didn't bother me--it actually read in my head with a staccato feel to it that made the story feel slightly frenetic (I have no idea if this was the author's intent or my own interpretation), but I can see it being distracting to some folks.
Different and good. Will write a real review... soon. There were a number of elements that really reminded me of one of my favorite books, When the Stars Go Blue.
Lots of interesting themes are tackled in this one:
-Fish out of water, rural girl in an urban, sophisticated setting, is one of my favorites and it's handled so, so well. Having lived that experience as a 17 year old, I appreciate when this is done well, and in a nuanced, non-stereotypical manner. Audition really nails the feelings of having the wrong everything--the wrong clothes, the wrong accent, etc. I haven't seen this addressed in a lot of reviews, but it's an important element.
-Relationships at the intersection of Dysfunction Junction and Userville Road. Audition really explores the attraction of these types of relationships, especially the younger girl-slightly older, very talented, dude dynamic. Rem, the dude, is not an inherently bad person, but he sure sucks at normal, functional relationships. The way his character is handled reminded me much of the way Cardidad Ferrer handled the male protagonist in When the Stars Go Blue--and that's a good thing. Lots of nuance there.
-The whole "muse" thing is fascinating to me both in fiction and as a very real part of the arts world (I have an art history background and the female muse is such an interesting facet of the history of many great artists and their work). It's explored in all of its beautiful WTFery is wonderful in Audition.
-I found myself lost in the words of this novel. I love it when that happens (which is funny, because my favorite novels have very sparse language, but every once in awhile, I want something different). For example:
As afraid of conversation
As I am of boys,
Of men,
Of wind blasting through
Open car windows.
And this... this killed me:
My Vermont accent,
Inferior as my angular ports de bras,
Reveals my rural roots, basement ballet technique.
If I open my mouth,
It will only remind them
Of the imperfections of my limbs.
Silence feels safer.
And finally...
Once you learn the technique
Of joining a man in bed It seems that it might stretch further
Than développés, splits, grand jetés.
And maybe you’ll consider
Using that technique
On more than one boy
Until, like ballet,
The steps become
An act in themselves,
Separate from you,
And you forget who you are
All over again.
The only thing that kept me from giving this one five stars is because the ending felt extremely rushed, and that the resolution was just too tidy. It was a let-down after the slow-burn of the rest of the novel. Highly recommended.
Note: there's an odd format to the verse in Audition. The beginning of each line is capitalized, as opposed to only the beginning of each sentence. This didn't bother me--it actually read in my head with a staccato feel to it that made the story feel slightly frenetic (I have no idea if this was the author's intent or my own interpretation), but I can see it being distracting to some folks.
September 30, 2011
It’s offical. I love books written in free verse. I love how these books play with form and how the sparseness can sometimes hit me harder than prose. Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe is awesome, plus it’s nice to read a free verse book that’s not about the dangerous world of drugs.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
December 5, 2014
I thought this was quite depressing. Did Sara find her happiness in the end? And I was really hoping that Remington would get AIDS or break his leg. Ugh, what a complete arse.
Want to read
March 9, 2011this book gets published on my eighteenth birthday! ha--thought that was kind of cool :D
November 6, 2011
A beautifully told novel in verse from debut author, Stasia Ward Kehoe.
I love reading novels in verse. The gift of some authors to be able to tell an emotionally powerful story with just a few words. It blows my mind!
Although I wasn’t familiar with some of the literature pertaining to the specifics of ballet, I never felt lost, I just simply imagined the graceful moves that I’ve seen ballerinas preform several times.
Sara, at the age of sixteen, is a child in many ways when she arrives in the city to fulfill her ballet scholarship. Readers will watch Sara grow as the novel progresses. Watch her make mistakes, mature, and loose the innocence she once had at her family home.
Stasia skims the surface on some of the darker moments that we often hear about with dancing at Sara’s level, including ignored injuries and eating disorders. I liked, however, that she did not focus on those aspects, but rather on the dancing itself and the struggles that Sara faced in that alone.
Audition is a fascinating novel, even for those with no prior experience or interest in dance. This isn’t a novel about ballet. It’s a novel about finding yourself and growing up.
I love reading novels in verse. The gift of some authors to be able to tell an emotionally powerful story with just a few words. It blows my mind!
Although I wasn’t familiar with some of the literature pertaining to the specifics of ballet, I never felt lost, I just simply imagined the graceful moves that I’ve seen ballerinas preform several times.
Sara, at the age of sixteen, is a child in many ways when she arrives in the city to fulfill her ballet scholarship. Readers will watch Sara grow as the novel progresses. Watch her make mistakes, mature, and loose the innocence she once had at her family home.
Stasia skims the surface on some of the darker moments that we often hear about with dancing at Sara’s level, including ignored injuries and eating disorders. I liked, however, that she did not focus on those aspects, but rather on the dancing itself and the struggles that Sara faced in that alone.
Audition is a fascinating novel, even for those with no prior experience or interest in dance. This isn’t a novel about ballet. It’s a novel about finding yourself and growing up.
July 7, 2025
I did not enjoy this book. Sara's age gap and relationship with Remmington were completely inappropriate, considering she's a minor. Also, there was a lot of racism.
November 12, 2017
This book is awful. Simply put. It's flat out awful. Like, first of all, it's in verse. I personally am not a huge fan of verse to begin with. However, I figured I would give a chance. Maybe it would be good. But the verse was awful. It was like the author just hit enter in the middle of sentences and called it good. Which that didn't vibe well with me. There was no flow whatsoever to the verse. Not okay.
Next, let's just talk about the main character, Sara. She is a whiny brat who is OBSESSED with boys and thinks that EVERYONE should fall in love with her. Example one: a guy from her school asks her about her friends availability status. And for some reason, Sara takes this to mean that he wanted to ask her out, so when he, obviously, ends up with her friend, she feels rejected. HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT WANTING TO BE WITH HER! Example two: she tries to kiss her teacher? I'm still confused by this one. He would ask to talk with her about her homework because she was excelling in her class and suddenly, she decides she wants to kiss him. I don't even understand. Example three: her best friend (who is at home while she is off on this scholarship for ballet for the whole year) kisses the boy she used to have a crush on and she feels totally betrayed, even though she is busy having sex with a dude in her dance studio. Example four: She is living with this family that has a son a couple years younger than her and she goes back and forth and back and forth on thinking he is attractive and beautiful and she wants to kiss him to thinking of him as a little brother. It's just weird. Example five: NONE OF THESE PEOPLE ARE HER ACTUAL LOVE INTEREST THE ENTIRE BOOK! THERE IS STILL ANOTHER DUDE! AHHHH!!!
Also, can we just talk about her weird "enemy" in the dance nurse? So, her love interest, Rem, is dating this girl named Jane at the beginning of the book. However, he breaks up with her to be with Sara. And Jane from then on out, becomes the enemy. Sara is so paranoid that she doesn't go see Jane once she harms herself dancing. She literally thinks Jane is going to do something to her. No. That's not a thing. Jane might be upset but she didn't seem like the kind of person who would harm someone over a relationship.
Then we should also just talk about how flat all of the characters are. No one is anything in this book. Characters get mentioned over and over again. But Lisette is never anything more than a beautiful perfect dancer. Bonnie is never anything more than a dancer with an eating disorder (which is a whole 'nother issue. They glorify it so much. I don't have the book next to me but at one point it says something like "I wish I had the courage to throw up like Bonnie" and that just struck me wrong. That should not be a statement. And like, they could have done something with showing how it was harming Bonnie but that was mentioned in a line and then gone. That would have been so much better. Then there might have actually been a theme. But back to the original flat character rant). Rem is just the perfect dancer who gets away with everything that Sara weirdly enough is in love with. Oh, and he has a motorcycle and an apartment with a bed. Also, all of her school friends just existed. They were stupid characters to include.
Let's also talk about a couple of the metaphors real quick. When trying to talk about how long a silence lasted, it reads "a silence longer than a metronome beat/ Another. / A third." Well no duh they're longer than metronome beats. The most common tempo for a metronome is 120 beats per minute placing her extremely long silence at half a second. Even as a dancer, usually the tempo doesn't dip below 60 beats per minute. So I don't know what she was thinking with that metaphor. The other strange one reads "Her stomach perfectly flat except / Where the bony knobs of her hips rise, / A little like Frankenstein bolts." First of all, Frankenstein is not the monster. He is the doctor. Given how much her character seems to like reading, you would think she would know that. But apparently not. Second of all, that is such a stupid comparison. It's weird.
Sara also had a really weird obsession with port de bras. I don't understand it. As someone who danced for 17 years, I have probably never thought so much about port de bras as Sara does. She seems to do them constantly. I don't understand why she loves them so much. They're just arm flourishes. Like, be obsessed with leaps or turns or something. But turns are only really get mentioned with Lisette. I don't understand. Port de bras are not that special.
This book is just awful. I am actually a bit surprised that I did finish it. When the whole almost teacher kissing thing happened, I wanted to stop but at that point, I was so close to the end, I had to finish it. But it's just such a dumb book that I would not recommend to anyone.
Next, let's just talk about the main character, Sara. She is a whiny brat who is OBSESSED with boys and thinks that EVERYONE should fall in love with her. Example one: a guy from her school asks her about her friends availability status. And for some reason, Sara takes this to mean that he wanted to ask her out, so when he, obviously, ends up with her friend, she feels rejected. HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT WANTING TO BE WITH HER! Example two: she tries to kiss her teacher? I'm still confused by this one. He would ask to talk with her about her homework because she was excelling in her class and suddenly, she decides she wants to kiss him. I don't even understand. Example three: her best friend (who is at home while she is off on this scholarship for ballet for the whole year) kisses the boy she used to have a crush on and she feels totally betrayed, even though she is busy having sex with a dude in her dance studio. Example four: She is living with this family that has a son a couple years younger than her and she goes back and forth and back and forth on thinking he is attractive and beautiful and she wants to kiss him to thinking of him as a little brother. It's just weird. Example five: NONE OF THESE PEOPLE ARE HER ACTUAL LOVE INTEREST THE ENTIRE BOOK! THERE IS STILL ANOTHER DUDE! AHHHH!!!
Also, can we just talk about her weird "enemy" in the dance nurse? So, her love interest, Rem, is dating this girl named Jane at the beginning of the book. However, he breaks up with her to be with Sara. And Jane from then on out, becomes the enemy. Sara is so paranoid that she doesn't go see Jane once she harms herself dancing. She literally thinks Jane is going to do something to her. No. That's not a thing. Jane might be upset but she didn't seem like the kind of person who would harm someone over a relationship.
Then we should also just talk about how flat all of the characters are. No one is anything in this book. Characters get mentioned over and over again. But Lisette is never anything more than a beautiful perfect dancer. Bonnie is never anything more than a dancer with an eating disorder (which is a whole 'nother issue. They glorify it so much. I don't have the book next to me but at one point it says something like "I wish I had the courage to throw up like Bonnie" and that just struck me wrong. That should not be a statement. And like, they could have done something with showing how it was harming Bonnie but that was mentioned in a line and then gone. That would have been so much better. Then there might have actually been a theme. But back to the original flat character rant). Rem is just the perfect dancer who gets away with everything that Sara weirdly enough is in love with. Oh, and he has a motorcycle and an apartment with a bed. Also, all of her school friends just existed. They were stupid characters to include.
Let's also talk about a couple of the metaphors real quick. When trying to talk about how long a silence lasted, it reads "a silence longer than a metronome beat/ Another. / A third." Well no duh they're longer than metronome beats. The most common tempo for a metronome is 120 beats per minute placing her extremely long silence at half a second. Even as a dancer, usually the tempo doesn't dip below 60 beats per minute. So I don't know what she was thinking with that metaphor. The other strange one reads "Her stomach perfectly flat except / Where the bony knobs of her hips rise, / A little like Frankenstein bolts." First of all, Frankenstein is not the monster. He is the doctor. Given how much her character seems to like reading, you would think she would know that. But apparently not. Second of all, that is such a stupid comparison. It's weird.
Sara also had a really weird obsession with port de bras. I don't understand it. As someone who danced for 17 years, I have probably never thought so much about port de bras as Sara does. She seems to do them constantly. I don't understand why she loves them so much. They're just arm flourishes. Like, be obsessed with leaps or turns or something. But turns are only really get mentioned with Lisette. I don't understand. Port de bras are not that special.
This book is just awful. I am actually a bit surprised that I did finish it. When the whole almost teacher kissing thing happened, I wanted to stop but at that point, I was so close to the end, I had to finish it. But it's just such a dumb book that I would not recommend to anyone.
November 7, 2011
At sixteen, Sara is living many ballerinas’ dreams. She has been given a scholarship to study at a prestigious dance academy in the big city. But following your dreams is harder than it seems . . . Sara is in constant competition with her dance peers. Training is a gruelling affair and the weight of success rests heavy on her shoulders – when she thinks of all those who are so sure she will excel.
The more Sara dances, the more she wonders if she even enjoys going through the motions any more.
But in the milieu of her dance dreams, Sara becomes enraptured by an older dance instructor, Remington. She becomes his muse and his short-fuse.
In the midst of so much change and personal upheaval, Sara has to start thinking of herself outside of dancing, in order to know who she really is.
‘Audition’ is the YA verse novel from Stasia Ward Kehoe.
I don’t really have much opinion about verse novels. I don’t seek them out, and I haven’t really read any since my university days when they were assigned reading. I didn’t hate them, but they were never my first choice for recreational reading. However, my indifference to verse novels is in direct conflict to my obsession with dance movies. ‘Centre Stage’, ‘Save the Last Dance’, ‘Step Up’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’ (to name a very few). So, of course, when the cover for Kehoe’s ‘Audition’ was revealed I knew I'd have to give this verse novel a chance . . . and I’m so glad I did.
I’m sure many people are wishing that ‘Audition’ wasn’t verse and that it was narrative fiction instead – and I completely understand that wish. It would be great to read a dance novel to complement the dance movies like ‘Centre Stage’ and ‘Save the Last Dance’ (and I still hope that someone writes that novel). But ‘Audition’ works in verse – in the flow and sweep of the words, the lyrics like songs that you can imagine Sara pirouetting to.
I would say, as is always the case with poetry, that you will enjoy ‘Audition’ more if you read it out loud. Poetry is cold and dead on the page; it needs voice and cadence, pitch and flow. And some of Kehoe’s poems are just dying to be read aloud – the stanzas so succulent and observations so beautifully precise.
For those who are unhappy with the verse format, don’t be under the mistaken impression that verse means empty, pretty words. There is a story in ‘Audition’ – a love story between dancer and his muse, and between an artist falling in and out of love with her medium.
On my dresser is a postcard
From Ms. Alice:
A Russian ballerina in black and white,
Arms open, reaching forward,
Leg behind in arabesque.
“Anna Pavolva.”
Ms. Alice’s handwriting loops in even curves.
“She reminds me of you.
Keep working hard!”
I sit on my narrow bed
In the dank room
Where only strains of Julio’s guitar
And his occasional muttered curses
Filter through the door.
I think of Ms. Alice, Mom, Dad, eyes full of pride.
Bess, the practical genius, sending me off.
Wish there were no photographs,
No mirrors in the world to record
Anna Pavlova
Or Lisette or Bonnie or Rem,
But especially my own reflection.
I did find some of Kehoe’s formatting odd. I am, by no means, an expert in poetry. But I found it strange that when her topic is dance, Kehoe kept to a very traditional layout for her poems. Poetry is very versatile in how it’s presented on the page – it’s not unusual for a poem to be full of double-spaces and white space, separating words and stanzas so that a verse can start in the top right of the page and trickle down to zig across, going far left and finishing centred. Kehoe keeps her poems so rigidly same that the first word on each new line is upper case. It’s a small complaint, but I think Kehoe could have been a little bit more adventurous and used unique spacing and formatting to make her poetry literally dance across the page. . .
All in all, ‘Audition’ is a sublime verse novel. It reads like the frenzy of a dance; the lulling beginning as Sara comes to terms with her dreams, and rising in pitch and pace as Sara voices her dying love of dance and then reaching a heart-stopping crescendo for the finale. Beautiful.
The more Sara dances, the more she wonders if she even enjoys going through the motions any more.
But in the milieu of her dance dreams, Sara becomes enraptured by an older dance instructor, Remington. She becomes his muse and his short-fuse.
In the midst of so much change and personal upheaval, Sara has to start thinking of herself outside of dancing, in order to know who she really is.
‘Audition’ is the YA verse novel from Stasia Ward Kehoe.
I don’t really have much opinion about verse novels. I don’t seek them out, and I haven’t really read any since my university days when they were assigned reading. I didn’t hate them, but they were never my first choice for recreational reading. However, my indifference to verse novels is in direct conflict to my obsession with dance movies. ‘Centre Stage’, ‘Save the Last Dance’, ‘Step Up’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’ (to name a very few). So, of course, when the cover for Kehoe’s ‘Audition’ was revealed I knew I'd have to give this verse novel a chance . . . and I’m so glad I did.
I’m sure many people are wishing that ‘Audition’ wasn’t verse and that it was narrative fiction instead – and I completely understand that wish. It would be great to read a dance novel to complement the dance movies like ‘Centre Stage’ and ‘Save the Last Dance’ (and I still hope that someone writes that novel). But ‘Audition’ works in verse – in the flow and sweep of the words, the lyrics like songs that you can imagine Sara pirouetting to.
I would say, as is always the case with poetry, that you will enjoy ‘Audition’ more if you read it out loud. Poetry is cold and dead on the page; it needs voice and cadence, pitch and flow. And some of Kehoe’s poems are just dying to be read aloud – the stanzas so succulent and observations so beautifully precise.
For those who are unhappy with the verse format, don’t be under the mistaken impression that verse means empty, pretty words. There is a story in ‘Audition’ – a love story between dancer and his muse, and between an artist falling in and out of love with her medium.
On my dresser is a postcard
From Ms. Alice:
A Russian ballerina in black and white,
Arms open, reaching forward,
Leg behind in arabesque.
“Anna Pavolva.”
Ms. Alice’s handwriting loops in even curves.
“She reminds me of you.
Keep working hard!”
I sit on my narrow bed
In the dank room
Where only strains of Julio’s guitar
And his occasional muttered curses
Filter through the door.
I think of Ms. Alice, Mom, Dad, eyes full of pride.
Bess, the practical genius, sending me off.
Wish there were no photographs,
No mirrors in the world to record
Anna Pavlova
Or Lisette or Bonnie or Rem,
But especially my own reflection.
I did find some of Kehoe’s formatting odd. I am, by no means, an expert in poetry. But I found it strange that when her topic is dance, Kehoe kept to a very traditional layout for her poems. Poetry is very versatile in how it’s presented on the page – it’s not unusual for a poem to be full of double-spaces and white space, separating words and stanzas so that a verse can start in the top right of the page and trickle down to zig across, going far left and finishing centred. Kehoe keeps her poems so rigidly same that the first word on each new line is upper case. It’s a small complaint, but I think Kehoe could have been a little bit more adventurous and used unique spacing and formatting to make her poetry literally dance across the page. . .
All in all, ‘Audition’ is a sublime verse novel. It reads like the frenzy of a dance; the lulling beginning as Sara comes to terms with her dreams, and rising in pitch and pace as Sara voices her dying love of dance and then reaching a heart-stopping crescendo for the finale. Beautiful.
December 2, 2011
Sixteen year old Sara has spent her life preparing to be a dancer. So when she wins a scholarship to a ballet school, it seems like her dreams are right on track. And then there's Remington, the gorgeous dancer in his twenties. Caught up in an affair where she's part girlfriend, part muse - but never a ballerina - Sara begins to stumble. Working out her confusion in her school writing assignments, Sara discovers a new talent, and begins to realize that there just may be another, better dream waiting for her.
This is a sweet, lyrical read. It is a verse novel - always a challenging format. The intent here is to tell the story as if it was the dance, and the author succeeds for the most part. At some points I found the narrative to be awkward, but it mirrored the heroine enough to overlook it.
The characters are drawn in bold strokes - fair maiden, handsome prince - that suit a ballet. Sara teeters on the edge of self-discovery; she knows her relationship with Rem is somehow off but seems helpless in the face of it. She can't tell her best friend it's happening, and she can't bring herself to end it. Rem himself is a walking metaphor; Sara knows her school is second-class, and by extension so is Rem. He embodies everything she thought she wanted, in ballet and in life, and when he falls short, he takes her dreams with him.
It's a simple, elegant concept for a story - your dreams are where you find them, and for that you have to be looking. As a young adult novel, the tale is perfectly set in a time of discovery and self-awakening. Sometimes you leap, sometimes you fall, but only you can set your dance to the music of your heart.
This is a sweet, lyrical read. It is a verse novel - always a challenging format. The intent here is to tell the story as if it was the dance, and the author succeeds for the most part. At some points I found the narrative to be awkward, but it mirrored the heroine enough to overlook it.
The characters are drawn in bold strokes - fair maiden, handsome prince - that suit a ballet. Sara teeters on the edge of self-discovery; she knows her relationship with Rem is somehow off but seems helpless in the face of it. She can't tell her best friend it's happening, and she can't bring herself to end it. Rem himself is a walking metaphor; Sara knows her school is second-class, and by extension so is Rem. He embodies everything she thought she wanted, in ballet and in life, and when he falls short, he takes her dreams with him.
It's a simple, elegant concept for a story - your dreams are where you find them, and for that you have to be looking. As a young adult novel, the tale is perfectly set in a time of discovery and self-awakening. Sometimes you leap, sometimes you fall, but only you can set your dance to the music of your heart.
January 15, 2012
I love verse novels! I never thought I would like them because I thought they would be like hard to understand poetry, but they are so not! This novel, like other verse novels, was like reading a song. It flows effortlessly along, and before you know it, its over. The author chooses powerful words, because there are so few words used.
The fact that Audition was a verse novel made me like the book. I did, however, have a few issues with the characters. Sara was the main character, and I just didn’t really like her! She was mopey, meek, and miserable. She just sort of went through the motions of life, doing whatever anybody else told her to do. She never said what was on her mind. She would rather be a writer than a dancer, but she never tells anyone that dream. Then there is Remington. I didn’t like the way he treated Sara and used her. He was just as unlikable as Sara, if not more! Sara and Remington’s relationship was strange to begin with, and it never really resolved. I wanted Sara to scream and yell at him and tell him what an awful person he was, but this just didn’t happen. I felt like the characters were one dimensional, and didn’t grow and change as much as I wanted them to. I just didn’t connect with them.
Overall, Audition is a beautifully written story. I love the lyrical language the author uses. While the characters weren’t for me, I think you should give this book a chance, just for the writing. I also think this book might be more meaningful to someone who is a dancer.
The fact that Audition was a verse novel made me like the book. I did, however, have a few issues with the characters. Sara was the main character, and I just didn’t really like her! She was mopey, meek, and miserable. She just sort of went through the motions of life, doing whatever anybody else told her to do. She never said what was on her mind. She would rather be a writer than a dancer, but she never tells anyone that dream. Then there is Remington. I didn’t like the way he treated Sara and used her. He was just as unlikable as Sara, if not more! Sara and Remington’s relationship was strange to begin with, and it never really resolved. I wanted Sara to scream and yell at him and tell him what an awful person he was, but this just didn’t happen. I felt like the characters were one dimensional, and didn’t grow and change as much as I wanted them to. I just didn’t connect with them.
Overall, Audition is a beautifully written story. I love the lyrical language the author uses. While the characters weren’t for me, I think you should give this book a chance, just for the writing. I also think this book might be more meaningful to someone who is a dancer.
December 22, 2011
This is not one I'm even going to bother reviewing on my blog. I finished it, but only through strength of will as I was completely bored to tears by the time I reached the end. I didn't like the main characters, they were all spoiled brats. And being in verse did nothing for this novel. If you want a good verse novel, go read something by Ellen Hopkins.
March 14, 2019
I frankly don't know where to start on this.
The whole thing with Rem, maybe? I freaking hated their relationship. I mean I got Sara's obsession of him in the beginning. It is normal for young ballerinas to crush on the older-in-their-20s male dancers. But him noticing her felt creepy to me. Especially, since he was a teacher, in a position of power, it felt like he was taking advantage of her. And this was never address to any satisfying extent, him taking advantage of her was only sort of portrayed in her being his muse and him taking all the credit for their dances and giving them to other dancers. And even that was not satisfactory. Also, where I live the legal consent age is 18, not knowing if 16 is the legal consent age where Sara is located potentially puts this story in very uncomfortable scenario. I found them having sexual relationship and her still being a minor which is possible illegal and frankly predatory on his part to leave a very bad taste in my mouth. The writing style and some of the word choices did ill to this aspect given the dynamics of their relationship which made me cringe and feel very uncomfortable.
I feel like even their terrible tonic relationship to me was a missed potential to show how girls are taken advantage of, how daydreaming about a young 20 old dancer is not something to be ashamed of and it does lessen her case as a victim. I wish we saw her finding help, finding an adult she could trust to confide in. Her school English teacher was maybe intended to be that character, and I found Sara interactions with him very, very uncomfortable. I did not like her falling for him, with no one to help to rectify and explain why she was doing it. It was just creepy, and disturbing.
I feel like there were so many things that were missed potential. I wished she found someone she trusted to talk about her tonic relationship and about falling out of love with dance. I just feel like we could have had a story, that took the issues such as losing passion, losing identity, eating disorders, body hatred, and being on one's own and shown how to deal with these issues in a healthy manner. I wished her dance friends could have played a bigger part, that they could have learned to be supportive of each other. The negative body image and jealousy is not uncommon for the dance world or even normal highschool girls, I wished we saw these characters actually work through the issues and learn that they are stronger together.
Verse did tend itself very well to portraying dance, and it matched the flowy language to the motion of dance. I enjoyed getting to dive back into the dance world, I wish we hadn't spent a good potion in Rem's bedroom. I enjoyed almost diving into some of the issues of the dance world. Overall, I sorta enjoyed it, but it was too much of an uncomfortable read for me to recommend to anyone else or pick it up again or try anything else by the author.
The whole thing with Rem, maybe? I freaking hated their relationship. I mean I got Sara's obsession of him in the beginning. It is normal for young ballerinas to crush on the older-in-their-20s male dancers. But him noticing her felt creepy to me. Especially, since he was a teacher, in a position of power, it felt like he was taking advantage of her. And this was never address to any satisfying extent, him taking advantage of her was only sort of portrayed in her being his muse and him taking all the credit for their dances and giving them to other dancers. And even that was not satisfactory. Also, where I live the legal consent age is 18, not knowing if 16 is the legal consent age where Sara is located potentially puts this story in very uncomfortable scenario. I found them having sexual relationship and her still being a minor which is possible illegal and frankly predatory on his part to leave a very bad taste in my mouth. The writing style and some of the word choices did ill to this aspect given the dynamics of their relationship which made me cringe and feel very uncomfortable.
I feel like even their terrible tonic relationship to me was a missed potential to show how girls are taken advantage of, how daydreaming about a young 20 old dancer is not something to be ashamed of and it does lessen her case as a victim. I wish we saw her finding help, finding an adult she could trust to confide in. Her school English teacher was maybe intended to be that character, and I found Sara interactions with him very, very uncomfortable. I did not like her falling for him, with no one to help to rectify and explain why she was doing it. It was just creepy, and disturbing.
I feel like there were so many things that were missed potential. I wished she found someone she trusted to talk about her tonic relationship and about falling out of love with dance. I just feel like we could have had a story, that took the issues such as losing passion, losing identity, eating disorders, body hatred, and being on one's own and shown how to deal with these issues in a healthy manner. I wished her dance friends could have played a bigger part, that they could have learned to be supportive of each other. The negative body image and jealousy is not uncommon for the dance world or even normal highschool girls, I wished we saw these characters actually work through the issues and learn that they are stronger together.
Verse did tend itself very well to portraying dance, and it matched the flowy language to the motion of dance. I enjoyed getting to dive back into the dance world, I wish we hadn't spent a good potion in Rem's bedroom. I enjoyed almost diving into some of the issues of the dance world. Overall, I sorta enjoyed it, but it was too much of an uncomfortable read for me to recommend to anyone else or pick it up again or try anything else by the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2017
3/5
I was so excited to read AUDITION! I jump to the chance to read any dancing YA novel. I admit, I was worried that my expectations wouldn't be met, but for the most part I was quite pleased with what I found.
This cover is also beautiful as anything, and I can definitely picture both models as Sara and Rem. The pose is intimate, and pretty dead-on. The cover could almost be a bit busy - if the quote wasn't blurred in like it is. The title & quote fonts are nice, and the title itself is simple yet speaks volumes, especially since Sara alludes to auditions a couple times throughout the novel.
MY SYNOPSIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUDITION is the story of a budding ballerina [Sara] from the country who gets swept away with the world of Jersey Ballet. Not only is she far away from home, from her best friend Bess and her family. She's living with her Spanish dancing instructor, an older man [Remington] is using her as a muse, she's stuck with younger girls in her class due to her country-bumpkin-ness. The girls at her new high school are pretentious and rich and look down at Sara's humble upbringing, and dreams of dancing in the future.
As Sara climbs up her ballet class ladder and goes from hunter green leotard to grey, Snowflake to Aurora, so too does her poisonous relationship with Remington.
MY THOUGHTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to say, I LOVE the writing for this book! It's poetic and lyrical and just so easy to read. My favourite quotes are actually the ones that are on the front and back covers. Especially the front. I actually find it fitting that this book was written in verse, since the sequences and choice of words and rhythms and moves . . . it's like a different kind of dance. The writing is equal parts dancing, equal parts romance, equal parts anguish and inner-turmoil and self-discovery.
Sara is just your average girl. She gets pretty average grades, has a couple good friends back home, deals with trying to fit in with the rich and glamorous at Upton Academy, and catch up to the talented and esteemed prima ballerinas (especially Lisette) at the Jersey Ballet. She's always wanted to be a prima ballerina, but she has doubts. I liked that she doesn't just magically become amazing. There's a progression towards her improvement.
And then there's Remington. I have conflicted feelings about him and his behaviour through the course of the book. First off, Sara and him get intimate preeeeetty quickly. At the beginning, it's all really sweet, but slowly the cracks let out and we see Rem's true colours, and his true intentions. I actually love that their relationship seemed realistic, and I have no doubt that such a one exists somewhere. Their relationship is dysfunctional, and it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Sara needed this though, to finally realise what's important to her and why she got into ballet. She grows and begins to understand herself after being with Rem, and the revelations and in-betweens are what would push me to re-read this.
There isn't too much room to develop the secondary characters too much, considering AUDITION's format. I would have liked to have seen more of Julio, the Spanish dance instructor's son, who is pursuing music. He and Sara share an almost brother-sister-like bond, which I enjoyed. Also, her dancer girl friends kind of morphed together for me. None of them stood out particularly. To me, they were just names. Lisette is a different story, since she is the cause of much of Sara's distress. Even then, I would have liked more development, of at least one of them. Probably Lisette. They barely even talked, which was a shame.
That said, I did like the dancing descriptions. It's all so foreign to me, but I was able to imagine it - once I searched up the terminology. :P All in all, AUDITION is a satisfying debut novel that centralises the problems that can befall a budding ballerina, and her actions in trying to escape these problems. AUDITION is adorned with beautiful, romantic and illustrative writing, though lacking in secondary character development.
Recommended for people with an interest in dance, those looking for a dark relationship in the contemporary YA genre and fans of verse novels.
Thanks to Penguin Australia for the review copy!
QUOTES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#1
"'No. No. Like this, ballerina.'
His chuckling words waft through
The smoke in my ears.
I let him show me
Steps I have not seen in ordinary classes,
His expression all fire
As he shares his pas de deaux. (p. 174)
#2
"I stand up slowly,
In the aftermath
Of Remington's words.
Knees weak.
Breath fast.
Furious
At Rem for thinking
This could all be so easy,
At Jane for her power,
At Lisette for her pirouettes,
At myself
For nodding again,
For decisions that are always off count,
For not knowing the question
I would want him to answer
If I ever had the courage to ask. (pp. 344-345)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUDITION in a song:
* links to a dance
1. "Ghost" - Ingrid Michaelson
2. "Cold As You" - Taylor Swift
3. "Dancing" - Elisa *
4. "Corner of your Heart" - Ingrid Michaelson *
5. "Gravity" - Sara Bareilles (Watching this dance always gives me the chills) *
6. "You Don't Know Me" - Ben Folds Feat. Regina Spektor
7. "Foolish Games" - Jewel
8. "You Outta Know" - Alanis Morisette (Sara's INNER thoughts to Remington, especially at one point of the book, when he's with Jane.)
9. "The Silence" - Mayday Parade
10. "Stupid" - Sarah McLachlan *
But *ahem* don't get me started with SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. We'd probably be here a while. Please do comment with additions to this 'playlist' (and more dances, please!) for AUDITION.
I was so excited to read AUDITION! I jump to the chance to read any dancing YA novel. I admit, I was worried that my expectations wouldn't be met, but for the most part I was quite pleased with what I found.
This cover is also beautiful as anything, and I can definitely picture both models as Sara and Rem. The pose is intimate, and pretty dead-on. The cover could almost be a bit busy - if the quote wasn't blurred in like it is. The title & quote fonts are nice, and the title itself is simple yet speaks volumes, especially since Sara alludes to auditions a couple times throughout the novel.
MY SYNOPSIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUDITION is the story of a budding ballerina [Sara] from the country who gets swept away with the world of Jersey Ballet. Not only is she far away from home, from her best friend Bess and her family. She's living with her Spanish dancing instructor, an older man [Remington] is using her as a muse, she's stuck with younger girls in her class due to her country-bumpkin-ness. The girls at her new high school are pretentious and rich and look down at Sara's humble upbringing, and dreams of dancing in the future.
As Sara climbs up her ballet class ladder and goes from hunter green leotard to grey, Snowflake to Aurora, so too does her poisonous relationship with Remington.
MY THOUGHTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to say, I LOVE the writing for this book! It's poetic and lyrical and just so easy to read. My favourite quotes are actually the ones that are on the front and back covers. Especially the front. I actually find it fitting that this book was written in verse, since the sequences and choice of words and rhythms and moves . . . it's like a different kind of dance. The writing is equal parts dancing, equal parts romance, equal parts anguish and inner-turmoil and self-discovery.
Sara is just your average girl. She gets pretty average grades, has a couple good friends back home, deals with trying to fit in with the rich and glamorous at Upton Academy, and catch up to the talented and esteemed prima ballerinas (especially Lisette) at the Jersey Ballet. She's always wanted to be a prima ballerina, but she has doubts. I liked that she doesn't just magically become amazing. There's a progression towards her improvement.
And then there's Remington. I have conflicted feelings about him and his behaviour through the course of the book. First off, Sara and him get intimate preeeeetty quickly. At the beginning, it's all really sweet, but slowly the cracks let out and we see Rem's true colours, and his true intentions. I actually love that their relationship seemed realistic, and I have no doubt that such a one exists somewhere. Their relationship is dysfunctional, and it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Sara needed this though, to finally realise what's important to her and why she got into ballet. She grows and begins to understand herself after being with Rem, and the revelations and in-betweens are what would push me to re-read this.
There isn't too much room to develop the secondary characters too much, considering AUDITION's format. I would have liked to have seen more of Julio, the Spanish dance instructor's son, who is pursuing music. He and Sara share an almost brother-sister-like bond, which I enjoyed. Also, her dancer girl friends kind of morphed together for me. None of them stood out particularly. To me, they were just names. Lisette is a different story, since she is the cause of much of Sara's distress. Even then, I would have liked more development, of at least one of them. Probably Lisette. They barely even talked, which was a shame.
That said, I did like the dancing descriptions. It's all so foreign to me, but I was able to imagine it - once I searched up the terminology. :P All in all, AUDITION is a satisfying debut novel that centralises the problems that can befall a budding ballerina, and her actions in trying to escape these problems. AUDITION is adorned with beautiful, romantic and illustrative writing, though lacking in secondary character development.
Recommended for people with an interest in dance, those looking for a dark relationship in the contemporary YA genre and fans of verse novels.
Thanks to Penguin Australia for the review copy!
QUOTES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#1
"'No. No. Like this, ballerina.'
His chuckling words waft through
The smoke in my ears.
I let him show me
Steps I have not seen in ordinary classes,
His expression all fire
As he shares his pas de deaux. (p. 174)
#2
"I stand up slowly,
In the aftermath
Of Remington's words.
Knees weak.
Breath fast.
Furious
At Rem for thinking
This could all be so easy,
At Jane for her power,
At Lisette for her pirouettes,
At myself
For nodding again,
For decisions that are always off count,
For not knowing the question
I would want him to answer
If I ever had the courage to ask. (pp. 344-345)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUDITION in a song:
* links to a dance
1. "Ghost" - Ingrid Michaelson
2. "Cold As You" - Taylor Swift
3. "Dancing" - Elisa *
4. "Corner of your Heart" - Ingrid Michaelson *
5. "Gravity" - Sara Bareilles (Watching this dance always gives me the chills) *
6. "You Don't Know Me" - Ben Folds Feat. Regina Spektor
7. "Foolish Games" - Jewel
8. "You Outta Know" - Alanis Morisette (Sara's INNER thoughts to Remington, especially at one point of the book, when he's with Jane.)
9. "The Silence" - Mayday Parade
10. "Stupid" - Sarah McLachlan *
But *ahem* don't get me started with SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. We'd probably be here a while. Please do comment with additions to this 'playlist' (and more dances, please!) for AUDITION.
March 14, 2018
Deep down, I have always known that the best way to write about dance is through poetry.
Hardly any other form could do it justice; as the movement is poetry in and of itself, it needs no more explanation than the art you make and the things you feel.
This novel in verse does a wonderful job of blurring the line between passion and routine, showing the ugly sides of artistic competition as well as the epitomes.
I could feel the heartbreak and the tension and aching muscles through the text as if they were tangible. As a dancer, I can understand a lot of what our main character, Sara, is talking about and going through though I've never gone through any of it myself. I just know the general values of the scene.
Hardly any other form could do it justice; as the movement is poetry in and of itself, it needs no more explanation than the art you make and the things you feel.
This novel in verse does a wonderful job of blurring the line between passion and routine, showing the ugly sides of artistic competition as well as the epitomes.
I could feel the heartbreak and the tension and aching muscles through the text as if they were tangible. As a dancer, I can understand a lot of what our main character, Sara, is talking about and going through though I've never gone through any of it myself. I just know the general values of the scene.
May 6, 2018
"Was it only the hope
Of being the chosen girl
Of being the great ballerina
Of being special?
Is paradise only
Possibility? "
Typically I love books in verse. I find that the space between the words and the natural pauses in poems can lend more meaning than a story told through paragraphs and sentences. But somehow, I did not connect to this one at all.
I agree with others who said they didn't like this cover. The boy in that photo looks SO much older and I don't think he's the pretty dancer type that Remy is supposed to be. Mostly, I was just sad for Sara. She seems like she thinks she is just a girl lost in the ocean, instead of the one steering the boat.
Of being the chosen girl
Of being the great ballerina
Of being special?
Is paradise only
Possibility? "
Typically I love books in verse. I find that the space between the words and the natural pauses in poems can lend more meaning than a story told through paragraphs and sentences. But somehow, I did not connect to this one at all.
I agree with others who said they didn't like this cover. The boy in that photo looks SO much older and I don't think he's the pretty dancer type that Remy is supposed to be. Mostly, I was just sad for Sara. She seems like she thinks she is just a girl lost in the ocean, instead of the one steering the boat.
August 27, 2017
As I used to participate in dance classes and I love watching the art form unfold, I adore reading stories about dancing. In addition to this, the premise of Audition sort of reminded me of that of a book I really enjoyed called Tiny Pretty Things, and thus I was tempted to try it.
Audition, despite its Goodreads average rating of 3.32 stars, was a fun and fast read. For those who do not mind reading stories in verse, you will breeze through it and adore its lyrical writing just as I did, but if you despise poetry, then consider yourself warned.
To briefly summarize the story, it follows a teen girl named Sara who earns a ballet scholarship in a completely new city- and lifestyle. Soon enough, she meets and gets to know her choreographer Remington, and figures out that she has become romantically attracted to him. But then she decides to take up writing as her new passion- is she about to throw away her dreams of dance? Or will Remington step in and save it all- or will he be thrown away as well?
If you want complete honesty, the characters weren't the strongest point of this book. They could have been a lot more developed if the writing wasn't as emphasized. I liked reading about Sara in the moment, but as I write this, it has been almost 3 weeks since I've completed the book, so she no longer sticks out. Rem was cute though; I'm not going to lie, but still unmemorable.
The plot is easy, breezy, and amusing to follow. The writing, as I touched on before, is in verse, allowing readers to flip its pages quickly and absorb happenings with ease. This may be a tome of around 450 pages, but I was able to complete it at the speed I would with a book of 250 pages.
To sum everything up, I had quite a good time with Audition. Although its characters were notably forgettable, I appreciated the romance, plot, and writing style. Would this book pass an audition for my favourite book of 2017? Unlikely, but I'd still recommend that readers looking for books about the legendary art of dance paired with daring romance give this one a spin.
Audition, despite its Goodreads average rating of 3.32 stars, was a fun and fast read. For those who do not mind reading stories in verse, you will breeze through it and adore its lyrical writing just as I did, but if you despise poetry, then consider yourself warned.
To briefly summarize the story, it follows a teen girl named Sara who earns a ballet scholarship in a completely new city- and lifestyle. Soon enough, she meets and gets to know her choreographer Remington, and figures out that she has become romantically attracted to him. But then she decides to take up writing as her new passion- is she about to throw away her dreams of dance? Or will Remington step in and save it all- or will he be thrown away as well?
If you want complete honesty, the characters weren't the strongest point of this book. They could have been a lot more developed if the writing wasn't as emphasized. I liked reading about Sara in the moment, but as I write this, it has been almost 3 weeks since I've completed the book, so she no longer sticks out. Rem was cute though; I'm not going to lie, but still unmemorable.
The plot is easy, breezy, and amusing to follow. The writing, as I touched on before, is in verse, allowing readers to flip its pages quickly and absorb happenings with ease. This may be a tome of around 450 pages, but I was able to complete it at the speed I would with a book of 250 pages.
To sum everything up, I had quite a good time with Audition. Although its characters were notably forgettable, I appreciated the romance, plot, and writing style. Would this book pass an audition for my favourite book of 2017? Unlikely, but I'd still recommend that readers looking for books about the legendary art of dance paired with daring romance give this one a spin.
October 14, 2017
Powerful story about dance and dreams. A story of someone who is certain but becomes uncertain as she is pushed in different directions. As Remington’s Muse, as her parents daughter, as the dance student in the different level classes. Her teachers too.
Powerful words. Amazing way to tell the story in a different format.
Couldn’t put it down. It was amazing.
As a dancer and writer myself I often wonder which way to turn. With other options as well.
Powerful words. Amazing way to tell the story in a different format.
Couldn’t put it down. It was amazing.
As a dancer and writer myself I often wonder which way to turn. With other options as well.
April 6, 2025
I am not sure yet what to say. I love these books written in verse; they feel so much like I did in high school. I am sad though, sad that all these stories about dancers are just riddled with eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Are we ever going to talk about how destructive this most beautiful of dance forms is on the dancers? I like where Sara found herself by the end, able to write her own destiny and not just let someone else use her body to meet their needs.
October 7, 2024
This book was exactly what I needed as a palette cleanser from everything else. It was deep and made you think about specific things. Always chase after the dreams you want not what everyone else wants for you. Don’t lose yourself in the process. So many amazing parts to this story. Following her journey was a great experience.
August 9, 2018
This wasn't the best book I've read this year. It was quick, easy, and brought me back to my days of dance, but the writing style was weird. I'm not saying that I don't like novels in verse, I do, but this book was just words with random spacing, there was no deliberate pattern or rhythm to the "poetry" which is what I like in novels in verse.
December 16, 2011
Dare I tell that since I came here to dance
I have been giving pieces of my body away
To ridiculous diets,
To repeated injuries,
To Remington?
And that maybe
I think
With each bit of my body
I lose a little piece of my soul.
This isn't a book about a girl's ultimate dream to be a prima ballerina at a prestigious dance company. This is a book about her realizing that dance is so far off her horizon, it's basically out in space. It was really hard to figure out how dance came to be Sara's life. Was it due to her parents' constant pushing? Or was it because dance came to her naturally? And it wasn't because Sara wants to leave the slow, New England life she'd known. Ballet is just ballet. She accepted the dance scholarship with great trepidation because, really, what else was she to do?
This is written in verse form, a style that I'm a huge fan of. I know it's not for everyone but I really love the neat, straightforward writing of these novels. I've yet to read one that I did not like. The words are like disjointed lyrics, stilted prose and yet, succinct and purposely vivid. Ms. Kehoe's style encapsulate all that. She captured the glamour and elegance of the dancers' costumes in not so many words, the ghastly pain Sara endured and the life of a ballerina who's always starving - for food and for attention. She also managed to portray the beauty and grace of ballet with every plié, jeté, and tendu.
But.
But.
I was unable to develop an affinity to the characters, most especially to Sara and Remington. Sara has a very timid personality. She feels so much but has the greatest inability to voice them out. She frustrated me most of the time. She wasn't blind - she knew what was going on and yet she kept making the same mistakes consciously. And I understand, truly, I do. She's young, utterly fascinated by the attention of an older man and a tiny part of her is thrilled that she's able to inspire Rem. But the word, "NO", is not in her vocabulary. Remington is probably one of the most selfish, egocentric character I've the displeasure of reading. I've been staring at my blinking cursor trying to find a redeeming quality to Rem and regrettably finding none. Sorry. This man is completely one-dimensional. My detachment to the characters was also one of the factors why this book didn't make me feel anything. Somehow, these two had a numbing effect on me.
This verse novel is a bit on the narrative side and perhaps it's also one of the things that hindered me from enjoying this book more. And yes, I am aware that most verse books are actually narrative but the dialogues in this one was more sparse than most.
I think that this book would be quite enjoyable to some but just not for me. I am interested to read more of Ms. Kehoe's future books, however.
I have been giving pieces of my body away
To ridiculous diets,
To repeated injuries,
To Remington?
And that maybe
I think
With each bit of my body
I lose a little piece of my soul.
This isn't a book about a girl's ultimate dream to be a prima ballerina at a prestigious dance company. This is a book about her realizing that dance is so far off her horizon, it's basically out in space. It was really hard to figure out how dance came to be Sara's life. Was it due to her parents' constant pushing? Or was it because dance came to her naturally? And it wasn't because Sara wants to leave the slow, New England life she'd known. Ballet is just ballet. She accepted the dance scholarship with great trepidation because, really, what else was she to do?
This is written in verse form, a style that I'm a huge fan of. I know it's not for everyone but I really love the neat, straightforward writing of these novels. I've yet to read one that I did not like. The words are like disjointed lyrics, stilted prose and yet, succinct and purposely vivid. Ms. Kehoe's style encapsulate all that. She captured the glamour and elegance of the dancers' costumes in not so many words, the ghastly pain Sara endured and the life of a ballerina who's always starving - for food and for attention. She also managed to portray the beauty and grace of ballet with every plié, jeté, and tendu.
But.
But.
I was unable to develop an affinity to the characters, most especially to Sara and Remington. Sara has a very timid personality. She feels so much but has the greatest inability to voice them out. She frustrated me most of the time. She wasn't blind - she knew what was going on and yet she kept making the same mistakes consciously. And I understand, truly, I do. She's young, utterly fascinated by the attention of an older man and a tiny part of her is thrilled that she's able to inspire Rem. But the word, "NO", is not in her vocabulary. Remington is probably one of the most selfish, egocentric character I've the displeasure of reading. I've been staring at my blinking cursor trying to find a redeeming quality to Rem and regrettably finding none. Sorry. This man is completely one-dimensional. My detachment to the characters was also one of the factors why this book didn't make me feel anything. Somehow, these two had a numbing effect on me.
This verse novel is a bit on the narrative side and perhaps it's also one of the things that hindered me from enjoying this book more. And yes, I am aware that most verse books are actually narrative but the dialogues in this one was more sparse than most.
I think that this book would be quite enjoyable to some but just not for me. I am interested to read more of Ms. Kehoe's future books, however.
April 6, 2012
I really loved parts of this book. Some things were just so beautiful and brilliant, but some left me a little disappointed and unsatisfied.
The writing was what stood out to me the most as it was written in first person present tense, giving it that beautiful poetic feel. This book was also written in verse adding to the whimsical nature of the writing style.
It seemed like the words were cut down to the most basic and simplistic form. To explain with just a few words a whole scene and achieve that kind of impact was amazing. There were pages that had as little as 10 words or so but I actually found those pages to say more, to have more of an impact then some of the fuller pages. If I could rate this book on her writing alone this book would be a solid 5 stars, but I can't.
Everything in this book was centered around Sara, the main character. Every character, every event and situation, was apart of developing Sara into the person she becomes by the end of the story. The basic plot of the book was that Sara goes away to ballet school for a year, all of these things happen, and then she leaves the situation a different person. My issue with this kind of story, and the reason why this book didn't get a 5 star rating is because it felt more like a short story rather than a whole novel. I'm not talking the length of the book. I'm talking about the lack of beginning middle and ending of the story. It was a small piece of time cut away from Sara's world in which we are in Sara's head for a year and experience her experiences. This also means that there is no closure. None. The story just ends. We are given an idea, she does sort of make some decisions, but it was unsatisfying. It didn't end in a " she has her whole life ahead of her, what exciting things await her" clever sort of way. She left, she came back, and this is what happened while she was gone.
I felt the development of the characters was done well. I didn't particularly care for Sara as a person as she seemed selfish and uninteresting at times but she was consistent. By the end of the book I could tell that she was still Sara but Sara changed by her experiences. All of the characters had a place, a role to play. I didn't feel that any of them were invented just to fill space or a stereotype.
I do wish for some kind of closure, an end to certain things, but overall I did enjoy this book. My issues aside, the writing was beautiful, amazing, wonderful. I recommend you all pick it up.and
The writing was what stood out to me the most as it was written in first person present tense, giving it that beautiful poetic feel. This book was also written in verse adding to the whimsical nature of the writing style.
It seemed like the words were cut down to the most basic and simplistic form. To explain with just a few words a whole scene and achieve that kind of impact was amazing. There were pages that had as little as 10 words or so but I actually found those pages to say more, to have more of an impact then some of the fuller pages. If I could rate this book on her writing alone this book would be a solid 5 stars, but I can't.
Everything in this book was centered around Sara, the main character. Every character, every event and situation, was apart of developing Sara into the person she becomes by the end of the story. The basic plot of the book was that Sara goes away to ballet school for a year, all of these things happen, and then she leaves the situation a different person. My issue with this kind of story, and the reason why this book didn't get a 5 star rating is because it felt more like a short story rather than a whole novel. I'm not talking the length of the book. I'm talking about the lack of beginning middle and ending of the story. It was a small piece of time cut away from Sara's world in which we are in Sara's head for a year and experience her experiences. This also means that there is no closure. None. The story just ends. We are given an idea, she does sort of make some decisions, but it was unsatisfying. It didn't end in a " she has her whole life ahead of her, what exciting things await her" clever sort of way. She left, she came back, and this is what happened while she was gone.
I felt the development of the characters was done well. I didn't particularly care for Sara as a person as she seemed selfish and uninteresting at times but she was consistent. By the end of the book I could tell that she was still Sara but Sara changed by her experiences. All of the characters had a place, a role to play. I didn't feel that any of them were invented just to fill space or a stereotype.
I do wish for some kind of closure, an end to certain things, but overall I did enjoy this book. My issues aside, the writing was beautiful, amazing, wonderful. I recommend you all pick it up.and
December 1, 2011
I first heard about AUDITION when Stasia and I toured together with Stages on Pages. After listening to Stasia speak so eloquently and passionately about dance (she's been a dancer since about the time she learned how to walk) I knew I needed to read this novel.
Still, I'm not going to lie: reading a novel in verse kind of scared the hell out of me.
But I was surprised. After about four of five pages, my brain had adapted to the style and the cadence of the verse (kind of like how when I read books in first person present and think, "I'll never get used to this!" and then about two pages into it I'm not even noticing what tense it's in anymore...) I think a huge reason for the easy adaptability to the style is Stasia's mastery with it. There's a cadence to the words, to the scenes, to the dialogue, and that consistency really helped me get into the groove. There's also a particular intensity in the verse style that added so much to this story, mimicking the unreal stress faced by an aspiring artist living in a high-pressure environment far from home.
It's impressive when any author can establish a strong character voice, and the fact that Stasia does so with so fewer words than most of us kind of blew my mind. Sara is a fierce heroine: smart and driven, fearless and unsure at the same time. I totally internalized Sara's struggles with fitting in, establishing her presence at a new school both socially and as a dancer, and of course the central romance of the novel, her relationship with an older choreographer.
Remington is the kind of bad boy I'd have fallen for myself (er, or did fall for...several times...) He's a brilliant artist, and his medium compliments her own which gives their romance a passionate spark. And yet the romance isn't all-consuming and in the end, serves as a catalyst for Sara to figure out what it is she really, truly wants.
As a performing artist, I fell hard for this book. But I believe it speaks to the inner "confused teen" in all of us. Don't let the verse scare you - AUDITION is a must read.
Still, I'm not going to lie: reading a novel in verse kind of scared the hell out of me.
But I was surprised. After about four of five pages, my brain had adapted to the style and the cadence of the verse (kind of like how when I read books in first person present and think, "I'll never get used to this!" and then about two pages into it I'm not even noticing what tense it's in anymore...) I think a huge reason for the easy adaptability to the style is Stasia's mastery with it. There's a cadence to the words, to the scenes, to the dialogue, and that consistency really helped me get into the groove. There's also a particular intensity in the verse style that added so much to this story, mimicking the unreal stress faced by an aspiring artist living in a high-pressure environment far from home.
It's impressive when any author can establish a strong character voice, and the fact that Stasia does so with so fewer words than most of us kind of blew my mind. Sara is a fierce heroine: smart and driven, fearless and unsure at the same time. I totally internalized Sara's struggles with fitting in, establishing her presence at a new school both socially and as a dancer, and of course the central romance of the novel, her relationship with an older choreographer.
Remington is the kind of bad boy I'd have fallen for myself (er, or did fall for...several times...) He's a brilliant artist, and his medium compliments her own which gives their romance a passionate spark. And yet the romance isn't all-consuming and in the end, serves as a catalyst for Sara to figure out what it is she really, truly wants.
As a performing artist, I fell hard for this book. But I believe it speaks to the inner "confused teen" in all of us. Don't let the verse scare you - AUDITION is a must read.
June 26, 2017
This book was just okay for me. It was actually quite sad. The main character, Sara, seemed to not know what she wanted, but did what others like her parents wanted. She wants to be a ballerina, and auditions and gets into a program on scholarship for her junior year. Through the hardships of being a ballerina, she struggles with how she feels about her life. Dancing, school, writing, friends.
Then there is Remington. She gets a crush on him right away. And one day he invites her to the diner, kisses her, and as far as I am concerned, it goes downhill from there. She is his muse. He uses her to choreograph dances amist the sex. I never felt connected to Rem at all. He doesn't even have Sara perform his dances at the ballet. You never know how these two truly feel about each other. Sara just keeps giving him what he wants, even though her thoughts and comments make you wonder why she is even with him. I guess for a moment she feels special.
I usually enjoy books in verse, but this one I struggled with. In the end, Sara did finally seem to be making choices of her own, but otherwise I feel she was just used and fake. And I still don't know much about Rem.
Then there is Remington. She gets a crush on him right away. And one day he invites her to the diner, kisses her, and as far as I am concerned, it goes downhill from there. She is his muse. He uses her to choreograph dances amist the sex. I never felt connected to Rem at all. He doesn't even have Sara perform his dances at the ballet. You never know how these two truly feel about each other. Sara just keeps giving him what he wants, even though her thoughts and comments make you wonder why she is even with him. I guess for a moment she feels special.
I usually enjoy books in verse, but this one I struggled with. In the end, Sara did finally seem to be making choices of her own, but otherwise I feel she was just used and fake. And I still don't know much about Rem.
June 3, 2012
Audition was an amazing book. I won this on goodreads first reads and I must say I’m not disappointed!
This book is about a girl trying to find herself. Sara has always wanted to be Ballerina she’s never thought of anything else. She puts everything in her dancing, no matter what people say. That’s until she meets Remington one of the choreographers at the studio. Soon they start to have a brewing, sexy, secretive relationship. She starts to consider a knew future. One with Remington. But does he feel the same way?
Soon he starts to use the sexual moves in the relationship as a dance. He is rewarded for these new moves, yet once Sara finds out she is angry. He does not give her any credit and this makes her think things through, yet she still goes to Remington. Sara begins to question her future as never before. Why bother giving herself up for diets, injuries, and even Remington.
Overall I loved the poetic form of it all, the whole way I was never confused on any matter of topic, and I hope to see more books by Stasia Ward Kehoe.
This book is about a girl trying to find herself. Sara has always wanted to be Ballerina she’s never thought of anything else. She puts everything in her dancing, no matter what people say. That’s until she meets Remington one of the choreographers at the studio. Soon they start to have a brewing, sexy, secretive relationship. She starts to consider a knew future. One with Remington. But does he feel the same way?
Soon he starts to use the sexual moves in the relationship as a dance. He is rewarded for these new moves, yet once Sara finds out she is angry. He does not give her any credit and this makes her think things through, yet she still goes to Remington. Sara begins to question her future as never before. Why bother giving herself up for diets, injuries, and even Remington.
Overall I loved the poetic form of it all, the whole way I was never confused on any matter of topic, and I hope to see more books by Stasia Ward Kehoe.
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