Facing the Music

by Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, John Man

Book by 'JAYNE TORVILL, CHRISTOPHER DEAN'

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Figure Skating, Biography, Biography Memoir, Memoir, Autobiography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1984

Reviews

[Marge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a dancer and choreographer for 20 years when I suddenly had to have major hip surgery. Since I knew I would never be able to really dance again, it was hard for me to watch dance. Then I saw the 1994 Olympics with the return of Torvill & Dean to amateur ice dancing competition. Seeing their brilliant rumba short program blew me away. How could they DO those moves on tiny blades on "slippy stuff". I fell in love with ice dancing and T&D. I dug up as many old videos of their routines as I could possibly find. Not only did this get me through a long recovery, but I discovered Christopher Dean's brilliant choreography, as good and often better than anything I'd seen on stage or screen. After they were robbed of the gold medal in that '94 Olympics, T&D became hugely popular again (For those of you who don't know, T&D won the ice dancing gold medal in '84, with perfect scores, the only team to ever do so.) world over and started competing professionally and touring with their own and other ice shows. I had the good fortune to see them skate in person many times. I bought a copy of this book from England long before it was published in the U.S. It's an "autobiography", witty and quite honest, even about difficult times such as Chris Dean's marriage to Isabelle Ducheney and their experiences leading up to the '94 Olympics. So, for anyone who loves figure skating and/or is familiar with Torvill & Dean's work, I highly recommend this book. T&D retired from pro skating in '98, but went back on the ice in 2005 with "Dancing On Ice" in the UK and Australia, a huge hit. They are still as brilliant as ever. God bless them and keep their ankles firm!

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read because I'm on a Torvill and Dean kick at the moment, having recently found out that they came out of retirement in 2006 to star in a tv show called "Dancing on Ice" in the UK (not avail in the US, booooo). Was cancelled in 2014, but brought back again in 2018.

I was a huge ice skating fan in the 80s, so they were a big part of my youth. I even saw them in one of their touring shows, so I've seen them do "Bolero" live!

If you are a fan, it's definitely worth the read. There do seem to be quite a few bios out there of them, most covering the same period. This one is from their youth to 1995, with the main emphasis 1984-1995, in particular the debacle that was Lillehammer 1994. Contrary to what I have seen in other reviews, I thought they came off fine and not unlikeable at all (with a bit of a question mark when talking about the time Chris made Jayne cry when they were under pressure for the comeback when filming the documentary).

The book was published in 1995, so I'll have to follow up with their more recent bio to find out about the last twenty years.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's frustrating when I read a book or watch a film that makes me actually dislike the author or filmmaker. That's the problem with autobiography: your perspective on events is so narrow that inevitably you become egotistical and defensive. Even most biographers are too in love with their subjects to portray them in a balanced light.

Another frustrating thing is when long text could have been condensed. This whole story could have been about ten times shorter or more. Although they sped through all the formative amateur years with no real depth on the programs or competitions, making it sound like a foregone conclusion with not much struggle (although it's understandable since the past becomes simplified in comparison to present drama), there was so much vague banter about artistic objectives, needless recounting of uneventful drama, and recent events became a kind of tedious log.

The problem with these two as autobiographers is that they are so sympathetic towards themselves. Almost like victims. They keep harping on about their shyness, embarrassment, surprise at attention, yet they were enraged whenever they didn't get their way in a billing or artistic decision, or when they won the bronze in the 1994 Olympics (without much analysis about the other programs). I guess I just can't stand the English hypocrisy of calling oneself introverted and passive when really they just broke down in certain situations and let their egoism become helplessness.

All that said, however, it can't be helped, both in recounting one's past and even at each turn in their career. I dunno, autobiography is tough and I just can't be pleased as a reader.

Maybe I like scandalous tell-alls more.

[Surreysmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Torvill & Dean, ten years later, and though the first five chapters recap their amateur career, the really interesting part of this book is about their "grown-up" days - touring with their own tours, with Tarasova's Russian All-Stars, with Ice Capades. There is also the story of Dean's failed marriage to Isabelle Duchesnay, and Jayne's more successful marriage to a non-skater. Finally, of course, there's the Pyrrhic victory of the 1994 Olympics at Lillehammer, where they certainly revived their public appeal, though they did not get the gold medal they wanted. A lot of the story is told in the first person plural ("we", "us"), which is a little odd at first, but you soon get used to it. When it comes to strictly personal matters like the marriages, the text is headed with the name of the speaker ("Chris" or "Jayne").

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very candid & honest look into their lives, their art and the world of amateur and professional skating. They had a challenge to write about movement set to music which is a pure form of art and expression is difficult enough to be translated into the spoken word, let alone put on a page, but they did a credible job and didn’t hold much back. There were particularly interesting passages from childhood stories, to how they came to be partner’s in their late teens, to their struggles to skate & also work other jobs to make money. And then there’s their creation of Bolero and their Olympic win, their early pro career in ‘dog & pony’ shows, conflicts with their most recent coach, their own relationships as partners & why romance never blossomed between them, their love lives including Dean’s failed marriage with Isabelle Ducheney, the 2nd go at the Olympics & what lies ahead.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a blast from what I thought was the past! The autobio ends in the mid-90s, and I had thought their career long gone, just a gorgeous memory from the 1984 Olympics and a "they were robbed" memory from the 1994 Olympics. It turns out, the Internet tells me, that they have a "Dancing with the Stars" type of tv program in England, in which celebrities compete in "Dancing on Ice." This has been going on since 2006. So now they're 50-something and enjoying a second career. Amazing. At any rate, I enjoyed their book, as it brought back a lot of nice memories, and found on the Internet many You Tube versions of their present-day dances as well as the wonderful old ones. They are unique.

[Shelley Wilkes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love ice skating and biographies but I just couldn't finish this one.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love ice-skating but I was disappointed with this book. The beginning up to the 1984 Olympics is rushed and Jayne & Chris come across as quite unlikeable.