What do you think?
Rate this book
Death Dance Destiny Memoir Trilogy #2
Arabesque: Dancing on the Edge in Los Angeles
A prequel to the award-winning memoir, The Church of Tango, Arabesque is about making choices when young that forever alter your life.
It's 1960 in Los Angeles. Cherie is 17 and on the threshold of change, even as the world awaits the cataclysmic turbulence that soon comes. Cherie is a dancer, a student at UCLA, and in love with a handsome, troubled graduate student who wants her to give up her career plans. The havoc sets her off-balance and into a nightmare world far from her dreams.
The memoir paints a picture of the times, not only in Los Angeles, but in a small town in the midwest where her grandparents live and coexist with the Native American Sioux.
Suitable for young adults, dance and college students, and anyone who remembers being on the threshold of change.
It's 1960 in Los Angeles. Cherie is 17 and on the threshold of change, even as the world awaits the cataclysmic turbulence that soon comes. Cherie is a dancer, a student at UCLA, and in love with a handsome, troubled graduate student who wants her to give up her career plans. The havoc sets her off-balance and into a nightmare world far from her dreams.
The memoir paints a picture of the times, not only in Los Angeles, but in a small town in the midwest where her grandparents live and coexist with the Native American Sioux.
Suitable for young adults, dance and college students, and anyone who remembers being on the threshold of change.
313 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2014
1 person is currently reading
32 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 26, 2014
It takes bravery to write a memoir. Since the story is presented as factual, and is presented without the benefit of camouflage behind fictional events and characters, I choose not to judge plot or content--this is part of a person's life story, after all. The 3.5 star rating I've awarded is meant to applaud the experience the author has worked to communicate of their life and loves as a dance student in UCLA in the 60's. Every life is unique, and readers enjoy other perspectives about times they, themselves lived through, or find themselves curious about personal accounts during notable times in US history.
The difficulty for me, as a reader--and this is common with self-published (as well as with many published in the industry)--is that to the author, every detail is important, so the story is akin to a historical accounting rather than a tightly crafted work meant to hook its reader. Most details in our lives are not all that interesting, including misdeeds of grandparents. While snippets of gossip have emotional appeal to the author, the reader is not invested in the characters, so the emotion falls flat unless the the characters have dimension. The prose and character building, here, were not strong enough to keep my interest in the beginning, but the content of the story improved as life became more complicated. I particularly enjoyed the contrast of life in the grandparent's home, near the Sioux, with the urban mix of LA.
The 60's were tumultuous, much more so for a young person in LA wanting to make a mark in the dance world. Many readers will find that reason enough to give Cherie's memoir a spin.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a non-reciprocal review.
The difficulty for me, as a reader--and this is common with self-published (as well as with many published in the industry)--is that to the author, every detail is important, so the story is akin to a historical accounting rather than a tightly crafted work meant to hook its reader. Most details in our lives are not all that interesting, including misdeeds of grandparents. While snippets of gossip have emotional appeal to the author, the reader is not invested in the characters, so the emotion falls flat unless the the characters have dimension. The prose and character building, here, were not strong enough to keep my interest in the beginning, but the content of the story improved as life became more complicated. I particularly enjoyed the contrast of life in the grandparent's home, near the Sioux, with the urban mix of LA.
The 60's were tumultuous, much more so for a young person in LA wanting to make a mark in the dance world. Many readers will find that reason enough to give Cherie's memoir a spin.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a non-reciprocal review.
June 29, 2020
Arabesque is a memoir that depicts the author’s early years. In many ways it may be viewed as a coming-of-age account. One aspect arising almost immediately is Cherie’s passion for dance. A passion that developed early on. A passion that has never abated and continues to the present day. Indeed, for lover’s of dance in all its forms this will prove an enjoyable read. However, the memoir is by no means limited to dance. The reader is treated to a variety of insights into family, and other, relationships and the foibles and difficulties that frequently accompany them. The author’s own background presented challenges which are related in visual format.
Beside recounting her own development from child to young adult, Cherie also shares the frustrations and disappointments of loving someone with a different perspective on life. Her love was so deep she willingly compromised on much, including, for that immediate future, abandoning her early dreams of a dance qualification. It should be pointed out, though deeply in love, Cherie was by no means empty-headed. She proved pragmatic, acknowledging the need for ‘proper’ qualifications to secure a viable future. Therefore, despite the various challenges, she determined to obtain the best she could from what was available, though her love of dance never diminished.
As indicated, this is a tale of mixed hopes, challenges, and emotions. The stresses and strains of the various incidents did take a toll, leading to personal difficulties, some very serious. These are shared eloquently enabling the reader to sympathise and empathise with the author’s fears, emotions, and concerns and to hope they never suffer the same. Undoubtedly, some readers will be able to identify with the issues and frustrations of teenage life this story brings out.
This personal tale is set against the social background of the time, both world and local which, will bring back memories for those who lived through the time, and should be of interest to younger readers interested in learning more about their ancestor’s lives. The period is primarily the nineteen-sixties. In addition, the detailed information and description of localities will assist those who have knowledge of the areas, principally Los Angeles, though visits to other places are also described, identify and follow the author’s journeys, especially her regular daily commutes.
This is a very well written account nevertheless, it is not an unusual or remarkable tale. The book is therefore considered to fall within the general category as outlined in the reviewer’s rating policy (may be viewed at https://trrobinsonpublications.com/re...). This should not be seen as devaluing the authenticity or quality of the book but simply as a reflection of the reviewer’s opinion that unless exceptional in some way, most books fall within this category.
Though the book stands on its own, readers should note it is in fact a prequel to the author’s first published memoir The Church of Tango.
Beside recounting her own development from child to young adult, Cherie also shares the frustrations and disappointments of loving someone with a different perspective on life. Her love was so deep she willingly compromised on much, including, for that immediate future, abandoning her early dreams of a dance qualification. It should be pointed out, though deeply in love, Cherie was by no means empty-headed. She proved pragmatic, acknowledging the need for ‘proper’ qualifications to secure a viable future. Therefore, despite the various challenges, she determined to obtain the best she could from what was available, though her love of dance never diminished.
As indicated, this is a tale of mixed hopes, challenges, and emotions. The stresses and strains of the various incidents did take a toll, leading to personal difficulties, some very serious. These are shared eloquently enabling the reader to sympathise and empathise with the author’s fears, emotions, and concerns and to hope they never suffer the same. Undoubtedly, some readers will be able to identify with the issues and frustrations of teenage life this story brings out.
This personal tale is set against the social background of the time, both world and local which, will bring back memories for those who lived through the time, and should be of interest to younger readers interested in learning more about their ancestor’s lives. The period is primarily the nineteen-sixties. In addition, the detailed information and description of localities will assist those who have knowledge of the areas, principally Los Angeles, though visits to other places are also described, identify and follow the author’s journeys, especially her regular daily commutes.
This is a very well written account nevertheless, it is not an unusual or remarkable tale. The book is therefore considered to fall within the general category as outlined in the reviewer’s rating policy (may be viewed at https://trrobinsonpublications.com/re...). This should not be seen as devaluing the authenticity or quality of the book but simply as a reflection of the reviewer’s opinion that unless exceptional in some way, most books fall within this category.
Though the book stands on its own, readers should note it is in fact a prequel to the author’s first published memoir The Church of Tango.
January 8, 2020
I read the other reviews here and most focus on the dance aspect of the author's story. That is a huge part of who she is and is meant to be, but I saw this story as a woman coming of age and struggling to find herself in a society that wanted women to marry, have children and be satisfied doing the housework. It was also a time of civil and racial unrest. At one time or another in her life, Cherie found herself at the crossroads. Raised to please others before herself, decisions to find her own way didn't come easily.
I loved all the pop culture of the sixties and I found many similarities to my own young adulthood. If you like dance, you'll love all the jazz, ballet and modern references to it. And if you're a woman who grew up in the sixties and seventies you will understand the author's search to find her true self. An interesting journey during a time of great change in our world and what it was to be a part of it.
I loved all the pop culture of the sixties and I found many similarities to my own young adulthood. If you like dance, you'll love all the jazz, ballet and modern references to it. And if you're a woman who grew up in the sixties and seventies you will understand the author's search to find her true self. An interesting journey during a time of great change in our world and what it was to be a part of it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews