First Love

by Adrienne Sharp

Friends and lovers from an early age, ballet dancers Adam and Sandra find themselves ill-prepared for the demands of attaining their hopes of stardom, promised when an aging and ailing ballet master finds in Sandra a muse who may fulfill his dream of creating an opulent performance of Sleeping Beauty. 40,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Literature, Contemporary Romance, New York

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2005

About the author

Adrienne Sharp entered the world of ballet at age seven and trained at the prestigious Harkness Ballet in New York. She received her M.A. with honors from the Writing Seminars at the Johns Hopkins University and was awarded a Henry Hoyns Fellowship at the University of Virginia. She has been a fiction fellow at MacDowell, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Squaw Valley Writer’s Conference. She is the author of "White Swan, Black Swan," "The Sleeping Beauty," "The True Memoirs of Little K," and the forthcoming "The Magnificent Esme Wells."

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was well-written, and the author clearly understands the ballet world very well, but in the end, this book just depressed me.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sharp, subtle, engrossing novel with just enough darkness and sex to feel properly inspired by Grimm.

[Jaymee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a love letter to Balanchine; a consummation of him and his dances, a benediction from the ballet master. You can see the research that went into the making of this book, which is supposed to be the cliché of a ballerina choosing between her art and a family, and in between those two lies some madness that is perhaps seen by Balanchine, wanting her to be his last muse for the ballet-that-never-was: Sleeping Beauty. But really, the heart of this book is the choreographer himself; his struggles, his pride, his own madness and his loneliness, despite being celebrated as one of the greatest ballet choreographers. Like the author's other book, this one is populated with all the important characters (Petipa, Diaghilev are mentioned; Nureyev and Baryshnikov are all dancing onstage). You're given a backstage pass, and can even be one of Mr. B's dancers.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong 3.5 stars. I found Sharp'a writing style quite engaging and readable. What I also found was that she created some really dispicable characters. So much manipulation between all the characters and one incident that just made my skin crawl, I found it hard to care about the main characters. Only Randall - I cared about Randall. Even if I didn't like the characters, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't read something else by Sharp one day.

[Lexi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so engaging in the beginning and I thought I had picked up my next favorite book, until everything went wrong. I was really rooting for Adam and Sandra, even if they were both messed up. I knew this wasn’t going to be a “feel good story”, but the whole story was just so depressing! This book is so sad, I couldn’t read the last ten pages I was so heartbroken!

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

sandra and adam are ballet dancers with competing companies in nyc -- and in love. these two characters lie to one another over and over which makes them very unsympathetic. the introduction of the real balanchine and baryshnakov to the story adds interest for balletomanes, but not enough to balance the self-indulgence of the protagonists.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to rate this book.

The parts covering Balanchine and the New York City Ballet of the 1980s were very well done. It’s obvious that the author did the research and knows the intricacies of the professional ballet world. But the parts covering Sandra and Adam’s relationship (which is about 70% of the book) is some of the most dull and tedious reading I’ve done all year.

[Melitchko · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Enjoyed the story.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about a fictional ballet couple. But it dragged on too long for me. and their relationship was a little repetitive as well.

[Franny]

cease and desist all contact.

rolling credits queue:
young americans
hope is dangerous thing

[s-m :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ This is like “normal people” but if it was ballet and way more messed up

[Kewilson Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was in a romantic mood one day, and usually I end reading books like this with a mild sense of calm disappointment in how neatly the ending is tied up.
This book, however, amazed me.
The very human byplay between Sandra and Adam makes the story even more believable than if it had been reality. The dual perspectives allow the reader a deep look into the hearts and minds of so many characters, all while escalating and building a story that amazes.
The ending is what really got me, though;
For a while, the book builds up like it's a regular romance novel, but then things start falling apart in a very realistic manner; where you would normally be left going "no way that would happen in real life" the story diverges from the normal path and delves into what would realistically happen!
The final chapters leave the story open and untied, each character living their own deeply separate lives and yet there is no real closure of the ties between...
Sandra and Adam are still technically wed,
Adam's father and godfather still tug at him,
and Adam and Sandra themselves still have what each of them wanted.
It's a deeply realistic look at the life of Ballet performers that does not flinch at the scarred, bruised and battered underbelly of the real-life struggles and attitudes the dancers face.
Truly extraordinary, I would recommend it for absolutely anyone who enjoys a not-quite-tidy ending.

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading White Sawn, Black Swan, I found First Love to be somewhat of a let-down. It lacked the compelling quality of the story collection. Clearly this author has spent her time in ballet, but what doesn't translate in this novel is the beauty in the writing and the compassion for the characters. I felt myself unsympathetic to both of the main characters, Adam and Sandra, whereas in many of the short stories of the earlier book, it was the human quality against the harsh backdrop of the world of ballet that made the best stories work. Here, the effort feels forced, less sustained. Still an interesting read for those interesed in representations of dancers--especially ballerinas--in literary fiction.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book takes place in the dance world of 1980s NYC, Sandra is a ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet and her long-time friend, now lover, Adam, is the star principal dancer at American Ballet Theater. When Balanchine decides create a full-length ballet of "Sleeping Beauty", Sandra becomes his new muse and is placed in the lead role. Dancing for rival companies, the two try to navigate their separate lives and the demands and choices they must make while struggling to maintain a relationship with one another.

Those familiar with the ballet world, especially with Balanchine should enjoy this book. As a former dancer, Adrienne Sharp writes realistically about the beauty and grit that encompasses the world of professional dance.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this one before it was recalled. I may finish it at some point, but I must say that this book wasn’t as impressive as Sharp’s White Swan, Black Swan. One thing that I found annoying was that there are characters from White Swan, Black Swan but they aren’t exactly the same: significant aspects of their life stories have been changed. In other words, at first I was excited to get to know more about the fate of these familiar characters only to find out that they weren’t exactly the same characters. Kind of a bummer.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

This really wasn't all that great of a read. It did get into the characters quite a bit but I just didn't really feel all that much for them. I thought it was interesting how the author used Balanchine and Baryshnikov and other dancers of the time to lend it authenticity but I felt it was a bit overdone. I ended up not liking the characters at all and at the end I was like, so? There just really wasn't a point to the story..

[Paraffin89 · Rating 5 out of 5]

'First Love' as it's title in a way might be misleading, but I think the author projects that subject very well in the book. It is clearly shown when she writes in detail how surprisingly delicate and sometimes confusing love did to the main characters. I love her writing style, very expressive and detail, though sometimes too lengthy.I love the author's idea of First Love, set in the backdrop of 'ballet boom era'. And I wasn't even into dance.But I'm into it's literary style of writing.

[Elizabeth]

I've met the author; she's lovely, a former dancer; she knows all the ropes. This book is her first novel and follows her previous book, White Swan, Black Swan.

It's the story of a female corps de ballet dancer who is involved with a male dancer in the corps, but worries that it will affect her career. Basically, she puts dance first.

I would recommend this book if you are into dance.

[Laraine]

This book should never have been released with this unfortunate title--very misleading. But it was finally released under the title originally chosen by the author. Adrienne Sharp is a wordsmith who crafts each story, each character, with intense care--her work lingers in the mind as the subtlety of her characterizations allows the deeper interactions to unfold.

[Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lyrical book that I probably be enjoyed because of the ballet aspect. I guess I'm still not into these DEEP, DARK, ADULT books, unless they have a point besides being DEEP, DARK, and ADULT. Nevertheless, interesting characters, and interesting situations that they're put in.

[LaDonna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for stories about ballet, but this one was tough to finish. The plot isn't very engaging, none of the characters are likeable, especially Sandra, the "Sleeping Beauty" of the title. Overall I had a very "meh" reaction to this book. I don't think I could recommend it to anyone.

[Arrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book honestly didn't like it so much. It had a sad ending that was sort of confusing

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a good book, very beautifully written. I just didn't like how everything ended and what actually happened to the characters. How can a book about ballet not be beautiful though?

[Barbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but some parts a little crass. Not big on the language.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit long and rambling at parts, but with well-done characters and interesting polot lines. Excellent tacticle details.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully depicted story of a couple in the New York ballet scene. I enjoyed the book because of the insight into the ballet world and the life of art. Ending is horrid, but beautifully written.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

For balletomanes. A fictionalized George Ballenchine and two characters out of Sharp's terrific book of short stories "Black Swan/White Swan" (no connection to current movie.

[MD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this a long time ago. Based off of my memory alone it was a really good story!

[Icela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so perfect.

[Gina Hoppes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring read and a bit strange as well. I love to read books about dance, but this one is just a disappointment