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Spellbound
At twenty-two, after a serious accident, Lucie Gerard had to face the fact that her career as a dancer with the Strasberg Ballet was over. Yet the great Julian Strasberg insisted that she must go on working with him. What was the point, though? Why couldn't he leave her alone, to get over it in her own way?
187 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1982
33 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Way
611 books162 followersMargaret Way was born and educated in the river city of Brisbane, Australia. Before her marriage she was a well-known pianist, teacher, vocal coach and accompanist, but her hectic musical career came to a halt when her son was born and the demands of motherhood dictated a change of pace.
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 12, 2020
Not an Outback description in sight in this early MW. Instead, the author has decided to explore the terrains of the mind and how it interacts with an injured body.
Our heroine is an exquisite, rising-star ballerina. Orphaned and intense. She is injured in a car accident with a fellow dancer (OM) who flees the scene. Hero, director of the ballet company, does a 180 turn from his previous tyrannical behavior and brings her to his home to be nursed back to health by a kindly nurse.
Heroine is self-pitying and apathetic until hero unearths his sadistic streak and makes her attend practices with the rest of the ballet corps. Heroine, a born masochist, responds well to his cruelty as well as the cruelty of the OW – her rival on the stage.
OM is having mental problems of his own with a “man’s-man” millionaire father and his coddling mother. They want heroine to “fix” their son, but that plot thread goes nowhere except to make the hero jealous.
Hero is a commitment-phobe because of his adulterous mother (also a prima ballerina), but he gets over it once he tires of the OW antics, choreographs a new dance for the heroine, and realizes the 180 page count is almost up.
There are no real confrontations – just the H/h having shifts in their interior landscapes. MW tries, but Charlotte Lamb is the queen of psychological probing.
Our heroine is an exquisite, rising-star ballerina. Orphaned and intense. She is injured in a car accident with a fellow dancer (OM) who flees the scene. Hero, director of the ballet company, does a 180 turn from his previous tyrannical behavior and brings her to his home to be nursed back to health by a kindly nurse.
Heroine is self-pitying and apathetic until hero unearths his sadistic streak and makes her attend practices with the rest of the ballet corps. Heroine, a born masochist, responds well to his cruelty as well as the cruelty of the OW – her rival on the stage.
OM is having mental problems of his own with a “man’s-man” millionaire father and his coddling mother. They want heroine to “fix” their son, but that plot thread goes nowhere except to make the hero jealous.
Hero is a commitment-phobe because of his adulterous mother (also a prima ballerina), but he gets over it once he tires of the OW antics, choreographs a new dance for the heroine, and realizes the 180 page count is almost up.
There are no real confrontations – just the H/h having shifts in their interior landscapes. MW tries, but Charlotte Lamb is the queen of psychological probing.
October 7, 2017
The hero and heroine in this one were competing in the most TSTL sweepstakes. Both are plagued throughout by their respective, crazed, stalker exes, and those threads are never properly tied up at the conclusion, leaving me to believe that a murder-suicide of the protagonists by either one or both of the jealous ex-lovers is imminent.
The book begins as the ballerina heroine is recovering in the hospital from a car crash brought on by her boyfriend's jealous fit over her feelings for her Svengali-like ballet director hero. Psycho boyfriend lost control over the car during the argument, as he was berating her and she was convulsed into sobs.
After such a traumatic incident, you would think the heroine would steer clear of this psycho? But no, after an initial cooling off period, she allows the deranged lunatic to DRIVE her around again and feeds his delusion that they are going to be engaged soon.
The ballet director hero comes off initially as the knight in shining armor who cares for the heroine during and after her hospital stay, moving her into his own home, hiring a nurse for her, and through tough love, coaxing her into doing her physical therapy, in the belief that her career as a dancer is far from over, if only she lets herself believe it. But he ends up dumb and spineless, letting HIS own psycho ex (or is it current mistress), the primadiva ballerina of his company, twist him round her little finger and then using that same finger to poke the heroine's eye out (figuratively of course, but considering her psychosis, I wouldn't put it past her to literally maim/kill the heroine).
The psycho prima ballerina has her claws quite sunken into the hero's skin and constantly warns off the heroine from getting too close, with implied homicidal threats and actual physical assault. As she viciously kicks the still wobbling heroine in the legs during a ballet warm-up, spills her drink on her dress, rips flowers from her hair and crushes them in her hands, the hero stands around indulgently, attempting to console and placate the succubus instead of flinging her out of his company.
To add insult to injury, he gives the heroine's former starring role to her nemesis and then makes the heroine watch it! LOOOOL These people are demented.
I love ballet stories but this was so trainwrecky, it completely spoiled the story for me. For a wonderful, vintage ballet romance, may I humbly suggest Tender Is the Tyrant instead?
The book begins as the ballerina heroine is recovering in the hospital from a car crash brought on by her boyfriend's jealous fit over her feelings for her Svengali-like ballet director hero. Psycho boyfriend lost control over the car during the argument, as he was berating her and she was convulsed into sobs.
After such a traumatic incident, you would think the heroine would steer clear of this psycho? But no, after an initial cooling off period, she allows the deranged lunatic to DRIVE her around again and feeds his delusion that they are going to be engaged soon.
The ballet director hero comes off initially as the knight in shining armor who cares for the heroine during and after her hospital stay, moving her into his own home, hiring a nurse for her, and through tough love, coaxing her into doing her physical therapy, in the belief that her career as a dancer is far from over, if only she lets herself believe it. But he ends up dumb and spineless, letting HIS own psycho ex (or is it current mistress), the prima
The psycho prima ballerina has her claws quite sunken into the hero's skin and constantly warns off the heroine from getting too close, with implied homicidal threats and actual physical assault. As she viciously kicks the still wobbling heroine in the legs during a ballet warm-up, spills her drink on her dress, rips flowers from her hair and crushes them in her hands, the hero stands around indulgently, attempting to console and placate the succubus instead of flinging her out of his company.
To add insult to injury, he gives the heroine's former starring role to her nemesis and then makes the heroine watch it! LOOOOL These people are demented.
I love ballet stories but this was so trainwrecky, it completely spoiled the story for me. For a wonderful, vintage ballet romance, may I humbly suggest Tender Is the Tyrant instead?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
wants-hqn
December 2, 2022This cover is bizarre, yet mesmerizing.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
April 2, 2023Her brilliant career was finished...
Lucienne had inspired and triumphantly performed a ballet created for her by the remarkable Julian Strasberg. Then a tragic accident left her physically and spiritually unable to dance professionally again.
Julian had made her the toast of Australia’s critics, and he was determined that she would regain this eminent position.
But even a charismatic magician like Julian couldn't give her back the courage to believe in her dreams—could he?
Lucienne had inspired and triumphantly performed a ballet created for her by the remarkable Julian Strasberg. Then a tragic accident left her physically and spiritually unable to dance professionally again.
Julian had made her the toast of Australia’s critics, and he was determined that she would regain this eminent position.
But even a charismatic magician like Julian couldn't give her back the courage to believe in her dreams—could he?
August 13, 2020
Downgraded to 3-stars.
I think I was mainly amused by the viciousness of the OW, but then thats standard Margaret Way.
I think I was mainly amused by the viciousness of the OW, but then thats standard Margaret Way.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews