Golden Slippers

by Lee Wyndham

Maggie wanted to dance. But life after graduation holds a lot of changes and to pursue her dream, she must leave Spring Valley for New York.

Genres: Young Adult

217 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Jane Andrews Lee Hyndman (December 16, 1912-March 18, 1978) was born in Russia and came to the United States in 1923 where she became a U.S. Citizen. She was the daughter of Andrew and Alexandra Levchenko. In 1933 she married Robert Hyndman (pseudonym Robert Wyndham) and they had two children. Lee Hyndman was educated in both the United States and in Turkey where she studied singing and painting. She was a member of the Author’s Guild of the Author’s League of America and Women’s National Book Association (New York).

During her career Hyndman worked as a children’s book editor for the Morristown Daily Record in Morristown, New Jersey from 1949-1958 and at the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1950-1963. Beginning in 1958 Hyndman began lecturing on writing for teens and children at New York University. She also held several other jobs such as author of a syndicated children’s book column in five New Jersey newspapers beginning in 1963, lecturer, book critic, free-lance editor and project consultant. She also conducted several writing seminars and conferences. She was also a professional fashion model in New York.

Reviews

[Kim Kaso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adolescent favorite, read and re-read. Ignited a love for ballet which I can happily satisfy at the San Francisco ballet these days. Think I was lent this book by my somewhat older best friend, just remember losing myself in its pages over and over again.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading it may be for the fifth time and I'm still loving it like I did the first time.
And now I own a copy of 3rd edition that was published in 1964 thanks to my cousin. Even though you can see a lot of old times' references you still feel like it's timeless. Except for telegraphing and black-and-white pictures everything else can be counted as modern :)
I like how kind-hearted Maggie are, how funny she is even in a real life. And how she struggles not to like Duncan even though she is warming into him. And how he believes in her even despite the fact, that his boss is not so sure. I like how Duncan is a man of action, a professional who fixes things, I think he's a duck in a pond -- even when he seems calm and lazy under that exterior there's constant work going on.
I think this book is about really knowing ourselves. Cause sometimes what you want isn't really what you need and what's best for you.

[Carolynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to Wyndham's _Slipper under Glass_, which I read as a kid. I always read any ballet book I could find, so I was glad to find the sequel. What I remembered from _Slipper under Glass_ was Maggie Jones' ambitious plan to become Magda Jonescu, prima ballerina. I thought that by the end of the book she had come to terms with her own talents and personality, but _Golden Slippers_ finds her, while preparing for a comic dancing role in a major motion picture to be filmed in nearby NYC, still yearning to become a classical ballerina and to partner with the handsome danseur, Helmut Holman. The contrast between her reality (most girls would be envious of her fabulous dancing opportunity!) and her wistful dreams is the main conflict of the book. Her partner Duncan Elliott, the character dancer with whom she bickers throughout the book, constantly challenges and yet supports her. When she finally has an opportunity to do some classical ballet with Helmut, the results surprise her.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also one of those books I loved as a kid. I must have read this a million times. I wonder if I could even find a copy now to read it again?