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De foute prins
Een vrouw moet meestal een heleboel kikkers kussen voordat ze achterop het witte paard van haar prins kan springen. Marigold is zelfs in de poten van een giftige pad beland. Dat is Sebastian, de louche directeur van het balletgezelschap in Londen waar ze werkt. Na een pijnlijke val stuurt hij Marigold terug naar het huis van haar moeder op het Engelse platteland om te herstellen. Betekent dit het einde van haar danscarrière? Gelukkig ontmoet ze haar jeugdvriend Rafe, die nog net zo aantrekkelijk is als zij zich hem herinnert en staat te trappelen om aan haar voeten te liggen. Maar wie is die mysterieuze vreemdeling in de coulissen? Marigolds herstelperiode wordt veel spannender dan ze ooit had durven dromen.
479 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
17 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Clayton
23 books51 followersSee also Victoria Walker for her two earlier children's fantasies: The Winter of Enchantment and The House Called Hadlows.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 2, 2018
Misogyny! Incest! Dubious consent! Seriously, did I just read some GRRM fan fic?! Unfortunately, no – it was worse than that. It had an opening sequence that nearly led me to throw the book at the wall, with the young would-be ballerinas being near forced to sleep with their ballet company directors to further their careers. To be honest, such real-world activities, especially in the still surprisingly backward 80’s, shouldn’t surprise me. However, for a book I expected to read as a bit of fluff chick-lit, it seemed out of place.
Afterwards, there was some fun and frolics, but not enough to make the book really enjoyable. Marigold lives in her own fantasy world, with a naïvety that probably shouldn’t be so surprising considering that her fantasy mind assists with her chosen career. Yet the obvious is pointed out to her far too often, most often by powerful men, or men taking advantage of her. Yet, for the most part, she just lets it all happen, as she doesn’t want to upset people, her good-hearted nature getting the better of her. But when she does stand up for herself, and tries to force her independence, it makes some of her other actions seem out of place. But, despite all this, I persevered onwards, through the short array of suitors, until she found her Prince Charming, who had spent the majority of the time right under her nose.
How she found her apparent true love, well, even that’s rather strange, as he knew her first. Another one taking advantage of her? Some of his comments at the end are pretty strange, but I guess both of the characters are strange in themselves.
Then the other characters – Isobel, who acts like a spoilt bitch most of the time, Rafe, who tries to be the Lord-in-Waiting that he is, that he disguises all of his secrets and weaknesses by putting a pretty girl in front of him.
Then the sudden wham, bam, brush all the other characters and story out of the way, Marigold’s Prince has revealed himself, at the end… Crazy reveals, one of the mothers has run off, and, apparently, all other engagements are off?!
This might seem a chaotic summary, which makes little sense, but, believe me, reading the book fully is no better. I can understand why some people enjoyed it, as there are a few good and comical moments, and Conrad does make things interesting. You can see most things well before Marigold can, but a shout-a-long book that reminds you of a pantomime, isn’t what I believed I was signing up for when I cracked open the spine.
Well, it was a mostly slow time waster, that at least did occasionally provoke a reaction in myself, but in the end truly did feel like time wasted.
Final rating: ★★☆☆☆ – Disliked
Afterwards, there was some fun and frolics, but not enough to make the book really enjoyable. Marigold lives in her own fantasy world, with a naïvety that probably shouldn’t be so surprising considering that her fantasy mind assists with her chosen career. Yet the obvious is pointed out to her far too often, most often by powerful men, or men taking advantage of her. Yet, for the most part, she just lets it all happen, as she doesn’t want to upset people, her good-hearted nature getting the better of her. But when she does stand up for herself, and tries to force her independence, it makes some of her other actions seem out of place. But, despite all this, I persevered onwards, through the short array of suitors, until she found her Prince Charming, who had spent the majority of the time right under her nose.
How she found her apparent true love, well, even that’s rather strange, as he knew her first. Another one taking advantage of her? Some of his comments at the end are pretty strange, but I guess both of the characters are strange in themselves.
Then the other characters – Isobel, who acts like a spoilt bitch most of the time, Rafe, who tries to be the Lord-in-Waiting that he is, that he disguises all of his secrets and weaknesses by putting a pretty girl in front of him.
Then the sudden wham, bam, brush all the other characters and story out of the way, Marigold’s Prince has revealed himself, at the end… Crazy reveals, one of the mothers has run off, and, apparently, all other engagements are off?!
This might seem a chaotic summary, which makes little sense, but, believe me, reading the book fully is no better. I can understand why some people enjoyed it, as there are a few good and comical moments, and Conrad does make things interesting. You can see most things well before Marigold can, but a shout-a-long book that reminds you of a pantomime, isn’t what I believed I was signing up for when I cracked open the spine.
Well, it was a mostly slow time waster, that at least did occasionally provoke a reaction in myself, but in the end truly did feel like time wasted.
Final rating: ★★☆☆☆ – Disliked
June 25, 2020
I'm a big fan of Victoria Clayton and wish she would write another novel. Although this one is my least favourite of the seven books she did write, it's still a four-star read for me, whereas all the others are worth five stars. She writes very amusing women's fiction and this one had a very dark plot twist which takes it right out of the realm of typical chick lit. As usual, there is a love story filled with misunderstandings, supported by a cast of quirky characters all saying and doing funny things. My kind of book.
February 7, 2011
Marigold is a principal dancer at the Lenoir Ballet Company, on her way to becoming a prima ballerina. She is willing to do anything - even sleep with the ballet director Sebastian - to ensure that she makes her way to the top. However, a painful fall sends her home to her parents for a lengthy recovery period in Northumberland. She is reacquainted with childhood friends Isobel and Rafe, and finds herself swept into a whirlwind of society parties. Rafe seems willing to have Marigold in his life in a more permanent fashion - but insists Marigold must give up the dancing for good. Just how willing to find love is Marigold? What is she prepared to sacrifice? And is there a handsome stranger waiting in the wings?
You know sometimes you pick up a book on a whim and end up truly surprised and delighted? This is how I feel on closing the last page of A Girl's Guide to Kissing Frogs. I thought it would be an easy piece of fluffy chick lit to enjoy, but instead found an extremely amusing take on class and society.
In Clayton's novel the romance is almost incidental to the gossipy tale of the doctor's daughter (and a ballet dancer, no less!) being engaged to the son of the local gentry. Clayton explores - with sometimes hilarious consequences - the collision of classes in this very entertaining novel.
Marigold is a deliciously naive and fey girl, who has never really experienced love. Her character is written beautifully, so that you can sometimes marvel at her ditzy comments and be frustrated with her inability to confront *anyone*, and yet constantly find her very sweet and believable.
The rest of the rather large cast are also wonderful, from Golly, the writer of quirky operas, to Fritz, a darling German who is trying to learn as much English slang as possible and cooks like an angel. Conrad is a very, very effective leading man - dark, saturnine and very intelligent!
I felt the addition of details about ballerinas and dancing gave an extra facet to the novel - never did it feel as though Clayton was self-consciously including the information. Rather, it presented a realistic and well-researched look at the sometimes grimy world of ballet.
The pacing of the novel was incredibly gentle - Clayton took her time to let the story and the characters unwind. It could be said that the novel was maybe too long for the actual story content within the pages, but I had no complaints with regards to this.
As I said, this novel was a complete surprise - it felt almost like a modern-day Jane Austen, with the satirical commentary hidden behind a very lovely romance.
My only real complaint was regarding the last minute reveal of some rather incestuous goings-on. Incest felt far too edgy for this novel - and the reactions to same rather disturbed me, as people accepted it with equanimity. Clayton seemed to revel in the idea of adding a darker element to the story, but it just felt very out of place.
Apart from this misjudgement, A Girl's Guide to Kissing Frogs was truly lovely, one of my favourite reads so far this year. I loved the characters, the glimpse into the life of a prima ballerina, and the humour. I think I only need to say that, after reading this book, I've now added all of Victoria Clayton's novels to my wishlist.
You know sometimes you pick up a book on a whim and end up truly surprised and delighted? This is how I feel on closing the last page of A Girl's Guide to Kissing Frogs. I thought it would be an easy piece of fluffy chick lit to enjoy, but instead found an extremely amusing take on class and society.
In Clayton's novel the romance is almost incidental to the gossipy tale of the doctor's daughter (and a ballet dancer, no less!) being engaged to the son of the local gentry. Clayton explores - with sometimes hilarious consequences - the collision of classes in this very entertaining novel.
Marigold is a deliciously naive and fey girl, who has never really experienced love. Her character is written beautifully, so that you can sometimes marvel at her ditzy comments and be frustrated with her inability to confront *anyone*, and yet constantly find her very sweet and believable.
The rest of the rather large cast are also wonderful, from Golly, the writer of quirky operas, to Fritz, a darling German who is trying to learn as much English slang as possible and cooks like an angel. Conrad is a very, very effective leading man - dark, saturnine and very intelligent!
I felt the addition of details about ballerinas and dancing gave an extra facet to the novel - never did it feel as though Clayton was self-consciously including the information. Rather, it presented a realistic and well-researched look at the sometimes grimy world of ballet.
The pacing of the novel was incredibly gentle - Clayton took her time to let the story and the characters unwind. It could be said that the novel was maybe too long for the actual story content within the pages, but I had no complaints with regards to this.
As I said, this novel was a complete surprise - it felt almost like a modern-day Jane Austen, with the satirical commentary hidden behind a very lovely romance.
My only real complaint was regarding the last minute reveal of some rather incestuous goings-on. Incest felt far too edgy for this novel - and the reactions to same rather disturbed me, as people accepted it with equanimity. Clayton seemed to revel in the idea of adding a darker element to the story, but it just felt very out of place.
Apart from this misjudgement, A Girl's Guide to Kissing Frogs was truly lovely, one of my favourite reads so far this year. I loved the characters, the glimpse into the life of a prima ballerina, and the humour. I think I only need to say that, after reading this book, I've now added all of Victoria Clayton's novels to my wishlist.
March 29, 2014
Terrible book. Predictable plot with an obvious (and revolting) twist. Stereotyped characters, most of whom are completely unlikeable. Poor writing, metaphors crow-barred in, with stilted, mannered, laboured dialogue. The book is far too long for the flimsiness of the story - a good editor would have cut out at least a quarter of the guff. I read quite a bit of women's fiction so it's not that I just don't like the genre - this is just a bad book.
January 14, 2025
An enjoyable light read
March 3, 2020
Ik vraag me eigenlijk af waarom ik het boek uitgelezen heb.... initieel was ik wat geïntrigeerd en dacht ik dat het een leuk chicklit verhaal ging worden: ballerina uit Londen breekt voet en moet gaan uitrusten op het platteland bij haar ouders en haar jeugdvriend op wie ze een crush had is er ook. Klinkt straightforward, was het niet.
De taal was raar (En het kan bijna niet enkel aan de vertaling liggen), de personages nog raarder. Marigold is een naïefe maar tegelijk opportunistisch en wisselt onderdanigheid en door het stof kruipen af met hoogdravende ideeën. De mysterieuze Conrad is de verloofde van haar vriendin, die mysterieus is gewoon om mysterieus te zijn en gevraagd zich ronduit eigenaardig. En sleept een onderdanige bediende mee in zijn kielzog . Marigolds moeder wordt heel slecht behandeld door haar vader maar dan ontmoet ze een Ierse woonwagenbewoner. En dan nog wat super ouderwetse oude Engelse upper class....
Het verhaal zit raar in elkaar en eindigt met een overvolle, vergezochte opeenstapeling van gebeurtenissen die zo onrealistisch zijn dat het tenenkrullend is.
Verspilling van tijd ....
De taal was raar (En het kan bijna niet enkel aan de vertaling liggen), de personages nog raarder. Marigold is een naïefe maar tegelijk opportunistisch en wisselt onderdanigheid en door het stof kruipen af met hoogdravende ideeën. De mysterieuze Conrad is de verloofde van haar vriendin, die mysterieus is gewoon om mysterieus te zijn en gevraagd zich ronduit eigenaardig. En sleept een onderdanige bediende mee in zijn kielzog . Marigolds moeder wordt heel slecht behandeld door haar vader maar dan ontmoet ze een Ierse woonwagenbewoner. En dan nog wat super ouderwetse oude Engelse upper class....
Het verhaal zit raar in elkaar en eindigt met een overvolle, vergezochte opeenstapeling van gebeurtenissen die zo onrealistisch zijn dat het tenenkrullend is.
Verspilling van tijd ....
Read
April 14, 2024I made it about 40 pages in and just couldn’t do it. There are some sexual encounters early on in this book that felt very abusive. This cover is so deceptive. If you are looking for a light and frothy romance as this suggests, it’s not here.
DNF.
DNF.
October 12, 2017
After reading the first few pages I nearly gave up on this book.
Marigold's a ballet dancer & the opening chapter about her & her boss/lover Sebastian for some reason just didn't work for me! However I decided to persevere (& it's a long book at 598 pages!) & overall I did quite enjoy it. Although it was one of those books were nothing really happens!
Marigold, after an injury means she can't dance, goes back to her family home in Northumberland where we meet the usual characters... Dimpsie, her mother (who is my age! Boy does that make me feel old!)an eccentric sweet woman who has the obligatory womanising husband...there's the posh friend Isabel & her brother Rafe, who Marigold has had a crush on for years & somehow finds herself, despite his mothers initial reservations, engaged to...then there's Isabel's mysterious, dark, handsome fiance Conrad to add to the mix. Apart from the engagements, Conrad buying a spooky old house & a few of the usual misunderstandings very little occurs. You can tell from the outset who is going to end up with who & I think the end is meant to be a bit of a shocker but isn't 'cos you can see it coming a mile off!
A reasonably entertaining read at the time but forgettable...ask me next week about it & I probably won't recall any of it!
(Just one thing that puzzled me about it...why did it need to be set in the 1980's? Apart from one reference to Charles & Diana's wedding & one other 1980's event mentioned that I can't remember, it could have been contemporary.)
Marigold's a ballet dancer & the opening chapter about her & her boss/lover Sebastian for some reason just didn't work for me! However I decided to persevere (& it's a long book at 598 pages!) & overall I did quite enjoy it. Although it was one of those books were nothing really happens!
Marigold, after an injury means she can't dance, goes back to her family home in Northumberland where we meet the usual characters... Dimpsie, her mother (who is my age! Boy does that make me feel old!)an eccentric sweet woman who has the obligatory womanising husband...there's the posh friend Isabel & her brother Rafe, who Marigold has had a crush on for years & somehow finds herself, despite his mothers initial reservations, engaged to...then there's Isabel's mysterious, dark, handsome fiance Conrad to add to the mix. Apart from the engagements, Conrad buying a spooky old house & a few of the usual misunderstandings very little occurs. You can tell from the outset who is going to end up with who & I think the end is meant to be a bit of a shocker but isn't 'cos you can see it coming a mile off!
A reasonably entertaining read at the time but forgettable...ask me next week about it & I probably won't recall any of it!
(Just one thing that puzzled me about it...why did it need to be set in the 1980's? Apart from one reference to Charles & Diana's wedding & one other 1980's event mentioned that I can't remember, it could have been contemporary.)
September 25, 2019
Een jeugdliefde, louche directeur, een balletgezelschap en een blessure het lijkt zo veel belovend. Ik kon moeilijk in het verhaal komen, voelde mij totaal. niet betrokken bij de personages. Marigold vond ik een ontzettend naïef personage. Het gedrag van Isobel en Evelyn lag er te dik bovenop. Rafe werd te perfect neergezet. Alleen het mysterie om Conrad leef echt interessant.
Gedurende verhaal voelde je dat er een soort plottwist zat in te komen en dit is dan ook de reden dat ik ben blijven lezen, helaas viel deze ook wat tegen. Sommige verhaallijnen waren voor mij overbodig en ik snap de meerwaarde ervan niet. Ook vond ik behalve de echte plottwist alles een beetje voorspelbaar. Helaas was dit voor mij een tegenvaller en had ik er meer van verwacht.
Gedurende verhaal voelde je dat er een soort plottwist zat in te komen en dit is dan ook de reden dat ik ben blijven lezen, helaas viel deze ook wat tegen. Sommige verhaallijnen waren voor mij overbodig en ik snap de meerwaarde ervan niet. Ook vond ik behalve de echte plottwist alles een beetje voorspelbaar. Helaas was dit voor mij een tegenvaller en had ik er meer van verwacht.
February 9, 2016
I'm sorry to say I really didn't like it. It's just too much. Too many pages for one, but also too many storylines and too much drama. Seriously, so much drama.
The basic premise for the book is good: a ballerina, stranded in a small town far from the life she's used to, and a love interest. But the chick-lit aspects are interspersed with a sort of gloomy victorian castle novel, and suspense/mystery mixed with chick-lit has never been my thing.
The basic premise for the book is good: a ballerina, stranded in a small town far from the life she's used to, and a love interest. But the chick-lit aspects are interspersed with a sort of gloomy victorian castle novel, and suspense/mystery mixed with chick-lit has never been my thing.
February 18, 2008
This wasn't bad - it passed the time on the trains anyway - but it was really long - especially for chicklit. Had I been the editor, I would have suggested some pretty significant cuts. There's a decent twist at the end which makes the last ~60 pages fairly interesting, but getting there just seems to take forever.
August 6, 2016
AAAAH FANGIRLING! Wat een geweldig, fantastisch, romantisch, meeslepend boek! Sowieso de beste chicklit de ik OOIT las en zelfs één van de leukste boeken van het jaar, maybe EVER! <3 Treurig dat het uit is ... Het einde kon ik niet snel genoeg lezen! HARTJES VOOR DIT BOEK! (Geheel onverwacht want het was een random kringloopkoopje)
December 29, 2007
I'm reading this currently and it reminds me a lot of the early Jilly Cooper novels like Imogen, Octavia et al. Story rolls along and you don't need to concentrate much!
December 15, 2010
It's a good book, really liked the ending.
The difficulty was to get trough the first chapters, but once you get to the middle of the book it really starts to fascinate you.
The difficulty was to get trough the first chapters, but once you get to the middle of the book it really starts to fascinate you.
February 1, 2017
Boy oh boy.
(Kivételesen magyarul olvastam el - tudom, hogy az teljesen más, mint az angol, de no.)
Sajnos én csalódtam ebben a könyvben. Elég szabad szóhasználata volt, de nem is ez volt a probléma. Egy cuki romi reményt vártam, és ez nem éppen nevezhető cukinak, de egyszer kifejezetten szórakoztató volt.
-SPOILER következik-
A probléma a könyv felénél kezdődött, amikor egy addig szerethető karakter átment egy manipulatív, csak-magával-törödő, önsajnáltató mocsadékba, és szegény főhősnőnek (Marigold, olyan szép név, nem? ) ezt el kellett tűrnie.
Ugyanis a férfiú eljegyezte hősnőnket, egy baromi rosszul leírt etye-petye után szinte azonnal (ami egy "szerelmi vallomást" követett). Szerencsétlen Marigold köbö végig sütikről ábrándozott! Persze ezek után valamiért automatikusan a család többi tagja már úgy tekintett a jánykára, mintha máris a felesége lenne, és szépen elvártak tőle minden baromságot. Marigold pedig volt akkora idióta, hogy köbö a könyv 3/4-éig nem szólalt fel magáért. Említettem az és önsajnálatot? Rafe - említett férfiú - konkrétan képes volt közölni , amikor Marigold végre-valahára felbontotta az eljegyzést (amibe mellesleg beleszólása nem volt, a pasi döntötte el ), hogy neki most vége. Így. Tudnék még sokat példálózni, de hanyagolom. A másik nagyon irritáló karakter a hugica volt, akinek a legtöbbször emlegetett mondata az volt, hogy "katonaságból jött vissza, valami baleset érte, depressziós, ugye nem akarod megbántani? Azt nem élné túl ", vagyis valami hasonló. Azért magát Marigoldot is nagyon fel tudtam volna képelni néha (hogy térjen magához, egy tünemény a jány), ugyanis ő meg folyton magát hibáztatja mindenért, amikor ordít a helyzetről, hogy nem ő a hibás, hanem egy másik , aki szépen megpróbálja őt rossz színben feltüntetni. Sokszor megálltam, és elkezdtem fejmosást tartani a karaktereknek, mert annyira felhúztak.
De a vége! Az utolsó pár fejezet kifejezetten fantasztikus volt. A legvégén volt egy alapos csavar, ami baromira tetszett (tudod, hogy túl sok GoT-ot olvastál, ha incestre az a reakciód, hogy "this is getting interesting"). Sőt, Marigold a végén egy másik emberkével melegedett össze , (itt tényleg megvoltak a cozy vibe-ok, haláli egy pofa volt az ember) egy idő után baromira elkezdtem szurkolni nekik. All in all, szórakoztató volt, sőt egy kicsit a balett kőkemény világába is betekintést engedett, úgyhogy még tanulságosnak is mondható.
(Kivételesen magyarul olvastam el - tudom, hogy az teljesen más, mint az angol, de no.)
Sajnos én csalódtam ebben a könyvben. Elég szabad szóhasználata volt, de nem is ez volt a probléma. Egy cuki romi reményt vártam, és ez nem éppen nevezhető cukinak, de egyszer kifejezetten szórakoztató volt.
-SPOILER következik-
A probléma a könyv felénél kezdődött, amikor egy addig szerethető karakter átment egy manipulatív, csak-magával-törödő, önsajnáltató mocsadékba, és szegény főhősnőnek (Marigold, olyan szép név, nem? ) ezt el kellett tűrnie.
Ugyanis a férfiú eljegyezte hősnőnket, egy baromi rosszul leírt etye-petye után szinte azonnal (ami egy "szerelmi vallomást" követett). Szerencsétlen Marigold köbö végig sütikről ábrándozott! Persze ezek után valamiért automatikusan a család többi tagja már úgy tekintett a jánykára, mintha máris a felesége lenne, és szépen elvártak tőle minden baromságot. Marigold pedig volt akkora idióta, hogy köbö a könyv 3/4-éig nem szólalt fel magáért. Említettem az és önsajnálatot? Rafe - említett férfiú - konkrétan képes volt közölni , amikor Marigold végre-valahára felbontotta az eljegyzést (amibe mellesleg beleszólása nem volt, a pasi döntötte el ), hogy neki most vége. Így. Tudnék még sokat példálózni, de hanyagolom. A másik nagyon irritáló karakter a hugica volt, akinek a legtöbbször emlegetett mondata az volt, hogy "katonaságból jött vissza, valami baleset érte, depressziós, ugye nem akarod megbántani? Azt nem élné túl ", vagyis valami hasonló. Azért magát Marigoldot is nagyon fel tudtam volna képelni néha (hogy térjen magához, egy tünemény a jány), ugyanis ő meg folyton magát hibáztatja mindenért, amikor ordít a helyzetről, hogy nem ő a hibás, hanem egy másik , aki szépen megpróbálja őt rossz színben feltüntetni. Sokszor megálltam, és elkezdtem fejmosást tartani a karaktereknek, mert annyira felhúztak.
De a vége! Az utolsó pár fejezet kifejezetten fantasztikus volt. A legvégén volt egy alapos csavar, ami baromira tetszett (tudod, hogy túl sok GoT-ot olvastál, ha incestre az a reakciód, hogy "this is getting interesting"). Sőt, Marigold a végén egy másik emberkével melegedett össze , (itt tényleg megvoltak a cozy vibe-ok, haláli egy pofa volt az ember) egy idő után baromira elkezdtem szurkolni nekik. All in all, szórakoztató volt, sőt egy kicsit a balett kőkemény világába is betekintést engedett, úgyhogy még tanulságosnak is mondható.
September 19, 2021
I wrote this review 7,5 years ago...
So I was waiting about 2 years to get this book, and i finally got it for Christmas. :)
The cover, dance, and length of it made me interested this much.
I've read many other reviews about "it was too long, and boring. Could not bother finishing it."
For me reading until the end was worth it as that's when we find out who is who, what are they really doing. This is why i definitely read it again as the whole story/reasons/background completely changes for the second time.
I really enjoyed the parts with the dark side of being a professional dancer. It was really accurate and reminded me of many of my ex-schoolmates who became one of them.
To be honest the storyline itself was quite predictable but still enjoyable with some twist.
Probably that's the reason why i finished it on Christmas Day :D Just one more chapter, just one more chapter. I was literally not be able to put it down for a minute. :'D
Also this is my only book i would never let anyone to borrow. I basically keep it in a safe.
Long story short, I really loved it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hungarian
Hát 2 évig vártam erre a könyvre körülbelül, mikor végre Karácsonyra megkaptam :) Amiért felkeltette az érdeklődésemet,az a borító,a tánc,a fülszöveg,és a terjedelem.
Számomra megérte végigolvasni a könyvet.Mivel a végére megtudjuk ki kicsoda,és ki mit csinál, így nekem kétszer olvasós.
Amikor a táncszakma „szépségeiről” volt szó benne, nagyon tetszett. Pontosan adta vissza a valóságot. Igaz, a történet maga kicsit kiszámítható volt, de azért értek meglepetések. :) Nem véletlen végeztem vele Karácsony este.
Mellesleg ez az egyetlen könyv, amit nem adok kölcsön senkinek, mert imádom! Bár sokan kérik. :D Úgyhogy összességében jó könyv volt. Nekem tetszett.
So I was waiting about 2 years to get this book, and i finally got it for Christmas. :)
The cover, dance, and length of it made me interested this much.
I've read many other reviews about "it was too long, and boring. Could not bother finishing it."
For me reading until the end was worth it as that's when we find out who is who, what are they really doing. This is why i definitely read it again as the whole story/reasons/background completely changes for the second time.
I really enjoyed the parts with the dark side of being a professional dancer. It was really accurate and reminded me of many of my ex-schoolmates who became one of them.
To be honest the storyline itself was quite predictable but still enjoyable with some twist.
Probably that's the reason why i finished it on Christmas Day :D Just one more chapter, just one more chapter. I was literally not be able to put it down for a minute. :'D
Also this is my only book i would never let anyone to borrow. I basically keep it in a safe.
Long story short, I really loved it.
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Hungarian
Hát 2 évig vártam erre a könyvre körülbelül, mikor végre Karácsonyra megkaptam :) Amiért felkeltette az érdeklődésemet,az a borító,a tánc,a fülszöveg,és a terjedelem.
Számomra megérte végigolvasni a könyvet.Mivel a végére megtudjuk ki kicsoda,és ki mit csinál, így nekem kétszer olvasós.
Amikor a táncszakma „szépségeiről” volt szó benne, nagyon tetszett. Pontosan adta vissza a valóságot. Igaz, a történet maga kicsit kiszámítható volt, de azért értek meglepetések. :) Nem véletlen végeztem vele Karácsony este.
Mellesleg ez az egyetlen könyv, amit nem adok kölcsön senkinek, mert imádom! Bár sokan kérik. :D Úgyhogy összességében jó könyv volt. Nekem tetszett.
September 2, 2022
I first read this a decade ago, and it remained a go-to comfort reread for a few years. A few years ago I recalled the book (but couldn't remember the title) and embarked on a saga via the Reddit and Goodreads 'find that book' forums to try recover it. After rediscovering it, I was initially put off by the negative reviews: Had I been young and naive to have enjoyed it at the time? Did I miss all the negative points other reviewers highlighted? I remembered really enjoying it, as a fun, unpretentious read, but was worried it wouldn't live up to my memory.
I am SO glad I still persevered regardless - I absolutely devoured the book on the reread and it is as delightful as I remember. A truly fun read, told by a (self admitted) wistfully imaginative narrator in Marigold, interspered with genuinely funny characterisations and observations. The negative attributes (misogny and others) are well owned by characters that are obviously villainous, only doing more to reinforce the likeability of the intended protagonist.
Not literary, not pretentious but a cracking good read. It will certainly be reentering my circulation, to reach for when I just need a bit of comforting and familiarity.
I am SO glad I still persevered regardless - I absolutely devoured the book on the reread and it is as delightful as I remember. A truly fun read, told by a (self admitted) wistfully imaginative narrator in Marigold, interspered with genuinely funny characterisations and observations. The negative attributes (misogny and others) are well owned by characters that are obviously villainous, only doing more to reinforce the likeability of the intended protagonist.
Not literary, not pretentious but a cracking good read. It will certainly be reentering my circulation, to reach for when I just need a bit of comforting and familiarity.
June 13, 2018
Marigold, who narrates this story, is a talented and highly ambitious ballet dancer. But, as we learn in the first sentence, she has broken some bones... this leads to her recuperating in her family home in Northumberland, and that's where most of the novel takes place.
Supposedly a social comedy, this book touches on some quite deep and controversial issues. There's certainly some humour, and quite a few caricatured people, but the writing is excellent and the main characters realistic and likeable. I found some of the early scenes rather sordid, but that's not uncommon with Victoria Clayton. By the time I was a few chapters in, I could barely put the book down.
Plenty of references to literature, music and the world of ballet, and some nicely intertwined subplots. A few surprises, some of which I anticipated, but not all of them. All in all, I enjoyed this book very much.
Four and a half stars would be more accurate.
Supposedly a social comedy, this book touches on some quite deep and controversial issues. There's certainly some humour, and quite a few caricatured people, but the writing is excellent and the main characters realistic and likeable. I found some of the early scenes rather sordid, but that's not uncommon with Victoria Clayton. By the time I was a few chapters in, I could barely put the book down.
Plenty of references to literature, music and the world of ballet, and some nicely intertwined subplots. A few surprises, some of which I anticipated, but not all of them. All in all, I enjoyed this book very much.
Four and a half stars would be more accurate.
did-not-finish
May 1, 2022DNF May 2022 chapter 1 (4%)
Was going to give this a few more chapters even though I found the first one very off-putting (young ballerina sleeping with directors to further career/dubious consent), but then I looked up some reviews and yeah, it’s a no for me. The way that first chapter handled things, I don’t trust it to do better in the rest of the book and finding out there’s incest as well, no thanks.
Was going to give this a few more chapters even though I found the first one very off-putting (young ballerina sleeping with directors to further career/dubious consent), but then I looked up some reviews and yeah, it’s a no for me. The way that first chapter handled things, I don’t trust it to do better in the rest of the book and finding out there’s incest as well, no thanks.
September 8, 2024
This took me a while to read, I started on holiday and ended up putting it down for a good month or 6 weeks, it did get a little slow in the middle. But like always once I picked it up again I got back into it ! Overall it was enjoyable, a bit of a convoluted plot and that twist at the end came out of nowhere ! Probably wouldn’t re read but alright nonetheless.
December 11, 2025
Goed genoeg om te blijven lezen. Niet goed genoeg om echt te willen doorlezen.
Het hoofdpersonage wordt geleefd door haar omgeving. Elke keer weer hoopte ik dat ze voor haar eigen zou opkomen, maar ze stelde me steeds weer teleur.
Het einde was voorspelbaar.
Dit boek was niet echt voor mij, Maar ik kan wel zien hoe anderen het goed zouden vinden.
Het hoofdpersonage wordt geleefd door haar omgeving. Elke keer weer hoopte ik dat ze voor haar eigen zou opkomen, maar ze stelde me steeds weer teleur.
Het einde was voorspelbaar.
Dit boek was niet echt voor mij, Maar ik kan wel zien hoe anderen het goed zouden vinden.
June 28, 2017
a fun , quirky read. really liked Conrad . he was a pleasant surprise in the dramatically behaved characters in the book.
August 18, 2017
Marigold irriteerde me vaak met haar onwetendheid en onnozele domme acties. Daardoor vond ik het geen goed boek. Het verhaal boeide me desondanks wel, vandaar toch 3 sterren.
August 30, 2019
Terrible. Stilted and boring.
Irritating characters.
The story is weak.
There was torture to read.
Irritating characters.
The story is weak.
There was torture to read.
August 15, 2021
Not for me, sorry.
March 30, 2013
I loved the heroine's whole-hearted, sincerely lovable, if sometimes slightly silly character, and the way she was always so sincere with herself and her surroundings. I believe the novel beautifully portrayed this world, where smiles and generous presents are often just tools of persuasion, and the struggle of this pure soul among all the intricacies. The beautifully and very insightfully portrayed world of ballet simply took my breath away. I would have loved it, even without the hero, but his presence made it a truly wonderful read I'll always hold dear.
October 30, 2013
I really like Victoria Clayton. The stories are light and funny but have a lot of truth to them. They have to otherwise they wouldn't be so funny! This one is about a dancer and her disastrous love life, and the little she expects of it. Look, the story of her Mum is a bit poorly set out, but once it gets going its funny and has good flow. Unusual enough to be interesting, and with a great ending.
July 19, 2015
I've always liked reading books about ballerinas because I was heavily interested in their lifestyle.
This book didn't just give me that. It gave me endless excitement, briliant characters, enchanting (or repulsive..) personalities...
I really liked the way Marigold narrated the whole story. She was this bright, hopeful, talented, naive girl who was impossible not to love.
Five amazing stars from me.
This book didn't just give me that. It gave me endless excitement, briliant characters, enchanting (or repulsive..) personalities...
I really liked the way Marigold narrated the whole story. She was this bright, hopeful, talented, naive girl who was impossible not to love.
Five amazing stars from me.
July 28, 2014
I didn't expect any big surprises from a chick-lit book like this but this left me stunned and surprised.
I think the author is a very talented writer, easy to read yet nice with interesting characters. Definitely worth reading.
I think the author is a very talented writer, easy to read yet nice with interesting characters. Definitely worth reading.
December 21, 2015
This was quite hard going. Over long but I soldiered on because I don't like giving up easily and I have enjoyed Victoria Clayton in the past. There was a 'twist' at the end but it really didn't come as a surprise.
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