Interminable is the one adjective that best describes this well-written and interesting fictionalized autobiography. Told in first person, the life of famous ballet dancer Nijinsky's younger sister is chronicled from Russian childhood under Tsar Nicholas through the Second World War, when she is working in France and England. There is clearly a wealth of information chronicling the life of Bronia Nijinska because this novel just goes on and on and on. And she's not even dead at the end of it! Its very good but could easily have been a third shorter without sacrificing any of the plot.

I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher. ( )

This novel took me forever to finish. First receiving it earlier this year and starting it in September, I’m only now just finishing it. So many times I’d start and get further, only to get bored and want to move on to other projects. I found enjoyment in our main character and her life‘s journey. The author also does a great job in description. However, she let some aspects overweight others to the detriment of her overall work.

Bronia shines as the bright star to Stachniak’s work. Her resilience and finding her own art within the rigid structures of the classical Russian ballet world makes her a figure to be admired. She doesn’t let others dictate to her; she finds herself no matter what. She also faces an uncertain time with a spine of iron and a deep well of courage. Having to flee multiple times an ever dangerous European landscape in the first half of the 20th century, she always finds a way to build her life a new, even in the face of familial pressures with mental illness and finding herself professionally.

Stachniak also has a talent when it comes to description. Her scenes put you right into the story with rich descriptions of classical ballet schools, the intricate details behind the scenes of ballet productions, and all that goes into actually getting hired into ballet companies or launching one’s own. Yet, this is also a downfall. I’ve seen other reviewers make this point, and they’re correct. At times, the author tends to be TOO descriptive to the disadvantage of her narrative.

To me, the biggest drawback is the authors writing style and her overuse of the descriptive paragraphs. Yeah, I love a lot of description in my historical settings; however, the way Stachniak incorporated hers doesn’t work well. When you’ve got paragraph after paragraph of description, down to the tiniest detail, I personally felt drowned in imagery. She also tends to run lyrical and poetic in her phrasing. While that writing style works with some readers, for me, I felt lost when her prose ran to such. That combined with an imbalance of description versus dialogue ran me sour on this title. This is the biggest reason why it took me so long to read this.

It’s this last detail that unfortunately leaves the most impression with me. It’s the reason it took me three months to get through this one. Yet, I loved Bronia to death; her journey and growth as a woman is what makes this book. The unique historical background and the author’s abilities with description also were superb. Ultimately, though, this book was a slog through with too abundant of those descriptive paragraphs back to back and too much poetic language. This book might please others, but it didn’t do it for my palate.

Note: Book received for free via Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was a pretty, well, good isn't the right word, it was my last choice when I was bored, so I would read it for 20 minutes, realize I was still bored, and move on to something else. I kept reading it because the writing is really good, and I cared about the characters, but there are large parts of the book when nothing really happens, just descriptions of places or dancing. If you love ballet, pick this up. If the subject of ballet and whether or not you like it has never come up in conversation, and therefore you don't really have an opinion on the matter, skip it.

I won this from a goodreads giveaway ( )

I received a copy of this book through a GoodReads giveaway, and it has taken ages for me to read and post a review, for which I apologize. I found the book best read in small doses, taking my time to digest each piece. Between readings, I looked up the original Nijinksy performances (surprisingly some film fragments still exist), admired Bronia's costumes and read about other people and events mentioned in the book. I wish it had delved further into her creative process, but perhaps this is discussed elsewhere, in Bronia's own writings for example. This fictionalised biography focusses largely on Bronia's home life and relationships with her family and friends. It is, however, a richly detailed story, full of descriptive details of the socio-political times in which Bronia lived and created. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Chosen Maiden, and learned a lot in the process about ballet and Russian (Eastern European) history. ( )

The Chosen Maiden is another of Eva Stachniak's reclamation project of often overlooked and under-appreciated women through historical fiction. I am not well-versed in ballet beyond an appreciation for a beautiful and intense art form so I was a bit apprehensive about how well this novel and I could interact. As it turns out, the experience was very rewarding and, as with any good book, I learned a great deal.

Stachniak immerses the reader in the period and in the locales. This immersion is accomplished by attention to details, especially details as they pertain to all of our senses. You will feel, hear, smell and taste your way through this novel. This may well bore some readers for this is a methodical process which will ideally make the world of the work seem to be your world as well, at least for a short period of time. I feel she succeeded here far more than she failed. That said, if you mainly want a book to skip along and simply tell you what happens, you may find yourself drifting off, so be warned.

While this is about famous dancers and the highest echelons of the art world of the time this novel works for a wider audience because it is about human relationships first and foremost. Family dynamics, societal and cultural norms expressed or enacted in the mundane day-to-day living of life. This is where the book truly shines. The research and the factual skeleton around which the novel comes to life is certainly essential but it is the aspects of life that are more universal that touches the reader's heart.

I would recommend this to readers of historical fiction and fans of ballet with the warning I gave earlier in mind about this being an immersive presentation. For those interested in social and cultural aspects there are many points which would likely reward further research into the period and how far, if at all, we have come as a society.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads' First Reads. ( )