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Tom Murphy
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Ballet! Kindle Edition

by Tom Murphy (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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A novel of murder, romance, and Cold War espionage set in the world of professional ballet, by the author of Lily Cigar.
 
One by one they died. In Paris. In Switzerland. In Ireland. In California. The most gifted and famous Soviet defectors: victims of an unknown assassin, pawns in a monstrous game.
 
One prize target remains. Dima Lubov. He is the most celebrated new ballet star, leaping from triumph to triumph on stage and plunging into a passionate love affair with Jennifer Hale, the exquisite American prima ballerina who is the perfect partner in his art and in his arms.
 
But a global orchestration of evil is mounting towards a crescendo as the pair of unsuspecting lovers dance ever closer to the abyss . . .
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  1. Print length
    478 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Diversion Books
  5. Publication date
    October 5, 2014
  6. File size
    3655 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NDR91RK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Diversion Books (October 5, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 5, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3655 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 478 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

About the author

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Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy

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Tom Murphy, a graduate of Harvard College, began his career as an Intelligence Analyst for the G-2 of Berlin Command in Germany. When he returned to America Murphy went into advertising, eventually becoming Vice President and Creative Supervisor at the J. Walter Thompson Company. Aside from “Ballet!”. Murphy’s novels include: “Aspen Incident”. “Sky High”, “Lily Cigar”, “The Panther Throne”, “Auction!” and “Appetites”. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he is restoring an 1838 row house.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2017
Verified Purchase
I read this book something like 25-30 years ago and it was so good it stuck in my brain. I remembered the title and the name Jennifer/Jenny Hale and later when Amazon became a thing, I tried to search for it, but with no luck. (Do a search for 'Ballet' and see what you get! LOL) I was shocked and delighted when my kindle recently popped up with it as a recommendation for me, and it was as good as I remembered. You don't have to be a ballet fan to enjoy this book, but if you are, it's just an added layer of delight. I think several of the characters are thinly veiled representations of real persons (George Balanchine!) but they are interesting and well written. This book has so many layers -- the backstage ballet drama, the mystery, the spies, lust, friendship, true love, dysfunction, despair, bitterness, hope, recovery, jealousy, and satisfaction. This was written before 9/11, and set during the cold war, and for younger readers it might almost feel like a period piece. This is the sort of book I will go back to and re-read again and again and I'm so glad Kindle found it for me!
3 people found this helpful
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lee hohman
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good little novel
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The behind the scene Ballet, with mystery combined made for a good read!
One person found this helpful
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Tone Alexandra Sletnes Larsen
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourites
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2012
Verified Purchase
I read this book years ago when I was actually dancing ballet myself. I was thrilled to get reaquainted with the story.
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N. Mortellito
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
Excellent
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Darrell Rusher
1.0 out of 5 stars what a piece of crap! long books don't mean good books
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2014
what a piece of crap ! long books don't mean good books ... they usually mean Boring books, like this one ... and it needs an editor really bad ! DO NOT BUY !!!
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Star
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy to find this
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2023
I read this book years ago and it was lost while traveling. Great background on the ballet Giselle, one of my favorites. I was glad to be able to replace it now
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p.d.r. lindsay-salmon
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
I have loved this book ever since I found a copy in a 2nd hand bookshop in Canada. I know a little about ballet and I am impressed by the knowledge displayed here. I understand the author knows the CIA and so am not surprised at the excellent detail he reveals. What is a delight is the way the author weaves the two threads of the story together in good clear prose. It's a lovely lucid read, the love story is beautifully understated and the spy mystery is tight and tense. Mr Murphy has a good ear for dialogue and the voices of the characters are distinct and delightful. Dima's broken English, Jenny's shy American English, Sam's American vernacular and Ivan's Russian English tell us so much about the characters.

The love story of the two dancers, Jenny and Dima, is enhanced by Murphy's showing the reader their personal problems. Jenny has given her life to dance and missed out on a normal growing up. Dima has flown from poverty stricken peasant to rising ballet star then defector and finally great star. Jenny is just beginning her life as a star. Together they strike that rare magic which makes ballet partnerships sublime. Mr Murphy makes us see the beauty of their dancing and the struggle and effort it takes.

The spy story is clever and tricky and full of CIA details which brought back memories of the cold war and the attempts at reaching a detente.
The pragmatic way the American and Russian work together is funny and sad. The killing of the defectors is a clever way to break the government's attempts to reach detente and who would imagine it was the CIA itself doing the killing? Certainly it takes readers a long time to see who the villain might be and we sympathise with agent Sam as he tries to protect Dima.

The ending is perfect, dramatic and absolutely right for the characters, tying the two plot line together in a most satisfactory way.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2022
Really pleased this came out in a kindle edition. Immerses the reader in the world of ballet.

Would love to see Appetites and Sky High also on kindle! Can't really read small print anymore. Please?
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