Twins Maya and Natasha are Kirov Ballet dancers in 1958 during the Soviet regime, but when only one sister can join the company's American tour, the sisters compete until one betrays the other, and the Cold War tests their loyalties to the East, the West, and each other.
Durham skillfully builds the insular world of a top Russian ballet school, and the atmosphere bristles with competition, flirtation, and intrigue. She uses supple language to convey how bodies move and connect with music ... An eloquent and timely reminder about the toll of authoritarianism, the corrosive effect of selfishness, and the hunger for forgiveness.
From its breathtaking opening to its poignant ending, Elyse Durham’s Maya & Natasha...is a page-turning immersion into the Russian ballet world, filtered through the lens of sibling rivalry ... She has done her homework. The book concludes with an author’s note that cites her many sources; thoroughness is clearly her hallmark.
The omniscient perspective creates a truly cinematic experience as it swoops among the sisters and many fictional and historical characters, including filmmaker Sergei Bondarchuk and even Khrushchev, in this riveting tale about sisterhood and the purpose of art.
