The Master's Muse: Library Edition

O'Connor, Varley

ISBN 10: 1455135070 ISBN 13: 9781455135073

Publisher: Blackstone Pub, 2012

Synopsis

An account of the marriage between American ballet master George Balanchine and Tanaquil Le Clercq describes the sudden paralyzing illness that ended Tanny's dancing career, the rehabilitation that deepened their relationship and the ways in which Balanchine's return to ballet tested their marriage. Simultaneous.

About this title

Review

"A thoroughly researched and lively tribute toboth the couple (Le Clercq became Balanchine's fourth wife when she was 23 andhe was 48) and the essence of a private, dauntless woman struck down by polioat the height of her career."

"A highlyreadable, absorbing account of the interdependence between Tanaquil Le Clercqand George Balanchine. A must read for dance fans."

""The Master'sMuse" is most interestingwhen O'Connor does try to get inside Le Clercq's head. O'Connor's writing is atits best here, too, and it's very readable throughout."

"Thewriting is as beautiful as Tanny herself. "

""Loving Frank" was a novel about architect Frank Lloyd Wright's most scandalous love affair. "The Paris Wife "centered on the first Mrs. Ernest Hemingway. Into this group of well-researched novelizations of famous love lives comes Varley O'Connor's "The Master's Muse", about New York City Ballet artistic director George Balanchine."

"A fictional portrait of ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq's struggle with polio--and George Balanchine. This is not a novel about victimization or the malevolence of genius, but rather about the painful accommodations all of us make for the things and people we love. Thoughtful, tender and quite gripping, even for readers unfamiliar with the historical events the author sensitively reimagines."

"An utterly gorgeous rendering of the life of ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq, whose career was destroyed overnight by polio in 1956. O'Connor vividly recreates the personalities and intrigues of the dance world of the fifties and sixties, but her greatest triumph is in her fascinating portrait of the steely Le Clercq and the enigmatic Balanchine, who first made her his perfect ballerina, then married her, and ultimately betrayed her."--Adrienne Sharp, author of The True Memoirs of Little K, The Sleeping Beauty, and White Swan, Black Swan

"A brilliant novel in memoir form, "The Master's Muse "is pure magic. As I read and was thoroughly absorbed by the writing, the remarkable characters, and the story, I simply could not believe this was a work of fiction, not an authentic memoir, expertly written. "The Master s Muse" is a "superb" performance by Varley O'Connor. From one writer to another, my hat's off."
--Sena Jeter Naslund "author of Ahab's Wife, Abundance, and Adam & Eve ""

"Choreographer George Balanchine s fifth wife, ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq, never wrote about her relationship with her husband, but if she had we can only hope it would be as graceful and penetrating as what O Connor portrays in [The Master's Muse]. This passionate novel not only gives a glimpse into the ballet world of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, its eccentric characters bring the story to life."
--Publishers Weekly"

"Choreographer George Balanchine's fifth wife, ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq, never wrote about her relationship with her husband, but if she had we can only hope it would be as graceful and penetrating as what O'Connor portrays in [The Master's Muse]. This passionate novel not only gives a glimpse into the ballet world of the '50s, '60s, and '70s, its eccentric characters bring the story to life."
--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Varley O'Connor is the author of three novels. She teaches fiction and creative nonfiction writing at Kent State University and for the Northeast Ohio Universities Consortium MFA program.

Edition details

• Publisher: Blackstone Pub
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1455135070
• ISBN 13: 9781455135073
• Binding: Audio CD