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I knew I wanted to read Clara and Olivia as soon as I heard about it. I was instantly drawn to a tale about the ballet.
A central theme of the story is appearance versus reality. It’s very exciting to read about the exhilerating performances the company gives to appreciative audiences, the cultural events and wild nights Clara experiences, and the opportunities that materialise for the twins. I also really enjoyed finding out about the main ballet which is featured in the novel. Coppelia. What I really found interesting however was the story thread of Freeds. This is the family who set up Freed of London, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of professional dance shoes. They had a shop in Cecil Court, Covent Garden – about where Goldsboro Books is now. Maybe there’s still a bit of ballet going on in the basement today….
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Overall, I found ‘Clara and Olivia’ a beautifully written, atmospheric historical thriller rich in the history of ballet. I was completely immersed in the story and feel that it was an impressive debut. Clara & Olivia Marionetta ( ne’ Smith)are identical twin ballet dancers with the then-fledging Sadler Wells Ballet Company ( now The Royal Ballet) the sisters may be practically mirror images of each other but are quite different personality -wise: Clara is a free spirit who longs to break away from the confines of classical ballet , while Olivia loves the traditions of the dance form & even wears her hair in a low classical-era bun ( it also helps their instructors differentiate between her & Clara, who wears her hair in the more contemporary high bun style) Other than that, they are very close, especially since losing both parents-their beloved father from cancer when they were small & their mother to mental illness after she obsessively pushed her twin daughters into dance ( even giving them the ridiculous stage name “Marionetta” which literally means Doll or Puppet in Italian) After her husband’s death , she becomes convinced she’s a ballerina herself & develops severe anorexia. While the sisters resent her having been a “Stage Parent”, they dutifully visit her once a month at the psychiatric home she was committed to several years before. The story revolves almost entirely around Clara and Olivia, something that’s further reinforced by the chapters told from Samuel and Nathan’s perspectives. Just as the sisters are obsessed with dance, Samuel and Nathan have their own fixations, which range from harmless infatuations to more destructive fascinations. As these obsessions intensify, there’s a real feeling of the tension escalating and the characters tumbling towards a single moment that will bond them forever.
Clara is stepping out with pianist and former child prodigy Nathan Howell, but she’s tiring of his earnest intellectualism and doesn’t want to be tied down. Olivia, meanwhile, has a secret admirer in the form of Samuel Steward, an apprentice who makes and delivers pointe shoes to the theatre and dreams of becoming a clothes designer himself. There were elements of a psychological thriller that made me shiver, combined with the romance and grace of the ballet. I found the sisters’ relationship complex and compelling. At first, it seems that Olivia is primarily disdainful of Clara’s careless manner, and jealous of her bubbly personality and romance with Nathan, while Clara despairs that Olivia doesn’t have more fun. Later on, they conceal important information from one another. If you're looking for a fascinating story centered around powerful characters with the magic, poise, and beauty of the ballet, then this is for you!
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A brief review cannot do justice to the many varied textures of the writing and the careful layering of symbolism, particularly the parallels between the plot of ‘Coppélia’ and the experiences and motivations of the lead characters. There is also a very skilful modulation of tone in the final third of the book into the genre of ‘film noir’ thriller. However, what lingers longest in the memory is the author’s success in evoking what the day-to-day routine of ballet rehearsal is like. While much is written about the final outcomes and the great banner successes, we are far less aware of what has gone into those achievements and the intense training and practice routines required to make it possible. This is where Ashe’s experience within the ballet world and as a student of writing fuse brilliantly to produce a masterly evocation of the blood, sweat and tears involved that does not dodge technicalities, but weaves them naturally into the narrative. The intense rivalries and friendships that emerge in this setting are plausibly sketched; while the heroism and the pettiness, the superstitions and fierce loyalties all find their appointed place. If anyone wants to know what putting a ballet on truly involves this is now the go-to account to cherish, as relevant in the here-and-now as for its historical patina.
As a twin, I really loved how Ashe portrayed Clara and Olivia’s sibling dynamic in a way that felt real and given evil twin stories I’ve read over the years, refreshingly un-toxic. While Clara longs to ‘try everything and be everywhere,’ Olivia wants ‘a mysterious, aloof kind of fame. She wants to be a prima ballerina.’ However, being both twins and ballerinas means that they both struggle to be seen as individuals and I loved seeing how they grappled with this, particularly when Clara’s changing ambitions threaten to change their world as they know it. Giuseppina Bozzacchi as Swanhilda in the Saint-Léon/Delibes Coppélia. Paris, 1870 (c) Wikipedia BookTrail Locations in Clara and Olivia My thanks to OneWorld Publications Magpie Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Clara and Olivia’ by Lucy Ashe.He imagines dancing with her, the two of them arm in arm under the stars. Silent, of course, but that is no matter. It is better that way. She is a dancing doll, his Coppélia, created at last. He can finally believe it, now that he has her in the wheelchair. Pausing at the end of the street, he reaches down to her wrist and lifts her arm above her as if she is waving to a crowd. Ice-cold. He drops her arm in fright. Life lingers, like a promise; but he is afraid of what will happen when she wakes.
But when we see the pair interact, it becomes clear just how close and loving they are towards one another. We also learn how Clara, as the stronger personality, protects Olivia from the unhealthy influence of their mother. In the absence of any other meaningful family relationships, they rely on each other completely, and always come through for one another. Lucy has created a mesmerising atmosphere in her debut novel. This story is one of dreadful, delirious ambition as well as the relentless drive for perfection - both as a woman and a performer - that cannot be sustained. Every violent act is a protest against this paralysing perfection. Beautiful." - Sally Oliver
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Meanwhile Clara is getting tired of Nathan’s controlling ways & inflated ego so after she receives an offer to dance in America , she decides to call it quits with him & turns down his offer of marriage. Nathan doesn’t take it well, to say the least . That & his mother , whom he believes died when he was child & whom he worships , shows up at a performance of Coppelia ( which is about a man who thinks a beautiful doll in a toy -makers window would be the ideal wife for him instead of the one he’s married to which parallels the plot of the novel ) w/her 2nd husband & two young children . This drives the already emotionally disturbed young man him to the edge so he plans to make sure Clara never leaves him. Samuel also is involved , but not in the way first expected . Ashe’s persuasive behind-the-scenes ballet sections lend heft and authenticity to what could otherwise be mere window dressing, and she transitions her narrative from charming slice of historical fiction to pulse-pounding suspense at an expert pace. It’s a fiercely memorable debut from a writer to watch.” - Publisher's Weekly
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