Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

I was not a huge fan of the author's first book, 'Seating Arrangements'--it was well written but every character in the book was so annoying that I had trouble focusing on the plot line. I just wanted them all to go away.  The people in this book are equally flawed as people (aren't we all) but much more enjoyable to read about.

This is an old story that rolls out against the backdrop of premier quality ballet.  Joan is a ballerina who is very good, good enough to dance in the corps in a company that tours both nationally and internationally, but she is not soloist material.  When she is Paris as a student she is backstage when a Russian dancer of the highest quality and artistry comes back stage.  She has a tryst with him, not because she likes him but because she wants to be enveloped by his talent.

He defects, she helps him, and they become lovers for a while but then he moves on, and she is heartbroken.  They have one last night when he tells her that he is marrying another woman, and she is left pregnant.  She dances for another month, but then goes back to her high school boyfriend, who loves her dearly, and they get married and raise their boy, Harry.

Well, Harry is quite a good dancer, and from there stems trouble, the unraveling of the truth that leaves everything changed and nothing for the better.  Mistakes were made, and some people paid for them and others did not.  A good read.