The Ballet Family Again

Fourteen-year-old Joan Bradshaw and her London cousins, the Garlands, return in this worthy follow-up to their initial adventure, chronicled in the The Ballet Family. Although more integrated into her new London life and family, Joan faces new challenges, in the form of a commission from Johann Thorburg to write a new ballet, after her initial effort in that direction bore such wonderful fruit in the first story. Not sure at first she is up to the task, she nevertheless buckles down, and soon finds herself caught up in her work. The Garland siblings also confront their own challenges, from unhappy Anne, who resents the seeming loss of her best friend Lisa, who has quit the dancing life; to spoiled Delphine, who has a frightening show more accident. Edward and Pelagia both struggle with relationship issues, the former discovering that his first real girlfriend is not what she appears, the latter thinking she isn't interested in marriage, much to the dismay of her beau. All ends happily for the ballet family, of course, and the book closes in Paris, where the Thorburg Company is on tour...

First published in 1964, the years after The Ballet Family, this sequel opens just a few days after the conclusion of that earlier book, and feels almost like a continuation of the same story, rather than a wholly separate work. I suppose The Ballet Family Again could be enjoyed on its own, but I think it would make a markedly better read if one has already read the first. Leaving that aside, it is every bit as engaging, poignant and heartwarming as its predecessor - an absolute pleasure to read! As I mentioned in my review of the earlier book, I always finish a title from Mabel Esther Allan - my 1990 edition of this one was published under the name 'Jean Estoril,' a pen name Allan often used for her ballet fiction, although the first edition was published under her own name - wanting to read more. She has such a warm, perceptive way of writing about her young characters, capturing their flaws but never losing sympathy with them. I chuckled with recognition and fellow-feeling as Anne cries to her mother that "I thought I was sane and balanced too. I thought I was nearly grown up. I'll be fourteen very soon. I thought one s-suffered less as one grew older." To which Mama Garland replies: "You'll still be saying that when you're forty" How very true...

There is much here to enjoy, from the engaging characters to the unusual family dynamics, the ballet and musical background to the rich sense of place - always a hallmark of Mabel Esther Allan's work. Highly recommended to anyone who has read The Ballet Family. show less

My favorite books by Jean Estoril are her 'Drina" books but her other books are quite good too. I like her sweet and somewhat dated style, they are basically the perfect English school girl stories. I never did ballet but I have always been obsessed with it and I enjoy the window into that life that reading a Jean Estoril book gives me.