I don’t know for sure, but I’m willing to bet that author Vanessa Jones read Noel Streatfeild, Pamela Brown, and Rumer Godden as a child. As a dance-obsessed kid myself, those were my stand-bys, with their stories of stage, screen, blood, sweat, and tears. Jones’ debut novel Sing Like No One’s Listening is a worthy successor to those greats, and my daughters are thrilled to shelve this one next to Ballet Shoes, The Swish of the Curtain, and Thursday’s Children.
Antoinette Delaney-Richardson should be on top of the world. She’s just been accepted into Duke’s Academy of the Performing Arts for the Musical Theatre course, a dream come true. But the one person she wishes could share in her success, her beloved mother, died of cancer before Nettie’s audition, and Nettie has lost her voice…which is tough when you’re trying to make it as a singer. How long can Nettie keep up the fiction that she belongs at Duke’s?
With a charming cast of characters like flamboyant and gorgeous dance phenom Alec, cruel dance teacher Millicent Moore, singer/songwriter Fletch, mean girls Natasha and Jade, and terrifying martinet Cecile Duke, the plot moves along in a way that is comforting if a little predictable. Fans of Singin’ in the Rain will know exactly where the story is going, but they will enjoy getting there tremendously. My one complaint, and it’s a tiny one, is that I wish I knew more about Nettie’s ballerina mum, who exerted such influence on her daughter, from her name to her talent to her exquisite taste in vintage fashion. However Jones has another book coming out next year – maybe we’ll learn more then.
Sing Like No One’s Listening
Author: Vanessa Jones
Peachtree Publishing
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My thanks to Peachtree Publishing for providing a Review Copy of this book. All opinions provided herein are my own.
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