While it took me a while to really get into this book and feel connected with the characters, once I did I was all in. I liked the story and the aspects of ballet especially that were added in. I did feel a lot of the time like the timelines were confusing and often got jumbled in my head, and I wish the storylines crossed more. Overall, a good book that took me a while to get into.

(3.5 stars rounded up)

This story is a love story full of trauma, identity, tales of the Holocaust whilst revealing the truths behind the world of ballet. John suffers with long-lasting damage from the things he encountered in a concentration camp. Katya is climbing the ladder to become a Prima Ballerina in New York but also in an abusive relationship with her choreographer. John and Katya’s paths begin to cross. Music and Memory cross to create a beautiful book of love, loss, heartbreak and triumph.

This book was kindly gifted to me from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you. Wow! I flew through this book and I really loved it. It included both dancing and music but also some really tough topics. I felt for both Katya and John in their stories, they were really tackling some hard things in their lives but came together so beautifully. I just didn’t want to stop reading. The characters were written so well and fitted perfectly.

Finished review coming soon! Review will be posted to Netgalley, retailers, Instagram, and TikTok!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

⭐️⭐️

First of a huge thank you to the author Martha Anne Toll and Regal House Publishing for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley.

Three Muses is a love story that enthralls: a tale of Holocaust survival venturing through memory, trauma, and identity, while raising the curtain on the unforgiving discipline of ballet. In post-WWII New York, John Curtin suffers lasting damage from having been forced to sing for the concentration camp kommandant who murdered his family. John trains to be a psychiatrist, struggling to wrest his life from his terror of music and his past. Katya Symanova climbs the arduous path to Prima Ballerina of the New York State Ballet, becoming enmeshed in an abusive relationship with her choreographer, who makes Katya a star but controls her life. When John receives a ticket to attend a ballet featuring Katya Symanova, a spell is cast. As John and Katya follow circuitous paths to one another, fear and promise rise in equal measure. Song, Discipline, and Memory weave their way through love and loss, heartbreak and triumph. - Regal House Publishing

Three Muses is pitched on being 3 things a tale of a Holocaust survivor, the story of a ballerina trapped in an abusive relationship, and a love story that transcends both of those narratives. Unfortunately none of the three truly pan out. I wanted to love this book, from the description it seemed to be everything I was searching for in a historical fiction. Instead I felt like I was reading a first draft of someone’s novel. The ideas were there but none of them seemed fully fleshed out. Toll does obviously love the ballet world and of all the elements that one seems to be the most clearly defined.

If you’re looking for a love story for the ages unfortunately this is not it. The actual “love story” comes in almost half way through the book and seems more like an ill timed and not thought through summer romance rather than the great love of somebody’s life. It would be more believable if it had been pitched as a some people come into your life for a reason or a season. The problem with the love story is actually the crux of the book as a whole, instead of fully formed characters most feel like character sketches.

If you’re a fan of ballet books this might work for you as it does give a glimpse into the ballet world of the 60s. If you’re looking for in depth historical fiction at 256 pages, you might want look elsewhere.

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. The writing was well done as were the characters. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

(this is my first NetGalley review)

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about a Holocaust survivor and a ballerina who work through their loss, grief and trauma and help each other heal.
I did like the first half of the book (the individual stories/backgrounds, especially John's) better than the second half. That Mainz was an important geographical place in the story surprised me, as I've just visited the city last month. It might have helped me paint the picture even more vividly.

I definitely recommend this stunning read!

A heartbreakingly beautiful story from one of the hardest times our world had to live through.

The way our two main characters interact and their love story develops was beautifully written. As well as the topics of grief, trauma, and healing presented after the events of World War II, which our world still suffers and remembers.

I loved this unique novel about life after World War II. The main characters, John and Katya, wove a love story around their unique childhood traumas. The third character, the choreographer, played a pivotal role in this love story. The stories of loss are profound and written in a brilliant way. This book deserves high praise and a large audience.

Thank you, NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.

I liked the individual stories of the two characters, but I would love to have seen more scenes of the two of them together. Overall an interesting story.

The book follows two people who have both lost their mothers and is mainly set in New York in 1963.

Dr John Curtin, a German Jew who first lost his father who was shot dead by the Nazis and then his mother and baby brother who were gassed at an internment camp. John (formerly Janko) was saved when his mother on arrival at the camp put him forward to sing... he then spent his time until the end of the war singing each night for the Kommandant and officers.

Katya, lost her mother at 7, she was an alcoholic who walked in front of a truck. Katya's aunt and father gave her ballet lessons for her birthday. katya becomes obsessed with ballet and the choreographer Boris Yanatov.

John on a trip to Paris, visits the ballet and watches Katya dance, and is instantly bewitched by her.

An interesting book, following their two lives and their determination to make the most of their lives.

An elegant and woeful historical fiction with a heart-stirring romance. A story that will be remembered and definitely recommended. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this stunning novel.

This is a beautiful, bittersweet, touching romance in which love conquers all.
It’s a piece of historical fiction that juxtaposes the brutality and misery of the WWII holocaust with new beginnings in New York, from which, over a few decades and much hard work on the part of a young ballerina, springs liberty, hope, success, and intense mutual love and affection.

Thoroughly recommended!

My thanks to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three Muses was such a beautiful story – layered, poignant, romantic, and thematically complex. John Curtin is a Jewish refugee from war-torn Germany who has reinvented himself with the support of a loving adoptive family, attempting to put his grief behind him but feeling its pervasive weight. He meets Katya Symanova, also reinvented from suburban Queens, and they are instantly drawn to one another. She is an accomplished ballerina, and although her heart is with John, professionally and to a degree personally, she is entwined with her choreographer, Boris Yanakov. This triangle is at the heart of the narrative and propels the story forward.

As these two characters struggle with their respective traumas and heal each other, we learn about the world of ballet and psychiatry against the vivid backdrop of 1960’s New York. The themes were plentiful, but it was the theme of different kinds of love and having a place to land that resonated with me most strongly. Very much enjoyed this and recommend it. With thanks to Netgalley and Regal House Publishing for the ARC copy.

“World War II has come and gone, and John Curtin is still grappling with his guilt over singing for the Nazi kommandant who murdered his family. He wants to set up his own psychiatry practice but can’t keep his own demons at bay, haunted by his past and a fear of music.

After the sudden loss of her mother, Katya Symanova found solace in dance lessons and worked her way into the New York State Ballet. Blinded by infatuation, she finds herself in a toxic relationship with her mentor, choreographer Boris Yanakov, who must be in control at all times.

On a trip to Paris, John receives a ticket to a brand new ballet called Three Muses, and the featured ballerina Katya enraptures him. After a brief meeting at the stage door, they cross paths again back home in New York City and immediately connect over the childhood trauma they’ve both experienced. As they open up to one another, they establish a trust that neither have experienced before. Their relationship is rapidly progressing, but, perhaps, too good to be true because Katya has a secret that could derail the budding romance. Are they destined to last or just two ships passing in the night?”

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Regal House Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

The prologue introduces readers to psychiatry resident John Curtin and ballerina Katya Symanova, and we see their first meeting in Paris in 1963. The following chapters go back in time to flesh out their respective childhood trauma and young adulthood struggles, starting with eleven-year-old Janko Stein in a concentration camp and seven-year-old Katherine Sillman mourning the sudden loss of her mother. When the first few pages felt longer than they actually were, I was prepared to struggle through forty-two chapters at a snail’s pace. To my surprise, I flew through the first half in less than two days. I like the parallels between the struggles John and Katya experienced such as grief, growing up, and dating. The insights into life as a ballerina had me geeking out as a former dancer, and despite the jarring Holocaust imagery, the pieces of Jewish culture felt like a warm, familiar hug.

The characters and character development are intriguing, but Katya’s decision-making infuriated me. Her relationship with Boris is a blindspot on purpose so I’m trying to let it go. Just know, I have many thought and many feelings. The writing is fine, but some of the transitions from scene to scene are so abrupt that it took me a moment to recalibrate as I was reading. The romance is what truly derails the story. Both John and Katya desired an emotional connection coming into their relationship, but they only connect up to a certain point. The dialogue and interactions are awkward, and beyond understanding one another over shared grief, there’s no chemistry.

The ending being what it is, my indifference towards the romance is unfortunate because it detracted from the underlying message. I understand what happened and why, but I’m not on board with the vehicle that got us there. Though John and Katya help each other find some peace, it still feels like a puzzle piece is misplaced. I can appreciate authors who take the road less traveled, but confusion is not a good feeling as a reader, especially at the end of a book that deals with such heavy subject matter. If something flew over my head, I accept that; perhaps I’m not compatible with Martha Anne Toll’s writing. The redeeming qualities earned a three-star rating, but I consider “Three Muses” a low three stars and something I don’t envision myself picking up again. I think it lacks re-readability, but it’s not a long read so give it a chance if a historical fiction romance set in post-WWII New York City with a heavy sprinkling of ballet piques your interest. Maybe you’ll glean more from it than I did.

*NOTE: The expected publication date is September 20th, 2022.

•

Content Breakdown:

*Disclaimer: I read an uncorrected ARC so certain things might be different in the final copy.

*Disclaimer 2: This section of my review is thorough and might contain SPOILERS.

Abandonment Issues: John’s mother told a Nazi soldier he could sing & begged for him to be taken somewhere where he could entertain. He didn’t understand why his mother pushed him away to be alone in the care of Nazis while she stayed with his little brother Max.

Katya didn’t find out about her mother’s alcoholism until she was older. She struggled with the revelation because it felt like her mother left on purpose, choosing alcohol over family which ultimately got her killed.

Abuse & Grooming: As a choreographer and teacher, Boris Yanakov is more hands-on than necessary, touching his dancers as much as he sees fit. While molding Katya into a prima ballerina, he touched her in inappropriate places under the guise of class corrections while she was a minor. She developed a girlhood crush and dreamed about his touch, wanting him to desire her despite an age gap of 20+ years. As an adult, she entered into a relationship with Boris, adapting to his sexually-charged creative process even though it made him behave in a frenzied manner at work and behind closed doors. He is self-centered & controlling, showing very little consideration for Katya’s feelings; he also has a reputation for sleeping with numerous women wherever he travels. He never gets violent, but there are times when he physically hurts Katya.

Example 1: When Boris wanted to leave a conversation, he squeezed Katya’s arm hard enough to make her wince despite her asking him to leave her be for a moment or two (“New York” chapter 16).

Example 2: When they slept together for the first time, Katya was a virgin, & Boris was not sensitive to that, leaving her in quite a bit of pain. She excused herself to cry in the bathroom (“Feast and Famine” chapter 13).

Alcohol & Smoking: Alcoholism, Bloody Marys, Bourbon, Cigarettes, Cigars, Drinking, Intoxication, Jack Daniels, Liquor, Smoking, Whiskey, Whiskey Sours, & Wine

Katya’s mother was an alcoholic and died while drunk. Katya tells John that she feels abandoned by her mother, and he reveals that recent science classified alcoholism as an illness, implying that her mother was sick & had little to no control over her actions.

Blood, Death, & Violence: John’s life story is told in detail throughout the book, describing his experience as a German Jew before, during, and after the Holocaust. There are mentions of Jews who died inside gas chambers, trains, & trucks as well as descriptions of dead bodies. John’s father was shot for violating curfew, & while John was the personal prisoner of a Nazi kommandant, his mother & brother Max died inside a gas chamber. When the concentration camp was seized by the Allies, John saw the remaining prisoners, all of them bald, emaciated, and disoriented.

Drunk and desperate for more alcohol, Katya’s mother was hit by a truck while crossing the street, dying instantly.

Katya falls during a performance and bleeds through her tights.

There is one mention of John attending his anatomy class and discussing the cadavers with classmates, one of which is a thirty-year-old woman who died of cancer. He describes her outer appearance and observes that her uterus shows signs of birth, meaning she left behind a child.

Brief mention of knife fights in Katya’s neighborhood

Brief mention of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination

Bullying & Insensitivty: After her mother’s death, a classmate tells Katherine she’s only being favored by Mrs. Slattery because “your mom croaked.”

Selma’s niece Rachel is described as a “short, big-breasted girl” which could be interpreted as a reference to weight or having a mature body at a young age.

When Rachel says she wants to be a teacher, Moe remarks “Nice profession for a woman.”

While learning the English language, John endured jokes about his accent and mistakes as a non-native speaker.

Maya doesn’t revere Boris Yanakov the way Katya does, calling him a variety of names such as “dictator” & “winter warhorse.” He isn’t a good man by a long shot, but these particular names coud be interpreted as culturally insensitive toward a person of Russian heritage.

Cheating: PLOT SPOILER - When Boris Yanakov & John Curtin meet, they realize that Katya has been in a relationship with both of them simultaneously.

Foster Parents: As a young teen rescued from a concentration camp with nowhere to live, John is taken in by Barney and Selma Katz, a Jewish American family.

Gossip: Before she knew the whole story about her mother’s struggles with alcohol which led to her death, Katherine heard people at church talking about it.

Language: D*mn, G*odd*mn, H*ll, & J*sus

Loss: Barney and Selma’s son Buddy died fighting in Sicily during World War II. John’s parents and brother were killed during the Holocaust, leaving him on his own at the age of eleven. Katya’s mother died when she was seven, leaving her to be raised by a single father. Selma & John lose Barney to a sudden stroke; the gravesite service takes place in “Veiled Road” chapter 2.

Prejudice: Brief mention of a British choreographer who was thrown out of London for being homosexual

Psychiatry: I don’t have the knowledge or experience to critique how this subject was handled so I’ll just lay out what I observed:

The term “headshrinker” is used quite a few times, including by John’s college classmates in jest.

John refers to his residency patients as “New York’s refuse pile given over to his care.” A few of them are described: Elton Miller is obsessed with the Catholic church & expects the Pope to call him. Former choir director Candida Jackson thinks she’s a singer at the Metropolitan Opera House, constantly talking about her fellow performers who don’t exist & needing to keep time to music that isn’t playing; these detailed fantasies give her headaches. There’s no description of Louisa Matthew’s condition, but after an episode of running down the halls & screaming, she’s restrained by two men while a nurse sedates her; John calls her “a living cadaver, all sinew & bone” & mentions that she has no family.

John’s training psychiatrist Dr. Roth leads him through sessions going over his childhood during the Holocaust. The process is grueling, & John thinks a dentist’s drill would be preferable. The doctor remains professionally emotionless & uses “we” as though he’s also reliving the horrific memories, irking John enough to want to quit several times. John refers to his younger self in third person & tries to show no emotion. Because he was forced to sing for a Nazi kommandant, he has an aversion to music. It’s never stated that he has PTSD, but I would assume he does, music being a major trigger. Eventually Dr. Roth pushes him to “face the music” & sing which is an extremely emotional experience. When their sessions come to an end, John knows he’s made progress, but he credits his relationship with Katya, not the doctor.

Racism & Segregation: John was rescued from the concentration camp by Black soldiers, but on the ship to America, he observes that the mess staff is Black, and the sailors are white. He later mentions that Americans refer to Black people as “n*gro*s.”

Rape: As a live-in prisoner of a Nazi kommandant, John saw female prisoners from the concentration camp enter the house and heard noises after they went upstairs with the soldiers, implying those women were being raped.

Religion: John’s biological and foster parents are Jewish so there are descriptions of Jewish holidays and the corresponding traditions.

Katherine’s mother was Catholic and attended Sunday mass, but she questioned some of Father Paul’s sermons. After her mother’s death, Katherine questioned why Jesus let such a tragedy happen. Her single father continued to take her to mass on Sundays in a small parish church. As an adult, she visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral for some peace & time to reflect.

While telling Katya about his journey to America & being taken in by a loving family, John says “It was as if the gods were looking after me.”

When John opens up to Katya about feeling like he failed his late mother, she says “I wish I could provide absolution like a priest. Jewish don’t do that, do they?” In the Catholic church, “absolution” is a formal release from guilt (obligation or punishment as well).

Sensual/Sexual: In the “Paris” prologue, John daydreams about his coworker Ann, imagining her naked body from head to toe. He observes her physical assets & mentions his attraction a few other times in the book.

After his horrific experience inside a concentration camp, John tried to replace his bad memories with good ones, imagining himself back at school mischieviously trying to look up girls’ skirts.

As a college student, John notices the way classmates and women on the train fill out their clothing, but he doesn’t know how to handle this attraction, too shy to approach one of them and broach the subject of dating. He frequently describes physical assets (breasts, legs, etc.)

After so many years under Boris’ influence, Katya considers her style & movements as a dancer as “sexual” in nature.

During a date, John feels Katya pressing her leg against his.

There are three kisses: “New York” chapters 9, 10, & 11.

There are four sex scenes: “Paris” prologue, “Feast and Famine” chapters 12 & 13, & “New York” chapter 11

There are four more brief sexual moments: “New York” chapters 2, 5, 7, & 12

Suicide: There is a brief mention of Jews who jumped out of windows when Nazis took over.

Three Muses is a love story about a Holocaust survivor and a ballerina – both of their stories are interwoven as they come to terms with the grief and the identities they have chosen in life.

The novel is beautifully written, almost lyrical at times. My only criticism is at times, the novel felt like two distinct stories. I connected a lot more with John/Janko's story as it exposed more of his history and vulnerabilities, while Katya got brushed over at times.

It had so much promise that I feel like it could have done with an extra 100 pages to fully realise everything the book wanted to do, as the ending felt like a forced stop.

Thanks to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really enjoyable read. 2 characters both struggling to come to terms with loss are thrown together by chance. Their mutual love redeems them from their guilt and bitterness. But are they fated to be together? Strong characterisation, important themes make this a thoroughly worthwhile read

The three muses is described as, Song, Discipline, and Memory. These muses become deeply rooted in the lives of John and Katya. John is a Holocaust survivor who was forced to sing while he was a prisoner. While those traumatizing events replay in his thoughts and memories, he later becomes a psychiatrist. Katya becomes a Prima Ballerina, but her rise to that level is marred. She’s in a relationship with her choreographer and it is an abusive relationship. One fated night at the ballet, the two main characters meet. Both carrying emotional and traumatic baggage. Will love truly conquer all?

“Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the ARC”

A holocaust survivor and and ballerina and their love story. This was a difficult but beautiful story to read; it's not something that I tend to pick up but I'm so glad I did and I have a feeling that this will stay with me long after I have finished reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Strong and heartbreaking - this novel is written so beautifully fierce yet fragile. Lots of emotions came through while reading!

I really wanted to love this book, however this novel felt like 2 distinct stories that were brought together by very loose, unlikely threads. I did enjoy the ballet element of the novel but really it could have been 2 standalone books The book was nicely written and good characters. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.