The world of ballet has always fascinated me and I couldn’t wait to dive into this Reese Weatherspoon Book Club Pick. The City of Night Birds explores the ballet world, the sacrifice and the discipline along with the loves and the dreams of the dancers.

The story begins when the main character, Natalia, is a young ballerina at a dance school in Russia learning to balance the demands of ballet. The fictitious characters resemble real-life figures from the world of dance. The ballet world setting is described in such detail it’s obvious this author has extensive knowledge of this world. The result is an authenticity and depth to the novel adding a deeper level to the plot. More than just a story about ballet, City of Night Birds is a story of heartbreak, resilience, artistry and passion. Beautifully written and beautifully told.

Thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

I featured this book in a new release video prior to publication and was very excited to read a contemporary story about ballet AND set in Russia. My buzzwords just had an orgasm. This is kind of giving Black Swan but if it were set after the events happened and was less scary and more emotionally provoking. Plus this cover is gorgeous. Will update when final review posts, but I'm expecting 5 stars!

Book Review: City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim

Juhea Kim’s City of Night Birds offers an enchanting exploration of the world of ballet, where dreams and discipline intertwine to create a life of both ecstasy and sacrifice. The story centers on Natalia, a young ballerina, and her close-knit group of friends as they navigate the arduous demands of a life dedicated to dance. Through love and heartbreak, moments of frustration, and the soaring highs of performing on stage, their passion for ballet remains unwavering.

Kim’s prose is elegantly crafted, immersing readers in the vivid, kinetic world of ballet. The author’s profound knowledge of the art form is evident, bringing authenticity and depth to the narrative. Dance lovers will delight in spotting characters inspired by real-life figures, such as Sasha, reminiscent of Sergei Polunin, adding another layer of fascination to the story.

This novel is more than a tale about dancers; it’s a celebration of resilience, artistry, and the human spirit’s capacity to push beyond limits for the sake of beauty and expression. A truly delightful journey, City of Night Birds is a must-read for anyone enchanted by the stage or inspired by stories of passion and perseverance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I have to admit, I wanted to read City of Night Birds after seeing the accolades through Reese’s Book Club and finding out it was a story about the ballerinas (the ballet and those who commit to it fascinate me). I’m so glad I did because this is the perfect not to heavy to read this but beautifully written story that we hound all feast on.

We follow the extraordinary life of Natalia/Natasha (still confused on why she went by both) as she grows up being told she’s essentially ordinary while feeling a fierceness from within. This alternates by current day Natasha who is back at the first ballet company she started our in, striving to, and fighting against, performing for the first time in 2 years following a devastating injury and subsequent toxic relationship with pills and alcohol. It’s amazing to read about Natasha knowing she does make it big but experiencing the hard work and discipline it took her to get there. Even more it’s fascinating to learn about what she had to deal with to get there, including some remarkable men and women in her life. It’s hard to explain why this book is so significant in a way that truly captures its spirit, but it left me feeling both heartbroken and motivated, and of course throughout passionately protective of Natasha and her dreams and experiences. This is a must read for a reason, and I’d encourage you to pick it up understanding it’s a rare example of beautiful prose being leveraged perfectly to tell an equally beautiful story, but not completely drowning in the words and metaphors. They’re truly the perfect foil.

City of Night Birds by Jukea Kim is everything I hoped for a so much more. This novel appealed to my nostalgia as a dancer practicing ballet in the 1980s because is brought back so many memories of ballet, performances, politics, white nights, Baryshnikov and similar leading men.

Natalia Leonova is presented in two timelines – one as a rising star at Mariinsky (and its “rivalry” with Bolshoi) and one as a prima ballerina coming back from a devastating injury and a more devastating broken heart. I find myself drawn to stories with strong characters but Natalia and her classmates at Mariinsky are presented as stereotypically Russian, meaning there is a distance that is cultural and protective. It is how I remember the Russian performers when I was younger, and I developed an affinity for Natalia, Nina, Sofiya, Seryozha, and Sasha. (If you get a chance, I recommend watching Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines in White Nights for a glimpse into Russian politics, ballet and its performers.)

“When you have more life ahead than behind, dreams are more real than reality.”

Natalia was raised by her single mother, a seamstress for Mariinsky, but was unable to develop a real bond as her mother was ruined by the abandonment by Natalia’s father. However, she was close with her “aunt” Sveta, a ballerina and her closest confidant throughout her life. She shows promising ballerina characteristics without training and is accepted to the school, where she rises in the ranks. Soon she is winning a grand prix and being recruited in Paris. Throughout her career, Natalia is plagued by trust issues. Her fellow dancers make varying life choices, and she questions hers at every turn. However, her determination and discovery of herself help her find her way.

“Who are the people we truly love? I don’t think it’s people we like, but the ones we keep thinking about. I have met scores of wonderful people, men and women, with whom I shared intimacies, laughter, goodwill – and then never thought about again after I moved on to the next theater and engagement …They hadn’t taken up any room inside of me. Then some others occupy a huge part of your mind, and your heart, for years and maybe your whole life. Maybe they take up space inside your soul, so you can never really lose them without losing yourself, too.”

Kim creates beautifully accurate worlds of ballet at the highest level in both Moscow and Paris. She has written breathtaking and very flawed characters that comprise the seemingly harsh dance world, and yet shows that the hardest and ugliest of characters can ultimately be the most understanding. Natalia’s life story is woven with threads of stories from her parents and her friends. I would like to have known more about some of the characters like Sveta, Sofiya and Léon, but they appeared when Natalia needed them, which I guess was sort of the point. This is a story about finding yourself and ballet. There are some mentions of the political history of Russia and the Ukraine, but historical perspective is not the aim of this novel.

“No matter how great a work of art is, it comes to an end. In fact, in order to be great, it must end. But life never comes to an end. When one thread is knotted, even when another is broken, it continues weaving together to an everlasting music so that the whole of it can only be seem from the height of infinity.”

Thank you to HarperCollins Press for the ARC of this book through NetGalley, which I received for my honest review. Any quoted or excerpted material in this review may differ from the final published edition.

Another terrific novel about the beauty and brutality of ballet.

I was especially interested in this because it focuses on the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi (and later, a bit on the Opera), rather than on ABC. Most ballet novels are set in New York, and while that’s with good reason and I don’t anticipate tiring of it, it’s nice to see something different.

To that end, one of the best parts of it is the opportunity to learn about how different companies function. How they choose dancers, how they train, what makes for success or failure.

The writing is beautiful throughout, and I loved how evocative the ballet-related scenes were. I was a bit less interested in what the author did with Natalia’s life off-stage, and to that end this book loses something toward the end, when we get a lot less ballet and a lot more of Natalia’s personal life. We see some of that in the earlier chapters too, but those are better woven in with the ballet.

Overall though, this is a good read if you like ballet fiction, and refreshingly unique compared to a lot of what we get in this subgenre.

At first, I didn't quite catch on to Natalia's dizzying POV of the past and present, but once I did, I enjoyed this book. I love reading about secluded and competitive worlds, such as ballet

The steep costs of attaining one’s dreams

World reknowned prima ballerina Natalia Leonova returns to the city of her youth, St Petersburg, after many years abroad. Her return is not for happy reasons…her mother (with whom she had a difficult relationship and from whom she has been estranged for years) has died. Natalia herself is not in a good place; an unspecified accident has left her so physically damaged that she hasn’t danced for over two years, and for someone whose whole life and identity were dance it has proven an impossible existence, one which she tolerates only with the aid of Xanax and alcohol. She will need to come to terms not only with the loss of the mother whom she loved deeply but with whom it was difficult for her to connect but also the many reminders of the her past in the city. When she is offered a chance to dance again with the ballet company which gave her her start by someone whom she has reason to hate, she is torn. She desperately wants, even needs, to dance again but is unsure that she is (or will ever be) sufficiently recovered to dos so as well as she once did. Can she overcome her addictions, her guilt over how she has treated others and her fear of failure in order to make a triumphant return?
This is a story both of a young girl who was never destined to be a dancer overcoming incredible odds to achieve not just a career in dance but to become one of the best dancers of her generation, and of the world of dance itself, full of passion, betrayal, ambition and sacrifice. With beautiful and evocative prose, the reader is shown the cities of St Petersburg and Paris, the pull between the needs of self and the demands of art, the brutal physical pain endured by the elite dancer, and the quest for fulfillment. Natalia is a flawed character, talented and with an amazing drive but ruthless in her quest for advancement. She leaves in her wake the mother who raised her alone in poverty, a man who loved her and her closest friend. As the story unfolds, the reader experiences Natalia’s many triumphs but also her mistakes, and not until the end do they discover the events that led to her accident and fall from the heights of success. It was hard not to picture dancers like Gudunov and Baryshnikov when reading about Natalia’s partners in dance Sasha and Dmitri, and woven into the story as well are real world events like Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the impact that had upon the world of ballet, with so many dancers of both Russian and Ukrainian roots who for years had worked and studied interchangeably but suddenly had to choose a side. I found the story intriguing, with nuanced characters living messy lives full of drama and pain as they strive for moments of perfection in their chosen art. Readers of Maggie Shipstead, Julie Kavanaugh and Lauren Willig, people who loved movies like White Nights, Black Swan and The Turning Point, and fans of ballet in general should all add City of Night Birds to their TRB pile. Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco Press for allowing me early access to this compelling and beautifully written tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco Books for the gifted e-arc of this book.

I loved Kim's previous book and was highly anticipating her new one, but sadly, I struggled with it. The storyline was too slow, I'm not that into ballet and this book didn't make me all that interested in it either. I had high hopes. I do think that her writing is well crafted and I'm curious to see what she writes next.

Natalia dreams of a return to dance—maybe. Sidelined by an injury that forced her early retirement, she didn't expect another chance. But here she has it, back in St. Petersburg, where she trained and where she did not plan to return. And she isn't sure she wants it.

"City of Night Birds" takes us through Natalia's training and career, and gradually we learn more about what led to her injury and her broader choices and why she is back in St. Petersburg. Let's talk about the book, and let's talk about the book in the context of Russia in 2024.

The book:
I'm intrigued by the contemporary setting here. More on that later, but most of the fiction I've read about Russia, ballet or no ballet, is historical fiction about the USSR. For Natalia, though the state still plays a...significant role...in her life, it does not quite have the overt fingers in every pie that Soviet Russia did. That interests me in part, I think, because theoretically Natalia has options; she basically goes into ballet as a strong dancer and never falters, but if she *had* quit ballet at some earlier point, she wouldn't be punish-assigned to a life of drudgery; she'd be able to at least attempt a new career path.

I'm less interested, it must be said, in her success after success after success. Having read dozens of contemporary ballet memoirs, and a fair amount of fiction besides, I'm finding that what interests me more are the books about dancers who are good but not great, or even who are great but not celebrated. Natalia never has to choose between two second-rate job offers, or to come to the realization that she just can't reach the heights she hopes for (even returning from injury, her capabilities are limited more by depression and grief than by anything else.

This is a fairly slow-moving book. I'd say that it's character-driven, but I really wished we had character development from more characters than Natalia. Her romances fell flat to me, partly because her paramours are never really developed beyond a sketch and a prayer—we get an impression of who they are, and then I think we're supposed to trust that that's enough. (The man with whom Natalia spends a huge chunk of the book: What is their relationship based on? Is Natalia supposed to be flattered that he dicks around until he meets her and decides to make her an exception, seemingly because she is more talented than his short-term flings?) A later romance strikes me as quite sad in the way neither character is interested in (or interested in hearing about) their partner's interests; there's a point to be made about *not* being in the same claustrophobic world, but it's not fleshed out, so it feels more pointed than...than natural extension of the story, I guess.

The other thing I'm intrigued by: "I remember this day. Every moment of one's life is the beginning of the end in some way; every decision you make is a death of other possibilities. But this is the point that divides my life into before and after, a cleave line that easily breaks a diamond in half. When all the dominos of my life were lined up, ready to fall." (loc. 2247*) It's a nice quote, but I'm interested mostly because while the language is very different, the sentiment is almost exactly the same as one expressed in "Maya and Natasha", another Russian (USSR, in this case) ballet book coming out soon. No weird implications here—no reason to think it's anything other than coincidence—but fascinating how similar the sentiments yet how different the circumstances in the two books.

The book in the context of Russia in 2024:
Kim's first book was published in December of 2021, shortly before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I can't say when she started writing "City of Night Birds", but if I had to guess I'd think it was either before that invasion and the ensuing war, or it was early in the war enough in the war that Kim thought it would all be long over by the time the book was published. That...is not the case.

On the one hand it's interesting to see something about ballet in contemporary Russia. On the other hand, it is really, really hard to write fiction in the shadow of an ongoing conflict—ongoing in real life and ongoing in the book—in a way that feels intentional and respectful. And this does not hit the mark.

Again: I'm guessing that Kim did not set out to write a book dealing directly with war. And people are not state, and the characters in this book are not generally aggressors, and I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with writing something that is...let's say set in a politically problematic place. But it's hard to see a major character stubbornly express public support for Russia in (I think) 2014 in the book, and to see Natalia's reaction be, basically, "This is not great but can't art be apolitical?" The way that character's arc plays out, and the casual mention at the end of the book of "the end of the war" (which, in the book, has apparently come to pass), leave me with the impression that the war was shoehorned into the book late in the day because, well, it *hasn't* ended yet.

Can you write a book set in an aggressor country in and about a time period when that country is doing terrible things? Sure. Writers in the US do it all the time. Some of them even do it well. But...I am left wishing Kim had gone for a different timeline here, or set the book somewhere else altogether.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Goodreads is limiting reviews of this because of review which is unfortunate.

I can’t say I loved this but that has nothing to do with being annoyed someone dared to write a book about Russians during a Russian invasion of Ukraine. I was just honestly very bored. This is both a coming of age story and a somewhat cerebral character study. There’s a lot of personal analysis about art and interpretations of characters in ballets, many unlikeable characters and just a lot of characters in general who are hard to keep track of (especially with all the name changes and Russian nicknames). I think you probably have to really really enjoy ballet to love this.

While I found parts of this novel engrossing, descriptive, and beautifully written, for me, it was much too long. I think the book was trying to do too much all at once which led it to being scattered with no through-line. I believe the author’s intent was to bring the reader into the world of ballet, but descriptions of dance, performances, music, and practices felt repetitive. I really enjoyed that the story took a rare look into Russian ballet, but there was no anchor in the story that kept me interested in Natasha’s journey. Was this about Sasha and Natasha? Was it about the intensity of ballet? Was it about ballet dancers’ roles in Russian politics? It felt like a lot of individual components thrown together and they never came together in one seamless story. There were some gems— like when Natasha is sitting with Pavel and learning about her father. Or when she and Nina are reunited. But ultimately I wish this book had an editor to remove the parts that lagged, that were too repetitive and descriptive so that only the best parts of the novel were included.

I was a huge fan of Beasts of a Little Land, so I had to pick this book up. It seems that Juhea Kim is drawn to write about things very important to her - I know from following her on Instagram that she loves ballet. I happened to have been a dancer growing up, so I wasn't too upset by this dramatically different type of book. However, I think this book really is a love letter to ballet and an examination of the art and what it can do to its most successful. If you don't know anything about ballet, some things might confuse you, and you likely will lose interest. Not a lot happened here, and I did get a bit bored. It doesn't help that I didn't like the main character (though she wasn't written to be likeable, so that was likely intended). While I enjoyed this, I will not be recommending it quite as frequently or as fervently as I do Beasts.

Thank you to Ecco and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Juhea Kim’s debut novel was an epic tale of 20th century Korea. Her sophomore effort, “City of Night Birds,” a Reese’s Book Club pick for December, takes a fresh direction, focusing on the world of contemporary Russian ballet. When the novel opens, Natalia Leonova, a renowned celebrity who is instantly recognized by the flight attendant and the hotel manager, is returning to Saint Petersburg where we learn she was a famous ballerina. Although an accident derailed her career, and she has not danced in almost two years, “her feet still ache like an old woman’s. . . .” Despite her physical limitations and her various addictions, she is offered the opportunity to dance Giselle at the famed Mariinsky in the fall season.

Raised by a single mother who was a seamstress, Natalia’s talent as a “jumper” is recognized when she is child. Bruised by a father who abandoned the family when she was an infant, Natalia dreamed of “becoming so famous that the only way the ones I left behind could see my face would be in photographs, in newspapers.”

As she trains and considers a return to the stage, Natalia reflects back on the early years when she was one the two girls (along with her life-long friend, Nina Berezina) selected from among five hundred to attend Vaganova, one of the best and oldest ballet schools in Russia. Natalia is the first to arrive at the studio and the last to leave, driven by the desire to be the best and the need to move up quickly to afford food and practice clothes. Kim details the physical pain, the discipline, the disappointments, the triumphs, the pressure and the competitions that line the path to becoming a principal Bolshoi dancer and a Prima ballerina.

Kim, who trained in dance at a young age, writes lush prose that captures the details of competitive ballet — soaking feet in vodka to toughen the skin, the smell of sweat, crushed rosin, and damp wooden floors. Natalia’s story is rife with drama — various love affairs and rivalries and an accident that plunges her into addiction and crippling self-doubt. Thank you Ecco and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this novel that immerses the reader in the world of Russian ballet.

City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim was a fascinating read and it kept my attention while reading it. It was well-written and the topic manner was definitely interesting. I found the characters to be a little lacking, though. I didn't find myself caring too much about them and once I finished reading it, I stopped thinking about them.

Natalia was one of the most celebrated dancers in the Russian ballet before an injury put her career on hold for two years. Now, she is returning to the ballet addicted to pills and alcohol to numb her pain. She’s been offered a roll she’s always coveted and she must decide whether she can rise to the challenge, and face her past and the people responsible for her highs and lows.

Why Kirsten likes it
I found the story to be interesting but I didn’t love any of the characters. I respected Natalia’s drive and talent but found her to be cold and distant. Similarly, the two men she is interwoven between felt one-dimensional. That technical side and mental resilience it takes to be a ballerina were wonderful to read, however.

This book is a really beautiful work of literary fiction, heavy on the literary — the character development takes over the majority of the book, but not in a bad way. Natalia (who we call Natasha; I will admit the Russian nomenclature system very much confused me) is a prima ballerina that we get to see grow from a timid teenage dancer to the most famous performer in St. Petersburg. I loved Natasha and though she had unlikable moments, I was constantly rooting for her. The timeline jumps were a bit jarring for me — I tend to prefer chapters that designate a shift in time rather than changing it up multiple times within the same chapter, but it made sense thematically. The descriptions of ballet were beautiful and I can imagine this book being turned into a stunning movie!

This was an absolutely luscious read. The way that Juhea wrote about every aspect of ballet swept me off my feet. I was so drawn into the story and this was a rare case where a story handled multiple timelines flawlessly. I never felt confused or jerked around when we jumped back and forth in time and each segment of the story captivated me. I was a little let down by the discussion of Crimea and Ukraine - basically “I’m a ballerina so I don’t think about politics and its annoying that it got in the way of my career.” Not a perfect book but I think Juhea Kim really found her footing as a writer because her prose was fabulous.

So well written - sharp dialogue, dimensional characters that all feel full of life and unique perspective. The attention to detail to the art form is commendable. It made learning about ballet enjoyable.

I still think about Kim’s novel Beasts of a Little Land even though I read it years ago, so I was surprised to see how different her newest work is from that one. While her prose was still gorgeous, I just didn’t feel as invested in this story or these characters. Perhaps because I’m not overly interested in ballet. I think this book will be a huge hit with readers who appreciate a behind the scenes look at the world of ballet. I loved the cover for Beasts of a Little Land and this cover is just as stunningly gorgeous!