City of Night Birds

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Natalia Leonova's talents were once celebrated across Europe, her grace and artistry in demand on stages from St Petersburg to Moscow to Paris. But when a devastating accident leaves her unable to dance, Natalia is left unmoored in St Petersburg, the city that made her a ballerina. Soon, the ghosts of her former life begin to resurface: her loving but difficult mother, her absentee father, the friendships destroyed by her single-minded ambition. Above all, she is haunted by Alexander and Dmitri, the two gifted dancers who led to her downfall. So when Dmitiri resurfaces with a tantalising offer for Natalia to return to the stage in her signature role of Giselle, she must decide whether she can live without ballet, and how much she is willing to sacrifice to get back on stage. Painting a vivid portrait of a world in which cutthroat ambition, ever-shifting politics, and sublime artistry collide,City of Night Birdsunveils the making of a dancer with both profound intimacy and breathtaking scope.

Author Bio

Juhea Kimis the author of the novelBeasts of a Little Land(Ecco 2021), a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She earned her BA in Art and Archaeology from Princeton University. Her writing has been published inGranta,Times Literary Supplement, TheIndependent,Zyzzyva, Guernicaand elsewhere. Born in South Korea and raised in Portland, Oregon, Kim now lives in London.