Nocturne

Grace Dragotta is delighted to be promoted to prima ballerina in her 1938 Chicago company. An orphan, she views her ballet friends as family, and believes her hard work has rescued her from the days when she played the violin on the street busking for money. The first third of the novel will especially appeal to those who enjoy reading about the world of ballet. When a mysterious patron offers to generously fund the company, all are overjoyed, until Grace discovers that the patron may have played a role in her ascent, and is whisked off to live in his magical mansion in Hyde Park, where “Beauty and the Beast” elements enter the fantastical plot. The fantasy grows wilder as Grace copes with magical creatures and explores the afterlife with her patron, and the ballet scenes are gradually less important as the fairy tale takes over. The conclusion is a surprising yet fitting ending for an imaginative tale.