Customer Reviews

Drina Dances Alone

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book (also known as 'Drina Dances in Exile') is the third and perhaps my least favourite in the series. Drina has been sent to Chalk Green, a ballet school in the country, while her grandparents have to go to Australia to get over her grandfather's illness. She hates it there at first, but soon learns to love the forests and flowers and makes some new friends, including a puppy she finds injured in the woods. As much as I enjoyed this book, I didn't like it as much as the other ten.

also known as 'drina dances alone' I loved this book.

Drina is to be sent to a ballet boarding school and she hates it. She has seen them come into London before and pitied them. The only good thing is that she can see Jenny in the holidays. But after a conversation with Ms Volonaise Drina tries her hardest to like it there. And then Rose comes and they start to love it. Once back in London for a holiday with Rose they see 'The Breton Wedding' in which Drina's mother was the main character and Drina confesses all to Rose. A must read book, I also recommend all the others.

This is a lovely wondeful book about Drina, the young aspiring dancer.She is now in a ballet boarding school known as Chalk Green and it is lovely ! It combines the typical realistic schoolgirl world with the dreamy world of ballet. It captures the young schoolgirl at heart, and her adventures inthe ballet boarding school ! I think this is the best of all Drina novels !

Drina is sent to the Chalk Green Boarding School when her grandfather has to move to Australia. Chalk Green is out in the country of England, far from the London Drina loves, but it is connected to the Dominick school, so Drina still gets to dance. She's unhappy at first, but in typical Drina fashion, makes the best of it, and begins to love life at Chalk Green. She also is not forgotten about in London; in fact she gets a special treat when she auditions for their Christmas show. Ms. Estoril writes beautifully - I've never been to England, but she made Chalk Green and the country around it seem so real to me. You just can't help falling in love with these books. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dance.

I absolutely adored this book. Drina grows up so much at boarding school that her individuality really shows up. Also, Chalk Green was described so vividly, that for years I desparately wanted to attend a boarding school also. Actually, I've been reading and rereading the Drina series since I was 8 (now 23) years old, and only just now discovered that there were books beyond "Drina Dances Again". I was ecstatic, until I discovered how difficult it is to get these books.

I consider myself an expert on the entire Drina series and can say with confidence that this is not the best in the series. It is, however, a solid performer. The main problem is that it suffers from being set in an entirely different location and lacking in the usual cast of characters, particularly Drina's grandparents.

It is interesting to read others' reviews of the Drina books beacause there is so much confusion over the titles and which book is which. I'm also intrigued that no-one has mentioned the later books including the final book, "Drina Ballerina" which was only written in about 1990.

I first read a Drina book in the 1970s, in coloured hardback editions. At that time only the first six books were available. Since then I have discovered Drina Dances in Paris, Switzerland, Madeira, Drina goes on Tour, and finally, Drina Ballerina, set in contemporary England and with considerable changes to the characters, particularly Rose...