Opera Dancer [Paperback]

Sandra Heath (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Signet; First Edition edition (October 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451143531
• ISBN-13: 978-0451143532
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,025,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different and worth seeking out, May 23, 2005

By 

Susan Smith (A small rural village in the English Midlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opera Dancer (Paperback)

I sought out a copy of this based on kellytwo's review below. And, although I did enjoy this book, I find I am unable to give it 5 stars.

It is, as kellytwo points out most carefully, not the usual sort of Regency novel. Sandra Heath's plot is very much out of the ordinary and she has applied great skill and story-telling ability to give us a very different style of story. However, although I accept that the main characters (particularly the H/H) were not acting out a typical Regency romance, I found it very hard to warm to them.

For a start, Nonny Lambert struck me as a little hard. Yes, she had to be to a certain degree, bearing in mind that she was a woman alone, turned onto the streets. However, I did not find her particularly likable - I could not imagine having much in common with her or her outlook on life. She seemed, at times, to be both a bit of a tease and a "touch me not" woman. The hero, Sir Philip Hastings just did not work for me. A hard man, selfish and determined to have his own way in life, he could not arouse in me a spark of passion. I believe most strongly that readers of romance need to fall a little in love with their heros or else there is no real satisfaction in the reading.

So, I give this book 4 stars because it was so unusual and because it was so well written. But, because the H/H could not arouse in me any deep sympathy, empathy or "passion" I cannot give it 5 and I can't call it a keeper.

5.0 out of 5 stars An unusual pleasure --, February 24, 2005

By 

kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opera Dancer (Paperback)

The Opera Dancer provides an interesting look at London theater in 1816-17 or so. While it is certainly thus set in the Regency, it isn't really a romance, as such, but more historical fiction. If you like the books of Catherine Cookson, you should really like this one by fellow Brit, Sandra Heath.

Innocent Nonny Lambert, suddenly orphaned at fourteen, now at nineteen, finds herself also destitute with no family, no funds, little hope for the future. The only thing she does have is a solid family tradition of the theater: her Italian mother was a noted opera singer, her older sister Melisande an acclaimed opera dancer and her father THE dancing master, and supreme choreographer. Nonny was meant for the stage as well, until her lessons ended so abruptly five years ago.

Now, however, her future is dark, when she is befriended by an unlikely young woman-Josie Woods-an impertinent young `employee' of Madame Siffre. Madame runs an exclusive gambling establishment with attractive young women who are available to the clientele, for a price. When Josie discovers Nonna's singing talent, she convinces the younger girl to come with her for an audition. Perhaps Madame would provide entertainment of a different kind to her clients.

With the help of a mask and a turban to cover her flaming red hair, Nonna is a success beyond her dreams. Although she meets many titled gentlemen, two in particular will play a large role in her future. Justin, Lord Farnsworth, heir to the Duke of Aldane is obsessed by the young woman who seems impervious to his title, his wealth, his attractive person. Justin's cousin, Sir Philip Hastings, older and more temperate, is the one who catches Nonna's eye. Other than to rescue her from over-amorous young men, however, he pays Nonna little attention.

One day, Nonna goes to the Opera House, where she meets her sister's former lover, Armand Vania, the premier dancer in all of England. He immediately casts aside all his flirts to zero in on Nonna. Knowing she cannot have Sir Philip, she accepts Vania's proposal.

On the surface, they are London's golden couple; talented, beautiful, wealthy. But off-stage, little is as it seems, and when Vania believes gossip rather than Nonna, her world falls apart once again.

Vania becomes a formidable enemy, but fate works in strange ways. Nonna persists in her determination to tread the straight and narrow pathway on the way to her own stage career while fending off importunate town beaus. Josie proves to be a good friend, and finds her own beau, a young playwright who crafts Nonna's stage triumphs. With the help of a rival theater manager, that is.

In the end, well- there is a happy ending, of course. But this is not a typical romance novel, to be sure. It does have all the hallmarks, however, of a Sandra Heath novel. Wonderful evocative writing that creates a `you are there' sensibility; one can almost smell and taste the London she imagines. The settings are vividly brought to life with few words, and the characters are as well-drawn and varied as any thought up by Shakespeare. She kept me wondering until the next-to-last page. Well done!