Drina Dances in Exile by jean estoril

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Ich hatte als Kind auch eine Ballettphase, wenn auch nur über Bücher ;) die Cindy-Bücher fand ich damals alle super und hab mir eines nach dem anderen von der Omi schenken lassen oder selbst vom Taschengeld gekauft. Ich fand auch alle Cover so toll, ich hab die immer bewundert.
(wobei ich sagen muss, dieses hier im roten Kleid fand ich immer sehr seltsam, wie sie da dransteht. Mein Lieblingscover ist das von "Cindy im Internat", der dritte Teil.

Gerade habe ich gesehen, dass sie im Englischen "Drina" heisst ... wer kommt bitteschön auf die Idee, jemand von Drina nach Cindy zu übersetzen für den deutschen Buchmarkt? Wieso nicht gleich Steffi oder Lisa? ^^

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callofthewind

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

The first half isn't that good, but the second half is all the better. 3,5 Stars.

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Painx

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Drina is surprised and shocked when told her grandparents will be going to Australia for her grandfather's health, and while they are gone she must go the the Dominick's boarding school in the country. Once there she is at first desperately unhappy, which is reflected in both her dancing and her schoolwork. But then things turn around . . .

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Nocti

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

When Drina's grandparents (who recently moved to London just so Drina can pursue ballet lessons from a topnotch school, the Dominick) move to Australia for a year, Drina attends the residential branch of Dominick, Chalk Green. Another entry in the delightful series by the estimable Mable Esther Allan, under the pseudonym of Jean Estoril.

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JayTCU

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I loved this series when I was younger, and when I had the chance to get some of these books through bookcrossing, I couldn't resist.

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ValtElf

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Out of the five books of the series I read while growing up, this was always my least favorite. I felt like the first half really dragged, and now that I'm older I can understand why. Drina is sent to a boarding school, as her grandparents need to spend time in Australia for health reasons, and she is absolutely miserable. She feels horrid despite the fact that the school is directly connected to the ballet academy she's currently attending, and despite the fact that she clearly wants her grandfather to be well again. I can completely understand the horror of being in a new place with no friends or family, but Drina really seemed most unhappy simply because she was in the deep country and away from the hustle and bustle of London and her direct connection with the ballet company. Considering how literally obsessed she is with dancing, and how she's repeatedly thought and said she'd die if she couldn't dance, one would think she'd be happy enough just to still be in training!

The second half is much better, after she finds her way back to her normal self, and the entire book is worth it just for the chapter where she sees a movie of her mother dancing. I think it's one of the most moving scenes in the entire series. But overall I do think it's one of the weaker books, and I'm happy to move on to the next one.

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MTKN9068

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

This is my favourite ballet series and this is possibly my favourite one of the books. (Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that Hogwards made half of my generation want to go to a boarding school? Maybe. But childhood feels are big feels.) I probably read these (sadly, not all of them had a Finnish translation) more than ten times during elementary school (Yes, I was a hopeless bunhead) and wrote a dozen novel beginnings that heavily ripped it off. (Interesting, that none of them involved an orphan with a mysterious heritage... since I probably ripped off both this and Harry Potter on a regular basis.)

Okay, this isn't looking like a review at all. I can't review something like this objectively.

I get why some people don't like it that Drina kind of magically always gets her way and has a pretty uncanny luck sometimes... okay, often. But personally I don't really care. I don't think the point of this book/series is to be realistic. It's to be inspiring. Plus, it's a kids' book. Young dancers don't want to read about a main character who fails and struggles too much. When they have just started dancing, and it's still all rainbows and roses, they want to read about a character who is an obvious talent, doesn't take too long to realize their dreams, has a hopeful amount of luck during the hardships and carries that aura that they really are going to be the 0,000000000000001% exception who's going to make it big.

If it was a YA book, then the character could be someone a bit more down to earth, but I think it's a good thing that kids' books have characters that make us dream big, rather than really relate to.

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Godfi

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

In the third book, Drina leaves London to live at the Dominick Residential school near Saunderton which is in the Chilterns. Drina feels she is in exile and struggles to dance well and make friends.

I enjoyed reading about the beautiful countryside which is not far from where I have been brought up and I felt for Drina as her grandmother sprung the move on her and I suppose the countryside is difficult to adjust to if you have been used to London.

Again, Drina develops and realises that there is more to life than just dancing and she adjusts to her surroundings much better after a conversation with Marianne Volonaise.

Another good instalment in the series.

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Drina #3

Drina Dances in Exile

jean estoril mabel esther allan

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jean estoril

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