Citizen Kane is the staple film of our time, then Ballet Shoes has to be fundamental book of girls’ literature. I have read it countless times, and it’s a book that is still wonderfully relevant. It is the romantic tale of the Fossils, three girls who mysteriously arrive at the doorstep of Sylvia and the unflappable Nannie, sent from the eccentric G.U.M or Great Uncle Matthew. The book charts the girls from babyhood until they finally fly the nest, detailing with precision the hurdles and successes that mark their incredible lives.

The writing itself is mesmerising; those magical words “organza”, “taffeta”, even “combinations”, fluttered on the tongue in a way that seemed so tactile and magical, even though I had never seen such fabrics in the flesh.

I think what made this book so attractive to me was the girls themselves. Perhaps it is because their lives are so holistically narrated that by the end of the book, you consider them almost your own sisters. They are all chalk and cheese to each other, yet they have all at some stage been my favourite. There is the eldest, Pauline, famous for her “pink and white complexion” - for how many years have I longed for those rosy cheeks, for that soft golden Alice in Wonderland style hair! Then Petrova, who, in her disdain for all things theatrical and her two left feet, is probably my most likely contemporary. And Posy, the precocious, hilarious baby dancer.

But for me, what really brings these girls alive is, for all their fantastic talents, their imperfections. Unlike so many books these days, where the heroine is not only beautiful, brave and ultimately some kind of superhuman goddess, these girls’ flaws are all too recognisable in ourselves. Pauline’s fall from grace was one of the most shocking turns, I felt, which I have reminded myself of every time I have felt the flush of success. Hers is a moral fable that all girls could do with remembering. Petrova, forever ostracised in the world of dance, offers hope to any girl who has ever felt unremarkable or talentless.

The book doesn’t shy away from topics that might be conceived as sad or cruel; the description of the plain and poor Winifred exposes the superficial discrimination that still dogs women to this day. This is real life. But eventually even Winifred has her day. For if there is one thing this book is, it is hopeful.

The family’s money troubles lie bubbling just below the veneer of ballet school glamour, the scrimping and saving all too familiar to many of us. Yes, we might not all have a GUM to save us at the end of the day from financial woes, yet the ingenuity and sheer grit of Nannie and Garnie when it comes to money-making make them, in my opinion, two of the most powerful and admirable women in literature. Overall, I would say this is one of my favourite books of all time and I think is the perfect read for girls for almost any age.

This was an adorable tale. I have watched the film countless times and decided it was time to read the book. It was just the sort of light, magical story to curl up with on a November evening. Pauline,Petrova, and Posy are three orphan girls who were picked up GUM,or rather Great-uncle-Matthew,on his many travels around the world collecting Fossils. Looked after by Gum's Great Niece, whilst he returns to his travels,the girls live in relative comfort but the money begins to run out. It is only when lodgers are taken in that the three young girls lives begin to change and they become acquainted with Shakespeare, the theater and dancing.
This is a wonderful story about passion, desire and ambition, which seems rather strange as the story revolves around three little girls.However,it is their talent and desires that allow the family to regain a little financial stability.
I am sure there are many little girls who read this and can identify with either Pauline,Petrova or Posy,as they are all very different but equably lovable.

A delightfully old-fashioned and very British story about the Fossil sisters as they participate in the performing arts. I recommend the audio as the British narrator really added to the experience for me. What I found a bit distracting was a piece early in the book when their first play was being described line by line. The rest of the book was just excellent.

Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) in You've Got Mail made me read it.

Reseña completa: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...

Pauline, Posy y Petrova Fossil son tres huérfanas que fueron adoptadas por un misterioso benefactor y ahora conviven en una mansión de Londres; las tres muy diferentes las unas de las otras, y con intereses de lo más variados. Sin embargo, con la desaparición de su benefactor, los problemas económicos no tardan en aparecer, y pronto su tutora deberá alquilar habitaciones de la casa, lo que desemboca, de alguna manera, en la entrada de las hermanas en una escuela de danza... y las tres están dispuestas a sacar a la familia adelante cueste lo que cueste.

Se trata de una novela muy sencillita y tierna, uno de esos clásicos que se podría mandar sin problemas leer a los más jóvenes, ya que es ágil, y resulta muy sencillo empatizar con las tres hermanas, cuya relación es de lo más verosímil: cómo se pican, cómo se apoyan, sus sueños, miedos, enfados... son absolutamente reales.

I love this book.
When I think of this book, I think:
Ribbons, vintage books, childhood, aeroplanes, the theatre, and ballet shoes.

This book is essentially about girlhood and sisterhood and the burden of growing into a woman.
It gives us a peek into life in 1920s england in the stage school world.
It's a classic because it encapsulates the human experience of three completely different girls growing up together and being fast friends despite money and career troubles.
All the characters in this book are likeable and interesting. They feel like real people that I've met.
This book is personal and beautiful.


Also, Petrova fossil is literally me

*sighs dreamily*

when petrova said, "i wonder, if other girls had to be one of us, which of us they'd choose to be," i don't think she was aware that i'd be chasing the answer to that question—and making it my entire personality—for the majority of my childhood (and long afterward).

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the 75th puffin edition of of one my favourite childhood books is a prized possession <3

نویسنده درباره این کتاب گفته:
"really a fairy story with its feet halfway on the ground"
و من هم با این توصیف موافقم.

Sweet little book, perfect to read to little girls with a passion for dancing and acting, though a bit dated now.

I would DIE for this book

Somehow this book passed me by during childhood but I'm so glad that I was introduced to it recently.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, characters, social history aspect and writing style.

(3.5) I was glad to have an excuse (the 1936 Club blogger challenge) to read this beloved children’s classic. Like many older books and films geared towards children, it’s a realistic fantasy about orphans finding affection and success. Great-Uncle Matthew (“Gum”) goes hunting for fossils around the world and has a peculiar habit of finding unwanted babies that are to be raised by his niece, Sylvia (“Garnie”), and a nursemaid, Nana. He names the three girls he has magically acquired Pauline, Petrova, and Posy, and gifts them all the surname Fossil. When Gum goes back out on his travels, the money soon runs out and the girls’ schooling takes a backseat to the need for money. Sylvia takes in lodgers and the girls are accepted to attend a dance and theatre academy for free.

Every year, the sisters vow to do all they can to get the Fossil name in history books – and this on their own merit, not based on anything their (unknown) ancestors have done – and to get as much household money for Garnie as possible. Pauline is a gifted actress and Posy a talented dancer, but Petrova knows the performing world is not for her; she’d rather learn about how machines work, and operate cars and airplanes. While beautiful blonde Pauline plays the lead role in Alice in Wonderland and one of the princes in Richard III, Petrova is happy to stay in the background as a fairy or a page in Shakespeare productions.

I found the social history particularly interesting here. The family seems upper class by nature, yet a lack of money means they find it a challenge to keep the girls in an appropriate wardrobe. There is much counting of guineas and shillings, with Pauline the chief household earner. Acting in plays and films is no mere hobby for her. The same goes for Winifred, who auditions opposite Pauline for Alice but doesn’t get the part – even though she is the better actress and needs the money to care for her ill father and five younger siblings – because she’s not as pretty. Pauline and Petrova also notice that child actors with cockney accents don’t get picked for the best roles. The Fossils sometimes feel compassion for those children worse off than themselves, but at other times let their achievements go to their heads.

At a certain point, I wearied of the recurring money, wardrobe, and audition issues, but I still found this a charming book about how luck and skill combine as girls dream about who they want to be when they grow up. There are also some cosy and witty turns of phrase, like “She was in that state of having a cold when nothing is very nice to do … she felt hot, and not very much like eating toffee, and what is the fun of making toffee unless you want to eat it.” I daresay if I had encountered this at age seven instead of 37, it would have been a favourite.

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.