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  • The Glass Carpet by Marjorie Cardwell book cover
  • The Glass Carpet by Marjorie Cardwell book cover
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The Glass Carpet

by Marjorie Cardwell

Ballet devotion amid Cold War intrigue

$19.85 USD
$31.02 USD $19.85 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

Ballet devotion amid Cold War intrigue

Dinah’s lifelong devotion to ballet and Rudolf Nureyev connects a story of love and family to the politics and prejudices of the 1970s. Her quiet, unassuming life intersects with Pavel, a Soviet official and unlikely double agent working in Australia. The narrative ranges across Ireland, Australia, the USSR and France, with encounters between Dinah and Nureyev marking turning points in the lives around her. The book brings intimate hopes and relationships into contact with the political pressures of its era, while making Dinah’s passion the thread linking its varied settings.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in fiction set against 1970s political tensions and Cold War contexts.
  • Readers drawn to stories about ballet, Rudolf Nureyev, and devotion to the arts.
  • Readers who enjoy narratives spanning Ireland, Australia, the USSR and France, with love and family at their heart.

Themes

Ballet and devotionLove and familyCold War politics and prejudiceIdentity and personal significance

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Dinah is a fan. From as long as she can remember she has been obsessed by ballet and is in love with its superstar, Rudolf Nureyev. Her devotion is the one thing people remember about her, because otherwise, she is small, quiet and quite unremarkable. Dinah is anonymous and so she is just the woman for Pavel - the exuberant Soviet official with a taste for silk ties and the arts, who finds himself working as an unlikely double agent in 1970s Australia.

The Glass Carpet weaves recognisable tales of love and family through the real life politics and prejudices that conspire to jeopardise ordinary people's hopes and dreams. Dinah's saga moves from Ireland, to Australia, the USSR and France and is punctuated by encounters with her dancing hero which seem to have magical effects on her life and the lives of those around her. Funny, tragic and moving, The Glass Carpet ultimately reveals that everyone is remarkable, whether they realise it or not.

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