Having loved Clara & Olivia,, I couldn't wait to read this one. WW2 historical fiction will always be a go to genre for me; add to that a fascinating insight into the world of ballet by an author with first hand experience and a clever plot with plenty of surprises and it all makes for a compelling read.

It is the story of Rosamund Carson, a widow living in Devon who takes in evacuee children during the war. En route to London on the train returning the children to their families, she encounters balllet dancer Briar who takes a particular interest in Rosamund’s daughter Jasmine - and it is as we learn more about Briar’s past that we begin to understand why.

This is a book rich in detail and full of emotion as it explores issues around female friendships, family secrets, obsession and jealousy. As a ballet lover I loved the insight into the often complicated world of ballet, which adds to its atmospheric quality, and the parallels with the story of Sleeping Beauty woven throughout the book. And for me one of the joys of historical fiction is often reading the author’s notes at the end and learning how much is based on real events - in this case what the members of Sadlers Wells Ballet went through during the war.

Drawn into the story and immersed in the points of view of Rosamund and Briar, both very real, flaws and all, I was happily turning the pages - and then Ashe threw in a twist that I certainly never expected which made me love the book even more.

This was such a good book, beautifully written, drawing me into the story and keeping me hooked until the very last page. It was very emotional, dealing with motherhood, relationships between friends and love. And underpinning it all was ballet using the real life story of Sadler’s Wells Ballet during the war. This was fascinating and the details of the ballets has made me want to go and see them again. Thank you to Oneworld and Netgalley for the reading copy.
I’d definitely recommend this.

This is the first book I have read by the author , I love historical novels set around the Second World War and I was drawn to the synopsis of The Sleeping Beauties.
It's set over two timelines- pre and post Second World War and told from the point of view of Rosamund and Briar, the latter is a dancer at Sadlers Wells.
This is a well written novel with lots of historical details but I wasn't drawn to the characters and I did find that the two time lines became confusing.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

The Sleeping Beauties by Lucy Ashe certainly lives up to its description of "An unputdownable tale of obsession, jealousy and heartache against the backdrop of WW2 " and I found myself compelled to keep reading as the author delivered twist after twist.
The book jumps backwards and forwards through two timelines and has two main point of view characters so readers who prefer more linear storytelling may find it a little challenging at first, but it is worth persevering.
The book begins just after the end of the second world war as widowed Rosemary Caradon is bringing the last of the evacuated children who were billeted with her back to their homes in London. She is worried that her daughter Jasmine will miss them, so when Jasmine is distracted by a beautiful young ballerina they meet on the train Rosemary is glad of the distraction while at the same time feeling slightly put out that her daughter's attentions are so quickly captivated by the beautiful Briar, as we learn the ballet dancer is called. When Rosemary recognises Briar as the daughter of the local milliner from their home town she is somewhat mollified and agrees that she and Jasmine will visit Briar at Sadler's Wells.
However it seems that Rosemary's instinct may not be as far off the mark as it first appeared once we start to get some chapters from Briar's perspective, her fascination with Jasmine has its roots in something that happened before the war began, and so the reader follows her on her journey as a young ballerina who is part of the corps, along with her best friends Violet and Martha. As Briar's story unfolds we see how the consequences of one tragic night will ripple outwards and impact on Rosemary and Jasmine as well as understanding the traumas that have shaped Briar into a woman desperate to right the wrongs of her past.
This was a fast paced and compelling read with characters that it was easy to feel sympathy for, even if they were not particularly likeable. I am a sucker for a book with a ballet setting, always have been, and I found the attention to historical detail in this book was impeccable, so much so that I found myself reading the author's notes at the end and noting down some of the titles she used for reference. I do think there was one twist too many which took the story a little too far, but that really is a very minor complaint about a book I liked very much and it made me keen to read more by this author.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher , all opinions are my own.

I loved Lucy Ashe’s debut novel Clara and Olivia which was published last year and I really looked forward to reading The Sleeping Beauties. I have always been fascinated by the world of ballet and Lucy really uses her knowledge and expertise to bring her story to life.
This is the story set before and after the Second World War. Rosamund and her daughter Jasmine live in a big house in a Devonshire village and have a ‘chance’ encounter with Briar Woods on a train journey to London. Briar is a ballet dancer with Sadlers Wells in London and her parents live in a town close to where Rosamund lives. Briar seems to have an obsession with Jasmine which leaves Rosamund uncomfortable and wary.
The story is told firstly from Rosamund’s point of view and the story moves quite quickly but then the viewpoint changes to Briar and the book skips back and forth in time to explain the reasons behind her behaviour. It becomes quite a slow burn but it is worth persevering for the end of the book alone.

This was a beautifully written book. Historical fiction often feels like an escape for me, and both the characters and the story came to life for me. This reminded me of the historical sagas I sometimes read, and it also had a romantic, fairy tale quality that I warmed to, most likely because of the princess and ballet themes. I liked the characters, and the writing in general was so beautiful that I felt almost absorbed by it, and kept telling myself I would read one more chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

This starts out being told from Rosamund’s
POV, encountering the ballerina Briar Woods, who insinuates herself into Rosamund and Jasmine (her daughter)’s lives. Then it abruptly shifts into Briar’s POV (very abruptly in the eARC I was reading, as there was no indication the narrator had changed other than you working it out for yourself).

After building up tension where Briar tells us why she is fixated on Jasmine, it then goes back in time to slowly, slowly take us through the pre-war and war years. As I was reading, it felt an odd way to structure things, as I’d been gripped by the tension at the beginning, only to then be left hanging and pulled into a different story and narrator for the majority of the book. I understand why we had to see Briar’s story play out though, and if you’re like me and feel the same way about the tension then long, slow burn - let’s just say persevere, the ending more than compensates I think!

While I don’t think it quite lives up to the 5* I gave Ashe’s debut novel (Clara & Olivia), it is nevertheless an excellent second novel and the ending pulls it up to 4* from me.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

I read 25% of this book before putting it down for good. I found it slow, none of the characters were endearing and nothing had really happened. I don’t DNF books very often but this was making me not want to read.