The Turning Pointe, Vanessa L. Torres
The Turning Pointe, Vanessa L. Torres
List: $27.50 | Sale: $19.25
Club: $13.75

The Turning Pointe

Author: Vanessa L. Torres

Narrator: Victoria Villarreal

Unabridged: 11 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/22/2022

Synopsis

A bold and emotionally gripping novel about a teenage Latinx girl finding freedom through dance and breaking expectations in 1980s Minnesota.

When sixteen-year-old Rosa Dominguez pirouettes, she is poetry in pointe shoes. And as the daughter of a tyrant ballet Master, Rosa seems destined to become the star principal dancer of her studio. But Rosa would do anything for one hour in the dance studio upstairs where Prince, the Purple One himself, is in the house.

After her father announces their upcoming auditions for a concert with Prince, Rosa is more determined than ever to succeed. Then Nikki--the cross-dressing, funky boy who works in the dance shop--leaps into her life. Weighed down by family expectations, Rosa is at a crossroads, desperate to escape so she can show everyone what she can do when freed of her pointe shoes. Now is her chance to break away from a life in tulle, grooving to that unmistakable Minneapolis sound reverberating through every bone in her body.

About The Author

Vanessa L. Torres is a Latinx writer who has worked as a flight medic and currently works as a firefighter paramedic. She's a founding member of the B.R.A.V.E. Foundation, a volunteer organization that works with firefighting and medical personnel in developing countries and is the recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow award from Rotary International for her work in Guatemala. Vanessa is also the co-coordinator of The Olympia Writers Group, a critique group with one-hundred-plus members, and an active member of SCBWI and The Pacific Northwest Writers Association. Transplanted from Minnesota, she is married to another firefighter paramedic and they live in the Pacific Northwest with their nine-year-old daughter. This is her debut novel.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bookishrealm on July 03, 2022

I need more people to read this book! It's devastatingly beautiful and definitely deserves more attention. 4.5 Stars The Turning Pointe follows Rosa Dominguez, a ballerina, who dreams of nothing more than dancing for Prince (yes, the one and only Prince) who is the dance studio above her. Fortunately......more

Goodreads review by Kate on January 24, 2022

You ever read a book that seemed like it was just absolutely meant to be one of those amazing coming-of-age teen movies that came out of the 80s and 90s and is now a cult classic? The Turning Pointe is that book for me. Full rtc but in the meantime, things I loved: ➸ The 80s lingo was so immersive! A......more

Goodreads review by Susan on August 23, 2021

The Turning Pointe is an absolutely stunning debut novel from Vanessa L. Torres about the often competitive and brutal world of a small ballet company in Minneapolis, Minnesota as told through the vivid, evocative lens of its heroine, Rosa Dominguez, a Prince-obsessed “bunhead” with whom you will in......more

Goodreads review by Stacy on February 22, 2022

I’m a sucker for anything dance-related, so I was super excited for this book. It did not disappoint! Set in the 80s in Minneapolis, Prince-obsessed Rosa is a student at a ballet company run by her father. While she struggles to decide if ballet is the kind of dance she wants to pursue, she can’t re......more

Goodreads review by Amanda at Bookish Brews on April 14, 2022

I grew up in this book. This book is told in the city that raised me. I grew up walking down Hennepin, listening to Prince, dreaming of First Ave, avoiding my home on Hiawatha. There is nothing like this book. It is stunning, breathtaking, heart-wrenching, and beautiful. I will be thinking about it......more

Quotes

"Firmly rooted in era and place, interwoven with Spanish and filled with vivid, frequently gritty, sensory details and suspenseful subplots, the novel powerfully depicts Rosa’s emotional voice, deep love for Gloria, and struggles toward understanding, acceptance, and joy."—Publishers Weekly

"Realistic with a beautifully hopeful ending, Torres’ historical novel will dance its way into readers’ hearts."—Booklist

"A powerful story of overcoming expectations with a hopeful ending."—Kirkus

"With masterfully drawn characters, complex relationships, and gripping prose, Torres has given the world a story that will cling to hearts and minds long after its final words. Hauntingly gorgeous."
—Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times-bestselling author of A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

"Torres crafts characters so real I can feel their heartbeats as strong as Prince's "Purple Rain" guitar solo. You won't forget this incredibly compelling story that goes beyond a girl just finding out who she is—but how to be the change the world isn't ready for yet. A must read for anyone with a heart."
—Dante Medema, author of The Truth Project and Message Not Found

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List