Nocturne

In this haunting,evocative fantasy set in 1930s Chicagoa talented ballerina finds herself torn between her dreams and her desires when sheΓÇÖs pursued by a secretive patron who may be more than he seems. ΓÇ£An utterly uniquelyrical play on the Persephone and Hades myth for fans of Neil Gaiman or Madeline Miller.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöBooklist (starred review) Growing up in ChicagoΓÇÖs Little Sicily in the years following the Great WarGrace Dragotta has always wanted to be a ballerinaever since she first peered through the windows of the Near North Ballet company. So when Grace is orphanedshe chooses the ballet as her homeimagining herself forever ensconced in a transcendent world of light and beauty so different from her poorimmigrant upbringing. Years laterwith the Great Depression in full swingGrace has become the companyΓÇÖs new prima ballerinaΓÇöthough achieving her long-held dream is not the triumph she once envisioned. Time and familiarity have tarnished that shining visionand her new position means the loss of her best friend in the world. Then she attracts the attention of the enigmatic Master La Rosa as her personal patron and realizes the world is not as small or constricted as she had come to fear. Who is her mysterious patronand what does he want from her? As Grace begins to unlock the MasterΓÇÖs secretsshe discovers that there is beauty in darkness as well as lightfinds that true friendship cannot be broken by time or distanceand realizes there may be another way entirely to achieve the transcendence she has always sought.