Why it hasn’t been published as an e-book is utterly mystifying. ‘A Chance to Sit Down’ is an intimate and frequently moving story of one woman’s love-hate relationship with her This reread around, the overwhelming takeaway from. I’ve just re-read A Chance to Sit Down for the umpteenth time and even though it’s more than 40 years old I enjoyed it just as much as when I first read it. Few books capture the insecurity and relentless self-flagellation of the dancer’s psyche, but Meredith Daneman writes of it with painful and occasionally jubilant relish. She has just written her first novel A Chance to Sit Down. And best of all, she starts to rebel against the demands of her highly disciplined, punishing ballet company. Ballet dancer Meredith Daneman, nee Kinmont, who is married to actor Paul Daneman, UK, 29th July 1971. The novel is narrated by the self deprecating Barbara, whose egotistical boyfriend Jack moves his latest conquest – a young dancer in the same company – into the dump of a flat they share.Īnd then, just when you’re worried that Jack is going to walk all over Barbara she decides to fight back. If you ever wondered what life is like in the tough, unforgiving corps de ballet – where girls are “rangy and lean-bodied,” have thighs that start “six inches apart at the top” and exist on a diet of grapes – this book tells you. Meredith Daneman was born and brought up in Australia but won a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London.Ī Chance to Sit Down, the first of her four novels, is the pacy and beautifully written story of a young ballet dancer.
It was first published in 1971, although my copy (yellowing and very dog-eared) is the 1981 edition, brought out to coincide with the BBC’s dramatisation of the book. Sadly – and I have no idea why – A Chance to Sit Down by Meredith Daneman is out of print. So even though my Friday Book Review usually focuses on newly published titles, this week I’ve decided to do something completely different and feature one of my favourite novels. One of the best things about writing a blog is that you can bend the rules.
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