Bluebird by Harriet Parsons

It’s 1991; at a Russian ballet school, ballet is everything – beauty, perfection, endurance, sacrifice ...

When Dublin girls Hope and Emily are chosen to study at the famous Pavlovgrad Ballet School, they think all their dreams have come true, but the challenges they face will be harder than they could ever imagine.

Daily life in the Soviet Union is like stepping into another world – freezing winters, sugar shortages, boarding at school with the other ballet students – but the chance to learn from the best, and the chance to become the best, makes all the sacrifice worthwhile. Or does it? For Hope, adopted from Russia as a baby, returning to the country of her birth to fulfil her dream of becoming a ballerina uncovers secrets buried deep…

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Where ballet is beauty, sacrifice, and survival.

Pre-Reading Thoughts
Russian ballet school in 1991 + Dublin girls chasing a dream + hidden pasts? This immediately felt like a high-stakes coming-of-age story wrapped in discipline, ambition, and emotional pressure. I was expecting something grounded in realism with a strong focus on training and transformation.

Post-Reading
As I thought... the ballet world is vividly and convincingly drawn. The author’s own training background really shows - there’s an authenticity to the day-to-day reality of the school that makes everything feel lived-in rather than romanticised.
It surprised me by... how much the setting becomes a character in itself. The Soviet-era backdrop, the isolation, the scarcity, the strict structure of the school - it all adds weight to the girls’ ambitions and choices. Even when some of the terminology got technical, the emotional clarity of the story carried it through.

Music Pairing
🎵 Featured Song: “Experience” – Ludovico Einaudi
🎶 Vibe Album: “Sleep” – Max Richter
🎧 Artist Recommendation: AURORA

Vibe Check
🎨 Colour Palette: ice blue, rehearsal black, rosin dust white, faded red velvet
🎼 Soundtrack: piano scales, breath held before a leap, the sharp tap of corrections
❄️ Season: deep winter (bare branches, frost on windows, studio heat inside)
🩰 Mood: disciplined, intense, quietly emotional
🕯 Scent: rosin, cold air, sweat, and old wooden floors

Tarot Pull
🗡 Eight of Pentacles – dedication, repetition, and mastery through relentless practice. This fits perfectly here: the grinding, invisible work behind elegance, and what it costs to pursue perfection.

For Fans Of
📖 Ballet Shoes
🎬 Black Swan (for the intensity and psychological edge, though this is more grounded)

Bluebird publishes on 1st September from O’Brien Press. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.