THE SLEEPING BEAUTIES

Former ballerina Ashe delivers another bewitching work of dance-themed historical suspense (after The Dance of the Dolls). Rosamund Caradon spent most of WWII sheltering children from Britain's bombed cities in her Devonshire manor. Now, in 1945, Rosamund is returning the last of her wards to their families in London. In the process, she grows worried that her daughter, Jasmine, who made friends with many of the evacuees, will soon be too lonely. En route to London, Briar Woods, a beautiful ballerina with Sadler's Wells Ballet who embodies all of Jasmine's dance ambitions, bursts into Rosamund and Jasmine's train carriage. Though Rosamund is suspicious of Briar's interest in Jasmine, she agrees to let Jasmine visit her at Sadler's Wells. When Briar tries to convince Jasmine to live with her, however, Rosamund's suspicions grow. In shifting timelines, Ashe fleshes out Briar's mysterious past before and during the war--and the depth of her obsession with Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty--building to shocking revelations about her connection to Jasmine and Rosamund. Ashe's intimate ballet knowledge and meticulous historical detail elevate the proceedings. The result is both a satisfying page-turner and a moving meditation on the role of art in times of distress. (Sept.)