New skating book - “Finding Her Edge”

[goldberry99]

Saw this in publishing news. Won’t come out for a while but I like the idea of “Persuasion” set in the world of ice dance. The author already has a book called “Break the Fall” about elite gymnastics that has done quite well. The author is also apparently a gymnastics coach so may focus on the training and realism more than just soap opera.

Julie Rosenberg at Razorbill has bought Finding Her Edge, a YA novel by Jennifer Iacopelli (Break the Fall). This retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion features a 16-year-old competitive ice dancer who must confront her family's mounting debt, her current partner's inexplicable romantic interest, and the reemergence of the partner she left behind as she trains for the biggest competition of her life. Publication is set for spring 2022; Alice Sutherland-Hawes at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights.

 

[Yehudi]

Back in the early days of skating fandom, someone wrote Austen fanfic set in the world of skating.

Kiss and Cry

 

[Kateri]

"Persuasion" featuring a 16 year protag is kind of missing the point of "Persuasion" (reuniting with a youthful flame now that you're ~over the hill~), but ok.

 

[Wyliefan]

Too bad they made her an ice dancer; if she were an Eteri girl, 16 really would be over the hill. (Come on, someone had to say it. ) Anyway, I think it sounds like fun!

 

[Colonel Green]

A 16-year-old dealing with “the reemergence of the partner she left behind”? So, what, they split when they were 12-13?

 

[TanithandBenFan]

I enjoyed her book set in the tennis world. I’m curious how technical she’ll get with the skating.

 

[Kateri]

Too bad they made her an ice dancer; if she were an Eteri girl, 16 really would be over the hill. (Come on, someone had to say it. ) Anyway, I think it sounds like fun!

It's funny, 'cause Jane Austen "over-the-hill" marriage-ages do kinda correlate with figure skating ages. Thinking of Lydia in P&P being appalled at the idea of a girl having no world medal husband by the age of 21 - she might as well give up! (Lydia, of course, is an artless jumping bean, who medals at 15)

A true-to age version of Persuasion, where a teen skater full of potential is forcefully "encouraged" by her coaches to break up with her ice-dance partner because they think she can do better, but ends up partnerless at 27, full of regrets, chance for success almost gone - well. I can think of a few skaters in real life that I hope get a happy ending! (Yu Xiaoyu, anyone?)

 

[Andora]

Back in the early days of skating fandom, someone wrote Austen fanfic set in the world of skating.

Kiss and Cry

Oh, my gosh - thank you for this blast from the past. It was up there with 2-3 other stellar fanfics that I still remember (and loved) reading. I even vaguely recall finishing it just before the author re-wrote the ending.

Might have to dust off some old skating paperbacks for a nice reprieve this weekend.

 

[Yehudi]

Oh, my gosh - thank you for this blast from the past. It was up there with 2-3 other stellar fanfics that I still remember (and loved) reading. I even vaguely recall finishing it just before the author re-wrote the ending.

Might have to dust off some old skating paperbacks for a nice reprieve this weekend.

the author wrote two sequels, one of which was based on persuasion (cousin William Walter is a slick agent this time, Elizabeth was a Nicole Bobekesque flame out, and the Louisa counterpart gets her head injury trying to skate)

The other stellar fic from back then was loosely based on Phantom of the Opera except the Phantom so far hadn’t displayed any homicidal tendencies (the fic was unfinished). And, of course, I still am mad that Cassandra and Larissa never hooked up.

 

[LilJen]

Thinking of Lydia in P&P being appalled at the idea of a girl having no world medal husband by the age of 21 - she might as well give up! (Lydia, of course, is an artless jumping bean, who medals at 15)

Lydia then gets some sweet endorsements, but she fritters them all away and ignores her training, becoming washed up at the age of 16.5.

 

[dramagrrl]

Lydia then gets some sweet endorsements, but she fritters them all away and ignores her training, becoming washed up at the age of 16.5.

And then doesn't she

Spoiler

die in a plane crash or some sort of accident, leaving Rich to mourn her for about two seconds before eventually marrying Amy

?

 

[Yehudi]

^^^

yeah and Lidia and Wickham’s disgrace was

Spoiler

trying to club Georgina in the knee

 

[Sonata]

Spring of 2022? But I need my skating fix now!

Also - you really can write about anything. Why didn’t I think of writing an Austen-inspired skating novel?

 

[Immortelle]

I want the Brontë-inspired skating novel!
The mad ex-partner in the attic, the crusty and jaded former Olympian falling for the young and talented yet ‘plain’ single skater??

 

[Kateri]

Spring of 2022? But I need my skating fix now!

Also - you really can write about anything. Why didn’t I think of writing an Austen-inspired skating novel?

I read a novel that was like Jane Austen, but everyone was dragons*, so Jane Austen but figure skaters is practically conventional!

(*it's actually really good, it's called Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton)

 

[Sonata]

I want the Brontë-inspired skating novel!
The mad ex-partner in the attic, the crusty and jaded former Olympian falling for the young and talented yet ‘plain’ single skater??

I WANT to read this book.
Will Adèle be the sekret baby? Is the ex-partner being kept in the concession stands? Is Jane struggling to pay for her skating by teaching Adèle to skate?

I read a novel that was like Jane Austen, but everyone was dragons*, so Jane Austen but figure skaters is practically conventional!

(*it's actually really good, it's called Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton)

Tooth and Claw lol. My skating book would be called, “Tooth and Toepick”.

 

[Immortelle]

I WANT to read this book.
Will Adèle be the sekret baby? Is the ex-partner being kept in the concession stands? Is Jane struggling to pay for her skating by teaching Adèle to skate?

I forgot about Adèle there for a while. I was probably distracted by the idea of Eteri as Grace Poole...

 

[Kateri]

A true-to age version of Persuasion, where a teen skater full of potential is forcefully "encouraged" by her coaches to break up with her ice-dance partner because they think she can do better, but ends up partnerless at 27, full of regrets, chance for success almost gone - well. I can think of a few skaters in real life that I hope get a happy ending! (Yu Xiaoyu, anyone?)

Yu Xiaoyu Avonley Nguyen, anyone?

 

[TanithandBenFan]

I started this book last night and was wondering if anyone else has read it yet. I think I found an error in skating logistics near the beginning about the ice dance team winning juniors at Nats but also competing as seniors?

 

[Trillian]

I started this book last night and was wondering if anyone else has read it yet. I think I found an error in skating logistics near the beginning about the ice dance team winning juniors at Nats but also competing as seniors?

I was planning to read the Kindle sample to decide if it’s worth buying. The same author wrote a previous book about teen gymnasts that was intended to be timed for the 2020 Olympics. I thought that one seemed pretty well-researched, but I don’t know enough about gymnastics to really know. As far as the writing, I thought her previous book would appeal to people who usually enjoy YA contemporaries. I don’t read a ton of YA these days, but it was a good quick weekend read.

 

[MacMadame]

I started this book last night and was wondering if anyone else has read it yet. I think I found an error in skating logistics near the beginning about the ice dance team winning juniors at Nats but also competing as seniors?

More often skaters compete in Juniors internationally and Seniors at home, not the other way around. Though it definitely happens the other way. It's just rarer.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

More often skaters compete in Juniors internationally and Seniors at home, not the other way around. Though it definitely happens the other way. It's just rarer.

It read like they competed in both juniors and seniors at the same nationals, though.

 

[Baby Yoda On Skates]

I'm not sure if I've seen a figure skating book get all the details right. One made me sideeye it when they had the protagonist score a 66 and some change with only a 3S/2T combo. And then made her get a silver medal after throwing both a 3A and a backflip in the LP.

 

[MacMadame]

It read like they competed in both juniors and seniors at the same nationals, though.

Yeah, that only happens if they do two disciplines. What a weird thing not to understand and get right!

 

[tony]

Skating in two different levels happens at Russian and Japanese Nationals, though. They of course don’t take place in the same weekend, but it is something that is done.

 

[hanca]

More often skaters compete in Juniors internationally and Seniors at home, not the other way around. Though it definitely happens the other way. It's just rarer.

Artemeva/Nazarychev- this season. Senior GP, junior and senior nationals. And possibly will be at junior worlds.

 

[MacMadame]

Artemeva/Nazarychev- this season. Senior GP, junior and senior nationals. And possibly will be at junior worlds.

I was talking about in the US because the book is set in the US. I think.

As @tony pointed out, you can't do it in the US but you can do it in other countries.

 

[Baby Yoda On Skates]

I started the book this morning and so far I haven't found any mention of junior Nationals. The protagonist says they competed at senior Nationals and were selected for junior Worlds. But I'm only about 30 pages in so maybe there's another mention further on.

Looking forward to this fake relationship coming up.

 

[Trillian]

I started the book this morning and so far I haven't found any mention of junior Nationals. The protagonist says they competed at senior Nationals and were selected for junior Worlds. But I'm only about 30 pages in so maybe there's another mention further on.

Looking forward to this fake relationship coming up.

I read however many pages they included for the Kindle sample and will probably keep going. Seems like it will be a good light read.

I didn’t catch any mention of juniors at nationals either. The main character says she and her dance partner “almost won” seniors at nationals, but somehow she’s not on the Olympic team with her sister. (Did the U.S. somehow only get one spot in dance?! ) She also seems to think they’ll be contenders for Olympic gold in four years when she’s 20. So maybe a little unrealistic about who competes where, and when, but no huge errors that I caught.

The entire junior world team all training at the same rink in the lead up to junior worlds is also a no, obviously. And her family of figure skaters a) doesn’t respect dance as a legitimate discipline, and b) keeps referring to it as “ice dance” instead of just saying “dance.”

It’s really not bad though. I’m in, why not?

 

[Baby Yoda On Skates]

Oh the entire team training at her rink was a money making scheme her dad came up with because they are broke and might have to sell the rink with their attached house.

But it does create forced proximity with her former partner who she dumped after she outgrew him.