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Behind the Sequins
Behind the Sequins
Nov 15, 2024 2:37 AM

Author:Shirley Ballas

Behind the Sequins

Leave it all on the floor...

Queen of Latin Ballroom, Shirley Ballas has a spectacular dance career spanning over 40 years – she has Cha-Cha'd her way across the world's dance floors to become a multi-award-winning ballroom champion and one of the most renowned dancers in the world. In 1996, Shirley retired from competitive dancing to become a highly-acclaimed coach and now holds the enviable position of Head Judge on BBC One's prime time show Strictly Come Dancing.

In Behind the Sequins, she leads us through her dramatic and determined life, from growing up in a rough estate on the Wirral and leaving home at 14 years old, to conquering the high-octane world of ballroom and coping with betrayal, bullying, two broken marriages and a personal tragedy that left Shirley and her family devastated.

Speaking from the heart, Shirley leaves her dancing shoes at the door to tell you the story of a fiery, strong-willed grafter who could make the brat pack blush.

Reviews

David Hepworth's books go against one of the core rules of rock & roll. You are supposed to get worse the more you release. He doesn't seem to get that. This latest may be his best. Where's the tradition in that?

—— Danny Baker

Hepworth's ability to mock subjects he has a clear affection for and cast well-worn anecdotes in a fresh light makes his history of rock'n'roll's special relationship a zippy delight

—— The Times

A waspish and witty book

—— The Herald

Fascinating and entertaining

—— Hot Press Magazine

Another tremendously enjoyable read, full of good stories, expertly told: in other words, satisfaction guaranteed

—— The Spectator

A collection of intimate and thoughtful conversations between the President and the Boss

—— Los Angeles Times

Do you dream of scoring an invitation to Springsteen's Colts Neck compound? Maybe strumming on those guitars, riding horses, riffing on the American experiment in the recording studio? Unless you're an American president, you're going to have to get in line. But in between daydreams, pick up Renegades. It's the closest thing to being a fly on the wall of an incredible friendship

—— Esquire

Mark that young man, he will make a name for himself in the world

—— Mozart after hearing the young Beethoven play

Tunbridge has come up with the seemingly impossible: a new way of approaching Beethoven's life and music . . . and in every chapter a superb - and accessible to non-musicians - analysis of the music . . . profoundly original and hugely readable

—— John Suchet, author Beethoven: The Man Revealed

Remarkable . . . she captures the essence of his genius and character. I'll always want to keep it in easy reach

—— Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the third Reich

Illuminating . . . deftly gathers in the connections . . . In 288 pages, Tunbridge gives us detail enough to create a rounded portrait . . . She makes us marvel at Beethoven all the more

—— Fiona Maddocks , Observer

You don't have to be a music scholar to enjoy this brilliant, and pleasingly concise book. But, if you don't love Beethoven, both the man and his music, when you start, you should by the time you finish

—— Roger Alton , Daily Mail

Cuts straight to the action . . . Tunbridge balances the traditional narrative of universal, timeless genius, of innovation before its time, with a pragmatic, jobbing musician working hard to make a living

—— Alexandra Coghlan , Spectator

Compact but also rewarding...a lot of information is packed into her musical portraits

—— Richard Fairman , Financial Times

Laura Tunbridge finds something fresh to say about Beethoven by looking at his life through nine pieces... An entertaining way to celebrate the great man's 250th birthday

—— James Marriott , Sunday Times Books of the Year

A twinkling elucidation of concert life in Vienna... fluent, concise and engaging

—— Paul Griffith , Times Literary Supplement

Laura Tunbridge, in her new biographical study, has found an elegant way to give Beethovenian heroism and struggle its due, while slyly plucking at the reverse of Solomon's martial banner... Each chapter delivers its little shock of correction

—— James Wood , London Review of Books

Laura Tunbridge offers a timely portrait of the composer in an elegant biography . . . refreshingly, [she] focuses on the man rather than the myth. Knowledgeable and humane, this is a deeply sympathetic portrait of a turbulent musical genius

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

Tunbridge never stints on musical description, nor compromises her admirable rigour, while her prose is vivid, crystal-clear and never less than fascinating . . . a wonderfully rewarding book

—— Jessica Duchen , Classical Music Magazine

Simmering with sexual tension, this hugely enjoyable ensemble narrative turns on a raucous party.

—— Mail on Sunday

Malibu Rising is finely crafted commercial fiction, escapism in high definition, a quintessential beach read... If Nina Riva's party is the hottest ticket of the summer, then Malibu Rising is a front-row seat at the main event.

—— Irish Times

A gorgeous, sun-soaked novel that delves into the glamour and desperate hope of 1980s Malibu, and the saga of a family that will never be the same again.

—— The Skinny

The perfect summer novel, a vibrant story filled with sun, surfing, and flawed but lovable characters.

—— Daily Beast

After a year where most people stayed home, it's a great time to escape to the beach, even if only through Reid's writing.

—— Independent

This glamourous, compulsive novel is best enjoyed from your sun lounger with a cocktail in hand.

—— Good Housekeeping

A deliciously decadent tale of sex, tragedy, celebrity, surfboards and tanned skin in 1980s Malibu.

—— The Times

I absolutely loved her book.... It's an absolute blast to read

—— Alice- Azania Jarvis

JACKIE COLLINS, BUT BETTER Sacrilege to say "better", I know, but there we are. Set in the 1980s, Taylor Jenkins Reid's Malibu Rising is wonderfully written, intensely evocative and concerns the model/ surfer children of a rock star. Tons of glamour, tons of sharply observed insights about sibling relationships, plus a massive party. Beach read par excellence. See also her brilliant Daisy Jones & the Six, which is heaven (more rock stars).

—— Anonymous

When we picked up Malibu Rising, the new novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, we could barely put it down

—— That's Life

You'll never want this book to end, it will suck you in and spit you out!

—— Muddy Stilettos
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