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Krista Madsen
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Degas Must Have Loved a Dancer Kindle Edition

by Krista Madsen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
2.8 2.8 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
See all formats and editions
A young artist and poet circle about solitary fantasies of one another—each afraid to commit any further after a chance meeting on a bus where the artist sketches the poet, whose hair has turned shockingly white despite her youth. Kismet, every character in the novel repeatedly tells these two. Kismet. How can you not go for it? But . . .
Set in Belgium, where these young Americans work, one to take a nanny’s job, the other to debut his art in a cousin’s gallery, the novel reveals a good deal about the Euro youth scene, while exploring the carpe diem theme in a most devastating manner.

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  1. Print length
    184 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    September 13, 2011
  5. File size
    319 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Highly recommend this gem to anyone that loves good fiction, can appreciate lyrical language reminiscent of Flaubert (fine chocolate!) and the obsession one carries for their art..."
- Felicia Sullivan, author of the memoirThe Sky Isn't Visible from Here: Scenes from a Life

"Madsen's first-person narrative is more than intense, it isintrepid, a sometimes harsh account of longing/love and how that obsession canspur creative instincts..." - Krista McGruder, author of novel Beulah Land

About the Author

A native of Connecticut, Krista Madsen received her undergraduate degree in English from Yale University and her M.F.A. in creative writing from New School University. She currently lives and works in New York City. This is her first novel.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005N0KG06
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Livingston Press (September 13, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 13, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 319 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    2.8 2.8 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Krista Madsen

Krista Madsen

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Krista Madsen received her BA in English from Yale University and her MFA in fiction from The New School, with her first two novels in contract with Livingston Press by graduation. For five years, she owned and operated Stain Arts Lounge in Brooklyn, inspiration for the novel she's been working on ever since. She has been a journalist for the Hudson Independent and Patch.com, writing instructor at NYU and Gotham, project manager at Historic Hudson Valley, and managing director of the Hudson Valley Writers Center. She lives in Sleepy Hollow, NY and works for local town government.

In addition to her novels, her short fiction and essays have been printed in The Citizen, 11211, Lit, Small Spiral Notebook, Urban Folk, Driftwood, and the River Styx; anthologized in Hunger and Thirst and My Little Red Book; and found online on Defenestrationism, Sunday Salon Magazine, All Things Girl, Reading Divas, Front Street Review, Emerging Writers Forum, Bite Magazine, Suitcase, and MiPOesias. She wrote the introduction about Washington Irving's life and legend for the 2017 RacePoint Publishing flexibound edition of Irving's The Sketch Book called The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories.

Learn more at her website, sleepyhollowink.com

Subscribe to her weekly newsletter, sleepyhollowink.substack.com

Customer reviews

2.8 out of 5 stars
2.8 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Yorkie Girl
1.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2011
Verified Purchase
For some reason, I could not read the reviews when I was debating whether or not to purchase this novel. It is not about ballerinas nor Degas. The title comes from one sentence early in the book. The only reason for purchase was research I am doing on Edgar Degas and other impressionists.

I am not going to review the contents as I skimmed through it.
One person found this helpful
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Krista McGruder
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent debut from a talented prose writer
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2004
Madsen's first-person narrative is more than intense, it is intrepid, a sometimes harsh account of longing/love and how that obsession can spur creative instincts.
The novel also doubles neatly as a mini-travel narrative, expanding beyond the cliche story of a young American abroad and a coming-of-age tale. The subjects are complex: art, love, sex and the mix of European culture with young American ennui.
I read this novel in one night, devouring the prose. Recommend anyone to do the same.
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Lehho Rebassoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Alert: Lover of Non-Fiction Moved by Beautiful Novel!
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2007
Sophisticated and moving debut novel, free of the clumsy missteps commonly found in the work of young authors. Or seasoned authors, for that matter. Krista's a skillful wordsmith, a gifted poet, and either a meticulous editor or a prodigy. She's also a lovely and gracious hostess and dedicated patron of the arts. Stain may well be the most enjoyable and comfortable bar in New York City.
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Felicia Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars a fantastic debut from a very prolific new talent
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2003
highly recommend this gem to anyone that loves good fiction, can appreciate lyrical language reminiscent of Flaubert (fine chocolate!) and the obsession one carries for their art. It's the story of two ex-pats in Belgium, Adina and Zachary. Adina, in want of fodder for her fiction, heads to Belgium for a year to work as an au pair for a chain-smoking, disillusioned mother, a perpetually drunk father and a child that is wise beyond his years. A chance encounter with a painter, Zachary (who is lead to Belgium by a wealthy cousin who patrons him with a gallery and a premiere exhibition), in a bus in Prague sparks their obsession for one another. A white-haired Adina (her hair mysteriously falls out in the beginning of the novel and grows back white, the absence of color) and a man that can only paint when she is evoked, fall in love with one another or how each other affects their art. Soon, Adina is writing furiously, feverishly. Stories about the body and the mind and their mutual exclusivity and their intricate ties to each other. Zachary murals Adina, his only vision is her. Throughout, Krista is fierce in her philosophy and her prose is never precious, but smart and precise. Each chapter shifts point of view between the two characters and the flow is organic and satisfying. A highly recommended read with an unexpected and climatic ending.
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Alexi Knight
5.0 out of 5 stars Degas Must Have Loved A Dance
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2003
This book was tremendously wonderful. I absorbed it completely from the time I picked it up. I thought it was so intriguing I could hardly put it down. The writing style was magnificent - I haven't read anything that had visual interest in addition, read this book and you will see what I mean. The book flips between two main characters which I loved, it's like 2 parallel universes! Krista Madsen really thought outside the box here - great read!
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