I had to read another Colum McCann book so I picked Dancer, a fictional account of the life of Rudolf Nureyev. Wonderful insight into post WWII Russia and it's slide back to a more open society. After defecting, Nureyev is not allowed home for 25 years. He has the world at his fingertips socializes with Andy Warhol and John Lennon; but can't visit with his own mother.
By the time Rudi gets to St. Petersburg for formal dance training he is already 18. He had received some training in his village town of Ufa. He is taken under the wing of Alexsandr Pushkin(Sasha) and trains for 5 years before defecting on tour in London. His life gets a bit wild. His dance partner for many years is Margot Fonteyn who is 19 years older than him. He dies of Aids in 1991, but is able to see his mother in Russia before she dies.
The book really develops the characters surrounding Rudi's whole life as McCann sees it. It is not a biography, but a very interesting look at the life of a dancer.
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