“Somebody has to do something. One of the world’s top male skaters is in danger. He’ll be dead before the end of the Olympics. If you can’t stop it, at least find out why it happened. For once, tell the real story.”
Brody Yates has fallen on hard times. Fired from his job as a sports reporter for a major newspaper, he decides to go undercover as a trainer in order to infiltrate the backstage world of figure skating. He has one chance to save someone’s life and to turn his around by breaking the story of a lifetime. iThe Chosen Ones, though fictionalized, reveals the secrets behind the sequins against the backdrop of the high pressure sport of world class figure skating. In this non-stop thriller, only one person can win. Not everyone will survive.
The book is a period piece of the heyday of figure skating when scandal was rampant, and skaters were household names. The author is a journalist who at the time was a New York Times writer covering the sport. Her articles highlighted the inequities on the Olympic level and were instrumental in helping change the rule that previously would not allow professional skaters to compete. The book has been read by professional skaters and the consensus is Lisa Luciano knows the truth. Included in this updated edition is a section on resources for those readers who follow the sport and for those who are yet to become obsessed fans.
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Sexual Content - 3/5
3/5
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Violence - 2/5
2/5
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Language - 3/5
3/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 3/5
3/5
Summary
Before she was a fiction writer, Lisa Luciano covered the sport of ice skating for a major newspaper and a trade magazine. This expertise shines through in her novel The Chosen Ones. Luciano utilizes what she calls Faction to bring out the corruption that has plagued the sport, even into the Olympic arena. The depth of the corruption is revealed through the story of several fictional aspiring Olympic skaters. The depth of the research is impressive.
I enjoyed the premise of this book and the back stage look into the lives of figure skaters. The book read more like a true life account rather than a book of fiction. Because of this my interest was held, but I had a hard time forming a relationship with any of the characters. I would not recommend this book for a young reader as there is a lot of foul language, drugs, drinking and violence. There are also sexual relationships in the book, but they are not graphic. I would recommend this book for the mature reader who has an interest in the sport of figure skating.