Tash—A poignant story of friendship, dreams, and loss by Linda Thorpe <— A BALLERINA’S MEMOIR & INCREDIBLE FRIENDSHIP STORY & it was just recently released! Okay, this one caught my attention because WHAT A FRIENDSHIP!!
Today’s newsletter sponsor has a pretty incredible friendship story to tell — and it’s her own!
We’re celebrating the recent release of TASH by Linda Thorpe, a book about the extraordinary childhood friendship that shaped Linda’s life… and the girl she never forgot.
The author says:
I’m Linda Thorpe, and I live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada with my husband Bruce and thirty-five chickens. I have a book about a lifelong friendship between two girls from different worlds, full of adventure, heartbreak, and unforgettable memories.
Tash follows Linda, a young girl in 1950s northern California, whose world is transformed when she befriends the spirited and enigmatic Tash, a girl with Russian aristocratic roots and dreams as grand as her imagination. Together, they embark on adventures from horseback riding to rescuing owls, forging a bond that weathers family histories and the passage of time. As Tash’s ambitions lead her to New York’s dazzling ballet scene, Linda becomes both confidante and observer, witnessing the city’s allure through Tash’s eyes. Their friendship endures decades of change, culminating in a poignant reunion in Las Vegas and heartfelt correspondence after tragedy strikes. Through loss and memory, Linda discovers the enduring power of a friendship that shaped her life and lingers in her heart.
It all began in a small Northern California town in the 1950s, when nine-year-old Linda befriended Natasha — Tash — a wildly imaginative girl from a VERY different world. Tash’s family history included Russian aristocracy, a mother born a countess who fled to Paris during the Russian Revolution, and even a connection to Catherine the Great.
Meanwhile, Linda thought of herself as the peasant next to her fascinating new friend. 😂
And Tash had PLANS.
She dreamed of marrying Prince Charles, running away to the Navajo, becoming a ballerina… while the two girls filled their actual childhood with music and ballet lessons, bareback horseback rides, a rescued owlet, and even a contraband ceremonial pipe.
Eventually Tash left for private school and then, incredibly, moved to New York City on her own at only 15 to study ballet, where she crossed paths with a young Van Cliburn. Linda visited her at 13, and the two girls tore around New York together before their lives eventually carried them in different directions.
And then…
They found each other again forty years later.
The friendship resumed through a lively correspondence, and the two would meet once more in Las Vegas. Through those later years — and eventually through loss — Linda came to understand just how much this extraordinary childhood friend had shaped the way she saw the world.
And there’s a particularly lovely reason we’re featuring Linda’s book today:
September 15 was Tash and her husband’s wedding anniversary. ❤️
So today we’re celebrating Tash, the recent release of the book that bears her name, and one of those rare friendships that somehow manages to echo through an entire lifetime.
TASH by Linda Thorpe <— Side note: The title Tash itself feels so meaningful. It’s basically Linda saying, this person mattered so much to me that all these decades later, I wrote her story.
And a big thank you to Linda for sponsoring today’s newsletter!
