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The Dance Tree
In this gripping historical novel, the internationally bestselling author of The Mercies weaves a spellbinding tale of fear, transformation, courage, and love in sixteenth-century France.
Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause or rest, and when hundreds of other women join her, the men running the city declare a state of emergency and hire musicians to play the Devil out of the mob. Outside the city, pregnant Lisbet lives with her husband and mother-in-law, tending the bees that are the family's livelihood. Though Lisbet is removed from the frenzy of the dancing plague afflicting the city's women, her own quiet life is upended by the arrival of her sister-in-law. Nethe has been away for seven years, serving a penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name.
It is a secret Lisbet is determined to uncover. As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, Lisbet becomes caught in a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion. Like the women of Strasbourg, she too, is dancing to a dangerous tune. . . .
Set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by true events, The Dance Tree is an impassioned story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge.
Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause or rest, and when hundreds of other women join her, the men running the city declare a state of emergency and hire musicians to play the Devil out of the mob. Outside the city, pregnant Lisbet lives with her husband and mother-in-law, tending the bees that are the family's livelihood. Though Lisbet is removed from the frenzy of the dancing plague afflicting the city's women, her own quiet life is upended by the arrival of her sister-in-law. Nethe has been away for seven years, serving a penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name.
It is a secret Lisbet is determined to uncover. As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, Lisbet becomes caught in a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion. Like the women of Strasbourg, she too, is dancing to a dangerous tune. . . .
Set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by true events, The Dance Tree is an impassioned story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge.
245 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2022
About the author
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
38 books2,414 followersKiran Millwood Hargrave is an award winning poet, playwright, and novelist.
Her books include the bestselling winner of the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017 The Girl of Ink & Stars, and Costa Book Awards- and Blue Peter Awards-shortlisted The Island at the End of Everything, and The Way Past Winter, Blackwell's Children's Book of the Year 2018. A Secret of Birds & Bone, her fourth middle grade title, was published in 2020. Julia and the Shark, in collaboration with her husband, artist Tom de Freston, was Indie Book of the Month, Scottish Booktrust Book of the Month, and has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2021.
Her debut YA novel The Deathless Girls was published in 2019, and was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, and long listed for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Her first book for adults, The Mercies, debuted as The Times number 1 bestseller, and at number 5 in the Sunday Times Bestseller Charts. Writing for the New York Times Book Review, Emily Barton called it 'among the best novels I've read in years', and it won a Betty Trask Award.
She is represented by Hellie Ogden (UK) and Kirby Kim (US) at Janklow & Nesbit. Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband and their cats, Luna and Marly.
Her books include the bestselling winner of the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017 The Girl of Ink & Stars, and Costa Book Awards- and Blue Peter Awards-shortlisted The Island at the End of Everything, and The Way Past Winter, Blackwell's Children's Book of the Year 2018. A Secret of Birds & Bone, her fourth middle grade title, was published in 2020. Julia and the Shark, in collaboration with her husband, artist Tom de Freston, was Indie Book of the Month, Scottish Booktrust Book of the Month, and has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2021.
Her debut YA novel The Deathless Girls was published in 2019, and was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, and long listed for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Her first book for adults, The Mercies, debuted as The Times number 1 bestseller, and at number 5 in the Sunday Times Bestseller Charts. Writing for the New York Times Book Review, Emily Barton called it 'among the best novels I've read in years', and it won a Betty Trask Award.
She is represented by Hellie Ogden (UK) and Kirby Kim (US) at Janklow & Nesbit. Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband and their cats, Luna and Marly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,042 reviews
June 2, 2023
The author in a note at the end of this book says ” It is difficult for contemporary readers to understand the absolute role of religion in medieval life, how fully it informed everything from medicine to punishment, tax to sex.” But I found this beautifully written, impactful novel to be a stunning presentation of that iron fisted influence during that time and place, in particular on women. It is brilliantly depicted through the strength and courage of three women held down by cultural and religious beliefs. In the face of punishment they defy the cruelty of men and the church (no difference really between the two here ) for the right to love, to be and show who they are. These women, Lisbet, Ida and Agnethe - marginalized, with no power or freedom, embody the strength and courage that women today will need as men try to control their health, their bodies, their choices. It’s eerily relevant and while historical fiction, it oddly felt dystopian. I was fascinated to learn of this historic event known as the Dancing Plague of 1518 and taken by the story of these women who in their own way dance to their own music.
This was a monthly read with Diane and as always , we make good buddy readers.
I received a copy of this book from HarperVia through Edelweiss.
This was a monthly read with Diane and as always , we make good buddy readers.
I received a copy of this book from HarperVia through Edelweiss.
July 19, 2023
Once upon a time I was young woman who would have loved this novel.
Then an evil wizard came along and, envious of the joy I got from these books, cast a spell upon me.
I slept for days. Well, not really. I went to sleep and got up in the morning, same as usual.
I found my patience for sentimental historical fiction, even the kind that is well-written and not cheesy WWII romance crap, had disappeared.
Luckily for me, having no interest in the kiss of a prince (curative or not), there are many other kinds of books to read.
And I mostly live happily ever after with these other books, though occasionally I pick one of these up, only to be reminded of that wizard and how he turned my already cold heart into a chunk of frozen iceberg.
The end.
Then an evil wizard came along and, envious of the joy I got from these books, cast a spell upon me.
I slept for days. Well, not really. I went to sleep and got up in the morning, same as usual.
I found my patience for sentimental historical fiction, even the kind that is well-written and not cheesy WWII romance crap, had disappeared.
Luckily for me, having no interest in the kiss of a prince (curative or not), there are many other kinds of books to read.
And I mostly live happily ever after with these other books, though occasionally I pick one of these up, only to be reminded of that wizard and how he turned my already cold heart into a chunk of frozen iceberg.
The end.
December 5, 2022
What interested me into this story was the time period of plaque in the 16th century Europe and women who faced the religious obsessions.
The story involves Lisbet who is a pregnant beekeeper and who suffers many miscarriages, and many tragedies in her life. Her city of Strasbourg is marked by starvation and hardship. When one woman starts dancing in the city, followed by others and dramatic events, Lisbet starts questioning what is right and what is wrong.
As the story unravels, I kept waiting to connect with the main character, but I couldn’t. There wasn’t enough of character development to help me connect with Lisbet. When I started losing interest in the story, I realized that the plot was weak as well. It seems as it’s more about some embellishments. The story keeps spinning, but I was missing character development and some strong thread to connect all those beautiful embellishments.
The story is ambitious in its scope, involving natural occurrence, possible war, prejudice, and more. As much as I loved the Mercies by this author, I just couldn’t connect with this story.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story involves Lisbet who is a pregnant beekeeper and who suffers many miscarriages, and many tragedies in her life. Her city of Strasbourg is marked by starvation and hardship. When one woman starts dancing in the city, followed by others and dramatic events, Lisbet starts questioning what is right and what is wrong.
As the story unravels, I kept waiting to connect with the main character, but I couldn’t. There wasn’t enough of character development to help me connect with Lisbet. When I started losing interest in the story, I realized that the plot was weak as well. It seems as it’s more about some embellishments. The story keeps spinning, but I was missing character development and some strong thread to connect all those beautiful embellishments.
The story is ambitious in its scope, involving natural occurrence, possible war, prejudice, and more. As much as I loved the Mercies by this author, I just couldn’t connect with this story.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 17, 2022
When I read the blurb that this was going to be about the dance plague, I quickly picked the audiobook up but unfortunately the story didn't work for me. I didn't get attached to the characters and the plot wasn't as intruiging that I had hoped. I think my fascination for the dance plague beforehand kinda ruined the book for me. Don't know what I expected but wasn't the kind of story I wanted. Might pick this up on a later date to try again
November 23, 2022
Kiran Millwood Hargrave explains in her Author’s Note at the end of her novel that one of the prompts she felt for writing this work was her experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss during our recent Covid pandemic. For this she used a peculiar historical episode that took place in Strasbourg in the Summer o 1518 when a woman named Frau Troffea began dancing in the streets, for no clear reason, giving rise to many other people doing the same, alarming the political and religious authorities at the time. A frenzy ensued; the drive to dance spread lasting a few months during which several people died. Documents are scarce so even today it is difficult to explain why it happened and the extent of the mania.
In her research KMH has relied on the study by John Waller A Time to Dance, who proposes the theory that the economic and social pressures of the time, when religion became a major source of controversy and violence, where the ultimate causes for the mass-dementia.
Together with these two elements, her personal experience, and the historical setting, KMH has designed a story in which love, family relationships, cultural conflicts between West and East, and LGBT+ concerns and claims all carry a weight.
The book was sent to me as part of my Bookshop subscription. In general, I found that the historical episode, possibly because research has not succeeded in clarifying it further, is rather trivial to become the backbone of a whole novel. The plot did not engage me either; too many current social concerns are projected onto the past. And finally, the language, beautiful as it is, is somewhat bloated, with the kind of style that seems to be emerging out of the current trend for “Creative Writing Courses or Workshops”. May be because both the historical episode and setting as well as the story are rather slim, something else had to give body to the novel.
June 29, 2023
A really wonderful read - rich, powerful and dramatic. I would definitely recommend.
February 11, 2022
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (2022)
In an author’s note at the end of this version of the novel, Kiran Millwood Hargrave outlines the sphere of her interest:
Hargrave notes that incidents of choreomania were – if not common – recurrent in Medieval times, rationalised as religious mania, and what seems to me to be the nub of this novel is the fact that ‘[o]ften, the dancers were society’s most vulnerable, whether through class, age, race, or gender.’
What we get in Hargrave’s second novel for adults is a story of four women, centred around Lisbet, a beekeeper, childless but pregnant for the thirteenth time, and a story of how these four women (Lisbet with her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and closest friend) resist men’s attempts to supress them, confine them, to crush them as the Twenty-One seek to nullify the dancing women:
I haven’t read ‘The Girl of Ink and Stars’ (2016) or ‘The Island at the End of Everything’ (2017) by Kiran Millwood Hargrave; I jumped in at ‘The Deathless Girls’ (2019), mostly attracted by its fantastic cover artwork. However, I found this YA novel lacklustre, straining for the Gothic and not quite achieving it. It came across as too voyeuristic; as though the reader was on the outside of the story, looking in. So, I will confess that I haven’t always been a fan of the author. I somewhat enjoyed ‘The Mercies’ (2020), but found I was unsettled with the ending of that, the author’s first novel for adults, and could never really root for the characters. The turning point was when I casually picked up ‘The Way Past Winter’ (2018): the writing was full of vitality and the characters wonderfully engaging. With that, I embraced Hargrave’s style, and when ‘Julia and the Shark’ was released last year, I gobbled it up immediately, ordered myself a copy of ‘A Secret of Birds & Bone’ (2020), and I jumped at the chance of reading her second novel for adults.
Here, we find Hargrave’s voice polished and practised; words flow into passages, pages into chapters, and the narrative spills and pools like honey overrunning from Lisbet's bee combs. The writing in ‘The Dance Tree’ is just gorgeous:
I imagine that the author has been able to bring this novel to life so richly because it echoes her personal experience. Hargrave is an outspoken advocate for family mental health, particularly following pregnancy loss. She speaks openly on social media about her struggles to carry children to term. Hargrave is recording here what she knows. Perhaps I felt that when she was writing previously about vampire brides, or the Vardø Witch Trials, there was too much research cluttering the space between the work and the reader. But that changed with ‘Julia and the Shark’, where she writes about mental illness; and in her short story, Confinement, in the anthology ‘The Haunting Season’ (2021), where she is writing about post-natal depression. These are subjects with intense significance for the author. Thus, they spark off the page. There is breath and pulse and life when Hargrave writes of them. And the same is true with ‘The Dance Tree’:
This new novel is muscular, strong and wieldy. I found the characters gripping from the very first page. That sounds like hyperbole, but it isn’t. One of the pleasures of this novel is how action-driven the plot is, even if it’s only the action of Lisbet stretching her back, or the women eating side-by-side.
The dialogue, too, is full and resonant; Hargrave’s character portrayal is splendid in this respect. There are points when a character’s speech made me gasp aloud. Hargrave’s observational powers shine from the whole cast. There is not one extraneous character here. The relationship between Lisbet and her confidante Ida is beautifully written right from the start, tender and engaging. That between Lisbet and Agnethe, her sister-in-law, is perfectly enthralling; their pieces of dialogue together are some of the finest writing in the novel. Some of the dancing women themselves are given brief biographies that pepper the narrative between chapters, and this device serves effectively to seize tension and pull the reader through to the next scene, or – in some cases – to deepen our sympathy or empathy.
Nor is there any superfluous scene in ‘The Dancing Tree’; midway, I feared there just wasn’t going to be enough of this gorgeous book to enjoy. The timing is delicately paced and very well pitched, as Lisbet, and the women who surround her, move through revelations of who they truly are, and metamorphose into new-found selves; with character arc illustrated symbolically throughout by what happens to Lisbet’s bees:
Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s writing in ‘The Dance Tree’ overall is taut, crafted, considered. There are a few spelling mistakes here and there (vice instead of vise no less than 3 times) and some oddly phrased sentences, grammar-wise, but this is an ARC and I’m hoping these will be repaired in the finished copy.
This is one of those mesmerising reads that you feel utterly scooped-out and empty after finishing. Beautiful:
There is violence here: violence towards women, violence of hate; verbal abuse and emotional abuse. But the text is redemptive, and – I like to hope – not through a solely hetero-centric resolution. ‘The Mercies’ also suffered somewhat from the Bury Your Gays trope / Dead Lesbian Syndrome, where LGBT+ relationships are frustrated or denied fulfilment, either through death or permanent separation. However, Hargrave does conclude in her remarkably tender author’s note:
My thanks are due to Pan Macmillan for an ARC through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
In an author’s note at the end of this version of the novel, Kiran Millwood Hargrave outlines the sphere of her interest:
‘In July 1518, in the midst of the hottest summer Central Europe had ever known, a woman whose name is recorded as Frau Troffea began to dance in the streets of Strasbourg. This was no ordinary dance – it was unrelenting, closer to a trance than a celebration. She danced for days, any attempts to make her rest thwarted, until it drew the attention of the Twenty-One, the city’s council, and she was taken to the shrine of St Vitus, patron saint of dancers and musicians. After being bathed in the spring there, she stopped dancing.’
Hargrave notes that incidents of choreomania were – if not common – recurrent in Medieval times, rationalised as religious mania, and what seems to me to be the nub of this novel is the fact that ‘[o]ften, the dancers were society’s most vulnerable, whether through class, age, race, or gender.’
What we get in Hargrave’s second novel for adults is a story of four women, centred around Lisbet, a beekeeper, childless but pregnant for the thirteenth time, and a story of how these four women (Lisbet with her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and closest friend) resist men’s attempts to supress them, confine them, to crush them as the Twenty-One seek to nullify the dancing women:
‘He goes whistling through the house, closing the door a little too loudly. Lisbet has always marvelled at this habit in men […]. How they move through the world so loudly, so unashamedly, without thought for who hears them, or if they disturb others.’
‘What must it be, to be a man and be able to leave your grief behind, or else shrink it small enough to carry about in a pocket, and bear it enough to live a different life?’
I haven’t read ‘The Girl of Ink and Stars’ (2016) or ‘The Island at the End of Everything’ (2017) by Kiran Millwood Hargrave; I jumped in at ‘The Deathless Girls’ (2019), mostly attracted by its fantastic cover artwork. However, I found this YA novel lacklustre, straining for the Gothic and not quite achieving it. It came across as too voyeuristic; as though the reader was on the outside of the story, looking in. So, I will confess that I haven’t always been a fan of the author. I somewhat enjoyed ‘The Mercies’ (2020), but found I was unsettled with the ending of that, the author’s first novel for adults, and could never really root for the characters. The turning point was when I casually picked up ‘The Way Past Winter’ (2018): the writing was full of vitality and the characters wonderfully engaging. With that, I embraced Hargrave’s style, and when ‘Julia and the Shark’ was released last year, I gobbled it up immediately, ordered myself a copy of ‘A Secret of Birds & Bone’ (2020), and I jumped at the chance of reading her second novel for adults.
Here, we find Hargrave’s voice polished and practised; words flow into passages, pages into chapters, and the narrative spills and pools like honey overrunning from Lisbet's bee combs. The writing in ‘The Dance Tree’ is just gorgeous:
‘The king rises from the remains of his hive, buzzing enormously. He sways, bumbles against Lisbet’s cheek. She feels the graze of his wing, light as broken cobwebs, and then he lifts higher and is encased inside his colony. The bees rise with him as though he is an anchor made air, as though their tethers are suddenly cut, and they follow him into the forest.’
I imagine that the author has been able to bring this novel to life so richly because it echoes her personal experience. Hargrave is an outspoken advocate for family mental health, particularly following pregnancy loss. She speaks openly on social media about her struggles to carry children to term. Hargrave is recording here what she knows. Perhaps I felt that when she was writing previously about vampire brides, or the Vardø Witch Trials, there was too much research cluttering the space between the work and the reader. But that changed with ‘Julia and the Shark’, where she writes about mental illness; and in her short story, Confinement, in the anthology ‘The Haunting Season’ (2021), where she is writing about post-natal depression. These are subjects with intense significance for the author. Thus, they spark off the page. There is breath and pulse and life when Hargrave writes of them. And the same is true with ‘The Dance Tree’:
‘The story of her birth is the story of a comet. At the moment Gepa Bauer’s mother felt the first pain of her coming, her papa saw it, a burning star ripping the dark sky for three days while her mother laboured on all fours like a beast, her husband and sons sleeping in the barn because they were scared of her pain, of the blood, of the wise woman who came with sweet mallow and iron tongs. To the east, the comet found a farmer’s field and scorched it fully, furrowed so deep those who were there said it was like a tunnel to Hell carved in the soil. As it tore the ground, Gepa was born feet first and the agony broke her mother’s mind.’
This new novel is muscular, strong and wieldy. I found the characters gripping from the very first page. That sounds like hyperbole, but it isn’t. One of the pleasures of this novel is how action-driven the plot is, even if it’s only the action of Lisbet stretching her back, or the women eating side-by-side.
The dialogue, too, is full and resonant; Hargrave’s character portrayal is splendid in this respect. There are points when a character’s speech made me gasp aloud. Hargrave’s observational powers shine from the whole cast. There is not one extraneous character here. The relationship between Lisbet and her confidante Ida is beautifully written right from the start, tender and engaging. That between Lisbet and Agnethe, her sister-in-law, is perfectly enthralling; their pieces of dialogue together are some of the finest writing in the novel. Some of the dancing women themselves are given brief biographies that pepper the narrative between chapters, and this device serves effectively to seize tension and pull the reader through to the next scene, or – in some cases – to deepen our sympathy or empathy.
Nor is there any superfluous scene in ‘The Dancing Tree’; midway, I feared there just wasn’t going to be enough of this gorgeous book to enjoy. The timing is delicately paced and very well pitched, as Lisbet, and the women who surround her, move through revelations of who they truly are, and metamorphose into new-found selves; with character arc illustrated symbolically throughout by what happens to Lisbet’s bees:
‘It takes an age, but Lisbet is revived from her sleep, and she works as though she had practised for just this moment her whole life, a life that until now had been full of ruin and curses and blood and now is nothing but music and beauty and bees, her mother-in-law processing before her, anointing her path with smoke. She feels some of the power a priest must, giving each animal their place, clearing them of their panic, their confusion. Giving them peace. The unhomed bees gust and plume, making a column above the destroyed hives.’
Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s writing in ‘The Dance Tree’ overall is taut, crafted, considered. There are a few spelling mistakes here and there (vice instead of vise no less than 3 times) and some oddly phrased sentences, grammar-wise, but this is an ARC and I’m hoping these will be repaired in the finished copy.
This is one of those mesmerising reads that you feel utterly scooped-out and empty after finishing. Beautiful:
‘This time he plays something lovely and low, more mournful than what he lulled the bees with. It is a keen with the edges smoothed, an unmistakeable lament. Lisbet closes her eyes again, and leans back against the trunk. She lets herself drift, lets her thoughts wander, and it makes her remember. She remembers the first child she carried, and the second. They come to her, each of her children, spooling from the music like spirits: bodies of light, souls of god.’
There is violence here: violence towards women, violence of hate; verbal abuse and emotional abuse. But the text is redemptive, and – I like to hope – not through a solely hetero-centric resolution. ‘The Mercies’ also suffered somewhat from the Bury Your Gays trope / Dead Lesbian Syndrome, where LGBT+ relationships are frustrated or denied fulfilment, either through death or permanent separation. However, Hargrave does conclude in her remarkably tender author’s note:
'It’s easy to draw lines from then to now in attitudes to the LGBT+ community, to immigrants, to class. We have come so far, and not nearly far enough. […] The world-at-large remains too often a hostile place for people who live, look, or love a different way. In The Dance Tree, I wanted to offer my characters a place to be safe and themselves. […] Lisbet is my attempt to offer a mirror to anyone else struggling to see themselves, and a window to those who might need the insight.'
My thanks are due to Pan Macmillan for an ARC through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2023
"Being a woman is a beautiful but brutal thing."
So, they danced, one woman started, couldnt and wouldnt stop and by the time this mania ended, over 400 women would be dancing.
Based on a true event in Strasbourg in 1518, this is the backgound of a story that features four very strong women. It was a time when the church was all powerful, and of course men were the church. Anyone different was called out for various punishments. Lisbeth has had much grief in her life, she has lost ten children but is now expecting again. She is awaiting the return of her sister in law Nethe, who has completed her many year penance. Her mother in law Sophie and her friend Ida will all come to the attention of the church with horrifying results.
Lisbeth has a tree, a tree that she calls the dancing tree, where she marks the death of her ten children. it will be the place where pivotal events in the book happen. A tree that marks lifes trials, but also happiness, solace and joy. The authors note adds to the actual historical events of the time and adds greatly to our understanding. A terrific book marking a time when women had no control over their own lives and had to suppress all their own wants and desires.
The audio was wonderfully narrated.
So, they danced, one woman started, couldnt and wouldnt stop and by the time this mania ended, over 400 women would be dancing.
Based on a true event in Strasbourg in 1518, this is the backgound of a story that features four very strong women. It was a time when the church was all powerful, and of course men were the church. Anyone different was called out for various punishments. Lisbeth has had much grief in her life, she has lost ten children but is now expecting again. She is awaiting the return of her sister in law Nethe, who has completed her many year penance. Her mother in law Sophie and her friend Ida will all come to the attention of the church with horrifying results.
Lisbeth has a tree, a tree that she calls the dancing tree, where she marks the death of her ten children. it will be the place where pivotal events in the book happen. A tree that marks lifes trials, but also happiness, solace and joy. The authors note adds to the actual historical events of the time and adds greatly to our understanding. A terrific book marking a time when women had no control over their own lives and had to suppress all their own wants and desires.
The audio was wonderfully narrated.
April 19, 2023
The Dance Tree is historical fiction set in Strasbourg, France in 1518. The 16th century was a time of severe weather, stubborn and severe summer heat, no rain and ruined crops. Combined with this were winters where people froze in the streets. At the end of the prior century, a comet had struck in the same region. Everything was said to have the same cause: God was punishing all humanity who must atone. Now, in July of 1518, a woman, one Frau Troffea, began dancing in the street in Strasbourg. In future weeks there would be dozens then, ultimately, hundreds dancing in Strasbourg.
This is the background upon which Hargrave has based her story and such a captivating story it is. Other background elements of that history are also included such as the ongoing incursion of the Ottoman Empire into the Holy Roman Empire as well as issues of immigration of unwanted peoples into France from the East.
On the outskirts of the city, farms struggling to survive. We learn of Lisbet Wiler, her husband Heinrich and mother Sophey. Lisbet is the voice of the story; she is also witness to what happens. She is late in pregnancy as the novel opens, hopeful this child will live but fearful given her failed pregnancies of the past. What sin has she committed, she wonders? She cares for the bees which bring in valuable honey and wax to support the family. A sister-in-law, Agnethe, she has never met, is due back shortly after having spent seven years of penance at a nunnery in the mountains. What terrible sin did Nethe commit? No one will speak of it. In the midst of all this sadness and worry, however, there are occasions of real joy within this story, written beautifully.
So much is unspoken but still weighs heavily on Lisbet and on many others here, the harshness of the life, the brutal weather, the church pronouncements of human evils and need to atone, and now these dancing women who seem gripped by some mania causing them to dance and dance, often until they bleed or drop. What will happen to them?
This is a fascinating read depicting a very different time, where science as such didn’t exist, the Church ruled daily life, women had no reality beyond their relationship to some man, father, brother, husband or son. It was a time of superstition but still a time of people living for the future. I recommend this book, definitely.
A copy of this book was provided by Harper Collins Publishers through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This is the background upon which Hargrave has based her story and such a captivating story it is. Other background elements of that history are also included such as the ongoing incursion of the Ottoman Empire into the Holy Roman Empire as well as issues of immigration of unwanted peoples into France from the East.
On the outskirts of the city, farms struggling to survive. We learn of Lisbet Wiler, her husband Heinrich and mother Sophey. Lisbet is the voice of the story; she is also witness to what happens. She is late in pregnancy as the novel opens, hopeful this child will live but fearful given her failed pregnancies of the past. What sin has she committed, she wonders? She cares for the bees which bring in valuable honey and wax to support the family. A sister-in-law, Agnethe, she has never met, is due back shortly after having spent seven years of penance at a nunnery in the mountains. What terrible sin did Nethe commit? No one will speak of it. In the midst of all this sadness and worry, however, there are occasions of real joy within this story, written beautifully.
So much is unspoken but still weighs heavily on Lisbet and on many others here, the harshness of the life, the brutal weather, the church pronouncements of human evils and need to atone, and now these dancing women who seem gripped by some mania causing them to dance and dance, often until they bleed or drop. What will happen to them?
This is a fascinating read depicting a very different time, where science as such didn’t exist, the Church ruled daily life, women had no reality beyond their relationship to some man, father, brother, husband or son. It was a time of superstition but still a time of people living for the future. I recommend this book, definitely.
A copy of this book was provided by Harper Collins Publishers through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
February 10, 2022
Alsace, 1492. This happened: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensis...
Strasbourg, 1518. This happened: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danci...
These two historical events underpin Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s book, especially the dancing plague in Strasbourg. The meteorite is relevant because our protagonist, Lisbet, was born as it crashed into a field and the mark it left on that field left its own mark on her family.
1518 was in the middle of a difficult period in Strasbourg. The sixteenth century was a period of extreme weather which meant years of failed harvests, searingly hot summers and winters so cold that people literally froze to death in the streets. Nowadays, we would turn to science to explain this, but, in 1518 there was only one explanation: God. Many preachers had taught that the comet was a warning. And the combination of extreme weather and territorial wars between France and Germany meant the poor people in the area had little choice but to borrow from the church. Unfortunately for them, at this point in history, the church was not so much a religious compassionate organisation but more a merciless money-making business.
In the midst of this, a woman called Frau Troffea in the city pauses as she walks and begins to dance. Over the next few days, she is joined by hundreds of other women as a “dancing mania” spreads across the city. This much is fact.
By 1518, Lisbet is married and living on her husband’s family’s farm where she tends the bees. And is heavily pregnant. As the story opens, she and the rest of the family are waiting for the return of Agnethe, Lisbet’s sister-in-law, who has been away for 7 years as a penance for an unnamed sin that the family will not talk about. In the book, it is very quickly obvious what that “sin” or “crime” is and it was a source of some frustration for me as I read that it was not revealed in the book until the halfway point. This was probably a very deliberate choice by the author but I found it put me on edge as I read because the reveal took so long to come.
Agnethe’s return coincides with the church making an unreasonable demand on the farm. And it is these two events that trigger and drive the story we read.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a poet as well as a novelist (and playwright). She is perhaps best known for her children’s books. Her book The Mercies, which I have not read, seems to take a similar line to this new book: both are based on historical events and tell the stories of strong women battling against the patriarchal and superstitious culture of medieval Europe. This book is interspersed with short chapters that describe several different women as they join the dancing, and we are left to imagine for ourselves what it is that drives them to that (the author gives her theory in her note at the end).
The writing here is elegant and the author’s poetic sensibilities are obvious in her prose. It’s an evocative book to read with both emotions and events described in elegant language. Some of the characters are perhaps a bit hemmed in by their purpose in the story, but that is a minor quibble that is probably more related to the fact that I rarely read historical fiction and read this in an attempt to broaden my reading horizons.
3.5 stars rounded up.
My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley.
Strasbourg, 1518. This happened: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danci...
These two historical events underpin Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s book, especially the dancing plague in Strasbourg. The meteorite is relevant because our protagonist, Lisbet, was born as it crashed into a field and the mark it left on that field left its own mark on her family.
1518 was in the middle of a difficult period in Strasbourg. The sixteenth century was a period of extreme weather which meant years of failed harvests, searingly hot summers and winters so cold that people literally froze to death in the streets. Nowadays, we would turn to science to explain this, but, in 1518 there was only one explanation: God. Many preachers had taught that the comet was a warning. And the combination of extreme weather and territorial wars between France and Germany meant the poor people in the area had little choice but to borrow from the church. Unfortunately for them, at this point in history, the church was not so much a religious compassionate organisation but more a merciless money-making business.
In the midst of this, a woman called Frau Troffea in the city pauses as she walks and begins to dance. Over the next few days, she is joined by hundreds of other women as a “dancing mania” spreads across the city. This much is fact.
By 1518, Lisbet is married and living on her husband’s family’s farm where she tends the bees. And is heavily pregnant. As the story opens, she and the rest of the family are waiting for the return of Agnethe, Lisbet’s sister-in-law, who has been away for 7 years as a penance for an unnamed sin that the family will not talk about. In the book, it is very quickly obvious what that “sin” or “crime” is and it was a source of some frustration for me as I read that it was not revealed in the book until the halfway point. This was probably a very deliberate choice by the author but I found it put me on edge as I read because the reveal took so long to come.
Agnethe’s return coincides with the church making an unreasonable demand on the farm. And it is these two events that trigger and drive the story we read.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a poet as well as a novelist (and playwright). She is perhaps best known for her children’s books. Her book The Mercies, which I have not read, seems to take a similar line to this new book: both are based on historical events and tell the stories of strong women battling against the patriarchal and superstitious culture of medieval Europe. This book is interspersed with short chapters that describe several different women as they join the dancing, and we are left to imagine for ourselves what it is that drives them to that (the author gives her theory in her note at the end).
The writing here is elegant and the author’s poetic sensibilities are obvious in her prose. It’s an evocative book to read with both emotions and events described in elegant language. Some of the characters are perhaps a bit hemmed in by their purpose in the story, but that is a minor quibble that is probably more related to the fact that I rarely read historical fiction and read this in an attempt to broaden my reading horizons.
3.5 stars rounded up.
My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley.
June 9, 2022
Kiran Millwood Hargrave is one of my favourite new voices in historical fiction (she had written fiction for children and young adults before 2020’s The Mercies). Both novels hit the absolute sweet spot between the literary and women’s fiction camps, choosing a lesser-known time period and incident and filling in the background with sumptuous detail and language. Both also consider situations in which women, queer people and other cultural minorities were oppressed, and imagine characters pushing against those boundaries in affirming but authentic-feeling ways.
The setting is Strasbourg in the sweltering summer of 1518, when a dancing plague (choreomania) hit and hundreds of women engaged in frenzied public dancing, often until their feet bled or even, allegedly, until 15 per day dropped dead. Lisbet observes this all at close hand through her sister-in-law and best friend, who get caught up in the dancing. In the final trimester of pregnancy at last after the loss of many pregnancies and babies, Lisbet tends to the family beekeeping enterprise while her husband is away, but gets distracted when two musicians (brought in to accompany the dancers; an early strategy before the council cracked down), one a Turk, lodge with her and her mother-in-law. The dance tree, where she commemorates her lost children, is her refuge away from the chaos enveloping the city. She’s a naive point-of-view character who quickly has her eyes opened about different ways of living. “It takes courage, to love beyond what others deem the right boundaries.”
This is likely to attract readers of Hamnet. I was also reminded of The Sleeping Beauties, in that the author’s note discusses the possibility that the dancing plagues were an example of a mass hysteria that arose in response to religious restrictions.
The setting is Strasbourg in the sweltering summer of 1518, when a dancing plague (choreomania) hit and hundreds of women engaged in frenzied public dancing, often until their feet bled or even, allegedly, until 15 per day dropped dead. Lisbet observes this all at close hand through her sister-in-law and best friend, who get caught up in the dancing. In the final trimester of pregnancy at last after the loss of many pregnancies and babies, Lisbet tends to the family beekeeping enterprise while her husband is away, but gets distracted when two musicians (brought in to accompany the dancers; an early strategy before the council cracked down), one a Turk, lodge with her and her mother-in-law. The dance tree, where she commemorates her lost children, is her refuge away from the chaos enveloping the city. She’s a naive point-of-view character who quickly has her eyes opened about different ways of living. “It takes courage, to love beyond what others deem the right boundaries.”
This is likely to attract readers of Hamnet. I was also reminded of The Sleeping Beauties, in that the author’s note discusses the possibility that the dancing plagues were an example of a mass hysteria that arose in response to religious restrictions.
June 2, 2023
Well, I just finished this book and am still trying to wrap my head around it.
In Strasbourg, July of 1518, a woman named Frau Traoffea began to dance constantly for a week straight without stopping. Soon hundreds of women joined her. These women danced uncontrollably and apparently unwilling for about two months straight. They were in some kind of trance. Very sadly before it was over in August 1518 over 400 had died. What started this dancing plaque? Why did it only affect women? It was the hottest summer in years and remember that in these times, it was full of superstitions, mystics and the church was corrupt. Crime was everywhere and there were many pagan rituals driving people from their homes into the forest. They believed that God and the Devil were vengeful and ready to punish you for your sins.
Reading this book,I learned so much that I never even heard of. There are many different theories to this day as to what started the dancing plaque in 1518 in Strasbourg ranging from tainted rye in the bread to curses to hot blood. I'm amazed that this even happened! The most common theory is that they were cursed by St. Vistus (The god of dancing) for whatever sin they committed. Read the Authors Notes to find out more and what other centuries the dancing plaque occurred in.
Thank you, Emma.catherine for telling me about this amazing book! Without you, I would never have heard of it.
In Strasbourg, July of 1518, a woman named Frau Traoffea began to dance constantly for a week straight without stopping. Soon hundreds of women joined her. These women danced uncontrollably and apparently unwilling for about two months straight. They were in some kind of trance. Very sadly before it was over in August 1518 over 400 had died. What started this dancing plaque? Why did it only affect women? It was the hottest summer in years and remember that in these times, it was full of superstitions, mystics and the church was corrupt. Crime was everywhere and there were many pagan rituals driving people from their homes into the forest. They believed that God and the Devil were vengeful and ready to punish you for your sins.
Reading this book,I learned so much that I never even heard of. There are many different theories to this day as to what started the dancing plaque in 1518 in Strasbourg ranging from tainted rye in the bread to curses to hot blood. I'm amazed that this even happened! The most common theory is that they were cursed by St. Vistus (The god of dancing) for whatever sin they committed. Read the Authors Notes to find out more and what other centuries the dancing plaque occurred in.
Thank you, Emma.catherine for telling me about this amazing book! Without you, I would never have heard of it.
August 7, 2022
** Thanks to NetGalley, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and HarperVia for this ARC. The Dance Tree will be out in the US on March 14th, 2023 **
This was a stunning, breathtaking book. I am struggling to even write this review because I'm not sure how to do it justice. It was heartbreaking and infuriating and hopeful and lovely. I cannot recommend it enough.
The plot: Set in France, 1558, this novel follows Lizbet, a pregnant beekeeper who has already suffered 12 miscarriages. Her life has been marked by tragedy and the city she lives in, Strasbourg, is beset by starvation and misfortune. One summer day, a woman begins to dance. She is soon joined by hundreds of others, dancing in ecstasy and pain to the point of death. While this city-wide drama unfolds, so too does the drama of Lizbet's life, as she is forced to question everything she has ever thought about sin and love.
I have a new deep love and it is sapphic historical fiction. This book reminded me a lot of Lauren Groff's Matrix and Claire Heywood's Daughters of Sparta. The Dance Tree made me feel connected to all of the women who have ever lived and to the ways in which oppression, love, and sisterhood link us across generations. I would fully recommend this book to anyone.
This was a stunning, breathtaking book. I am struggling to even write this review because I'm not sure how to do it justice. It was heartbreaking and infuriating and hopeful and lovely. I cannot recommend it enough.
The plot: Set in France, 1558, this novel follows Lizbet, a pregnant beekeeper who has already suffered 12 miscarriages. Her life has been marked by tragedy and the city she lives in, Strasbourg, is beset by starvation and misfortune. One summer day, a woman begins to dance. She is soon joined by hundreds of others, dancing in ecstasy and pain to the point of death. While this city-wide drama unfolds, so too does the drama of Lizbet's life, as she is forced to question everything she has ever thought about sin and love.
I have a new deep love and it is sapphic historical fiction. This book reminded me a lot of Lauren Groff's Matrix and Claire Heywood's Daughters of Sparta. The Dance Tree made me feel connected to all of the women who have ever lived and to the ways in which oppression, love, and sisterhood link us across generations. I would fully recommend this book to anyone.
March 27, 2023
A sensuous and beguiling interpretation of one of histories most chilling phenomena. This novel uses language as a spell, drawing the reader into the emotion and longing of each character, shedding light on this uniquely dark era of human history. The Dance Tree invites conversation on the duality of religion, as both an oppressor and a salvation depending on who wields it. It also deftly discusses the timeless struggles of women as they fight for the right to determine their own paths, to love whom they choose. Another enticing read by Kiran Milwood Hargrave.
May 27, 2022
I have struggled to work out how to write this review, which is why I'm posting it later than I had planned. I've spent weeks avoiding it, unable to word what I'm trying to say.
Let's put it this way:
I first read KMH's middle-grade offering, The Way Past Winter, and I liked it well enough, but I wasn't blown away. So then I tried her adult offering, The Mercies, which I just didn't connect with at all. I then heard the premise of this one, it sounded so different and unusual, I was immediately obsessed and determined to give her another go... but again I felt disconnected from the characters, and my attention drifted.
I'm sad because I WANT to love KMH's novels. I think they have a ton of merit, and I can quite see why people DO love her stories, but they just never gel quite right with me. Sadly, the (admittedly beautiful) prose just isn't for me.
This may sound foolish, but I do still want to give her one last shot. Hear me out. I do feel that KMH writes differently depending on who she is writing for. The level of detail, the depth of emotion, the lyrical style... it all ramps up in her work written for adults, as compared to her work written for younger readers. So I figure that if her writing in her MG was too young for me to properly engage with, and her writing in her adult novels is too descriptive and lyrical for me to properly get lost in, then just MAYBE her YA is the way to go!? I do have The Deathless Girls on my tbr, so I'm determined to get to it someday and see.
Overall I would say if you enjoyed The Mercies then I think you’ll enjoy this one too; if you didn’t enjoy The Mercies, then you’ll maybe like this one a little better…but will you love it? I think mileage will vary… if beautifully descriptive prose is something you enjoy then absolutely pick this one up!
Thanks so much to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Let's put it this way:
I first read KMH's middle-grade offering, The Way Past Winter, and I liked it well enough, but I wasn't blown away. So then I tried her adult offering, The Mercies, which I just didn't connect with at all. I then heard the premise of this one, it sounded so different and unusual, I was immediately obsessed and determined to give her another go... but again I felt disconnected from the characters, and my attention drifted.
I'm sad because I WANT to love KMH's novels. I think they have a ton of merit, and I can quite see why people DO love her stories, but they just never gel quite right with me. Sadly, the (admittedly beautiful) prose just isn't for me.
This may sound foolish, but I do still want to give her one last shot. Hear me out. I do feel that KMH writes differently depending on who she is writing for. The level of detail, the depth of emotion, the lyrical style... it all ramps up in her work written for adults, as compared to her work written for younger readers. So I figure that if her writing in her MG was too young for me to properly engage with, and her writing in her adult novels is too descriptive and lyrical for me to properly get lost in, then just MAYBE her YA is the way to go!? I do have The Deathless Girls on my tbr, so I'm determined to get to it someday and see.
Overall I would say if you enjoyed The Mercies then I think you’ll enjoy this one too; if you didn’t enjoy The Mercies, then you’ll maybe like this one a little better…but will you love it? I think mileage will vary… if beautifully descriptive prose is something you enjoy then absolutely pick this one up!
Thanks so much to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 16, 2023
This was absolutely beautifully written. It often felt like a dreamscape, where the writing created far more ambiance than detail.
Strasbourg, 1518, where the Religious Council of 21 aligns themselves as God, and will punish anyone who steps out of line in their eyes. Their intention is to oppress women and nature, and steal anything that makes money in a time of hunger and starvation.
At the center of of the novel is Lisbet, a beekeeper who loves her bees, and has struggled with recurrent miscarriage. She has lost 12 babies. She has a tree in the woods, (a dance tree) where she has installed a private sanctuary, where she has ribbons to honor the past babies lost.
In the background of the book, is a hungry woman, near death with starvation, who begins to dance, almost trance-like in the city square. Feverishly she cannot stop, and awakens the ire of the Council of 21. Yet, soon, women begin to lose their minds and join her. At one point, at its height, there are over 500 women dancing, out of control of the council and the regular circumstance of hunger and powerlessness. It is madness.
Yet at home, Lisbet learns something of passion, and love, and loss, and of the nature of madness. She is powerless, yet fierce. Her longing for a baby propels her, and she learns about love in all forms. This was a truly beautiful book. Painful and haunting, yet beautiful nonetheless. This one will stay with me a long while.
Strasbourg, 1518, where the Religious Council of 21 aligns themselves as God, and will punish anyone who steps out of line in their eyes. Their intention is to oppress women and nature, and steal anything that makes money in a time of hunger and starvation.
At the center of of the novel is Lisbet, a beekeeper who loves her bees, and has struggled with recurrent miscarriage. She has lost 12 babies. She has a tree in the woods, (a dance tree) where she has installed a private sanctuary, where she has ribbons to honor the past babies lost.
In the background of the book, is a hungry woman, near death with starvation, who begins to dance, almost trance-like in the city square. Feverishly she cannot stop, and awakens the ire of the Council of 21. Yet, soon, women begin to lose their minds and join her. At one point, at its height, there are over 500 women dancing, out of control of the council and the regular circumstance of hunger and powerlessness. It is madness.
Yet at home, Lisbet learns something of passion, and love, and loss, and of the nature of madness. She is powerless, yet fierce. Her longing for a baby propels her, and she learns about love in all forms. This was a truly beautiful book. Painful and haunting, yet beautiful nonetheless. This one will stay with me a long while.
March 29, 2024
Βρισκόμαστε στο Στρασβούργο περί το 1518, σε ένα από τα πιο ζεστά καλοκαίρια στην ιστορία του. Μια γυναίκα ξεκινά να χορεύει χωρίς σταματημό. Σιγά σιγά, κι άλλες γυναίκες κάνουν το ίδιο και όλο και περισσότερες τις ακολουθούν. Οι αρχές αποφασίζουν να φέρουν μουσικούς να παίζουν για αυτές μέχρι να βγει το κακό από τα σώματά τους. Την ίδια περίοδο η έγκυος Λισμπετ έχει αναλάβει την φροντίδα των μελισσών, όταν επιστρέφει η κουνιάδα της μετά από χρόνια εξορίας για μια αμαρτία που κανείς δεν της εξηγεί. Η Λίσμπετ δείχνει στις μέλισσες την αγάπη που θα έδινε και στα μωρά που έχει χάσει και ευελπιστεί, όλα να πάνε καλά αυτή τη φορά και να κρατήσει το μωρό της στα χέρια της..
Η συγγραφέας, βασισμένη και πάλι σε ένα πραγματικό γεγονός, φτιάχνει μια ιστορία που έχει ως επίκεντρο τη μειονεκτική θέση της γυναίκας την εποχή εκείνη. Με τις περιγραφές της καθημερινότητας της Λίσμπετ, μας βάζει ακριβώς στο κλίμα της εποχής.
Μιας εποχής που η θρησκοληψία και η κατάχρηση εξουσίας έχουν τον πρώτο λόγο. Μιας εποχής, που τα μυστικά κυριαρχούν και που ακόμη και η αγάπη καταδικάζεται. Μιας εποχής που η γυναίκα ευθύνεται για τις συνεχείς αποβολές, χωρίς να έχει το χρόνο να πενθήσει και την συναισθηματική στήριξη να το ξεπεράσει
Εξαιρετική η σκιαγράφηση του χαρακτήρα της Λίσμπετ, που ενώ αρχικά εμφανίζεται ως αδύναμη, παίρνει τη ζωή στα χέρια της και πολεμά για τον εαυτό της μα και τους ανθρώπους που αγαπά!
3,5 αστέρια
Η συγγραφέας, βασισμένη και πάλι σε ένα πραγματικό γεγονός, φτιάχνει μια ιστορία που έχει ως επίκεντρο τη μειονεκτική θέση της γυναίκας την εποχή εκείνη. Με τις περιγραφές της καθημερινότητας της Λίσμπετ, μας βάζει ακριβώς στο κλίμα της εποχής.
Μιας εποχής που η θρησκοληψία και η κατάχρηση εξουσίας έχουν τον πρώτο λόγο. Μιας εποχής, που τα μυστικά κυριαρχούν και που ακόμη και η αγάπη καταδικάζεται. Μιας εποχής που η γυναίκα ευθύνεται για τις συνεχείς αποβολές, χωρίς να έχει το χρόνο να πενθήσει και την συναισθηματική στήριξη να το ξεπεράσει
Εξαιρετική η σκιαγράφηση του χαρακτήρα της Λίσμπετ, που ενώ αρχικά εμφανίζεται ως αδύναμη, παίρνει τη ζωή στα χέρια της και πολεμά για τον εαυτό της μα και τους ανθρώπους που αγαπά!
3,5 αστέρια
June 8, 2022
Not what I quite was expecting; which was a book dealing with the dancing plague (actually happened - Strasbourg, 1518, still undecided as to the cause, ranging from mania to ergot poisoning). This deals with Lisbet, a pregnant woman living just out of Strasbourg, and her family; her husband, who must go to defend the family’s bees (and therefore; livelihood) against a charge of stealing (the bees steal the pollen from others’ properties, as if we needed an example of how far we’ve come), her mother-in-law, a dour, prickly woman it would seem, then the returned sister-in-law, Agnethe, back from 7 years penance for a crime that no one will speak of.
Added to that are Lisbet’s friend, Ida, and her husband, who is one of the Twenty One, a feared law-enforcing organisation, and a couple of musicians who are brought in to try end the dance plague, then you have a gently moving story, but with the dancing mostlyas a back drop.
3.5 rounded up, but would’ve liked more on the dancers - why?
Added to that are Lisbet’s friend, Ida, and her husband, who is one of the Twenty One, a feared law-enforcing organisation, and a couple of musicians who are brought in to try end the dance plague, then you have a gently moving story, but with the dancing mostlyas a back drop.
3.5 rounded up, but would’ve liked more on the dancers - why?
July 12, 2023
Estrasburgo, 1518 uma mulher começa a dançar na praça da cidade durante vários dias. Tal acontecimento levará ao aparecimento de outras mulheres que tal como ela dançam sem parar. São chamados músicos para que toquem, e deste modo tirar o "demónio" que possuía aquelas mulheres.
Naquela cidade vive Lisbet, grávida cuidando das abelhas que lhe dão sustento. Mas a segurança é ameaçada com a chegada da sua cunhada Netha, regressada de uma pena de sete anos por um crime que nem se atreve a pronunciar.
Lisbet irá questionar-se a medida que convive com a cunhada com o crime que poderá este acometer, principalmente quando sente-se segura em partilhar segredos com ela e entende que poderá a sociedade estar errada no que se pode considerar pecado.
Foi um pouco difícil para mim concordar com as superstições e dogmas religiosos de Lisbet, contudo gostei muito dos paralelismos da vida dela com a colheita das abelhas e a sua força de modo o seu filho até o fim. Até achei fascinante a epidemia de dança, Kiran Hargrave sempre nos oferece romance históricos com temas únicos. Mulheres que não estavam possuídas apenas que viviam em profundo sofrimento, e dança lhes dava paz.
Naquela cidade vive Lisbet, grávida cuidando das abelhas que lhe dão sustento. Mas a segurança é ameaçada com a chegada da sua cunhada Netha, regressada de uma pena de sete anos por um crime que nem se atreve a pronunciar.
Lisbet irá questionar-se a medida que convive com a cunhada com o crime que poderá este acometer, principalmente quando sente-se segura em partilhar segredos com ela e entende que poderá a sociedade estar errada no que se pode considerar pecado.
Foi um pouco difícil para mim concordar com as superstições e dogmas religiosos de Lisbet, contudo gostei muito dos paralelismos da vida dela com a colheita das abelhas e a sua força de modo o seu filho até o fim. Até achei fascinante a epidemia de dança, Kiran Hargrave sempre nos oferece romance históricos com temas únicos. Mulheres que não estavam possuídas apenas que viviam em profundo sofrimento, e dança lhes dava paz.
April 11, 2023
This book was amazing! I loved this book and it is likely to be on my best of list for the year. It had everything that I look for in a book- a grounding in a specific place or time, strong and well-crafted characters, and beautiful writing. I asked for a copy of this book due to its setting in France in the 16th century. It blew my expectations out of the water.
The character of Lizbet was thoughtfully drawn as a capable woman who was weighed down with the grief of multiple miscarriages and doubting her place in her home because of it. Her position is also threatened by the return of her mysterious sister-in-law who has returned home after being away, doing "penance" for something no one will talk about. Her husband had to travel to the council seat to try to save their bee-keeping business, which is the one joy and pride she has in her life. On a visit to the village, she sees a woman who is in a dancing-type trance which has captivated the village and is growing with more women joining in, to the consternation of the town and leaders.
The entire book pulsates and hums with anxiety, fear, oppressive patriarchy, and loss as Lizbet and others seek any little morsel of joy to hold onto in the age of repression and control. Phenomenal book and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I would like to thank the publisher for giving me access to the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The character of Lizbet was thoughtfully drawn as a capable woman who was weighed down with the grief of multiple miscarriages and doubting her place in her home because of it. Her position is also threatened by the return of her mysterious sister-in-law who has returned home after being away, doing "penance" for something no one will talk about. Her husband had to travel to the council seat to try to save their bee-keeping business, which is the one joy and pride she has in her life. On a visit to the village, she sees a woman who is in a dancing-type trance which has captivated the village and is growing with more women joining in, to the consternation of the town and leaders.
The entire book pulsates and hums with anxiety, fear, oppressive patriarchy, and loss as Lizbet and others seek any little morsel of joy to hold onto in the age of repression and control. Phenomenal book and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I would like to thank the publisher for giving me access to the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2023
Setting: Strasbourg, Alsace, Germany; 1518.
As with her debut adult novel, The Mercies, the author has taken an intriguing but little-known event from history and crafted a wonderful novel around it...
In the midst of a long, hot summer - the latest in a series of climate extremes affecting the region - a starving woman finds herself in the central square of Strasbourg in search of food. Finding none, the woman puts her head down and begins to dance. She soon draws the attention of local residents - and the city council, who eventually decide to take the woman to a pilgrimage site to be bathed in the waters there and bring her actions to an end. But far from stopping the dancing, soon there are dozens, then hundreds, of women dancing in an apparent trance-like manner in the streets and squares, so much so that the authorities are forced to build stages to 'allow' them to dance in comparative safety.
Meanwhile, on a farm near the city, pregnant Lisbet, together with husband Henne and mother-in-law Sophey, is tending the bees that provide her family's livelihood whilst at the same time longing for this pregnancy to go full-term and not end prematurely as her previous twelve pregnancies have. Then Lisbet's life is disrupted by the arrival of Henne's sister, Nethe, who has been away in a mountain retreat for seven years for a 'crime' that no-one will speak of. As the family dynamic ebbs and flows, Lisbet finds herself increasingly drawn to her best friend, Ida, who has the misfortune to be married to a vindictive member of the local Council and who believes he is doing God's work, no matter how harsh his actions are. But Ida has a secret that even best friend Lisbet does not know - and, when revealed, puts Lisbet's family in jeopardy....
Whilst not enjoying this one quite as much as 'The Mercies', I still found it an engrossing and enjoyable read, demonstrating yet again how Christian beliefs were manipulated by those men in power to subjugate the population, in particular the female sex, and what this eventually resulted in. I was intrigued that the dancing seemed to occur around St Vitus Day, and it made me wonder if this was the origin of the phrase I have heard used referring to restless people having 'St Vitus's Dance'! Another excellent read from this author - 9/10.
As with her debut adult novel, The Mercies, the author has taken an intriguing but little-known event from history and crafted a wonderful novel around it...
In the midst of a long, hot summer - the latest in a series of climate extremes affecting the region - a starving woman finds herself in the central square of Strasbourg in search of food. Finding none, the woman puts her head down and begins to dance. She soon draws the attention of local residents - and the city council, who eventually decide to take the woman to a pilgrimage site to be bathed in the waters there and bring her actions to an end. But far from stopping the dancing, soon there are dozens, then hundreds, of women dancing in an apparent trance-like manner in the streets and squares, so much so that the authorities are forced to build stages to 'allow' them to dance in comparative safety.
Meanwhile, on a farm near the city, pregnant Lisbet, together with husband Henne and mother-in-law Sophey, is tending the bees that provide her family's livelihood whilst at the same time longing for this pregnancy to go full-term and not end prematurely as her previous twelve pregnancies have. Then Lisbet's life is disrupted by the arrival of Henne's sister, Nethe, who has been away in a mountain retreat for seven years for a 'crime' that no-one will speak of. As the family dynamic ebbs and flows, Lisbet finds herself increasingly drawn to her best friend, Ida, who has the misfortune to be married to a vindictive member of the local Council and who believes he is doing God's work, no matter how harsh his actions are. But Ida has a secret that even best friend Lisbet does not know - and, when revealed, puts Lisbet's family in jeopardy....
Whilst not enjoying this one quite as much as 'The Mercies', I still found it an engrossing and enjoyable read, demonstrating yet again how Christian beliefs were manipulated by those men in power to subjugate the population, in particular the female sex, and what this eventually resulted in. I was intrigued that the dancing seemed to occur around St Vitus Day, and it made me wonder if this was the origin of the phrase I have heard used referring to restless people having 'St Vitus's Dance'! Another excellent read from this author - 9/10.
June 27, 2022
I’m trying to think of a greater book than this and am failing miserably to do so. An absolute masterpiece. Thank you Kiran Millwood-Hargrave for creating this.
April 10, 2023
Tenho de respirar antes de escrever sobre este livro...
March 28, 2023
Harrowing yet beautiful. This book is sure to pull at your heart strings. I’m not normally into historical fiction but this story is written with such clarity that you won’t want to put it down. Enter the story open minded and you will find beauty, heart ache and new found knowledge.
March 20, 2023
3/3.5 ⭐️
i bought this as a fan of both KMH's and Florences Dance Fever works and it had some lovely writing and an emotional story. i wasn't as captivated as i wanted to be but i liked the characters and it provided detailed insight. Would be cool if a short story is made or something
i bought this as a fan of both KMH's and Florences Dance Fever works and it had some lovely writing and an emotional story. i wasn't as captivated as i wanted to be but i liked the characters and it provided detailed insight. Would be cool if a short story is made or something
June 8, 2022
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
Not only was I intrigued by the absolutely stunning book cover, I also adore historical fiction therefore I was incredibly excited when I received a copy of The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
The writing in this book is filled with descriptive and lyrical prose and I found it very captivating. It’s a story of female friendship, loss and forbidden love. It’s set in the year 1518 and based on a true story.
In the hot summer heat there’s a ‘Dance Plague’ in Strasbourg, it begins with a woman dancing in wild abandon for days, nobody can stop her and she doesn’t take food or rest, it’s almost as if she is in a trance. Other women join her……then hundreds! The authorities will bring in musicians to stop this madness and the devil in the women. Many of the women die!
Lisbet Wiler our protagonist is a heavily pregnant housewife and beekeeper who struggles to carry a child full term, heartbreakingly she has lost many babies, she lives on a farm with her husband Henne and mother-in-law Sophey.
Lisbet often visits a pagan ‘Dance Tree’, a place in the forest near home where she goes to grieve silently for her lost babies. Agnethe her newfound sister-in-law has returned to the family after serving penance for the past seven years …. for a sin unknown to Lisbet and nobody seems to want Lisbet to know what that sin is!
I loved the bee keeping aspects of the story and found the storytelling very atmospheric. A large part of the plot centres around outcasts and the hardships of women so it was also a very haunting story.
Publication Date 10 May 2022
Publisher Pan MacMillan Australia (Imprint Picador)
Thank you so very much Pan Macmillan Australia for a copy of the book.
Not only was I intrigued by the absolutely stunning book cover, I also adore historical fiction therefore I was incredibly excited when I received a copy of The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
The writing in this book is filled with descriptive and lyrical prose and I found it very captivating. It’s a story of female friendship, loss and forbidden love. It’s set in the year 1518 and based on a true story.
In the hot summer heat there’s a ‘Dance Plague’ in Strasbourg, it begins with a woman dancing in wild abandon for days, nobody can stop her and she doesn’t take food or rest, it’s almost as if she is in a trance. Other women join her……then hundreds! The authorities will bring in musicians to stop this madness and the devil in the women. Many of the women die!
Lisbet Wiler our protagonist is a heavily pregnant housewife and beekeeper who struggles to carry a child full term, heartbreakingly she has lost many babies, she lives on a farm with her husband Henne and mother-in-law Sophey.
Lisbet often visits a pagan ‘Dance Tree’, a place in the forest near home where she goes to grieve silently for her lost babies. Agnethe her newfound sister-in-law has returned to the family after serving penance for the past seven years …. for a sin unknown to Lisbet and nobody seems to want Lisbet to know what that sin is!
I loved the bee keeping aspects of the story and found the storytelling very atmospheric. A large part of the plot centres around outcasts and the hardships of women so it was also a very haunting story.
Publication Date 10 May 2022
Publisher Pan MacMillan Australia (Imprint Picador)
Thank you so very much Pan Macmillan Australia for a copy of the book.
January 29, 2024
Γράφει η συγγραφέας στο σημείωμα της "ο θεός κ ο διάβολος δεν ήταν ιδέες συζητήσιμες κατά τον μεσαίωνα, ήταν γεγονότα τόσο πραγματικά όσο ο καιρός ή η πείνα". Με αυτό τον τρόπο ορίζεται και όλο το αφήγημα της.
Ένα καυτό καλοκαίρι στο Στρασβούργο του 1518.Μία γυναίκα αρχίζει να χορεύει στην πλατεία της πόλης.Ο χορός γίνεται μία επιδημία...Εκατοντάδες γυναίκες ακολουθούν τον ξέφρενο ακατάπαυστο χορό κ οι αρχές κηρύσσουν κατάσταση έκτακτης ανάγκης προσπαθώντας με κάθε τρόπο να ελέγξουν την κατάσταση. Στις παρυφές της πόλης ζει η εγκυμονούσα ηρωίδα μας Λισμπετ με τον άντρα της,την πεθερά της, την κουνιάδα της κ τα οικογενειακά μυστικά...
Η Λισμπετ ασχολείται με την εκτροφή των μελισσών της οικογένειας αναπτύσσοντας μία ιδιαίτερη σχέση μαζί τους, παραπέμποντας στην ένωση του θηλυκού στοιχείου με το αρχέγονο ένστικτο επιβίωσης κ διαιώνισης.
Μία ιστορία βασισμένη σε ιστορικά στοιχεία και γραμμένη στα σύνορα του σύμπαντος του πραγματικού με όρατότητα στο μεταφυσικό. Οι περιγραφές της συγγραφέως συνδέονται με τις αισθήσεις των ηρώων κ με ιδιαίτερη δεξιότητα μεταφέρονται στον αναγνώστη ισορροπώντας εικόνα κ αίσθηση.
Όλο το βιβλίο είναι μία μεγάλη αλληγορία για το νέο κόσμο που κυοφορείται.Οι γυναίκες χορεύουν γιατί δεν υπάρχει εγκόσμιος τρόπος να σωθούν και γιατί είναι ο μόνος δρόμος να οδηγηθούν στη θεραπεία στερεότυπων και προκαταλήψεων...
Όπως και στις "Μάγισσες του Βαρντε" το προηγούμενο βιβλίο της Χαργκρειβ, έτσι κ εδώ η αγάπη της συγγραφέως για το θέμα της είναι έκδηλη αλλά με ένα πιο τεχνικό ή κ κρυμμένο τρόπο.
Είναι μία μυθιστορία για τον φανατισμό, τις δυσιδαιμονίες, τις προκαταλήψεις αλλά και την εξέλιξη της ψυχής κ ελευθερία του πνεύματος. Ένα βιβλίο που δείχνει μπροστά διαβάλλοντας το παρελθόν...Ένα βιβλίο που είναι επιβεβλημένο να διαβαστεί από όσους ενδιαφέρονται να ενημερώνονται για τους ταλαντούχους κ ιδιαίτερους νέους συγγραφείς που θα έχουν μεγάλη πορεία στη συνέχεια.
Ένα καυτό καλοκαίρι στο Στρασβούργο του 1518.Μία γυναίκα αρχίζει να χορεύει στην πλατεία της πόλης.Ο χορός γίνεται μία επιδημία...Εκατοντάδες γυναίκες ακολουθούν τον ξέφρενο ακατάπαυστο χορό κ οι αρχές κηρύσσουν κατάσταση έκτακτης ανάγκης προσπαθώντας με κάθε τρόπο να ελέγξουν την κατάσταση. Στις παρυφές της πόλης ζει η εγκυμονούσα ηρωίδα μας Λισμπετ με τον άντρα της,την πεθερά της, την κουνιάδα της κ τα οικογενειακά μυστικά...
Η Λισμπετ ασχολείται με την εκτροφή των μελισσών της οικογένειας αναπτύσσοντας μία ιδιαίτερη σχέση μαζί τους, παραπέμποντας στην ένωση του θηλυκού στοιχείου με το αρχέγονο ένστικτο επιβίωσης κ διαιώνισης.
Μία ιστορία βασισμένη σε ιστορικά στοιχεία και γραμμένη στα σύνορα του σύμπαντος του πραγματικού με όρατότητα στο μεταφυσικό. Οι περιγραφές της συγγραφέως συνδέονται με τις αισθήσεις των ηρώων κ με ιδιαίτερη δεξιότητα μεταφέρονται στον αναγνώστη ισορροπώντας εικόνα κ αίσθηση.
Όλο το βιβλίο είναι μία μεγάλη αλληγορία για το νέο κόσμο που κυοφορείται.Οι γυναίκες χορεύουν γιατί δεν υπάρχει εγκόσμιος τρόπος να σωθούν και γιατί είναι ο μόνος δρόμος να οδηγηθούν στη θεραπεία στερεότυπων και προκαταλήψεων...
Όπως και στις "Μάγισσες του Βαρντε" το προηγούμενο βιβλίο της Χαργκρειβ, έτσι κ εδώ η αγάπη της συγγραφέως για το θέμα της είναι έκδηλη αλλά με ένα πιο τεχνικό ή κ κρυμμένο τρόπο.
Είναι μία μυθιστορία για τον φανατισμό, τις δυσιδαιμονίες, τις προκαταλήψεις αλλά και την εξέλιξη της ψυχής κ ελευθερία του πνεύματος. Ένα βιβλίο που δείχνει μπροστά διαβάλλοντας το παρελθόν...Ένα βιβλίο που είναι επιβεβλημένο να διαβαστεί από όσους ενδιαφέρονται να ενημερώνονται για τους ταλαντούχους κ ιδιαίτερους νέους συγγραφείς που θα έχουν μεγάλη πορεία στη συνέχεια.
July 11, 2022
I absolutely adored The Mercies when I read it earlier this year. The Dance Tree is more of the same, but not in a good way. Instead, it feels like many of the characters and themes of the Mercies have just been transplanted to a new time and setting, like a traced drawing overlaying the original text. This means there are no surprises in this book, the events and characters are as predictable as the stops on a bus timetable, especially when the pace of the first two thirds is grinding slow.
This predictability meant that certain annoyances instead of being swept away by the plot become repeated irritations, like a stone in your shoe. The most prominent is the trope beloved by writers of self-proclaimed "accurate" historical fiction: to point out all the time and at every opportunity how much everyone and everything stank.
Except there is one big problem as anyone familiar with bad smells would point out: the nose quickly acclimatises to bad smells and soon no longer notices them. Pretty much everyone had rank breath in 1500s Europe, so what is the point of noting it every time someone opens their mouth.
After the story ends, there is yet another modern irritation in fiction, the author's note. A quick bibliography for further reading I have no issue with. Unfortunately, the authors note now is that heinous practice beloved of YA authors, where the author spells out all the Current Issues covered in the story and exactly why they are Important and/or Bad. This is condescending enough when aimed at young people and is unforgivably patronising in a book for adults. The story should provide all the messaging required with no added editorialising necessary. Also, we aren't in A Level English Literature, readers can make up their own minds as to how the story relates to modern society.
This predictability meant that certain annoyances instead of being swept away by the plot become repeated irritations, like a stone in your shoe. The most prominent is the trope beloved by writers of self-proclaimed "accurate" historical fiction: to point out all the time and at every opportunity how much everyone and everything stank.
Except there is one big problem as anyone familiar with bad smells would point out: the nose quickly acclimatises to bad smells and soon no longer notices them. Pretty much everyone had rank breath in 1500s Europe, so what is the point of noting it every time someone opens their mouth.
After the story ends, there is yet another modern irritation in fiction, the author's note. A quick bibliography for further reading I have no issue with. Unfortunately, the authors note now is that heinous practice beloved of YA authors, where the author spells out all the Current Issues covered in the story and exactly why they are Important and/or Bad. This is condescending enough when aimed at young people and is unforgivably patronising in a book for adults. The story should provide all the messaging required with no added editorialising necessary. Also, we aren't in A Level English Literature, readers can make up their own minds as to how the story relates to modern society.
May 1, 2022
I was first intrigued by this book because I've always been slightly fascinated by The Dance Plague of 1518 - is that slightly morbid? probably - and so a story set then intrigued me. What Hargrave has done here has taken this slightly bizarre historical factoid and breathed life and humanity into it.
The story focuses for the most part on Lisbet, a beekeeper and farmer's wife on the outskirts of Strasbourg. However, we get little interludes where we see a snapshot of some of the women who ended up caught up in the dance plague, and these were excellently executed to show us a little of who they were as people and how they ended up dancing. This is part of a continued theme throughout the book of focusing on the lives and personhood of the women of this story, and rooting the answer to why the plague happened in their lives and experiences and psyches.
Lisbet is a sympathetic and likeable character who has faced great losses, and Hargrave truly pulls the reader into her life and mind.
The story starts with the return of her sister-in-law - who has been doing penance in a nunnery - and her husband having to journey away from home. Part of the first half of the book is focused on the mystery of why her sister-in-law, Agnethe, had to do penance. Now, I figured this out pretty quickly because I'd already seen what rep the book had been tagged with, and so grew a little impatient with how long it takes for this to be revealed, but I'm not sure how obvious it was supposed to be without that context.
Agnethe and the other side characters as also excellently sketched out, and all together Hargrave's writing portrays a vivid picture of the era and its people, with excellent use of imagery and language.
Highly recommend for fellow histfic lovers!
The story focuses for the most part on Lisbet, a beekeeper and farmer's wife on the outskirts of Strasbourg. However, we get little interludes where we see a snapshot of some of the women who ended up caught up in the dance plague, and these were excellently executed to show us a little of who they were as people and how they ended up dancing. This is part of a continued theme throughout the book of focusing on the lives and personhood of the women of this story, and rooting the answer to why the plague happened in their lives and experiences and psyches.
Lisbet is a sympathetic and likeable character who has faced great losses, and Hargrave truly pulls the reader into her life and mind.
The story starts with the return of her sister-in-law - who has been doing penance in a nunnery - and her husband having to journey away from home. Part of the first half of the book is focused on the mystery of why her sister-in-law, Agnethe, had to do penance. Now, I figured this out pretty quickly because I'd already seen what rep the book had been tagged with, and so grew a little impatient with how long it takes for this to be revealed, but I'm not sure how obvious it was supposed to be without that context.
Agnethe and the other side characters as also excellently sketched out, and all together Hargrave's writing portrays a vivid picture of the era and its people, with excellent use of imagery and language.
Highly recommend for fellow histfic lovers!
March 15, 2024
Έχοντας ως βάση την "πανούκλα ή μανία του χορού" (εννοείται ότι από τις πρώτες μου κινήσεις ήταν να ελέγξω αν όντως υπήρξε κάποια στιγμή που οι γυναίκες μιας περιοχής άρχισαν χωρίς προφανή λόγο να χορεύουν μέχρι θανάτου και όλως παραδόξως υπάρχουν πηγές που το αναφέρουν σαν πραγματικό γεγονός!)
η συγγραφέας πλάθει την ιστορία της Λίσμπετ. Προσωπικά, μου άρεσε πολύ ο τρόπος που με μετέφερε στην εποχή που διαδραματίζεται η ιστορία της. Περιγράφει με σαφήνεια τους εσωτερικούς και εξωτερικούς χώρους, τις οικιακές εργασίες που κάνουν οι πρωταγωνίστριες και γενικά, μιλά πολύ για την καθημερινότητά τους. Μιλά για τα ήθη και τα έθιμα της εποχής, για τις συνήθειες των πολιτών, για τις τιμωρίες που επέβαλλε η παντοδύναμη εκκλησία. Και πάνω απ' όλα, περιγράφει εξαιρετικά την ψυχολογία και τα συναισθήματα της Λίσμπετ. Μαθαίνουμε όσα μας χρειάζονται για τα άγχη και τις αγωνίες της, για όσα την τρομάζουν ή την στεναχωρούν, για τα όνειρά της αλλά και για τα βασικά στοιχεία του παρελθόντος της που διαμόρφωσαν τον χαρακτήρα της.
Μιλά με τρυφερότητα και ευαισθησία για το θέμα των επαναλαμβανόμενων αποβολών βάζοντας τη Λίσμπετ να έχει χάσει πολλά έμβρυα πριν την τωρινή προχωρημένη εγκυμοσύνη της. Μιλά για τον πόνο της, για την αγάπη της προς όλα τα μωρά της, για μια ζωή συμβατική στο πλευρό ενός άντρα που δεν την καταλαβαίνει. Γενικά, μας δίνει έναν ολοκληρωμένο χαρακτήρα που προσωπικά συμπάθησα πάρα πολύ. Δε συνέβη το ίδιο με τους υπόλοιπους χαρακτήρες του βιβλίου, για κάποιο λόγο δεν συμπάθησα κανέναν αφού άλλοι μου φάνηκαν εγωιστές και άλλοι άνευροι, αδύναμοι
Γενικά, πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο τρυφερό που έχει πολλά στοιχεία για μια ζωή άγρια και δύσκολη. Πιστεύω ότι θα σας αρέσει.
https://thematofylakes.gr
https://kiallovivlio.blogspot.com/
η συγγραφέας πλάθει την ιστορία της Λίσμπετ. Προσωπικά, μου άρεσε πολύ ο τρόπος που με μετέφερε στην εποχή που διαδραματίζεται η ιστορία της. Περιγράφει με σαφήνεια τους εσωτερικούς και εξωτερικούς χώρους, τις οικιακές εργασίες που κάνουν οι πρωταγωνίστριες και γενικά, μιλά πολύ για την καθημερινότητά τους. Μιλά για τα ήθη και τα έθιμα της εποχής, για τις συνήθειες των πολιτών, για τις τιμωρίες που επέβαλλε η παντοδύναμη εκκλησία. Και πάνω απ' όλα, περιγράφει εξαιρετικά την ψυχολογία και τα συναισθήματα της Λίσμπετ. Μαθαίνουμε όσα μας χρειάζονται για τα άγχη και τις αγωνίες της, για όσα την τρομάζουν ή την στεναχωρούν, για τα όνειρά της αλλά και για τα βασικά στοιχεία του παρελθόντος της που διαμόρφωσαν τον χαρακτήρα της.
Μιλά με τρυφερότητα και ευαισθησία για το θέμα των επαναλαμβανόμενων αποβολών βάζοντας τη Λίσμπετ να έχει χάσει πολλά έμβρυα πριν την τωρινή προχωρημένη εγκυμοσύνη της. Μιλά για τον πόνο της, για την αγάπη της προς όλα τα μωρά της, για μια ζωή συμβατική στο πλευρό ενός άντρα που δεν την καταλαβαίνει. Γενικά, μας δίνει έναν ολοκληρωμένο χαρακτήρα που προσωπικά συμπάθησα πάρα πολύ. Δε συνέβη το ίδιο με τους υπόλοιπους χαρακτήρες του βιβλίου, για κάποιο λόγο δεν συμπάθησα κανέναν αφού άλλοι μου φάνηκαν εγωιστές και άλλοι άνευροι, αδύναμοι
Γενικά, πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο τρυφερό που έχει πολλά στοιχεία για μια ζωή άγρια και δύσκολη. Πιστεύω ότι θα σας αρέσει.
https://thematofylakes.gr
https://kiallovivlio.blogspot.com/
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