The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

"If some prose sings, Kiran Millwood Hargrave's truly dances. Although set in the early sixteenth century, The Dance Tree addresses issues of the utmost importance today--the subjection of women, class inequality, the dangers of religious fundamentalism. Ultimately, however, the book's wisdom, compassion, and beauty transcend historical boundaries: this is a timeless novel."--Hernan Diaz, author of In the Distance and Trust

"An intriguing, haunting novel pulsing with raw, beautiful emotion. Kiran Millwood-Hargrave effortlessly intertwines the stories of women tenderly and sympathetically, creating a novel in which female courage and resilience shines brightly against a brilliantly evoked backdrop of claustrophobic horror."--Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

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.

Hargrave, Kiran Millwood: - Kiran Millwood Hargrave holds degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. She's a poet and playwright, as well as an acclaimed children's book author in the UK. Her debut book for children, The Girl of Ink & Stars has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK. It won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017, the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year 2017, and was shortlisted for numerous awards. Her second book, The Island at the End of Everything, was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award and is publishing this month in the US and has three starred reviews in hand. Kiran reviews and contributes to The Guardian.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780063274785
ISBN 10	0063274787
Title	The Dance Tree
Author	Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Year published	2024-02-13
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.