piggindani 's review for:

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

5.0

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Drawn to this book by the evocative description and gorgeous cover, I predicted this would become a new firm favourite, and I was not wrong. Honestly, It captivated me from the very first word.

I’m sure there will be many reviews talking about the resilience, beauty, and raw power of the women in this book, and so they should, but for me, I was most mesmerised by the prose. It isn’t like anything I’ve ever read before. It is the first book that I truly got lost in the language. It transported me to Strasbourg with Lisbet, her bees, the newly returned Nethe, and the hysteria of the Dancing Plague.
I am sitting here wishing I was a wordsmith or, at least, had a better command/understanding of the English language, so I could fully express how much I am in love with the writing style.
A modern-day classic. Pure and simple.

Now, I don’t usually leave a review without mentioning the characters, but the lyrical prose has left me bereft of words.
Just know they are as exquisite as the writing.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan MacMillan, for the gift of the ebook arc. As you can tell, I love this book.