readsbythebayou 's review for:

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

4.0

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This is a historical fiction novel about the dance plague that took place in Strasbourg in 1518. It all stars with Frau Troffea, who suddenly and without apparent reason, started to dance in a trance, followed by around four hundred people. The plague lasted months and the reasons are still unknown. The novel is a beautiful and poignant vignette of that time. We follow Lisbeth, a woman that at the time the book starts is pregnant and living in a farm with her husband and MIL in Strasbourg when the dancing plague starts. The novel speaks a lot about things happening in our time, as is often the case witha historical fiction book. In fact, some authors of the genre are inspired by current issues to write about historical events because history tends to repeat itself, and suddenly we find ourselves immersed in conflicts that could have been avoided. The book is among other things, about prejudice and fear, about mania, ignorance and intolerance. Contrary to what we prefer to tell ourselves, we still haven't overcome those feelings. Some of them seem to be more current than ever The novel is written beautifully and the characters are unforgettable. It's a little bit slow though. But it is worth taking the time to savor each word and to enjoy the rich inner life of Lisbeth,the protagonist and the rest of the characters. I really enjoyed it and now want to read The Mercies ASAP!