Description

Set in an era of superstition and hysteria, and inspired by the true events of a doomed summer, The Dance Tree is a story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge. The gripping, historical novel from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, as seen on BBC Two’s Between the Covers.

‘Brilliant’ – Marian Keyes

‘I absolutely loved this book’ – Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

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, and as she is joined by hundreds of others, the authorities declare an emergency: musicians will be brought in to play the Devil out of these women.

Beyond the city, pregnant Lisbet tends the bees that are her livelihood. And then, as the dancing plague gathers momentum, Lisbet’s sister-in-law Nethe returns from seven years’ penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name.

As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, Lisbet finds herself thrust into a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion, but she is dancing to a dangerous tune . . .

Shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown

‘Intriguing, haunting, beautiful’ – Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

‘Extraordinary, enthralling’ – Sunday Times

Publisher Review

Extraordinary . . . enthralling . . . An exceptionally atmospheric, original story * Sunday Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month * Unusual and beautifully written, and the questions it raises about faith and love linger * The Times * Exceptionally brilliant. Immersive, sensual, compelling and totally convincing. Accessible, ambitious, The Dance Tree deserves to win prizes — Marian Keyes An intriguing, haunting novel pulsing with raw, beautiful emotion . . . a novel in which female courage and resilience shines brightly against a brilliantly evoked backdrop of claustrophobic horror — Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne I absolutely loved this book . . . an exceptionally beautiful portrait of women from the past, told in the most spellbinding prose — Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den Millwood Hargrave has a masterly ability to summon the past to the page. The Dance Tree vibrates with urgency; [a] vivid, compassionate evocation of women and their desires in a time of patriarchal control — Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Burial Rites Stunning . . . There is so much pain and grief and loss in it, yet in the end, it all comes back to the redemptive power of love. Sensual, gripping, moving — Louise O’Neill, bestselling author of Idol If some prose sings, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s truly dances . . . the book’s wisdom, compassion, and beauty transcend historical boundaries: this is a timeless novel — Hernan Diaz, author of TRUST</> Amazing . . . incredible . . . I was drawn in right away — Sara Cox, BBC Between the Covers Exploring themes of motherhood, misogyny, the patriarchy and forbidden love, the author utilises this moment in history as a great catalyst for examining issues that are still central to our contemporary concerns. This interweaving of the past with the present is deftly done with the author’s incredible capacity for empathy illuminating the sensitive topics that the story incorporates. * Irish Times * The Dance Tree hums with intrigue, grief and rebellion, oozes tenderness and love. Fierce as Lisbet’s bees, delicious as honey. A raw, intoxicating novel — Joanne Burn, author of The Hemlock Cure I just loved it . . . I was hooked from the start — Sarah Keyworth, BBC Between the Covers Hugely tender, heartbreaking and warm. Millwood Hargrave embroiders the world of the book so beautifully, it is an immersive rich experience that plays on in your head even after you put it down — Sarvat Hasin, author of The Giant Dark Millwood Hargrave takes an intriguing, female-focused moment of real history and weaves a heartbreaking story into it * Woman & Home * Beautifully written, full of tenderness and hope, The Dance Tree explores grief and courage and the tragic consequences of forbidden love. — Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl [A] tenderly written story . . . Good characters, good plot and lots to think about in a solid piece of historical fiction * Times of Tunbridge Wells *