The Dance Tree

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What to expect

'Exceptionally brilliant. Immersive, sensual, compelling' - Marian Keyes
'Intriguing, haunting . . . raw, beautiful' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

The gripping, historical novel from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mercies.

Set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by the true events of a doomed summer, 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 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.

Just beyond the city’s limits, pregnant Lisbet lives with her mother-in-law and husband, tending the bees that are their 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.

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

'Extraordinary . . . An exceptionally atmospheric, original story' - The Sunday Times
'Spellbinding' - Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

Critics Review

Extraordinary . . . enthralling . . . An exceptionally atmospheric, original story
Sunday Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month
The Dance Tree is unusual and beautifully written, and the questions it raises about faith and love linger. The vignettes of the lives of the dancing women are a joy, each a perfect little short story dropped into the main narrative
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. 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
Some historical novels don't just describe the past, they transport you there . . . 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
Kiran Millwood Hargrave has a masterly ability to summon the past to the page. The Dance Tree vibrates with urgency; its vivid, compassionate evocation of women and their desires in a time of patriarchal control and mass hysteria is a timely reminder of how far we have come, and how far we have to go
Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Burial Rites
The Dance Tree is, simply put, a stunning piece of writing. 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
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
If some prose sings, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s truly dances . . . 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 TRUST
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
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
Gedmintas’s performance helps listeners understand the various prejudices aimed against those who are stricken by the dancing plague, which is related to rheumatic fever. She captures the inexorable tension building around Lisbet’s pregnancy and her determination to get to the bottom of her family’s history.
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User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
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5.0
horrific and beautiful

The imagery was so vivid I felt I was there in that world.

It took a while to really get into this story but once I was in I fell in love. Silent tears fell as the story came to an end. So poetic and gentle and real
Sarahmccaffreyx 05/05/2024

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