The Dance Tree

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.

  AudioFile