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| By Dina Sleiman, White Fire 2011 |
Dance of the Dandelion
Reviewed by Christine Lindsay, Award-winning Author of Shadowed in Silk.
As I read Dance of the Dandelion, I found myself comparing it to the well-received mainstream novel, Year of Wonders--a novel also set in medieval times with a strong flavor of the exotic Middle East. The reader is taken from a hovel in the England countryside to within the tapestry-lined walls of a castle and all its evil secrets, to bustling London, and then to sun-kissed Italy. It is a flamboyant tale with bright imagery that I couldn't put down.
The main character, Dandy, grew up dancing barefoot in meadows, and kept gnawing hunger away by poaching. She is as wild and spirited as a child, but with the body, mind and desires of a grown woman. Dandy doesn't even trust herself to do the right thing, especially when her decisions are influenced by her raw childhood memories of famine.
Dandy wants more out of life than what her simple cotter family has, and more than what the young farmer, William, can ever give her. Because of this, she recklessly turns her back on true love to marry a nobleman from the nearby castle, only to find there are other types of hunger--the hunger of the soul. As Dandy struggles with heartache and at times, brutality, she also finds within each hardship a vibrant sense of hope. Dandy struck me as a strong, vivacious heroine who learns by failure before she grasps the truth.
The literary talent of this author delighted me as I kept picturing the rich pallet of the Renaissance as I read this extremely gripping story. It was like reading light rippling across water. At the same time, the author doesn't shy away from difficult issues, but the story does come around to a Christian redemptive message that is totally believable, and a wonderfully satisfying ending.
I highly recommend this book.
The main character, Dandy, grew up dancing barefoot in meadows, and kept gnawing hunger away by poaching. She is as wild and spirited as a child, but with the body, mind and desires of a grown woman. Dandy doesn't even trust herself to do the right thing, especially when her decisions are influenced by her raw childhood memories of famine.
Dandy wants more out of life than what her simple cotter family has, and more than what the young farmer, William, can ever give her. Because of this, she recklessly turns her back on true love to marry a nobleman from the nearby castle, only to find there are other types of hunger--the hunger of the soul. As Dandy struggles with heartache and at times, brutality, she also finds within each hardship a vibrant sense of hope. Dandy struck me as a strong, vivacious heroine who learns by failure before she grasps the truth.
The literary talent of this author delighted me as I kept picturing the rich pallet of the Renaissance as I read this extremely gripping story. It was like reading light rippling across water. At the same time, the author doesn't shy away from difficult issues, but the story does come around to a Christian redemptive message that is totally believable, and a wonderfully satisfying ending.
I highly recommend this book.
Note: This book is available as an e-book through Amazon Leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win a copy of this book!
Thanks, Christine, for sharing your review! White Fire has a treasure trove of talent!
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm with you on that, Carrie! Reading Christine's review reminds me of just why Shadowed in Silk was such an outstanding read! Wonderful review, Christine! Please still enter me to win Dance of the Dandelion. You can't post reviews like this and expect me not to want to enter giveaway, too. lol
ReplyDeleteI mentioned this before on Goodreads, but the 14th Century is sometimes called Pre-Renaissance and in Italy sometimes even Early Renaissance. If anyone is familiar with Chaucer or the movie "A Knights Tale," my book takes place about 40 or 50 years earlier in the same culture.
ReplyDeleteI'll also mention for fun that I hand chose Christine Lindsay and Roseanna White for my critique partners a year and a half ago, although Christine and Roseanna are not partners with each other. I saw something in each of them that I thought I would connect to. Little did I know at the time that we'd all be WhiteFire sisters, but I did strongly recommend Shadowed in Silk to Roseanna for WhiteFire.
The cover alone enthralls me! My heart's desire was to dance. The story line sounds very intriguing. Please enter me.
ReplyDeletedesertrose5173 at gmail dot com
I too am amazed at how God brought us all together, Dina. At WhiteFire we found a home where our love of the exotic setting and the realistic type of redemptive store takes place. I love a good prairie type romance every once in a while, but there's such a huge world out there, and in ages past where Christ shone through the struggles and through various cultures. Your Dance of the Dandelion is a new wave in Christian fiction. I'm sure it will bless and encourage many people to think about the love of Christ if they've ever struggled with making poor choices.
ReplyDeleteI am adding this to my TBR list!
ReplyDeletewsmarple/at/gmail/dot/com
Hi Linda,
ReplyDeleteThe model on the cover is my daughter who is a beautiful worship dancer. And it's never too late to dance :)
"A new wave in Christian fiction." I certainly hope so, Christine. I always have been a step ahead of the trends.
ReplyDeleteI love hearing that, Wendy :)
ReplyDeleteDina, We may have another review by Diana maybe near the time the paperback book comes out. Sounds like Diana cannot resist your book!
ReplyDeleteGee, was I that obvious? hehe I would hate to have to follow you and Christine's reviews...yikes! But for Dina I would give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree. Diana needs to read thee book, and when she does I want to heR her thoughts.
ReplyDeleteDina, you certainly are a step ahead. :o) Readers are already loving your book. Ivé heard it said that it is there ALL TIME favorite book. Now that's an accolade, and it's not even out in paper yet.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Sheri Salatin who won Dina's debut book! Dance of the Dandelion will be flying your way shortly! Thanks to all of you who left comments!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Sheri! Thanks again to Dina, for taking time out of your busy schedule to respond to everyone's comments and for the interesting reviews/interviews from Christine and Carrie!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Sheri. I'm glad for you too. I hope you really enjoy reading one of my favorite books. I think Dina Sleiman is going to knock the socks off a lot of readers with her debut novel.
ReplyDelete