Kiran Millwood Hargrave explains in her Author’s Note at the end of her novel that one of the prompts she felt for writing this work was her experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss during our recent Covid pandemic. For this she used a peculiar historical episode that took place in Strasbourg in the Summer o 1518 when a woman named Frau Troffea began dancing in the streets, for no clear reason, giving rise to many other people doing the same, alarming the political and religious authorities at the time. A frenzy ensued; the drive to dance spread lasting a few months during which several people died. Documents are scarce so even today it is difficult to explain why it happened and the extent of the mania.

So much is unspoken but still weighs heavily on Lisbet and on many others here, the harshness of the life, the brutal weather, the church pronouncements of human evils and need to atone, and now these dancing women who seem gripped by some mania causing them to dance and dance, often until they bleed or drop. What will happen to them?As with her debut adult novel, The Mercies, the author has taken an intriguing but little-known event from history and crafted a wonderful novel around it... This was absolutely beautifully written. It often felt like a dreamscape, where the writing created far more ambiance than detail.

In Strasbourg, July of 1518, a woman named Frau Traoffea began to dance constantly for a week straight without stopping. Soon hundreds of women joined her. These women danced uncontrollably and apparently unwilling for about two months straight. They were in some kind of trance. Very sadly before it was over in August 1518 over 400 had died. What started this dancing plaque? Why did it only affect women? It was the hottest summer in years and remember that in these times, it was full of superstitions, mystics and the church was corrupt. Crime was everywhere and there were many pagan rituals driving people from their homes into the forest. They believed that God and the Devil were vengeful and ready to punish you for your sins. Vamos por partes: gostei da escrita da autora. É cativante, mas custou-me um pouco ler este livro. Tem um ritmo lento e arrastado, é um livro muito sofrido a vários níveis.Together with these two elements, her personal experience, and the historical setting, KMH has designed a story in which love, family relationships, cultural conflicts between West and East, and LGBT+ concerns and claims all carry a weight. The character of Lizbet was thoughtfully drawn as a capable woman who was weighed down with the grief of multiple miscarriages and doubting her place in her home because of it. Her position is also threatened by the return of her mysterious sister-in-law who has returned home after being away, doing "penance" for something no one will talk about. Her husband had to travel to the council seat to try to save their bee-keeping business, which is the one joy and pride she has in her life. On a visit to the village, she sees a woman who is in a dancing-type trance which has captivated the village and is growing with more women joining in, to the consternation of the town and leaders. Lisbet Wiler our protagonist is a heavily pregnant housewife and beekeeper who struggles to carry a child full term, heartbreakingly she has lost many babies, she lives on a farm with her husband Henne and mother-in-law Sophey.

Lisbet is a sympathetic and likeable character who has faced great losses, and Hargrave truly pulls the reader into her life and mind.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. Reading this book,I learned so much that I never even heard of. There are many different theories to this day as to what started the dancing plaque in 1518 in Strasbourg ranging from tainted rye in the bread to curses to hot blood. I'm amazed that this even happened! The most common theory is that they were cursed by St. Vistus (The god of dancing) for whatever sin they committed. Read the Authors Notes to find out more and what other centuries the dancing plaque occurred in.