Slow but mostly engaging story about relationships and connections set during the Strasbourg Dance Plague.

I could not connect to the story or the characters. It just felt so slow. I was interested in the time period and women’s experiences during this time. I’ve learned from this story that I’m not interested in this time period after all.

If this is a time period (1600’s) that interests you, then you might find that this story is enjoyable for you.

I absolutely loved THE MERCIES so I was so excited for the chance to read THE DANCE TREE. It did not disappoint! Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a master at crafting atmosphere; I was thoroughly immersed in the 16th century and in Lisbet's story. Highly recommend!

I loved this book. A strong female story set in the Middle Ages is where it's at for me. It was a beautiful story centered on women and the beautiful kinship women share. Lovely. Beautifully written. Great setting and atmosphere.

I found this novel too dark in too many ways to be able to finish it: violence against people, violence against animals, cruelty after cruelty. It was more than I could bear, despite the fact that I generally appreciate dark literature.

What an intriguing story! The tale takes place during the early 1500’s when dancing plagues were not uncommon. Women would just start whirling around until they collapsed or were forcibly stopped. There is speculation on whether this was because of the extreme weather, bad mushrooms causing hallucinations or slow poisoning. The story revolves around Lisbet, a young pregnant woman who has already lost 9 pregnancies. While she is determined to bring this child to term, she is trying to save the lives of her best friend and sister-in-law during this time period of religious zealots who control all aspects of life.

The book was certainly different and I kept picking up the book to read it.

The Dance Tree is historical fiction set in Strasbourg, France in 1518. The 16th century was a time of severe weather, stubborn and severe summer heat, no rain and ruined crops. Combined with this were winters where people froze in the streets. At the end of the prior century, a comet had struck in the same region. Everything was said to have the same cause: God was punishing all humanity who must atone. Now, in July of 1518, a woman, one Frau Troffea, began dancing in the street in Strasbourg. In future weeks there would be dozens then, ultimately, hundreds dancing in Strasbourg.

This is the background upon which Hargrave has based her story and such a captivating story it is. Other background elements of that history are also included such as the ongoing incursion of the Ottoman Empire into the Holy Roman Empire as well as issues of immigration of unwanted peoples into France from the East.

On the outskirts of the city, farms struggling to survive. We learn of Lisbet Wiler, her husband Heinrich and mother Sophey. Lisbet is the voice of the story; she is also witness to what happens. She is late in pregnancy as the novel opens, hopeful this child will live but fearful given her failed pregnancies of the past. What sin has she committed, she wonders? She cares for the bees which bring in valuable honey and wax to support the family. A sister-in-law, Agnethe, she has never met, is due back shortly after having spent seven years of penance at a nunnery in the mountains. What terrible sin did Nethe commit? No one will speak of it. In the midst of all this sadness and worry, however, there are occasions of real joy within this story, written beautifully.

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?

This is a fascinating read depicting a very different time, where science as such didn’t exist, the Church ruled daily life, women had no reality beyond their relationship to some man, father, brother, husband or son. It was a time of superstition but still a time of people living for the future. I recommend this book, definitely.

A copy of this book was provided by Harper Collins Publishers through NetGalley in return for an honest review..

The Dance Tree from Kiran Millwood Hargrave is thoroughly modern and intensely historical. It’s a personal story about four women, all experiencing differing moments in life. But it’s also a commentary on religion, patriarchy, and hopelessness. There are only a few bright sections to balance the dark, heavy story.

Hargrave creates characters I care about. Sophey is the mother-in-law who initially seems crusty and finds her inner strengths. On the surface, Ida is the perfect young wife and mother. Until we learn more about her truths. Agnethe is a rebellious daughter, unwilling to ignore her true feelings. But at the book’s heart is Lisbet, a pregnant beekeeping wife whose hopes are simple.

The men in the story are primarily detestable, although Hargrave does create one or two male characters with redeeming values. This is significant to her plot, which focuses on the religious patriarchy of Strasbourg, a city straddling France and Germany today. This book is set during the famous dancing plague of 1518. In Hargrave’s story, men in the 16th century “knew best” for the women in their families and town.

My conclusions
The Dance Tree is a slow read, unlike the whirling dances of the plagued women at its center. It takes place in just a week or two, and Hargrave dives deep into Lisbet’s life and thought process. Character development is significant in the story, as the plague upends everyday life.

After reading the author’s earlier book, The Mercies, the tone and pace of The Dance Tree didn’t surprise me. Both books delve into women’s roles in another place and time. They move forward with care but never feel plodding. Hargrave’s writing skill is evident again in this new book. If you crave a quiet historical novel with a feminist theme, this is a perfect choice.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to NetGalley, Harpervia, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review.

This book was amazing! I loved this book and it is likely to be on my best of list for the year. It had everything that I look for in a book- a grounding in a specific place or time, strong and well-crafted characters, and beautiful writing. I asked for a copy of this book due to its setting in France in the 16th century. It blew my expectations out of the water.

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.

The entire book pulsates and hums with anxiety, fear, oppressive patriarchy, and loss as Lizbet and others seek any little morsel of joy to hold onto in the age of repression and control. Phenomenal book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me access to the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heartfelt and emotional, this is a beautifully written story. Lisbet is an interesting protagonist. I was heartbroken watching her suffer under the religious oppression of 1500s Germany. The exploration of miscarriage and how it effects women was exceptional and needed.

I feel like I’m winning the book jackpot this year with my selections! This is the kind of book I savor: one which introduces me to a historical event new to me, one that transports the reader through luminous, visceral writing and emotion.

I was a huge fan of Millwood Hargrave’s The Mercies, so it is no surprise that I adored this one as well – maybe even more. I continue to be amazed by authors who can tell such interesting, soul-stirring stories with such brevity (this one comes in at 304, and is so well developed).

I’m an earthy person, so the connection to bees and the forest intrigued me – and, of course, this notion of dancing women. The heavy hand of religion in the church and its impact on personal lives and decisions, historically, also fascinates me – especially since this book is set in the 1600s.

This is a novel, really, about the strength of women, even when they don’t have a voice – the ways they find to overcome adversity and subjugation, the love they find for one another, and the insane resilience they possess. While there was so much hardship in this book, I finished the last page feeling warmth and hope as a result of all that female strength. It’s also a story about outcasts and their pain, about love in all its many iterations.

The language in this book is simply breathtaking:

She has started seeing white lights hang before her in the air. Lately she can stir them with her finger… Frau Troffea swirls a thread of light through her fingers, soft as lambswool. Sweat runs down her lip, and her back soaks the reeking cloth of her dress.

They turn to squint into the light. Backed by brightness, Sophey Wiler’s narrow body slices into angles, nearly vanishing at her waist, at the place where her hands meet her hips.

But if there are other mothers with empty arms, Lisbet has not met them, and so has not met anyone who understands what it is to carry the weight of so much absence.

She feels like a bee, sowing its maps into the air, a bird weaving its way home, stopping to listen now and again for approaching footsteps, for any sign at all she is not alone.

But the most brutal stories are of those unlucky enough to die unburied, their spirits returning to the forests and fields, legions of fury screaming toward their kin, shrieking justice.

I was impressed, also, with the author’s careful weaving of many themes, how they seamlessly were tucked into the story – not forced (I am reading a historical fiction work right now, filled with info dumps and clunky history inserted into dialogue). You need not worry about that here. I didn’t want to put this one down.

In fact, another gem of this book is the pacing. Early on, the pacing was sweet and slow (but still intriguing as I learned more about the characters of Lisbet and Agnethe. I was hooked from the first page!). About halfway through, the obstacles started coming quickly, enticing me to flip, flip, flip to the next page. I felt Lisbet’s intense love of the bees she kept (there is an almost magical bee scene I will never forget). I felt her heartbreak, as well as Nethe’s and Ida’s ... even sourpuss Sophey’s pain registered.

Finally…The author’s note is touching; the anguish of her personal experience is woven into the pages of this book as intimately as DNA. This is historical fiction at its best. I will, undoubtedly, read her next adult historical fiction (she’s rather amazing – writes children’s fiction and fantasy as well!). Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for an advance copy. One of my absolute favorites this year, to be certain.

I tried to get into this book but it just wasn't for me. It had an interesting premise, though. I may try again later. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Unfortunately this one just did not pull me in. I wanted to like it. The setting and plot were intriguing, but I just could not connect with characters. Some may really like this book, but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave, centers the struggles of a family of beekeepers during the Dancing Plague of 1518 in the The Dance Tree. Readers quickly learn that the title refers to Lisbet's personal shrine to the children she has not been able to bring to term, not directly linked to the plague. Everyone has their secrets, but as they are revealed, will life be able to continue as it was? Or in this time of troubles will all be lost?

Lisbet, her husband Henne and her mother in law Sophia (?) all live together in their small home, they keep bees and Lisbet has a close friend in Ida, the wife of the miller and her large family. The book begins from the point of view of another character who is starving and gives in to dancing, she is joined by other dancers and in time the town hires musicians to try to control the dancers.

When we first meet Lisbet, her sister-in-law, Agnethe, was banished seven years ago for some unknown sin and is due to return shortly. Lisbet is the furthest along she has ever been in a pregnancy. All is not well however, there are tensions between the family and the ruling party of the town, or in the area in general. Many families are struggling and starving with the town guild forcing the destitute from their homes and many are now living a more transient lifestyle. The town has also challenged Lisbet family's ownership of the bees with the charge that the bees have been stealing from the monastery, Henne is dispatched early in the novel to plead the family's case.

It is a very fascinating setting, but the plot feels predictable. The dancing spurs the plot, but much of the conflict could be told in a different time without much difference, being the greed of those in power against a single family. Major themes of the work are the trauma of loss, love outside of societal norms, the struggle to survive and the place and power of women in history.With her husband gone will Lisbet give in to temptation? Has Lethe been 'cured' from what led to her banishment? Or will she give in to past behavior? Will the family keep the bees, necessary for their ability to feed themselves? At what critical point in the plot will Lisbet give birth?

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The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a historical fiction novel taking place in 16th Century when a dancing plague affected women. Ms. Hargrave is an award winning writer and poet.

Lisbet and her family are about to lose their farm and her bees to the Catholic church because… well… the church wants it. While her husband goes to try and fight their lot, pregnant Lisbet joins him together with Nethe, the sister who just came back from seven years of penance for something Lisbet is not privy to.

As they go to the big city, a dancing plague affected the city’s women. No one understands it and the church tries to figure out if it’s the work of angels or demons.

I’ve enjoyed The Mercies by the author previously, and I saw her new book I wanted to give it a shot. The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave has a lot going for it, however, I felt that the plot never got going and the ending was anticlimactic.

The protagonist, Lisbet, a pregnant woman who suffered many miscarriages, and tragedies, and basically has a difficult life overall was an interesting character. However, I thought her growth and revelations were misdirected at some point.

The dancing plague was very interesting to read about, and I even read a bit more on it. However, much like the Salem Witch Trials, the lessons are not learned. The importance of impartial judges, the dangers of mixing religion with the state, and most importantly being aware of the work fear and ignorance play.

The story has a lot going for it, faith and the loss of it, a loss of trust in public leaders, prejudice, fanatics who believe everything is allowable and “good” if it’s for their own cause, familial relationships, and hierarchy, religion as the source of violence, and more.

As much as I enjoyed the book, it seemed more like a creative writing exercise than a finished product. At around the halfway mark, I started to lose interest, history and flowery language aside.

This book had a lot of different historical value to it also had a gay Beam to it you don't realize that until they go Into the Woods. The main character called L ISV ET Is a beekeeper with her mother in law. She goes through a lot in life especially with her husband because she cannot get pregnant and when she does she loses the baby. She tries so hard and everybody in this town is very different. The other woman is AGN ETH E she had some kind of problem she was sent to the comment and then came back. Her husband was very not understanding to her but she tried. They have this thing called the 21 dancer And these were not allowed because people would go into a frenzy. The church was very important to these people as well. She had a friend called ERE who helped her out as well. She liked to wander in the woods so did her mother in law and another friend. This is where they used to hang out to get away from crying eyes of the village. The church wanted to take these and land and they had to go to court. She had to come up with a lot of wax because there was something they were praying to a Saint. They got the food was very scarce because of the war going on. Somehow they managed. Was a very strong woman Because of all the obstacles she had overcome. It's a very interesting book and I highly recommend

[3.75 stars rounded to 4] Set in early 16th century Strasbourg, THE DANCE TREE is a fever dream of a frenzied fervor for freedom. It's a time when religion is an omnipresent influence on culture and behavior, whether for better or for worse. In this case, the city's religious leaders exert the power of their influential position to satisfy their own agenda in the name of God. The continuing summer drought and heat wave only exacerbate their oppressiveness as resources become squeezed and the people grow more restless.

At the heart of THE DANCE TREE, though, is personal freedom, particularly for the women in this story. Since the following is stated early, it's not a spoiler to mention that Lisbet has lost a dozen babies. During a time when a woman's worth was largely based on their ability to produce children, these devastating losses weigh heavily on Lisbet. When we meet her, she is far along into her pregnancy and counting her blessings. Though cautiously hopeful, Lisbet finds unwanted thoughts sneak into her head. She feels no one sees her for herself, as something other than a vessel to carry children or clean the house.

These errant thoughts begin to come closer to the surface when her husband's sister, Nethe, returns to the family. No one will tell Lisbet what Nethe served a penance for. This creates an environment that begins to breed tension and mistrust. These burgeoning sentiments are further stoked by the heat and the strange onset of women in trances dancing until they drop. The dancing hysteria begins to spread and the church, in an effort to appear in control, declares an emergency.

Though told mainly through Lisbet's perspective, the author gives the reader clips of the background of some of the dancing women. We see what life events drove them to this state of mind. It all boils down to relinquishing control, whether it's of oneself or bucking someone else's hold. In many, if not all, instances, control and order mean power. And the patriarchy wield that power under the guise of religion and salvation. These women want the freedom to be their own person, to have autonomy over their worth, to love who they want to love, to worship as they wish.

I enjoyed how the author used a historical event (the dancing fervor) to portray feminism and freedom. They are always present, but rise and hide based on the times. The only aspect that gave me trouble was the writing style. At times I found the fever dream-like and abstract way of writing a little confusing. There were times I had to reread passages to make sure I understood what was happening. But, of course, that's obviously a subjective experience.

THE DANCE TREE is an ode to past and future women who yearn for their freedom. It's an exploration of the expression of feminism during an era when women had few rights. Moreover, it's a search for identity and all forms of feminine love: maternal, sisterly, sapphic, platonic, and self. Women are a force of nature when they hold each other up.

<b>4.5</b>✨
This is how you write a story about bees. (iykyk.) After settling into the time and language - haven’t been to the 16th century in a while 😅 - I felt so enveloped in the world and how the author was bringing it to life: the stifling heat, the dry earth, all described to perfection in the setting as well as reflected in the characters. The bleak, oppressive lives of all of our female characters is balanced so well with how they find meaning and bits of joy. The interspersed chapters of the semi-anonymous women taken by the dancing plague brings us back around to how without choice women usually were in this time and it could be both sad and a relief to see them either lean into that defeat or become released, depending on your perspective.
While hardships abound in this time and location, there is a shimmering sensuality to the writing that shows up especially around Lisbeth’s working with the bees and in her eye opening moments about many kinds of relationships, including her own. Nearly every character in this book both lifts and breaks your heart in one way or another and it was such a pleasure to read so many characters exploring and committing to love and softness in such a grim, hard world and life.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for an eARC of this book!</i>

I enjoyed this book immensely. The dancing plague is such an interesting phenomenon and I liked how the author intertwined Lisbet's story with the madness happening around her. The writing and descriptions were beautiful and I could feel Lisbet's sorrow through the pages.

I requested "The Dance Tree" because I loved this author's debut novel, "The Mercies." It was one of my favorite novels of 2020. "The Dance Tree" is similarly beautifully written, with a bent towards historical fiction and themes of religious belief and oppression.

The novel takes place during a boiling hot summer of 1518 in Strasbourg, where people suffer from famine, illness, and oppressive social mores. A comet crosses the sky, which is interpreted as a signal of divine wrath and damnation. There is famine and illness everywhere. A dancing plague strikes dozens, then later hundreds, of women. Lisbet, our narrator, lives at the edge of the city and observes these events.

Hargrave's novel evokes the palpable fear and misery of the common people in this turbulent time. She is deft at characterization and emotion, and she builds a sympathetic portrait of Lisbet, who is removed from some of the madness but is still deeply affected by it.

The novel may have benefitted from alternative narrators, however. Lisbet is the most grounded character, but she also does not personally experience much of the compelling action in the story, so sometimes the narrative feels like an outsider's retelling. Additionally, the "secret" crime at the center of the novel will be obvious to a contemporary reader quickly, though that does not lessen its impact.

Overall, 4.5 stars, rounded up for the Goodreads rating system.