The Dance Tree: A Novel

Set in Strasbourg, it is the summer of 1518 as this story begins, when this place is beset by a plague which begins with just a single woman at first. A woman dancing without ceasing, as though she is possessed. It isn’t long before this extends to others, and musicians gather in an effort to have whatever devil has possessed them to be exorcised. ’‘In July 1518, in the midst of the hottest summer Central Europe had ever known, a woman whose name is recorded as Frau Troffea began to dance in the streets of Strasbourg. This was no ordinary dance – it was unrelenting, closer to a trance than a celebration. She danced for days, any attempts to make her rest thwarted, until it drew the attention of the Twenty-One, the city’s council, and she was taken to the shrine of St Vitus, patron saint of dancers and musicians. After being bathed in the spring there, she stopped dancing.’ This story centers primarily around Lisbet, pregnant once again - her thirteenth pregnancy, although she has yet to give birth to any child that survived, she honours the ones she’s lost and prays that this child will live. Lisbet and her husband are beekeepers, and along with her mother-in-law, Lisbet, her sister-in-law, and her dearest friend and confidant attempt to restrain those men who believe that women should bow to their needs and desires. ‘What must it be, to be a man and be able to leave your grief behind, or else shrink it small enough to carry about in a pocket, and bear it enough to live a…

This is a book worth reading and discussing. As I was contemplating how I felt about this book and what I wanted to say, one thing was evident, we have come so far, and not nearly far enough. I read this later as something the author states in the acknowledgment as well. So far this year, this is a book I recommend to be read. It is a historical-cultural fiction that well-roundedly addresses the imperfections, biases, and poignant issues of society that are still reflective of today, over 500 years later. The story focuses around a true historical event that occurred in Strasbourg in 1518 in which a dancing hysteria consumes the city for two months during a summer with famine and drought conditions in a highly superstitious and religiously controlled state, seen primarily through the eyes of a young naive woman coming into her own in a difficult and restrictive environment. While some parts seem like they would be a stretch there are many parts very real and were felt deeply. This book will be on my mind for some time.

This book had me from the very first. I rarely find a book I can't put down. The Dance Tree is about a time of ignorance and very black and white interpretations of life. People starving and oppressed by heat begin to lose their grip on reality. They begin to dance and dance....never stopping, immersed in mania and grief. The church believes the devil is at work, and people fear their neighbors and friends. Lisbet is a wonderful character, a woman who has suffered unbelievable losses and still stays strong. Her passions and strength will inspire you. Her love for her unborn child will warm your heart despite the trials she endures. The Dance Tree is a keeper and I am sure I will revisit it again.

While this book started out great, i felt robbed by the end. I cannot really recommend it. Spoiler alert……… HIDE IN THE FOREST DUMMIES! WHY ARE YOU GETTING BISEE OUT IN THE OPEN BY THE RIVER!!! THERES A FOREST RIGHT THERE!!!

“It takes courage to love beyond what others deem the right boundaries.” The “right boundaries” were those imposed upon women by the Church and the Council of Twenty-One, with Herr Plater as enforcer in Strasbourg, France. They say it started with a comet landing on the farmland of Lisbet’s family the day she was born. Summers now were scorchingly hot, crops failed, starvation was rampant, almhouses were overrun, trade long diminished and market stalls were closed. Frau Troffea had started “chewing off-cuts of leather.” On July 14, 1518, Frau Troffea began to dance. Historical records document frenzied dancing of more than 500 women. Some danced for days until total exhaustion set in and some perished. Were they religious zealots? Had they eaten ergot, a mold appearing on spoiled rye? At the point of starvation, did some dancers find peace in the repetitive movement of the dance, thus abandoning their families? The Council of Twenty-One provided space in deserted guild halls as the number of dancers swelled. Musicians were hired hoping that grandmothers, mothers and daughters would dance themselves free of their affliction. Lisbet was a beekeeper. “The bees are her anchor…in her life where she drifts without a child to keep her steady. They alone-their care, their needs, their inscrutable patterns and wildness-keep her sane. To lose the bees…would be to lose her mind.” A wild colony of bees brought her into the forest, to an area of thick trees with underground streams…