Praise for
A Mad Desire to Dance "A soaring explanation of a soul devastated by horrorism in a world off its rocker,
A Mad Desire to Dance cannot be called comfy, not by a long shot. But in its own highstepping yet paradoxically heart-wracking way, it can most assuredly be considered beautiful (almost beyond belief)."
-Judith Fitzgerald,
The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Tales in
A Mad Desire to Dance just pour out of the author like the Talmudic
ma'ayan hamitgaber, the wellspring that never runs dry . . . Wiesel proves again that he is a master storyteller who can weave a complex tapestry of plots into an intricately poignant human portrait."
-Ari L. Goldman,
Moment magazine
"
A Mad Desire to Dance is the novel Elie Wiesel was born-or more accurately, survived-to write . . . There are many truths buried in this book; that you have to work a little harder, dig a little deeper, to find them makes the experience all the more meaningful."
-Curt Schleier,
Milwaulkee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel "Elie Wiesel once more confirms his influence as a master storyteller who can weave an intricate narrative into a complex portrait of a man at once obliterated and remade."
-M.E. Collins,
Chicago Sun-Times
"Austerely written and . . . thought-provoking."
-Mike Peed,
The New York Times Book Review "Elie Wiesel continues to be the ultimate witness to history's worst enormity, and its fiercest moral voice for remembrance . . .
[A Mad Desire to Dance] takes patience and close reading, but those who stay with it will derive a significant level of satisfaction . . . from the seemingly simple yet stirring reminder that love can soothe, even if it cannot completely heal, the most horrendous wounds."
-Gerald Sorin,
Haaretz "Artfully developed . . . Wiesel is a master storyteller."
-Alvin H. Rosenfeld,
The New Leader "Alternately rough and tender . . .
A Mad Desire to Dance begins ominously and ends beautifully . . . No matter if your faith lies with science, religion, or both,
A Mad Desire to Dance offers a tantalizing conversion experience for the philosopher in you."
-Andrew Burstein,
The Baton Rouge Advocate "Vivid . . . This novel is filled with gorgeous prose."
-Kevin O'Kelly,
The Boston Globe "
A Mad Desire to Dance shows the sensibility of a literary wanderer who has not finished searching for answers to his original anguished questions . . . A reader willing to navigate the thickets will find rewards. The novel's . . . satisfactions lie in a sense of shared responsibility between teller and listener, a confidential yet far-reaching partnership that began four decades ago with
Night."
-Donna Rifkind,
The Washington Post "The novel . . . ends on an affirmative note, a triumph of life's dance of desire over the madness that is a living death. Philosophy meets psychology in this profound, often poetic novel."
-Starred review,
Kirkus "It is once again a survivor's memories . . . that will rivet readers . . . The terse personal vignettes are gripping . . . The secrets surprise you to the end."
-
Booklist
"Difficult but powerful . . . Wiesel handles the situation expertly, and . . . a multilayered narrative emerges: the journey through sadness and toward redemption; a meditation on the hand dealt to Holocaust survivors; and a valuable parable on the wages of human trauma. While the novel is not always easy sledding, there are ample rewards-intellectual and visceral-for the willing reader."
-
Publishers Weekly And praise from France for
A Mad Desire to Dance "
A Mad Desire to Dance reminds us, with force, that Wiesel's writing is alive and strong. The master has once again found here a startling freshness."
-
Le Monde des Livres
"A genuine adventure that enriches the reader."
-
L'Eclaireur
"
A Mad Desire to Dance [is] an interior adventure driven by the need to know-and the certitude-that only love can heal our most intimate wounds."
-France Culture