The Dance Tree: The BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick - Softcover

Millwood Hargrave, Kiran

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1529005183 ISBN 13: 9781529005189

Publisher: Picador, 2023

Synopsis

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.

‘Brilliant’ – Marian Keyes

‘I absolutely loved this book’ – Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause, and as she is joined by hundreds of others, the authorities declare an emergency: musicians will be brought in to play the Devil out of these women.

Beyond the city, pregnant Lisbet tends the bees that are her livelihood. And then, as the dancing plague gathers momentum, Lisbet’s sister-in-law Nethe returns from seven years’ penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name.

As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, Lisbet finds herself thrust into a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion, but she is dancing to a dangerous tune . . .

Shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown

‘Intriguing, haunting, beautiful’ – Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

‘Extraordinary, enthralling’ – Sunday Times

About this title

About the Author

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a multi-award-winning, internationally bestselling novelist. She is the author of instant Sunday Times bestseller The Mercies, which was a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, won a Betty Trask Award, and was named an NYT Best Book of the Year, and The Dance Tree, which was shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award, and picked for the BBC Two Between the Covers Book Club. Her bestselling works for children are published in over thirty languages. Kiran lives in Oxford with her family, and a constant rotation of foster kittens.

From the Back Cover

Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause or rest, and as she is joined by hundreds of others, the authorities declare an emergency. Musicians will be brought in to play the Devil out of these women.

Just beyond the city’s limits, pregnant Lisbet lives with her mother-in-law and husband, tending the bees that are their livelihood. And then, as the dancing plague gathers momentum, Lisbet’s sister-in-law Nethe returns from seven years’ penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name.

It is a secret that Lisbet is determined to uncover. As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, she finds herself thrust into a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion, but she is dancing to a dangerous tune . . .

Set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by the true events of a doomed summer, The Dance Tree is an impassioned story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, the bestselling author of The Mercies.

Edition details

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1529005183
• ISBN 13: 9781529005189
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304