A Dance for Emilia

A splendid mix of reality, fantasy, and hope. This is a very quick read but is still a great story. This is not "another soppy book about a cat" rather, a study of friendship, love and death. This is not your typical fantasy, so those looking for a fanastical adventure may be disappointed with this book as it is not much like The Last Unicorn or Tamsin.

This is a cute, simple little book about two lifelong friends. One of them is an actor, the other is a dancer. The dancer dies and leaves behind his beloved cat and also a girlfriend, Emilia. Emilia comes to visit the actor and the cat. They come to believe the dancer's spirit is in the cat, which speaks to them. And dances, hence the "Dance for Emilia". It's a cute story, but it lacks drama, or the real magic which Peter S. Beagle is known for. Perhaps I'm missing something, but I thought it was just OK. And I'm sorry, I know I'm buying into stereotypes, but the two friends, the actor and dancer, struck me as being gay. The girlfriend didn't ring true. Mr. Beagle should have gone ahead and portrayed the friends in their true light, but perhaps if they were gay the book wouldn't sell as well. And of course it would have been a whole different book! (No cute little "adventures" between the dancer and Emilia. In fact, no Emilia. Emil, maybe?) The cover is beautiful, and it looks like a nice gift book to give someone who is grieving.

The loss of a mutual friend enables two very different individuals to join in shared grief - a process which brings the friend's spirit back to life in the form of his beloved cat. They discover they are holding his spirit captive on Earth - but how can they let it go? A simple, warm story of grief and recovery.

In the few pages of this slim volume, Peter Beagle says more about life, death and afterlife than many entire religious cannons. What's more, it is done with such style and grace, you may not realize the message until you begin telling someone else about the book. Even athiests will find a message here.While the book lacks the substance of some earlier works, like "A Fine and Private Place" or "The Last Unicorn", it carries itslef like a Zen brush painting: a few brush strokes reveal an entire landscape. What's more, the strokes lead us into interpreting what we see. Peter Beagle's dialog between the characters are the brushstokes we will be lead to interpret into the scenes he verbally paints. We are shown just enough of the characters to identify each one, yet each reader will form a slightly different overall picture of the characters and events.Even without looking deeply into the lines, the book is well developed and complete. The story of a shared friendship is well told and exemplary in it's own right. Many loquacious writers could take a lesson from the author in how to convey an idea without overwhelming the reader with words.If you have ever lost someone close, there is a message here for you.

Sam and Jacob have been friends ever since they met in drama class in New York. Sam wants to become a dancer while Jacob hopes to be an actor. Jacob somewhat achieves his goal, but Sam fails to make it. Years pass, but the two friends remain in touch. Recently, Sam informs Jacob that he acquired an Abyssinian cat named Millament and his present girl friend Emilla is thirty years younger than he is. Unexpectedly, Sam dies from a heart attack. Jacob meets Emilla when he comes to clear out Sam's things. Jacob takes the cat home with him accompanied by Emilla so that can help each other grieve. Unexpectedly, the elderly arthritic Millament begins hoofing like a professional dancer and follows that up by talking. Jacob and Emilla's needs have brought Sam back to comfort them, but no one knows how he will return to that other place where he belongs now. Cat lovers and Peter Beagle's fans will want to read this book, but should consider the price because though well written this book is a short novella. The book is beautifully filled with the Beagle magic, making it a wonderful holiday gift for those readers who cherish every one of the author's novels.Harriet Klausner