Echoes of the Dance

As an anglophile, I love British novels, and Marcia Willett is an author I always enjoy. Her style is very atmospheric and place-oriented, and she tells a very good story. Her characters sometimes reappear from novel to novel, but stories aren't serialized and can be read in any order. I'll read anything she writes, knowing it'll be entertaining.

"Echos of the Dance" is a complex, heartwarming story of love, loss, and somehow finding along the way that we are never truly alone. God walks with us every step of the way. The ending of this book was one of the best endings I've ever read. It gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. Roly, Kate, Daisy, Mim are some of the main characters. All are alone now for various reasons and yet they find a way to keep moving forward. Roly is great at solving other peoples problems and he is referred to in the book as the great unwumbler. Kate is trying to move on and find a place in life after the death of her husband. Willett writes with such a sense of knowing that you can just feel what Kate is feeling and how it would be to go through something like that. Daisy is young, a dancer who has injuries that might prevent her from returning to dance again. Mim has a story to tell too, but I don't want to give it all away. Let's just say that Marcia Willett has done it again. If you enjoy her books, this one won't disappoint you. She is a beautiful writer. So, buy it, and find a cozy corner and enjoy another life adventure in the beautiful English countryside.

Marcia Willet can write, I'll give her that. And this book is peopled with lovely folks you'd like to sit down with over a cup of tea. Young Daisy Quin has had an injury which threatens to end her dancing career. Roly Carradine has mostly his dogs for company. His sister Mim is busy with dance comapany productions. He would enjoy offering Daisy a place in which to rest and heal. Others find themselves in various less than satisfactory situations. Salvation, or no? A nice warm, comfy read getting there.

Marcia Willett brings her special brand of English charm to this family saga set in the Cornish countryside. Mim Carradine is an acclaimed ballerina who suffers a career-ending tragedy, the details of which have far-reaching consequences. She finds comfort in managing a school to train dancers for the stage. Uncannily, history seems to repeat itself when one of her former star pupils also suffers a career-ending accident. Lured to Mim's family home in Cornwall, Daisy rediscovers her inner strength as she choreographs a Christmas matinee and puts to rest the remnants of a love affair gone sour. Pivotal to this novel is Mim's brother, Roly Carradine, who harbors a long-standing secret that has led him to alcoholism, divorce, and a rocky relationship with his son. Followers of Willett's series will be delighted with the reappearance of Kate Webster, one of Willett's most endearing characters (First Friends, A Friend of the Family) as she has reached her senior years and has many problems to bear: her grief as a widow, finances that are forcing her to sell her family home, and the fact that her son Guy and his family are moving to Canada. It's all too much to bear for Kate, but she finds consolation and help from her dear friend Roly Carradine, his son Nat, and Nat's friend Janna. Along with enchanting new characters like Janna, Nat, and Daisy, there are glimpses of old friends from previous Willett novels: Harriett, Michael, Gemma, Guy, and Giles all appear and there is mention of Cass, Felicity, and Bruno. The old and the new mix wonderfully for an enchanting new story that lets the reader see how Kate and her sons have progressed through the years. As with all Willett novels, loose ends are resolved nicely and everyone is looking to the future with new hope. If family sagas with happy endings are your cup of tea, you will find this one spot on.

I am a huge fan of Marcia Willett and her latest book didn't disappoint me. Many of the characters have been in previous books and it was so nice to revisit them as they have aged. It was like visiting relatives you haven't seen in a while. Added to the story were new characters that I hope will be in future novels. Her stories are so good that you just want to live in the places she describes and be good friends with the characters.