Pretending to Dance
£3.80
When the pretending ends, the lying begins . . .
It’s the summer of 1990 and fourteen-year-old Molly Arnette lives with her extended family on one hundred acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The summer seems idyllic at first. The mountains are Molly’s playground and she’s well loved by her father, a therapist famous for books he’s written about a method called ‘Pretend Therapy’; her adoptive mother, who has raised Molly as her own; and Amalia, her birth mother who also lives on the family land.
The adults in Molly’s life have created a safe and secure world for her to grow up in. But Molly’s security begins to crumble as she becomes aware of a plan taking shape in her extended family – a plan she can’t stop and that threatens to turn her idyllic summer into a nightmare.
Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain, the bestselling author of The Silent Sister, is a fascinating and deftly-woven novel, that reveals the devastating power of secrets.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Main Market edition (8 Oct. 2015), Pan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 1709 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 481 pages |
by Lis Wilcox
A challenging read of a person with a life changing illness and the effect on himself, his family and friend.
by Pat Hodges
Once started I couldn’t put it down. I read it in 3 days. Excellent
by Cl Warburton
I love reading Diane Chamberlain books and looked forward to Pretending to Dance which I loved. I did find some of the later chapters lost consistency which is a shame as I was left wondering why something happened, who was involved etc. I certainly don’t want to give away the storyline but some of Molly’s first family seem to disappear from the later storyline. Perhaps there is scope for a sequel? Still, worth the read and looking forward to the next one!!
by Mrs. M. Macdonald
Having read the prequel I was ready to dive into Pretending to Dance’and I could not put it down! I loved the character of Graham. I thought he was a real hero and my heart went out to Nora who struggled to keep her family on track. I must admit to being rather irritated with Molly. I guessed what had driven her from home but that did not make me sympathise with her very much, I know she was little more than a child when events changed her life, but I felt as an adult she ought to have been able to understand those events.
Pretending to Dance is a must for all Diane Chameberlain fans- they will not be disappointed!
by jean Fulton
Have enjoyed all the books I have read by this author. Not an intellectual read but not a lightweight either. Good story and I was keen to find out how it ended. The author tends to give you an update ( one year on kind of thing ) which I always like !
by Susan Howard
Couldn’t make my mind upabout this book. The adoption issues and the Pretend Therapy seemed to be different stories and I suppose they were. I enjoyed it in parts but did wonder where it was going at times. I guess when you have been brought up with two mothers and become estranged for convoluted reasons then t would question whether or not birth mothers should be involved with adoptive parents. It raised good points to consider, but I am not sure it worked for me.
by KarenC
This is the first book I’ve read from the author, but definitely won’t be the last. Beautifully written story, especially the chapters set in the past, which were evocative and moving. It was slightly harder to relate to Molly’s present day scenario, only because I couldn’t imagine myself being generous enough to accept an ‘open adoption’ and all it would entail, but it certainly made me think. I loved the concept of ‘pretending to dance’ and also the way that fourteen-year-old Molly couldn’t quite see what was going on around her while she embraced her own awakening. There’s so much to praise about this novel, I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a compassionate and emotionally complex family drama with plenty of heart.
by licia
A book you just can’t put down!!! First book I’ve read by this author but it definitely won’t be the last. It’s so good I’ve just downloaded another 2 and can’t wait to read them I just hope they’re as good as this one….