Dance With The Devil

by Kirk Douglas

Dance with the Devil is the impassioned story of a brilliant Hollywood director haunted by his past, searching for his soul, and obsessed by the beauty and fierce spirit of the one woman who can give him what he so desperately craves.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama

306 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch, ) was an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past (1947), Champion (1949), Ace in the Hole (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Lust for Life (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Vikings (1958), Spartacus (1960), Lonely Are the Brave (1962),The Fury (1978) and Tough Guys (1986)

He is No.17 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time. In 1996, he received the Academy Honorary Award "for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community."

He was one of the last surviving actors from Hollywood's "golden age". He passed away on February 05, 2020 at the age of 103.

Reviews

[Kryptonian Fletch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several one-star or two-star reviews here have noted this book is "pulp"... I will agree ... but why does "pulp" need to be seen as a negative characterization? I loved this book, 5-Stars of love, because it is pulp! Its pure trashy hit-the-throttle-never-slow-down pulp! 

[Jas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book while i was staying with my grandparents and i started reading it because of the beautiful writing. not a lot of books have a good start, middle, and end but i found this book is one of the few that will remain lodged in my memory. a beautiful tale of a man who suffers through the holocaust and endeavours to make it through his life the best he can despite what he's been through. a wonderfully written tale of one man's search for peace and answers. i love this book!

[Berk Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story line was woven in a circle, one leading from, then to the childhood of Danny. Very difficult for an author to accomplish completion of the circle. Great characters, a vital story line which portrays an age old struggle, not just of the main character, but of most people. This was my second read of this book. I had forgotten the nature of the story. It made for a fun read. Great book, easily earns five stars from me.

[W]

After an impressive autobiography,The Ragman's son,Hollywood star Kirk Douglas turns novelist.A potboiler in the Harold Robbins style,fairly entertaining.(3 stars).

[Dan Banana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sex, weird stuff, odd relationships, struggles with who people are and sex and some more weird stuff.
Felt like a burning of my mind and time.
If this is art it's abstract and painted by a psychopath.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting, fascinating book. Well written, graphic story of survival of the holocaust, childhood abuse, and abuse of women-set at different times in history. Kirk Douglas does a superb job of blending the two story lines. Very good, if sometimes disturbing, book.

[stelladora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honest to God I would give this book 0 stars if I could, and that speaks volumes as I rarely hate a book but this one I definitely loathed. I would have given up on it plenty of times but I generally dislike abandoning a book, especially halfway through the plot, so I decided to stick around until the very end, but now I passionately wish I hadn’t. In my opinion this one is nothing but a badly written pulp fiction that deals with some seriously triggering topics quite offhandedly, and I’m very much in awe and baffled by the number of positive rewiews it’s received. Even though the plot takes place waaaay waaay back, spanning decades (and was written about 30 years ago or so) I still had a hard time relating to the two main characters and their traumatic lives because it just didn’t seem like they were as affected by their respective demons and past hardships as they stated they were. Their reactions were all over the top (at best) and their personalities non-existent, seeing as both Luba and Danny are so 1D characters that I wouldn’t be able to list a number of qualities and personality traits to describe them. Now I really like some good romance books, I like broken characters trying to heal and overcome their struggles, and I also like to read some erotic content from time to time if it’s done well, but none of this applies to this novel. If anything, the relationships and events were rushed, also very unrealistic in my opinion (not to mention some of the stuff in this book is wrong on so many levels and I really don’t consider myself a prude, but still, EW!!)
I also had a hard time taking Danny and Luba seriously because they are honestly the two most annoying main characters I ever had the misfortune to come across. Compared to them, I even like Ana and Christian Grey (and I really dislike those two, too!)
To say something positive too I enjoyed the Hollywood / movie business bits and pieces, but that section of the book was overshadowed by bad quality writing, annoying characters and some themes I found too disturbing for my liking. But that’s just me. Anyway I may have been too harsh but I just finished reading this after struggling for an eternity and I needed to vent. Never again a bad book — if I don’t like a novel from the getgo it means that novel is not for me, and that’s a lesson learned.

[Liza M. Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione completa su www.pennaecalamaro.com

La storia congegnata da Kirk Douglas non è male. Danny è un uomo che dopo essere sopravvissuto al campo di concentramento, decide di dimenticare il suo passato e le sue origini, trasformandosi d’un tratto in un “gentile”. Luba è una ragazza bella e disinibita, che ha imparato a sopravvivere e sarebbe disposta a tutto pur di rimanere a galla. Danny e Luba hanno tanti segreti che rischiano di dividerli, eppure l’attrazione che provano l’uno per l’altra è innegabile. E ha un comune denominatore: San Sabba, Trieste.
Purtroppo, in più punti ho pensato che per fortuna Kirk Douglas ha scelto il mestiere di attore e non quello di romanziere. Non perché l’intreccio non sia godibile, anzi. E’ solo che inserisce troppi elementi che funzionerebbero alla grande in un film, ma non al 100% in un romanzo...Comunque, tanto di cappello a Kirk. Mettersi a scrivere dopo i settant'anni una carriera incredibile non è da tutti. D’altra parte, è evidente che lui non fosse un uomo standard. 🙂

[She Runs With Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dance with the Devil" is an exploration of identity, obsession, and the often murky waters of Hollywood. Written by the legendary actor Kirk Douglas, this novel dives deep into the life of a Jewish director who grapples with his concealed heritage while navigating the glitzy yet treacherous world of the film industry.

The protagonist's obsession with a call girl adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. Douglas adeptly weaves their lives together, creating a rich tapestry of emotions and experiences that resonate with readers.

The writing is both engaging and thought-provoking, capturing the essence of Hollywood's duality—its allure and its dark underbelly. Douglas's background lends authenticity to the narrative, and his insight into the human condition shines through.

While the novel is short, it packs a punch, leaving readers reflecting on the characters' journeys long after the last page is turned. It’s not just a story about fame and desire; it is a profound examination of the lengths one will go to in search of self-acceptance.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaim came through the Holocaust, but isn't bitter. As he puts it: "Bitterness eats away at you. Oh, I don't forget; never bury memories - good or bad, they're a part of life. If you don't, you lock arms with the Devil, and he makes you dance to his tune."
Daniel came through the Holocaust, San Sabba. He walked away at age ten with a new name and buried the past pretending it never happened. He became rich as a film director. But his past was always hiding below the surface.
As Danny's life spins out of control, his dance with the Devil begins to destroy him. He is a survivor. He has a daughter to protect. He has a woman he loves deeply. He must find a way to survive.
This book is a fast, intense read. It does have sexual and social aspects some may not wish to read.

[Teresa Biggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the sequel first. The two main characters are Danny, a survivor of the holocaust who becames a famous director of TV and movies and Luba , a survivor of an immigration camp after hard times in Poland. They are 2 very flawed characters and I am not sure they redeem themselves in the end. The sex scenes in this book were just... so way out there.... children are involved, lots of cheating. The author did a great job with description... I could hear the music and see the towns but I had no idea who to like.. almost all the characters were BAD... except Patricia, the child and Roy the priest. but in the end they all live happily ever after???

[Walker G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the story and the plot, but it just 'bounced around' too much to give it a better score.

Fair.

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 1 out of 5]

scoperto a pagina 8 che l'argomento è collegato a ss e campi di sterminio, lascio andare. ma è scritto bene, non me l'aspettavo

[Sharon Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought provoking, interesting book. A young man wants to make movies and he doesn't want to be a Jew. A young orphan finds himself in the US. Later he wonders if he was right or wrong to deny his heritage.

[Karl]

CLASSICS

[Marize De Klerk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suprisingly I enjoyed this book. Nice everyday read just to relax.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trash of the Susann variety, but oddly not up to that par.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this many years ago but I remember being impressed with it at the time.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A film director hides is true identity and past as a Jewish boy in a concentration camp.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damning with faint praise - Not the best thing I have ever read but not the worst either.

[Carol]

Interesting