Men Dancing

by Cherry Radford

A chance meeting with a performer you've always admired - an exciting story to tell your family and friends. But not if that excitement won't go away, and turns into the chronic ache of obsession...Dr Rosie Buchanan - weary hospital scientist, frustrated musician, cheated wife and struggling mother - finds herself sitting next to charismatic Royal Ballet star Alejandro Cortes on a London train. Half an hour and a shared bag of errant Maltesers later, she starts to feel she's misheard her true calling - and is soon doing research of a very different kind. Rosie arranges a bogus research visit at Alejandro's home, and is thrilled when he and his girlfriend ask her to become their piano teacher. And she tries to overcome the pain of her failing marriage to former soulmate Jez, and the obsession with Alejandro, by accepting consolation from an old friend, consultant Ricardo Pereira. But so begins a complex dance of passion, betrayal, loss and redemption...Sensual, witty, and at times deeply moving, Cherry Radford's first novel is a sweeping tour-de-force.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published October 26, 2011

About the author

Cherry Radford was a piano teacher at the Royal Ballet Junior School, a keyboard player in a band, and then a research optometrist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. She now lives in Almería, Spain.

Her first two novels, published by Indepenpress, were MEN DANCING (2011) and FLAMENCO BABY (2013). THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S DAUGHTER was published by Urbane Publications in April 2018.

THE SPANISH HOUSE (Aria Fiction / Head of Zeus) is the first of three novels set in the unspoilt Cabo de Gata region of Andalucía where she lives.

Reviews

[Calum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherry Radford has certainly hit the literary stage running with her debut novel entitled ‘Men Dancing’! To add to its credit, this book has already been endorsed by the BBC1 Series ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ presenter Bruce Forsyth. This is a fantastic tribute for a debut novel to receive!

‘Men Dancing’ is a book that presents the reader with a vivid and imaginative story about Dr Rosie Buchanan, a weary hospital scientist who among other things could be described as a frustrated musician, a cheated wife and a struggling mother! Within this already complex mix, a multifaceted and moving story of betrayal, obsession, passion, loss and redemption is played out within the pages of this very well written narrative.

The story found within the book is fairly fast paced and has a very good flow from chapter to chapter. It is one of those books that once started can be quite difficult to put down, as the reader wants to find out what happens next!

This narrative could be described as being sad, some what sensual in places and yet quite humorous in other parts. Rosie the principal character within this story seems to walk herself right into a number of situations that one could only think that if this happened in reality one would 'run away', as these add immensely to the complexities of the life that she is already facing! There is a small amount of adult content within the story, but it does fit in appropriately with the tale that is being told.

Cherry Radford is a fresh new author on the block. As her first novel, ‘Men Dancing’ is an excellent piece of work. I am really looking forward to reading further works that will hopefully be written by this new up and coming author fairly soon.

[Candy Denman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book lovingly bring the reader into to the world of dance and music- and romance.
The characters are well drawn and the story believable.
A book to sink into and enjoy.

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this on my Kindle, but could not for the life of me remember whether I had read it or not, so I decided to give it another go. Sure enough, the first few chapters were familiar, but I clearly hadn`t made it very far in. On the whole, I`m glad I tried it again. The first few chapters did have their irritations: first of all, there were a great many characters brought in without any sort of introduction, leading to a lot of "Tony, who's Tony?" moments. Secondly, the opening encounter on a train, between a ballet fan, Rosie - and yes, I understood all her Royal Ballet references - and a fictional Cuban superstar danseur did read rather like fanfic. But what unfolded from there was actually quite a nuanced tale of a woman juggling three sexual (or potentially sexual) relationships: her husband, in a strained marriage with a troubled teen son and an autistic younger son; a "pretend lover" - a hospital colleague - with whom the pretend suddenly turns to real; and said ballet dancer, whom she stalks a bit, and then ends up giving piano lessons to - along with the ballet dancer's girlfriend. Most of the novel is devoted to the development of two situations: the unfolding of the affair with the colleague, Ricardo, and the detailing of the breakdowns in communication in her nuclear family, particularly with her teen son Seb. It becomes apparent to us though not to her that Ricardo is a step down from her current husband, though he is somewhat feckless and straying. At least Jez, said husband, does not try to control the heck out of her. Rosie is saved from running off into what no doubt would eventually become a nightmare with Ricardo, not by her ballet-going friend Emma (who is a cheerful enabler), nor by the amiable and casually sexual dancer, Alejandro (though jealousy over Alejandro triggers some of Ricardo's nastier behaviour), but by the untimely death of Seb, whose particular demons neither we nor Rosie fully understand. (He jumps to his death from a pier, but it is not clear whether it's really suicidal or just an avoidable accident in combination with alcohol/drugs). In any case, his death throws the Jez-Rosie marriage back into full gear, and in one final epistolary chapter (Rosie to her now five-years-dead son), we see that she is, by and large, better off, and find out what has happened to the rest of the large cast. That wrap-up isn't as perfunctory as it sounds from my description; in fact, it's some of the best writing in the book and had real emotional punch.

I may be being unfair, but I get the impression that this first novel started off as a bit of a giggle, based on the enjoyable fantasy of running into a ballet god, and ended up somehow turning into a pretty decent novel of relationships. There's potential here.

[JudithAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosie Buchanan is a 30-something woman, married with children, working as a scientist in a hospital. She has a passion for music and in particular, ballet dancing. One day on the train, she finds herself sitting next to Royal Ballet star Alejandro Cortés, whom she adores, and they start a conversation.

When she accidentally comes across some information of his girlfriend while checking patient records, she pretends to come for a research visit at their house. She ends up becoming their piano teacher. Meanwhile, her marriage to Jez is not going well, and she finds herself attracted to another South-American, a colleague at work.

Attracted to two men, a man at home she’s not much interested in anymore, a difficult teenager and an autistic younger son: she’s got a lot on her plate.

This was a good read… eventually. It started off with the meeting in the train, which was a little over the top, followed by some chapters where I was a bit confused what was going on, followed by a chapter or two full of dance-obsession and Alejandro obsession.

But after that, it settled down into a nice read, towards the chick-lit-y side but not quite. With all the passion going on, you might expect a lot of (explicit) sex, but there was less than there could have been, it was not that sort of book.

At first, I found Rosie a bit silly with her teenage fan behaviour towards the dancer Alejandro but later I warmed to her. And I wanted her to get away from an obviously “wrong” man who was trying to control her in every way.

Rosie wants out of her boring life and live the life of her dreams. But then a shocking event puts her back firmly with her feet on the ground.

[Annabel Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this and I'm rushing to get my thoughts down just because I loved it so much. I loved the maddening and yet relatable characters, the storyline barreling toward a conclusion you never would have seen coming. I also loved this book because I love dance and have also crushed on male ballerinas. Probably also because I'm in a long time marriage wrangling children and stress and because I too have dreamed about starting a whole new life, but as Ms. Radford shows in this story, life is never simple.

I also liked the theme of how those little choices we make in life--like which car we choose on a train--can take us places we never would have expected and bring us glories and miseries we never could have foreseen. Aside from the myriad human themes (which I am only touching on here) this book was also just compulsively readable. Once I started I had to know how everything ended up in this very complex story.

This is just a really great, beautiful complex book, particularly for someone like me who empathizes with the main character, Rosie, so much. I'm planning to read this again and pay more attention to the details next time around. I really buzzed through it on the first reading just so I could know how it all panned out. But I know that upon re-reading and really soaking everything in I'll find it an even deeper and more moving book. I highly recommend this one.

[Danielle (Bookwhoreblog) Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a woman named Rosie, who finds herself lost in her daily tasks of working, being a wife, and being a mother. Rosie eventually finds herself in the midst of an affair, and her life turns into complete turmoil. This novel is the perfect example of why you do not count a novel out until the very end. I found myself reading the story and absolutely hating the actions of all the characters, but yet I could not stop reading. I had to find out what was going to happen. I learned something new from this novel; a character does not always capture you for positive reasons. Sometimes the screw ups they make can have you just as sucked into the story. I was yelling at the book, and calling characters foul names, but then the end tied everything completely together. Rosie is a relatable character. As a mother and a wife myself I sympathized with her, and wanted to slap her all in one. By the end of the book I had tissues next to me balling my eyes out in shock. The ending is completely unpredictable and I love when I can be taken by surprise. I recommenced this novel to adult readers only. This book is not available until Oct 29th, so be sure and grab your copy on release day.

[Kim (Wistfulskimmies Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Rosie, a wife and mother slightly discontented with life. Her husband has a habit of cheating on her, she has an autistic son and her oldest son is starting to become an 'enfant terrible'. Her main love in life is the Ballet. A chance meeting with a ballet dancer on a train sets off a chain of events that will change her life forever.

For a debut book this was amazing, and endorsed by Sir Bruce (Forsyth) himself! Rosie was a very likeable and identifiable heroine. I am a partner and a mother myself so I could relate to her problems especially as my youngest has attention problems. The characters were all well-defined and I had no trouble imagining them. The storyline was believable and went along at a fair pace until just before the end when it took a shocking twist. I am sitting here with hanky in hand just thinking about it!

In short this is a very good book - if you like the Ballet and dancing you will love it. For a debut novel it shows great promise.

[Julia Bellerby · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much more than chick lit, this is funny, moving and sexy. Cherry Radford has brilliantly captured what it is to be forty-ish and in a long term relationship when temptation not only beckons but shouts the place down. Obsessive feelings towards a beautiful man? Don't tell me we haven't all had them, and here's what happens if you really can't let them go. Her perceptive writing also provides great insight into the difficulties of parenting teenagers and the pleasures and pitfalls of having an affair with someone you work with.
I've never been one for talking to strangers on trains, but after reading this, I think I've been wrong.

[Susan Gershman · Rating 3 out of 5]

We

I kept reading through until the end but the protagonist annoyed me for most of it. I wanted to shake her to tell her to grow up. Why did I keep reading it? Because the writing was so good I wanted to see what her dumb decisions would do to her family. They did plenty. I found out and I won't give it away.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recommend this book more highly. It encompasses the realities of everyday life and the ideals of the female fantasy. It's humorous, unpredictable, emotive and thrilling in everyway. I loved it and couldn't put it down!

[Indepenpress · Rating 5 out of 5]

A roller-coaster read, perfect for those who love Strictly Come Dancing! Combining the passion of dance with the complexity of love - this is one you want to read cover to cover, as fast as possible!

[Adrienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

All those people who gave this book 5 stars Are. Not. Like. Me.

Quite possibly the dumbest book I've ever read.

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was a waste of time. there are so many better books that need to be read. it is shallow with a silly dance theme that really does not add anything to the story.