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Dance, Gladys, Dance
WINNER OF THE 2013 STEPHEN LEACOCK AWARD FOR HUMOUR WRITING!
27-year-old Frieda Zweig is at an impasse. Behind her is a string of failed relationships and half-forgotten ambitions of being a painter; in front of her lies the dreary task of finding a real job and figuring out what “normal” people do with their lives. Then, a classified ad in the local paper introduces Frieda to Gladys, an elderly woman who long ago gave up on her dreams of being a dancer.
The catch? Gladys is a ghost.
In Dance, Gladys, Dance, Cassie Stocks tells the uplifting story of a woman whose uncanny connection with a kindred spirit causes her to see her life in a new way—as anything but ordinary.
27-year-old Frieda Zweig is at an impasse. Behind her is a string of failed relationships and half-forgotten ambitions of being a painter; in front of her lies the dreary task of finding a real job and figuring out what “normal” people do with their lives. Then, a classified ad in the local paper introduces Frieda to Gladys, an elderly woman who long ago gave up on her dreams of being a dancer.
The catch? Gladys is a ghost.
In Dance, Gladys, Dance, Cassie Stocks tells the uplifting story of a woman whose uncanny connection with a kindred spirit causes her to see her life in a new way—as anything but ordinary.
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
May 27, 2013
I really enjoyed this book and am happy it won the Leacock award. It's an example of prairie humour, so it's nice that it was recognized by non-prairie dwellers.
My favourite part of the prairie humour was the part where she talked about the Kleenex boxes in Saskatchewan cars. This, my friends, is a reality.
This is a lighter novel, even though it does deal with some heavy subject matter. The characters are quirky and it's really a book about finding yourself, your community and your way. It's a sweet book and I found it an enjoyable read.
My favourite part of the prairie humour was the part where she talked about the Kleenex boxes in Saskatchewan cars. This, my friends, is a reality.
This is a lighter novel, even though it does deal with some heavy subject matter. The characters are quirky and it's really a book about finding yourself, your community and your way. It's a sweet book and I found it an enjoyable read.
July 2, 2012
Absolutely loved it. Can it be turned into a movie, please?
April 7, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which was a selection of my book club. It's about a young woman and an artist who is struggling to find her place in the world, and she is helped by a friendly ghost. There is a cast of weird and wonderful characters. Because I'm from the Canadian prairies, I particularly liked the setting of Winnipeg (which is an unexpectedly artistic community).
Having read the short biography of this first-time novelist, I couldn't help wondering how much of the story is autobiographical. I would have given it five stars, but it seemed to ramble a bit in the middle. But it had a strong opening and a satisfying, and unexpected, ending.
Having read the short biography of this first-time novelist, I couldn't help wondering how much of the story is autobiographical. I would have given it five stars, but it seemed to ramble a bit in the middle. But it had a strong opening and a satisfying, and unexpected, ending.
November 6, 2013
An amazing book about art, independence and finding friends in unlikely places. The book was full of humor and sorrow plus a sense of the imperfection of humanity. It's rare that a book makes me cry but this one did. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
June 9, 2012
June 5, 2012
I'm just a few chapters in and, even though I am not one for ghost stories, I am quite at home with these characters. Perhaps, I'll shall don my dancing shoes too.
June 9, 2012
I finished this book last night and to be perfectly honest, I don't know why I am not giving this book 5 stars. Perhaps I am reserving that score for this author's next book. But for a first novel, I am thoroughly impressed. I see from the author bio that Cassie Stocks has had lots of life experience. Perhaps that has a lot to do with the maturity of her writing. By that I do not mean stodgy, but rather she has wonderful perception of what it means to be a human being and the ability to create characters that are utterly so. Full of quirks and foibles, opinions and emotions, burdens and ambitions, Stock's characters are all ultimately quite likable despite what you might think of their actions and judgment or lack thereof.
The main character, 27 year-old Frieda Zweig, thinks she has botched up her life. She used to be an artist but gave that up when she began to believe (because others had said so and so she came to believe) that she was not good enough. She's had a number of relationships that haven't worked out including one with her art professor and one with Norman, a millionaire in the porn business. She decides it is time to become "normal", get a regular job and live like normal people do in the way she thinks that her parents and best friend Ginny keep telling her to do. While halfheartedly going through the want ads, Frieda somes across this ad:
"Beautiful old phonograph for sale. 78 record player. Excellent condition. Gladys doesn't dance anymore. She needs the room to bake. Bring offer. Ph. 254-9885"
Frieda responds to the ad, not because she has any money to spend or because she wants a phonograph "Who does?", but because she wants to see this Gladys. She imagines her in a "flowered house-dress" dancing in the kitchen while the cookies burn. It turns out though, when she arrives at the address given over the phone, there is no phonograph for sale but rather a room to rent in the home of an elderly fellow (Mr. H.) who's lonely after the death of his wife. So Frieda decides to move in. As it also turns out though, Gladys used to live in this house and Gladys is a ghost. Gladys has a story to tell and it is Frieda who has to hear it. Gladys only comes to Frieda when Frieda is alone and that isn't often because all sorts of other characters show up in Frieda's still not so normal life including an elderly neighbour, Mrs. Kesstle and her cat; the millionaire ex-boyfriend, Norman and his "new age" mother, Lady March; Mr. H's son, screenwriter Whitman; a middle-aged drug and alcohol addict, Marilyn and an imaginative but troubled street kid, Girl. Through the course of the story, all of these characters have their own significant hurts and problems to deal with and yet each has much to contribute to the lives of the others and each of their lives are enhanced. Although there is heartbreaking tragedy in this story, it is at the same time inspiring and uplifting and sometimes downright funny.
Quite as an aside, but it also happens that I had an auntie Gladys (the maiden sister of my grandpa) whom we visited every Sunday in the Old Folks Home when I was a child. And whom I barely remember now but for the hairs on her chin; her delight in the flowers we brought her from our garden and how, before her old folks home days, when she came to visit us, she'd stand on the steps to our house and rattle the door knob until someone let her in. As I read this book, I began to wonder about my auntie and rather wished that she'd come to me as a ghost, rattle my door knob and tell me whether she too used to dance. Off to dial 254-9885!
I'm just a few chapters in and, even though I am not one for ghost stories, I am quite at home with these characters. Perhaps, I'll shall don my dancing shoes too.
June 9, 2012
I finished this book last night and to be perfectly honest, I don't know why I am not giving this book 5 stars. Perhaps I am reserving that score for this author's next book. But for a first novel, I am thoroughly impressed. I see from the author bio that Cassie Stocks has had lots of life experience. Perhaps that has a lot to do with the maturity of her writing. By that I do not mean stodgy, but rather she has wonderful perception of what it means to be a human being and the ability to create characters that are utterly so. Full of quirks and foibles, opinions and emotions, burdens and ambitions, Stock's characters are all ultimately quite likable despite what you might think of their actions and judgment or lack thereof.
The main character, 27 year-old Frieda Zweig, thinks she has botched up her life. She used to be an artist but gave that up when she began to believe (because others had said so and so she came to believe) that she was not good enough. She's had a number of relationships that haven't worked out including one with her art professor and one with Norman, a millionaire in the porn business. She decides it is time to become "normal", get a regular job and live like normal people do in the way she thinks that her parents and best friend Ginny keep telling her to do. While halfheartedly going through the want ads, Frieda somes across this ad:
"Beautiful old phonograph for sale. 78 record player. Excellent condition. Gladys doesn't dance anymore. She needs the room to bake. Bring offer. Ph. 254-9885"
Frieda responds to the ad, not because she has any money to spend or because she wants a phonograph "Who does?", but because she wants to see this Gladys. She imagines her in a "flowered house-dress" dancing in the kitchen while the cookies burn. It turns out though, when she arrives at the address given over the phone, there is no phonograph for sale but rather a room to rent in the home of an elderly fellow (Mr. H.) who's lonely after the death of his wife. So Frieda decides to move in. As it also turns out though, Gladys used to live in this house and Gladys is a ghost. Gladys has a story to tell and it is Frieda who has to hear it. Gladys only comes to Frieda when Frieda is alone and that isn't often because all sorts of other characters show up in Frieda's still not so normal life including an elderly neighbour, Mrs. Kesstle and her cat; the millionaire ex-boyfriend, Norman and his "new age" mother, Lady March; Mr. H's son, screenwriter Whitman; a middle-aged drug and alcohol addict, Marilyn and an imaginative but troubled street kid, Girl. Through the course of the story, all of these characters have their own significant hurts and problems to deal with and yet each has much to contribute to the lives of the others and each of their lives are enhanced. Although there is heartbreaking tragedy in this story, it is at the same time inspiring and uplifting and sometimes downright funny.
Quite as an aside, but it also happens that I had an auntie Gladys (the maiden sister of my grandpa) whom we visited every Sunday in the Old Folks Home when I was a child. And whom I barely remember now but for the hairs on her chin; her delight in the flowers we brought her from our garden and how, before her old folks home days, when she came to visit us, she'd stand on the steps to our house and rattle the door knob until someone let her in. As I read this book, I began to wonder about my auntie and rather wished that she'd come to me as a ghost, rattle my door knob and tell me whether she too used to dance. Off to dial 254-9885!
September 19, 2012
I have to say, this is one of THE most unique books that I have ever read. It’s the type of book that normally I would be making comments about the author not knowing what type of book she wanted to write, except that IT WORKS. And it works beautifully.
Frieda is a 27-year-old former art student who just left a relationship with a chain-of-sex-stores-owning millionaire in Kentucky, and moved back to Winnipeg. She’s one of those lost souls, and in the beginning, and admittedly at other points in the book, I just wanted to yell at her to get her you-know-what together.
While she’s supposed to be looking at “Help Wanted” Ads, she comes across an ad in the Classifieds for an antique phonograph, for sale because “Gladys doesn’t dance anymore.” But the ad mysteriously sets her on a completely different course that is in many ways completely absurd, but so beautifully poetic that it doesn’t matter.
I said to a friend the other day that Dance, Gladys, Dance is one of those book that is just very CANADIAN, for reasons I would never be able to explain, other than that they have a quirky feeling that too often feels extremely deliberate, but it didn’t bother me at all in this case. In fact, I kind of revelled in its quirky glory.
My only contention with the book is at the end: and no, it has nothing to do with the tragic end that befalls one of the characters. I just felt like the story had been going along at one pace, and then at the end, it sped up, and it felt disconcerting. That’s not to say I didn’t like how the book resolved, I just found the pace change very jarring.
I really do hope that people will pick up Dance, Gladys, Dance. It’s a beautifully-written book, and the way the characters’ journeys inter-weave – especially since Gladys herself passed away long before Frieda was ever born – is wonderful.
Frieda is a 27-year-old former art student who just left a relationship with a chain-of-sex-stores-owning millionaire in Kentucky, and moved back to Winnipeg. She’s one of those lost souls, and in the beginning, and admittedly at other points in the book, I just wanted to yell at her to get her you-know-what together.
While she’s supposed to be looking at “Help Wanted” Ads, she comes across an ad in the Classifieds for an antique phonograph, for sale because “Gladys doesn’t dance anymore.” But the ad mysteriously sets her on a completely different course that is in many ways completely absurd, but so beautifully poetic that it doesn’t matter.
I said to a friend the other day that Dance, Gladys, Dance is one of those book that is just very CANADIAN, for reasons I would never be able to explain, other than that they have a quirky feeling that too often feels extremely deliberate, but it didn’t bother me at all in this case. In fact, I kind of revelled in its quirky glory.
My only contention with the book is at the end: and no, it has nothing to do with the tragic end that befalls one of the characters. I just felt like the story had been going along at one pace, and then at the end, it sped up, and it felt disconcerting. That’s not to say I didn’t like how the book resolved, I just found the pace change very jarring.
I really do hope that people will pick up Dance, Gladys, Dance. It’s a beautifully-written book, and the way the characters’ journeys inter-weave – especially since Gladys herself passed away long before Frieda was ever born – is wonderful.
June 3, 2018
https://ayearofbooksblog.com/2018/06/...
As followers are well aware, I LOVE Canada Reads. I love the lead up to the event, reading books from the long list, reading ALL the books from the short-list, following the event and best of all attending this literary knock out event! Gladys Dance Gladys was a light read (lol – listen) for commuting, taken from the long-list. It is a book that I would not have chosen had it not been connected with Canada Reads.
The reader gets to know Freida and her struggles. She saw herself as a failed artist, had ended a relationship, had no place to live and needed to find a job. She answered a unique classified ad, found a room, living with an elderly man when she met Gladys. Not having read the back cover of this book, it was a surprise to find out that Gladys was a ghost – a ghost who Freida came to know and helped her talk through many issues.
The story was amusing to listen to but I am honestly surprised that it made the Canada Reads short list which was chock full of more serious subjects for debating. This book read like a young adult (YA) novel yet had more mature subjects. Having said that, I did enjoy the quirky cast of characters who had me chuckling and found this book to be a palate-cleanser between more serious storylines.
As followers are well aware, I LOVE Canada Reads. I love the lead up to the event, reading books from the long list, reading ALL the books from the short-list, following the event and best of all attending this literary knock out event! Gladys Dance Gladys was a light read (lol – listen) for commuting, taken from the long-list. It is a book that I would not have chosen had it not been connected with Canada Reads.
The reader gets to know Freida and her struggles. She saw herself as a failed artist, had ended a relationship, had no place to live and needed to find a job. She answered a unique classified ad, found a room, living with an elderly man when she met Gladys. Not having read the back cover of this book, it was a surprise to find out that Gladys was a ghost – a ghost who Freida came to know and helped her talk through many issues.
The story was amusing to listen to but I am honestly surprised that it made the Canada Reads short list which was chock full of more serious subjects for debating. This book read like a young adult (YA) novel yet had more mature subjects. Having said that, I did enjoy the quirky cast of characters who had me chuckling and found this book to be a palate-cleanser between more serious storylines.
January 6, 2013
What an amazing beautiful book! I could not put it down! It was such a wonderful book to read! One of my top 10 favorites! I am so happy I read it I just wish I had read it earlier. I cannot wait to lend it out and recommend it to everyone! I feel so great after reading this book. Very uplifting and inspirational! Just wow! It's a easy read also. Took me two days!
November 13, 2013
I love this type of book. Refreshingly quirky and fun to read. Loved the line about the boyfriend making breakfast in his underwear to which Freida retorts "would have been more romantic if he had used a frying pan". Killed me! My only complaint is that it's Cassie Stocks debut, which means I can't search out more of her books...but I'll definitely be waiting! Write, Cassie, write!
October 15, 2012
I don't even know how to describe how much I loved this book. The writing was wonderful. I loved every single character. I couldn't put it down and never wanted it to end. Seriously. It was that good. Well done, Cassie!
June 1, 2014
Funny and quirky...the book and the characters but also full of love, generosity and forgiveness. Open your heart and mind, communicate with art and be as caring and forgiving of yourself as you are with others. A joy to read, unexpected ending but satisfying in its own way.
August 13, 2014
Delightful. So different and wonderful. Loved getting to know these characters, although I think Frieda would have referred to her hoodie as a bunnyhug like a good Saskatchewan girl. :) I highly recommend.
February 21, 2018
I have a bad habit of critiquing books while I'm reading them. Even when I'm immersed in the story and enjoying myself, part of my attention is on how and why the book works. It gives me pleasure and mostly I can't help it.
"Dance, Glady's Dance" was an exception. It reached past my over-analytical head and connected with my emotions. It made me happy, even when it was making me sad.
I'm not entirely sure how Cassie Stocks did that but I'm very glad she did.
"Dance, Glady's, Dance", like many of the best things in life, requires you to use a little bit of imagination and to be willing to hope.
The story starts with Frieda Zweig looking, at twenty-seven, for a fresh start where she can put aside her former life as a would-be artist and live a life more ordinary. She askes herself:
"Who was I going to be? I was more inclined towards inertia than upward mobility and didn’t like most people enough to devote my life to helping others less fortunate than myself. I’d work somewhere, I thought, watch TV in the evenings, and become wholly involved in the lives of non-existent people. I’d develop my own life of quiet desperation, as Emerson’s buddy Thoreau suggested the mass of men (and, presumably, women) led."
To help with this self-imposed task, Frieda defines "Five Steps To An Ordinary Life":
1. Get a real job.
2. Stop seeing the world as a series of potential paintings.
3. Learn how to talk about the weather.
4. Do the things that normal people do.
5. Figure out what normal people actually do.
Although the initial tone of the book is light-hearted, "Dance, Gladys, Dance", is not a comedy. Frieda uses humour to distance herself from her problems and to suppress the strong emotions that always result in her needing to paint. True, Frieda's reality is often orthogonal to the surface of life as most of us live it and she spends a good deal of her time puzzled and occasionally defeated by everyday things like shopping for clothes, but Frieda is bright and intuitive and kind and fundamentally serious in her approach to life.
Frieda's doomed attempt to embrace the ordinary leads her to renting a room in a Victorian house owned by a widower who teaches photography at a local Arts Centre. After she moves in, she meets, Gladys, the ghost of the first woman to live in the house.
In addition to a cleverly designed set of events in the present day that weave together the fates of a number of strong characters, we have chapters that tell us more about Freida^s life and how she came to give up on the idea of being an artist and, bit by bit, we hear Gladys' story.
Many of the characters in the book are damaged or in pain because they lack belief in their own talent or they have given up on their belief that they can be who they want to be. The book shows women in particular as being at risk of losing themselves in this way or being denied the right to use their talent.
The message of the book seems to be: trust yourself, use your talent and take the small opportunities we all have to make the world a less awful place to live in. Delivering this message without coming across as either didactic or sentimental is what makes this book such a triumph.
stocksphoto"Dance, Gladys, Dance" was Cassie Stocks' first novel. In 2013 it won the Leacock Memorial Medal, awarded to the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer.
My Blog: https://mikefinnsfiction.wordpress.com/
"Dance, Glady's Dance" was an exception. It reached past my over-analytical head and connected with my emotions. It made me happy, even when it was making me sad.
I'm not entirely sure how Cassie Stocks did that but I'm very glad she did.
"Dance, Glady's, Dance", like many of the best things in life, requires you to use a little bit of imagination and to be willing to hope.
The story starts with Frieda Zweig looking, at twenty-seven, for a fresh start where she can put aside her former life as a would-be artist and live a life more ordinary. She askes herself:
"Who was I going to be? I was more inclined towards inertia than upward mobility and didn’t like most people enough to devote my life to helping others less fortunate than myself. I’d work somewhere, I thought, watch TV in the evenings, and become wholly involved in the lives of non-existent people. I’d develop my own life of quiet desperation, as Emerson’s buddy Thoreau suggested the mass of men (and, presumably, women) led."
To help with this self-imposed task, Frieda defines "Five Steps To An Ordinary Life":
1. Get a real job.
2. Stop seeing the world as a series of potential paintings.
3. Learn how to talk about the weather.
4. Do the things that normal people do.
5. Figure out what normal people actually do.
Although the initial tone of the book is light-hearted, "Dance, Gladys, Dance", is not a comedy. Frieda uses humour to distance herself from her problems and to suppress the strong emotions that always result in her needing to paint. True, Frieda's reality is often orthogonal to the surface of life as most of us live it and she spends a good deal of her time puzzled and occasionally defeated by everyday things like shopping for clothes, but Frieda is bright and intuitive and kind and fundamentally serious in her approach to life.
Frieda's doomed attempt to embrace the ordinary leads her to renting a room in a Victorian house owned by a widower who teaches photography at a local Arts Centre. After she moves in, she meets, Gladys, the ghost of the first woman to live in the house.
In addition to a cleverly designed set of events in the present day that weave together the fates of a number of strong characters, we have chapters that tell us more about Freida^s life and how she came to give up on the idea of being an artist and, bit by bit, we hear Gladys' story.
Many of the characters in the book are damaged or in pain because they lack belief in their own talent or they have given up on their belief that they can be who they want to be. The book shows women in particular as being at risk of losing themselves in this way or being denied the right to use their talent.
The message of the book seems to be: trust yourself, use your talent and take the small opportunities we all have to make the world a less awful place to live in. Delivering this message without coming across as either didactic or sentimental is what makes this book such a triumph.
stocksphoto"Dance, Gladys, Dance" was Cassie Stocks' first novel. In 2013 it won the Leacock Memorial Medal, awarded to the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer.
My Blog: https://mikefinnsfiction.wordpress.com/
June 2, 2013
Can't say enough about this inspiring book. It is funny - deserving of the Leacock award it was given - but it is so much more than that.
Cassie Stocks is able to take a modern day art-school drop out with a very messy love life and turn her into someone who stumbles into an unusual living situation and make the most of it. All of the minor characters sparkle in this book and I fond myself feeling sympathy for some of them, outrage at others and an honest desire to meet some of the others. She ventured into 'cozy' territory here by bringing in friendships from different decades and was even able to weave in a bit of a history lesson at the same time.
I can't tell you too much of the story without spoiling it but the Gladys in the title becomes very important to the main character, art-school drop out Frieda, and although some of the ends are not tied up perfectly at the finish the friendship that develops between Gladys and Frieda is wonderful. I felt like reading many of the scenes aloud to friends and even typed some of the dialogue out in a few e-mail messages because I thought this book had so much going for it on different levels.
I'm going to make this a book club suggestion and a suggestion for anyone who is interested in reading a story about a strong woman, for anyone who might be keen to take a 'risk' on an unusual book and will suggest it to patrons young and old because the character is a young person struggling with big decisions but she has an older soul that pops out once in a while. It's a beautiful book and Cassie Stocks better write something else fast - can't wait.
Cassie Stocks is able to take a modern day art-school drop out with a very messy love life and turn her into someone who stumbles into an unusual living situation and make the most of it. All of the minor characters sparkle in this book and I fond myself feeling sympathy for some of them, outrage at others and an honest desire to meet some of the others. She ventured into 'cozy' territory here by bringing in friendships from different decades and was even able to weave in a bit of a history lesson at the same time.
I can't tell you too much of the story without spoiling it but the Gladys in the title becomes very important to the main character, art-school drop out Frieda, and although some of the ends are not tied up perfectly at the finish the friendship that develops between Gladys and Frieda is wonderful. I felt like reading many of the scenes aloud to friends and even typed some of the dialogue out in a few e-mail messages because I thought this book had so much going for it on different levels.
I'm going to make this a book club suggestion and a suggestion for anyone who is interested in reading a story about a strong woman, for anyone who might be keen to take a 'risk' on an unusual book and will suggest it to patrons young and old because the character is a young person struggling with big decisions but she has an older soul that pops out once in a while. It's a beautiful book and Cassie Stocks better write something else fast - can't wait.
February 16, 2014
Well, this was excellent, in the end. I really liked the first couple of chapters, with the introduction to Freida, and then her meeting with Mr. Hausselman. Then the next little bit is sort of the lowpoint for me, with Freida going through her rebelious/utterly idiotic/almost delusional phase. I mean, I sort of get the following a guy and his band across the country, but some of the other stuff, really now?
But then when everyone starts essentially moving in at Mr. Hausselman's, and creating this really odd little community, the book really picks up. Because they're all kind of delightful when they're interacting with each other.
Though, this book was much sadder than I expected it to be.
On the other hand, I also dissolved into giggles on my couch more than once.
I really enjoyed how the stuff with Norman ended up going. And with Whitman. Whitman turned out to be kind of excellent, to my surprise.
All in all, I very much enjoyed it. And really, that's all there is to it.
But then when everyone starts essentially moving in at Mr. Hausselman's, and creating this really odd little community, the book really picks up. Because they're all kind of delightful when they're interacting with each other.
Though, this book was much sadder than I expected it to be.
On the other hand, I also dissolved into giggles on my couch more than once.
I really enjoyed how the stuff with Norman ended up going. And with Whitman. Whitman turned out to be kind of excellent, to my surprise.
All in all, I very much enjoyed it. And really, that's all there is to it.
January 18, 2018
At its heart this story is about creating a life: whether that's through art, craft, business or relationships. Creative power bubbles throughout, and I found that the narrative really honoured Frieda's painting as well as Miss Kesstle's crocheting prowess, and Girl's cardboard box art installations.
I loved how Stock takes Fine Art, domestic craft and feminism and stirs them all into a story that, despite its darker moments, sadnesses and soul-searching, ends up being uplifting and life affirming.
This book satisfies, and entertains, and provokes thought. A perfect book to sit down and discuss with other readers, with all its twists and turns and Ideas. This is a fabulous debut -- I will be looking out for further novels by Cassie Stock!
(full review at The Indextrious Reader)
I loved how Stock takes Fine Art, domestic craft and feminism and stirs them all into a story that, despite its darker moments, sadnesses and soul-searching, ends up being uplifting and life affirming.
This book satisfies, and entertains, and provokes thought. A perfect book to sit down and discuss with other readers, with all its twists and turns and Ideas. This is a fabulous debut -- I will be looking out for further novels by Cassie Stock!
(full review at The Indextrious Reader)
May 12, 2020
" Sometimes, when you read the first few paragraphs of a new book, you get a tingly sensation that tells you you’re about to experience something special. “Dance Gladys, Dance” was one of those books for me. I’d heard the author read some very funny bits during a literary festival and so, when I couldn’t sleep one night, I picked it up thinking a chuckle or two might help me doze off. Four hours later I was still curled up in the recliner, mesmerized by one time artist, Frieda Zweig’s voice as she told me the story of her chosen path to ‘ordinariness.’ On the way Frieda meets Gladys. Dear Gladys. A woman before her time. A ghost now, but with a very real story to tell.
This was a truly wonderful read for the laughs and for the tears. So deserving of the Leacock Award it won in 2013!
This was a truly wonderful read for the laughs and for the tears. So deserving of the Leacock Award it won in 2013!
April 7, 2018
Not as good as Terry Fallis but she is close. A very enjoyable read.
February 25, 2020
Things are hard for people...for one reason or another. The worse you're treated, the harder you have to work to be treated better. p200
This is the main reason it is generally not a good idea to sleep with your profs.The way it usually plays out,you are the one who will be left with feelings of shame, rejection, self-doubt. No matter the official grade, you may end up feeling like you failed; especially if in the nasty aftermath, words have been hurled insinuating such.
It never occurred to me that I had the imagination to make the whole thing up....p54
Convinced of her lack of talent, Frieda Zweig stuffs it in a trunk and drops out of art school in a huff. Approaching her 30's, she has decided that her core identity as an artist is not up to it. In search of authenticity, the girl who once ran away from Winnipeg with a rock band and initiated a steamy affair with her art instructor has determined make the move from rebel misfit to ordinary working woman.
Who was I going to be? I was more inclined towards inertia than upwards mobility and I didn't like most people enough to devote myself to helping others less fortunate than myself. p9
It turns out, CS is not going to let her get away with that. Frieda is a risk taker and a magnet for the slightly extraordinary. A great deal of suspension of disbelief is required of the reader as she stumbles into riches and then turns her back on that as well. Back in Winnipeg, one improbable thing leads to another, and soon Frieda is the hub of what could turn out to be a multi generational family, surrounded by artists, including her photographer landlord to her neighbour who invents her own crochet patterns; to the Girl who extravagantly re-purposes them. Then there is Gladys, the dancer, whose story is threaded throughout the novel.
This book came to my attention a couple of years ago when it was longlisted for Canada Reads. There was a long list of people waiting for it at the library, and by the time it came to me I was occupied with the short list. Thus no sooner had I begun when I was obliged to return it. When it appeared before me on the library display, I grabbed it. One of the central questions the book explores, what it means to be an ordinary artist, is even more pertinent to me now than at that time when my focus was more on finding a place to live.
Why bother...? Why use up so much for the return of so little? And why offer up whats been sweated over and take the risk of having it disregarded, or rejected? No wonder so many artists are insane-you'd have to be crazy to keep doing it. Sanity ho! I'd find my way back. What did I have to lose besides a few glimpses of beauty in an otherwise ordinary world? p27
CS is skilled enough so that the characters are more than stereotypes. Not all of them are pure and noble, as we might suspect, being artists. There are a few unsavoury transactions highlighting the exploitation of artists by big business, but mostly these people are all deeply nice, once you get to know them. CS manages to bring in a lot of dry humour and when they are all gathered together on the roof of the art centre, the reader can hardly be helped for dropping any quibbles and warming to this quirky, feel-good story.
Life isn't about finding yourself...it's about creating yourself. p88
I would like to end this review here with one more short quote and a rating of 4. However, as close as I was to finishing, there was still the victory dinner to assemble, and alas! Without an actual spoiler I can only rage and drop my rating. Maybe the best art emerges from struggle, but I do not think that such an ending belonged in this book. 5/7 in my system
Fat chance at getting good enough if you don't keep at it. p170
This is the main reason it is generally not a good idea to sleep with your profs.The way it usually plays out,you are the one who will be left with feelings of shame, rejection, self-doubt. No matter the official grade, you may end up feeling like you failed; especially if in the nasty aftermath, words have been hurled insinuating such.
It never occurred to me that I had the imagination to make the whole thing up....p54
Convinced of her lack of talent, Frieda Zweig stuffs it in a trunk and drops out of art school in a huff. Approaching her 30's, she has decided that her core identity as an artist is not up to it. In search of authenticity, the girl who once ran away from Winnipeg with a rock band and initiated a steamy affair with her art instructor has determined make the move from rebel misfit to ordinary working woman.
Who was I going to be? I was more inclined towards inertia than upwards mobility and I didn't like most people enough to devote myself to helping others less fortunate than myself. p9
It turns out, CS is not going to let her get away with that. Frieda is a risk taker and a magnet for the slightly extraordinary. A great deal of suspension of disbelief is required of the reader as she stumbles into riches and then turns her back on that as well. Back in Winnipeg, one improbable thing leads to another, and soon Frieda is the hub of what could turn out to be a multi generational family, surrounded by artists, including her photographer landlord to her neighbour who invents her own crochet patterns; to the Girl who extravagantly re-purposes them. Then there is Gladys, the dancer, whose story is threaded throughout the novel.
This book came to my attention a couple of years ago when it was longlisted for Canada Reads. There was a long list of people waiting for it at the library, and by the time it came to me I was occupied with the short list. Thus no sooner had I begun when I was obliged to return it. When it appeared before me on the library display, I grabbed it. One of the central questions the book explores, what it means to be an ordinary artist, is even more pertinent to me now than at that time when my focus was more on finding a place to live.
Why bother...? Why use up so much for the return of so little? And why offer up whats been sweated over and take the risk of having it disregarded, or rejected? No wonder so many artists are insane-you'd have to be crazy to keep doing it. Sanity ho! I'd find my way back. What did I have to lose besides a few glimpses of beauty in an otherwise ordinary world? p27
CS is skilled enough so that the characters are more than stereotypes. Not all of them are pure and noble, as we might suspect, being artists. There are a few unsavoury transactions highlighting the exploitation of artists by big business, but mostly these people are all deeply nice, once you get to know them. CS manages to bring in a lot of dry humour and when they are all gathered together on the roof of the art centre, the reader can hardly be helped for dropping any quibbles and warming to this quirky, feel-good story.
Life isn't about finding yourself...it's about creating yourself. p88
I would like to end this review here with one more short quote and a rating of 4. However, as close as I was to finishing, there was still the victory dinner to assemble, and alas! Without an actual spoiler I can only rage and drop my rating. Maybe the best art emerges from struggle, but I do not think that such an ending belonged in this book. 5/7 in my system
Fat chance at getting good enough if you don't keep at it. p170
November 30, 2019
What an enjoyable read! The book is delightful, the characters are quirky, flawed and likeable. But what makes the story so meaningful are the interactions among this diverse group brought together by coincidental events. Things aren’t always as they seem, and everything happens for a reason. It is a parable of tolerance and acceptance. A light hearted read with a morale! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
October 13, 2018
Gritty, funny, humorous, heartbreaking and CANADIAN!!!!! Lovely first novel. Would make a great movie.
March 7, 2018
Laughed out loud and even got bit teary..what a great book!!
I like how Cassie Stocks even managed to put in a 'mention' of the Cassie award..had to look it all up and yes, there is such an award! (The CASSIES is Canada's premier advertising awards in Toronto)
A good funny quote:
"He made me scrambled eggs in his underwear. It was romantic."
"Probably would have been more romantic if he'd used a frying pan."
Quote:
"I was six years old and couldn't wait to start music lessons. My piano teacher was a formidable woman with black hair and a very straight back. She was a thousand years old and, it seemed, contantly pissed off at me. She hit my fingers with a ruler if I looked down at them while playing. Twack. I tried to learn, but fear froze my mind. I'd lose track......"....."I, in the back seat of our blue Pinto, clutching my Leila Fletcher Beginner's Piano Book) Who was Leila anyhow? God, I hated her), burst into tears and refused to go in."
Me, living in Victoria, 6 years old and my first piano teacher (but with greay hair in a tight bun) was just like that! She used a little white conducting baton instead of a ruler..and I still have the LF beginners book!
Quote: by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
'Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.'
Thank you Cassie Stocks..I hope you continue to write stories for yourself and the pleasure of otheres (me!!). Now I'm going to try and find out if you 'tour'.
I like how Cassie Stocks even managed to put in a 'mention' of the Cassie award..had to look it all up and yes, there is such an award! (The CASSIES is Canada's premier advertising awards in Toronto)
A good funny quote:
"He made me scrambled eggs in his underwear. It was romantic."
"Probably would have been more romantic if he'd used a frying pan."
Quote:
"I was six years old and couldn't wait to start music lessons. My piano teacher was a formidable woman with black hair and a very straight back. She was a thousand years old and, it seemed, contantly pissed off at me. She hit my fingers with a ruler if I looked down at them while playing. Twack. I tried to learn, but fear froze my mind. I'd lose track......"....."I, in the back seat of our blue Pinto, clutching my Leila Fletcher Beginner's Piano Book) Who was Leila anyhow? God, I hated her), burst into tears and refused to go in."
Me, living in Victoria, 6 years old and my first piano teacher (but with greay hair in a tight bun) was just like that! She used a little white conducting baton instead of a ruler..and I still have the LF beginners book!
Quote: by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
'Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.'
Thank you Cassie Stocks..I hope you continue to write stories for yourself and the pleasure of otheres (me!!). Now I'm going to try and find out if you 'tour'.
January 17, 2013
"If she wanted to put her spectral trust in a tofu wiener on a white bun, who was I to argue?"
After dropping out of art school, Frieda is stuck at a dead end. Her life long dream to paint and create art didn't pan out, so what choice but to become a "normal" person? Her to do list: Get a "normal" job, learn to talk about the weather...
Even this plan is way-laid, however, when she answers a classified ad for an old phonograph.
It's not poetry that one would find in Cassie Stocks's coming of age story, but rather something gritty and real despite the spectral "ghostly" aspects of things. Witty banter, puns, and touching characters wrapped together in something like a Weakerthans's song. Gives hope to those searching for their art.
After dropping out of art school, Frieda is stuck at a dead end. Her life long dream to paint and create art didn't pan out, so what choice but to become a "normal" person? Her to do list: Get a "normal" job, learn to talk about the weather...
Even this plan is way-laid, however, when she answers a classified ad for an old phonograph.
It's not poetry that one would find in Cassie Stocks's coming of age story, but rather something gritty and real despite the spectral "ghostly" aspects of things. Witty banter, puns, and touching characters wrapped together in something like a Weakerthans's song. Gives hope to those searching for their art.
September 9, 2013
This was everything I expected of a Leacock Medal winner, and it left me with just the right mix of laughter and profound meaning. There were a few moments where the story faltered for a bit. When things were humming along on rails, though, it more than made up for those lapses.
At its heart, this is a novel about finding or losing the primal creative essense of art in all its forms, but there was also a strong bent of sexism and gender [in]equality that really gave it teeth.
I'm also pretty easy to win over when a book is so shamelessly Canadian. The moment when a converstion took an inordinately lengthy detour into the habit of Saskatchewaners to place a box of Kleenex in the rear window of their car...well, that was probably the moment I knew this was a book for me.
At its heart, this is a novel about finding or losing the primal creative essense of art in all its forms, but there was also a strong bent of sexism and gender [in]equality that really gave it teeth.
I'm also pretty easy to win over when a book is so shamelessly Canadian. The moment when a converstion took an inordinately lengthy detour into the habit of Saskatchewaners to place a box of Kleenex in the rear window of their car...well, that was probably the moment I knew this was a book for me.
January 22, 2014
i did laugh out loud.
the characters were very colourful
i love it when i can read an entertaining book by a Canadian.
Frieda has lost her desire to be an artist and embarks on finding her next chapter in life.
the funny characters and situations she gets herself into make her realize what life is all about.
the characters were very colourful
i love it when i can read an entertaining book by a Canadian.
Frieda has lost her desire to be an artist and embarks on finding her next chapter in life.
the funny characters and situations she gets herself into make her realize what life is all about.
October 11, 2013
This book won the Leacock Humour award. It it an unusual book. Not the type you laugh out loud all the way through (at least not for me); but it does have its funny situations. Loved the characters and especially the ghost, Gladys.
November 6, 2012
I thought that this book was incredibly charming. The supporting cast is quirky and loveable and the story is fun and touching.
August 27, 2013
What a funny, touching story. I loved it - anyone who is trying to figure out who they are in their 20s should pick this book up.
November 15, 2013
I just wanted it to be over...
April 5, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It made me think as well as laugh. It is not of the genre I usually read but has opened me up to look at a different kind of book to read.
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