Danceland

by Jennifer Pieroni

Drawing from Stravinsky’s interpretation of the mythological Firebird, Jennifer Pieroni’s novella tells the story of twelve-year-old Lettie and her world-weary father Frank. Living together in an abandoned village they call Danceland, Lettie one day emerges to face unsettling suspicions about her past; in so doing, she risks the responsibilities and relationships that have defined her isolated existence. Like a truth that thrives, Danceland is an evocative revival of the past as both blessing and curse and an enthralling reflection on the ways the truth can shelter and seduce—persisting where all else has retreated.

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2014

Reviews

[Myfanwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding the perfect balance between language and story, Jennifer Pieroni guides the reader through the twists and turns of the lives of misfit daughter-father duo, Lettie and Frank, and of Lynn, the impetus for their cloistered lives. The deep tentacles of addiction and co-dependency, of fear and redemption, run thick through the forest of this tale of learning to let go of those who hold you captive with their fear and disease. With love, Pieroni teaches us that no matter how much we want to protect that which we hold most dear, the world is out there waiting to terrorize us, to envelop us, to enchant us, and to teach us how to accept, if not fully forgive. Read this book, dear reader, and fall hopelessly in love, the way I have, with Danceland.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marketed as a novella, this thick little book read more like a short novel. Fans of Peter Rock's My Abandonment will love this novel that is less about time spent retreating from life in an abandoned ghost town and more about how we reenter the world of others. I loved Pieroni's poetic prose and her laser intuition into the human heart. Carefully crafted, I especially loved the passages set in Danceland.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

[a few modest spoilers here, but the point of this novel is really language and mood and character, not plot.} Lettie, a 12-year-old, has been raised by her father Frank in an abandoned New England village they call Danceland, in honor of Lettie's supposedly lost dancer mother. Off the grid, they survive on what Frank, a tree-trimmer, can earn; he educates her with books he brings home and cares for her the best he can. One day, curious, Lettie leaves the village while Frank is out, setting off a dramatic series of changes. This short, dreamlike novel is precise, tender, and unusual. Lettie will discover the truth about her mother and what might be involved in entering modernity and society. The strongest sections, for me, were those dealing with Lettie's life in Danceland and then in the hospital and school where she is housed soon afterwards.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

DANCELAND is like reading a painting,
Every word is carefully chosen like a brushstroke. The story captivated me from the first sentence. The characters are beautifully defined, and you can understand, relate and sympathies with each one. A young girl is lost, sheltered and finds her way out. It's a story about strength and resilience.

[Olivia Gatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep coming back to this quiet, dark, deep and rich book. Pieroni uses language beautifully, the written words flows as a story unfolds through time and memory and wishes of a father who never fit is, a child who never knew better and a place that could only hold them like that for a brief time.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Pieroni has an uncanny ability to paint vivid pictures through her words. The prose of Danceland drew me in from the first page. I know that Lettie, Frank and their Danceland home will be with me in my dreams tonight.