Dancing with Tolstoy

by L. M. Ford

On her university spring break, Alice visits her grandmother and launches into an adventure where nothing is quite as she might have expected. Nor does she behave according to convention.

"You wouldn't believe how many witches there are in this world, so we need to know their classifications."

"This way, I can whisper in your ear if I don't want anyone else to hear me."
"I don't see anyone."
"That doesn't mean they aren't there. Sometimes it's the people you can't see that are the most dangerous."
"Or the ones you can only see on the news."

Join the adventure and have some fun in this little satire.

79 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2025

Reviews

[Jas Phoenix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dancing with Tolstoy by L. M. Ford is an absolute gem! It is exquisite, delightful, and dazzlingly clever. From the very first page, I was enchanted. The writing sparkles with wit, intelligence, and warmth, and every sentence feels as though it has been crafted with both precision and playfulness. Alice’s adventure, beginning innocently enough with a visit to her grandmother, blossoms into an extraordinary journey through a landscape of childhood stories and fairytales. Yet, these familiar characters are never quite what you expect – they are wittily twisted, hilariously reimagined, and brought to life in ways that kept me grinning from ear to ear. The story is both a joyful satire and a loving tribute, a tale that made me laugh aloud and smile constantly. What struck me most was not only the humour, but the intelligence underpinning it. Beneath the laughter are sharp, insightful digs at the sillier, darker corners of society – delivered with wit and finesse. The prose is luminous, the storytelling enchanting, and the satire biting yet joyful. I adored everything about this book – the story, the characters, the sly humour, the rich layers of meaning. It rekindled the magic of fairytales I hadn’t thought of in years, while making me laugh harder than I have in ages. It is rare to find a book that can be so intelligent and so wildly funny all at once, but Dancing with Tolstoy manages it effortlessly. Reading it was pure joy, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

[Julia Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, different, good writing, colorful, a terrific take on the Wizard of Oz with different characters and different personalities. I recommend reading this short book. Jimmy Cricket, Scarecrow, Tin man, three bears, Alice in wonderland, etc. :)