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Dance with Me

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Acclaimed for her insightful depiction of the magic and mystery in everyday life and relationships, Luanne Rice is one of today's most gifted novelists. Now the author of eight consecutive New York Times bestsellers delivers her most powerful book yet-the story of a man and woman forced to choose between the past that haunts them and the love that won't let them go. Jane Porter left the apple orchards of rural Twin Rivers, Rhode Island, years ago, fleeing memories that could tear two families apart. Now she has been unexpectedly drawn home to her mother and only sister. Dylan Chadwick has come back, too, shedding the steely exterior he wore as a federal agent in order to follow in the footsteps of his apple-farming father and forget the life he once lived. Amid this landscape of loss and renewal, a haunting story of converging lives, small-town secrets-and the magical sway of unexpected miracles-unfolds. Deeply moving and richly told, Dance with Me explores emotional connections at their very core, with keen insights into the lives of mothers and daughters, sisters and lovers that will resonate long after the final page is turned.

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

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About the author

Luanne Rice

109 books3,146 followers
Luanne Rice is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-eight novels, translated into thirty languages. Rice often writes about love, family, nature, and the sea. Most recently she has written thrillers, including one based on a murder that affected her family. She received the 2014 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award for excellence and lifetime achievement in the Literary Arts category.
Connecticut College awarded Rice an honorary degree and invited her to donate her papers to the College’s Special Collections Library. They are archived in the Luanne Rice Collection.
Rice has also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from St. Joseph University in West Hartford, Conn.
Several of Rice's novels have been adapted for television. Her monologue for the play Motherhood Out Loud premiered at Hartford Stage and has been performed Off-Broadway in NYC and at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Rice is a Creative Affiliate of the Safina Center. She lives in southeastern Connecticut.

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5 stars
1,300 (32%)
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1,415 (35%)
3 stars
1,005 (25%)
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51 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
Profile Image for Sidney W..
Author 9 books28 followers
August 28, 2020
Other reviewers have accurately described Luanne Rice's Dance With Me. What hit me when I read it was the way the author presented the book in the eyes of young, middle-aged, and older people. For example, Margaret Porter, the retired school principal, and mother of Jane and Sylvie, was in the early stages of dementia of some type. Being in her head was some times confusing to the reader, as well it should be.

Then, we get into the head of a 15-year old. But not just any 15-year old. Chloe is adopted and knows it. She longs for her real mother, but loves her adopted parents dearly. At one point we, the readers, must feel the pain she goes through when she first learns she might be pregnant. This is especially hard if you are a parent of a teen yourself.

In the middle are Sylvie, Jane, and Dylan (Chloe's uncle). Sylvie, who has put her life on hold to care for her mother until her sister Jane helps her find a way to find happiness for herself. Jane, mother of Chloe, is steadfast throughout. She must have suffered throughout the years before the story begins, but now she is okay with it. It is not until the end of the book that we learn enough about Chloe's father to understand Jane.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story guided by excellent characters. It is a book you won't want to end.
Profile Image for Jessica.
354 reviews34 followers
May 21, 2009
I loved this book! I would have given it a five star rating for sure if not for two personal interferences. 1) It wasn't a slow read in that I wasn't interested, but it seemed to take me much longer than other books to get through, and 2) for me, the few scarce sexual encounters were a bit too descriptive, although, much less than some other books I've read. I really connected with the characters, and can't wait to pick up another Luanne Rice book. GREAT READ. Would highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Carmel.
381 reviews5 followers
November 14, 2007
I don't think I will ever know what it feels like to have to give up a child, but I could sense the feelings Jane Porter had about finding her daughter she had to give up as a baby. The relationship between Dylan Chadwick and Jane was a nice one, but Jane was keeping too many secrets. I thought it was very sad the way Jane's mother, Margaret, was always trying to please her daughters, and how they also felt they needed to please her.
Profile Image for Sheila Samuelson .
1,206 reviews26 followers
October 20, 2024
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
Even though this was only the 3rd Novel ive read by Luanne, I have to say im really enjoying the writing style and storytelling Style that Luanne does with her stories.

This one was about a woman and her two daughters who left the apple orchards of a small town in Rhode Island years ago running from memories that would tear their families apart but now they unexpectedly are John home to care for their mom and their only sister has come back so it basically talks about a family reunion and there's a little bit of family drama brought in which is expected so basically it just talks about that and it talks about how they confront those memories and try to resolve everything.

The Characters were fun and enjoyable to read about. It was hard to pick just one character as my favorite since I seemed to like all the characters.

The Setting was beautifully described which made me feel like I was actually in Rhode Island while reading especially when the scenery was described.

Overall a Good Contemporary Fiction by Luanne!! Can't wait to read more by Luanne in the future!!
2 reviews
October 18, 2008
This is the second Luanne Rice book I have read, and I am thoroughly enjoying her writing. I now want to read all of her books. Dance with Me is about a woman who gave up her child at birth and it explores all the emotions connected with this selfless act. I am an adoptive mother and I can relate to this book thoroughly. I enjoyed it immensely. Luanne Rice writes as if she cherishes family connections.
24 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2016
I found this a great novel, great mix of love, drama and romance. found it an interesting novel. I enjoyed this story with interesting family, how family is searched for. different relatives and how they relate to each other are well done.
57 reviews
November 23, 2009
This was good and hit close to home as the main character is an adopted child. Hard to put down, easy to read.
Profile Image for Pam.
502 reviews1 follower
March 25, 2018
Ok read, just nothing particularly special.
Profile Image for Heather.
926 reviews
November 19, 2011
i didn't get very far into this book at all.in fact, i made it to page 13 and had to stop.
i didn't particularly want to read about an aging mother going senile or hearing her say that no matter if you tried or not,mothers always had favorites,or a guy who had lost his wife and daughter in some train accident.the whole thing screamed BORING!
she's one of those authors who are just boring.nothin is funny.you don't laugh out loud,you don't smile. i cant help but wonder if the authors are as stuffy as their characters are.
i flipped to a couple random parts in the book to see if it would be worth it to continue reading and i found that it wasnt worth it at all.
i landed on the part where the main characters are in this restaurant and found out that the main character is hiding something.
i couldn't even bring myself to be interested in whatever she's hiding. and that should say it all,because usually a person would be interested in that kind of stuff. all i can say is,i wasnt.
i won't pick this book up again or any others from this author.
&i'm now wondering who my mom's favorite kid is.
i think its somethin we all wonder but never really want to believe. i've had my suspicions over the years and never really believed my mom when she said she doesn't have favorites but just hearing it confirmed in a book like this..
well,i could have done without the realization,ill tell you that.
thanks.thanks a lot luanna rice.
i feel sorry for your kids...
if you have any.
&if they read this book.
no doubt they're having the same wonderings as i am right now.
Profile Image for Ariel.
105 reviews6 followers
June 18, 2008
Despite clean pacing and prose, the sentiments of this novel and the blandness of the romance plot line doom it. The writer is clearly very competant and I feel it is a shame that she spent less time talking about the very interesting aging mother, fighting against the knowledge that she is losing her mind to Alzheimer's, and less time talking about the mystical bond between mother and child and how no pregnant teenage girl would want to abort.

Facing insomnia, I tried one night to find something light and easy to put down, something that might make me fall asleep. Unfortunately, the only moderately light thing I had on my shelf was this book (it had been a misguided present). I didn't fall asleep, and found myself reading the entire thing, despite my distaste for it.
Profile Image for Carolee Weber.
446 reviews17 followers
June 11, 2014
Ugh, I wouldn't have finished this book, or even picked it up, if it hadn't been a book group choice. And I really don't think it should be a choice for a book group. I guess it's summertime and some people might consider it a summer read because you don't need to think at all while reading it. I hate predictable books, and I knew how this one would end from the start. The dialogue was often ridiculous and the writing style was so well, cheesy would be one way to describe it. The characters were so stereotypical. There could have been a lot more depth with the characters. A very mediocre book.
1,544 reviews
September 24, 2018
I loved all the characters in this heartwarming tale of love lost and then found again.
83 reviews1 follower
April 16, 2019
Loved it!

Another beautifully written story of love and family and forgiving. I loved this story and the feeling that true love can make all things wonderful.
Profile Image for Nolan.
3,747 reviews38 followers
October 8, 2024
My reading preferences are so starkly different now than they were in the summer of 2009 when I originally downloaded this. Clearly, I found it exciting enough to download and preserve it on the books drive all these years. I thought it might have some of the magic of her Christmas books or one of the more famous titles that have become movies. This wasn’t terrible. In fact, if my reading preferences weren’t so markedly different now, it might have rung the ecstasy bell for me several times. Not so much these days, but that’s not the author’s fault.

Sylvie and Jane porter are sisters. Neither of them is particularly likable as far as I’m concerned. Jane ran a trendy bakery in Manhattan; Sylvie stayed home to care for mom and to work in the high-school library. Margaret, the mother, is on the cusp of dementia, and Jane has come home just for a while to get Mom settled in a nursing home whether Sylvie likes it or not.

Jane left the small Rhode Island town nearly two decades ago after giving up a baby to adoption. That decision tortured her for years, and despite directives not to contact the now-teenage girl, Jane has found her and made contact. In the early pages of the book, she at least is careful not to reveal to the girl that she’s the real mom.

The teenage girl’s uncle creates additional layers of complication for Jane because Jane falls in love with him and can’t bring herself to confess that she’s Chloe’s real mother. While all this is happening, Chloe does the horizontal grass-up-the-buns-crack-twostep with a biker kid from a neighboring high school, and she’s late for her next monthly cycle.

The writing is compelling enough that if you start this, odds are high you’ll finish it. The sex scenes between Jane and the uncle are mildly annoying, but they are mercifully short.

This is a book that explores relationships at all ages and stages of life, and it looks at the varying ways groups of people can come together into so-called families.

Again, this isn’t about the author’s inability. It’s about the changes I’ve experienced as a reader over a 15-year period. If you enjoy the exploration of romances and family relationships, especially those that may or may not get better once crusty rusty, old secrets finally come to the fore, this really could be your kind of book.
22 reviews
January 9, 2025
I’ve read some of Luanne Rice’s work previously, and I thought Dance With Me was slower and not on par with other works.

The story is told through three different generations. Margaret Porter, the matriarch of the Porter family is facing some serious health struggles that bring her older daughter, Jane, back after she fled their small Rhode Island town years ago when she gave up her daughter for adoption. Jane arrives back in her childhood home with some hard decisions to make. How can she convince her sister that their mother needs more care than the two of them can provide, and how can she build a relationship with the baby she gave up who is now a teenage girl. Chloe, at 15, is sensitive, kind, and feels like an outsider within her own family. Chloe knows she is adopted and has been trying to circumvent the age limits in place to find out who her birth mother is.

Dance With Me is a sweet story at its core, but it moves extraordinarily slowly. There was also an unnecessary ‘romance’ between Chloe and a much older boy that felt designed to bring Chloe and Jane closer together. Overall, the book seemed unrealistic in the way that Jane handled developing her relationship with Chloe and Chloe’s uncle. There were also equal parts guilt and love between the Porter women. It seemed like they were following the older generations motto of keeping true feelings and thoughts buried or glossed over. This seemed to lead to unnecessary strife between them.

Overall, the book had a solid storyline, but the plot moved slowly and seemed to have unnecessary events in order to keep things moving along.
Profile Image for Aanu.
101 reviews28 followers
July 26, 2018
I keep coming across novels where the girl whose worst nightmare is getting back after so many years while ghosts of past haunts her - To her small yet beautiful hometown(add to it luscious apple orchards with port/beach nearby), blessed with abundant nature and good-natured people. Only to realize she always belonged there and familial bonds and love is very important and essential. Now that seems lik too much of spoiler.. But yeah,there were some new things which i wouldn't like to share to avoid spoiling further. The special relationship of mother-daughter is so admirably expressed without sugarcoating.
The characterizations are very beautiful and has depth. Almost all characters are realistically portrayed with flaws of their own except John - he is too good to be true(but character is balanced with not-so-perfect physique) Some little things are the ones which warmed my heart - the mention of comforting smells of baking, love for books of most of main characters, very emotional mother, need to speak thru art when words fail you, mention of orchard's animals-their significance at the appropriate situation in the story, sisters' talent of understanding without words... and so much more..
Though u feel u r taken into sweet 'all-is-well' kinda story, actually it isnt..it deals wit life as it is - with both its ups and downs (or downs and ups)..few parts are too predictable and cliche..but overall enjoyable with touching sprinklers here and there:)
123 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2025
I am almost exactly half-way through this, and I am struggling to finish it.

About 100 pages in, I had hope that this was going to be at least a four-star book, imo, because both the characterx and the two main subjects of the novel (careging for a rapidly deteriorating relative and regrets about giving up a child for adoption) were interesting to me -- but NOW it seems to have developed into a very bitter story. The only woman I truly felt sorry for was the caregiving daughter; and if not for the greed of them wanting to sell the family orchard, I would have felt more sorry for the child's adoptive parents than I did for their adopte daughter (now 15) who is literally and illegally militant in her vegetarianism and her crusade for animal rights OR for the woman who was "forced" to give her up for adoption and now wants to re-enter her life. However, NOW, half-way through, it seems to be more focused on romance -- and the romance is presented in a very dull way, imo -- than on the main subjects of caregiving and adoption.

I will try to finish it and then edit this review if I can -- but if I don't, it will be because I either can't edit it or because I didn't finish it.

(Btw, meat-eaters beware -- this book is not for us!)
Profile Image for Jana Porter.
9 reviews2 followers
September 17, 2018
This is a more slow-paced book than my favorites - Daniel Silva espionage thrillers - they keep my interest and become my obsession. This one was read over two weeks, and though I liked this story I only somewhat related to the main character Jane Porter - one letter short of my name - who is a 32 year old New York City baker. Jane as a college student gets pregnant by her boyfriend. Yet Jane's mother, a high school principal, had believed her daughter would become a college English professor, and thus she makes arrangements for the baby to be adopted by a friend's son's family.

However, Jane never forgot her baby, Chloe, and when she returns home to New Jersey to help her sister take care of their aging mother, it becomes apparent she is wanting to reconnect with her long-long daughter. The story gets interesting when Jane falls in love with Cloe's uncle who has been Jane's way of getting to know her daughter. The story is somewhat predictable, but it is fun to see how the pieces come together towards the end of the book.
2,115 reviews8 followers
October 1, 2019
Jane Porter, her librarian sister Sylvie, and her ex-principal mother Margaret, are all brought back together in Twin Rivers, RI, when Margaret's health is failing. She has diabetes complications and the start of Alzheimers. Jane left 15 years ago to open a now well-known bakery in NY instead of finishing her education at Brown. She left because she'd gotten pregnant and forced to give up her child to a local family whose mother was friends with hers.

Chloe is very different from her adoptive parents and has unsuccessfully tried to find her birth mother. Her Uncle Dylan is close to her - Dylan's unfaithful wife and daughter Isabel were murdered four years ago because of his federal marshal work. He's also returned to RI to take over the family orchard. Dylan and Jane fall in love, but she's hidden the truth of Chloe from him. When it all comes out, it's traumatic, but eventually everyone heals and moves on. One lovemaking scene between Jane and Dylan and a semi-rape of Chloe are the only really objectionable scenes. Mostly a feel good book.
4,130 reviews11 followers
May 31, 2021
Excellent book about an on-going issue -- what to do with the child of an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy. This story follows the birth mother, the child, and the adoptive parents. Well done!!! As always, there were bad reviews, but most seemed positive.. Also, the problem of how to handle an elderly parent who really needs 24 hour care -- worked out well in the book, but I doubt that's usually the case. There was no mention of the $6000 - $9000 a month bills. I doubt anything is free in Rhode Island. Anyway, there were a couple of love stories along the way, both of which ended well.
One of Luanne's best.
252 reviews2 followers
March 27, 2024
Story of Jane who had to give her baby away due to lack of support from her boyfriend and old fashioned morals of her mother. Jane loved her daughter throughout her life but finally got to meet her as a teenager. Jane had fallen in love with Dylan her Uncle but had not told him she was Chloe's birth mother. When he found out, he felt lied to and betrayed. It all came out and Chloe was good with it and her adoptive parents (Dylan's brother and his wife ) were also good with it. Eventually love from them all rose and they ALL became a family to Chloe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1,001 reviews4 followers
May 31, 2017
Jane Porter and Dylan Chadwick both return to their hometown in Rhode Island, he to take over the family's apple orchard, and and she, to help her sister to care for and decide what to do about their aging mother. Both are running from the past and feelings of being abandoned. Can they forgive themselves for the mistakes they have made? Can they find a future together? Well written with emotion and likable characters.
Profile Image for Nancy.
2,577 reviews65 followers
December 3, 2017
Jane Porter, Sylvie her sister and their mother, Margaret live in Two Rivers, Rhode Island.
The Chadwicks own an apple orchard there.
Eli,Sharon and their daughter, Chloe live by the orchard which is farmed by Eli's brother, Dylan.
Jane left her famous bakery n NYC to help her family and to find her daughter who was adopted by the Chadwicks.
Loved this author's descriptive writing and nice strong plot. This is the first book of hers that I have read and I hope to read more.
411 reviews1 follower
January 30, 2021
I wasn't sure I would enjoy this book when I first started to read it. I realized I could enjoy this book. I could relate to the woman looking for her daughter and the daughter as well. We all make bad decisions and have to live with the consequences. Being able to make them right is the hard thing.

I loved the orchard, only because I live on one. I cold see all the descriptions in my mind's eye, they were spot on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews

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