What do you think?
Rate this book
Dance While You Can
It all started with a silly prank, a play, and a dance-a love so enduring, so indestructible that it would survive against all odds. Elizabeth Sorrill is the junior matron at Foxton's elite School for Boys. Blessed with the kind of beauty others only dream about, her attractions prove irresistible to Alexander Belmayne, the 17-year-old son of the Lord Chief Justice. But their passionate affair is shortlived as bitter lies and scandal force them apart. Angry and frustrated at Oxford, Alexander thrives on his reputation as a heartbreaker, until Bohemian beauty Jessica Poynter draws him into a fast life of glittering excess and depravity in London's high society. But when a chance meeting brings Alexander and Elizabeth together again, their passionate reunion leads to a breathtaking crime fired by an overwhelming obsession-a hatred so violent it knows no limits.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
63 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Susan Lewis
67 books1,203 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
March 15, 2022
Read this book in two sittings, couldn't put it down.
Disliked all the characters but for me that made the book, I don't think they were meant to be liked.
Five stars.
Disliked all the characters but for me that made the book, I don't think they were meant to be liked.
Five stars.
January 12, 2014
The story of Elizabeth Sorril and Alexander Belmayne who started their illicit affair when he was a 17 year old student at an all boys school and she, a 21 year old junior matron at the same school. This is a story of forbidden love doomed from the start not only because of their respective roles as student and faculty member and their age difference, but also the vast gap in social status (Alexander being the son of the Lord Chief Justice and Elizabeth having grown up on the fairgrounds with her extended family after her parents died when she was very young).
This book started out good. The love between the two is very sweet and real and you get pulled into the hopelessness of their situation. For me however, the story goes down-hill from there on with the 2 main characters quickly turning into people I didn't much like. Susan Lewis likes writing characters that are flawed and all too human, which makes for a believable story, if not sometimes cringe-worthy. They both marry people not out of love but out of some masochistic power-play (Alexander and Jessica) and weakness and desperation (Elizabeth and Edward). Alexander's marriage is frought with lies, infidelity, fights, hate and revenge. Elizabeth on the other hand married a kind, gentle older man but she is discontent and seems weak and not very bright. Alexander is a prick that hates women because of one tine misunderstanding all those years ago withElizabeth and it seems a weak excuse for such immature, childish acts of revenge. Later in the story he suddenly grows a conscience and becomes the man that a woman can love. But Elizabeth doesn't seem to grow at all.
An ok read. Drama through and through. I would have given 3 STARS if not for the end. Elizabeth detoriates from being only mildly irritatingly weak to full out neurotic and spineless. Alexader saves by being a near model of perfect husbandly (or lover) behaviour, but whith the leaps in time and not seeing the gradual maturing of his emotional space, the behavioural changes seems sudden and unbelievable. And the last 2 pages was dissapointing end.
Better luck next time Susan Lewis
This book started out good. The love between the two is very sweet and real and you get pulled into the hopelessness of their situation. For me however, the story goes down-hill from there on with the 2 main characters quickly turning into people I didn't much like. Susan Lewis likes writing characters that are flawed and all too human, which makes for a believable story, if not sometimes cringe-worthy. They both marry people not out of love but out of some masochistic power-play (Alexander and Jessica) and weakness and desperation (Elizabeth and Edward). Alexander's marriage is frought with lies, infidelity, fights, hate and revenge. Elizabeth on the other hand married a kind, gentle older man but she is discontent and seems weak and not very bright. Alexander is a prick that hates women because of one tine misunderstanding all those years ago withElizabeth and it seems a weak excuse for such immature, childish acts of revenge. Later in the story he suddenly grows a conscience and becomes the man that a woman can love. But Elizabeth doesn't seem to grow at all.
An ok read. Drama through and through. I would have given 3 STARS if not for the end. Elizabeth detoriates from being only mildly irritatingly weak to full out neurotic and spineless. Alexader saves by being a near model of perfect husbandly (or lover) behaviour, but whith the leaps in time and not seeing the gradual maturing of his emotional space, the behavioural changes seems sudden and unbelievable. And the last 2 pages was dissapointing end.
Better luck next time Susan Lewis
January 6, 2022
Поне става за четене, има добри сюжетни попадения, макар героинята прогресивно да изглупява с напредването на действието. Но как и двамата герои се оказаха такива каръци в браковете си, и си налагаха да търпят невероятно отровни отношения, е напълно неясно. И горките деца! Но иначе драмата е на килограм - през 80-те са измисляли поне сюжет.
October 6, 2011
Elizabeth, junior matron at a boys' private school, is surprisingly attractive.. and becomes a little too friendly with one of the older boys. She is only four years older than he is, but relatives and colleagues disapprove strongly, and they are forced to part.
Alexander, the young man concerned, tries to forget his first love, first at university, and then in London high society, with a string of other women. Elizabeth, too, tries to move on with her life. But neither can quite forget the other...
The writing is amazing, the pace fast, the scenarios - including some unlikely and obsessive crime - surprisingly believable. I found it difficult to put this book down; sections alternate between Elizabeth and Alexander's viewpoints in a style almost reminiscent of Susan Howatch at times.
I would have given this five stars, despite rather more bad language than I'm comfortable with, but it was let down by two overly explicit and entirely unnecessary scenes of intimacy early in the book.
Definitely recommended, if you can take the two 'purple' passages. Four and a half stars, really.
Alexander, the young man concerned, tries to forget his first love, first at university, and then in London high society, with a string of other women. Elizabeth, too, tries to move on with her life. But neither can quite forget the other...
The writing is amazing, the pace fast, the scenarios - including some unlikely and obsessive crime - surprisingly believable. I found it difficult to put this book down; sections alternate between Elizabeth and Alexander's viewpoints in a style almost reminiscent of Susan Howatch at times.
I would have given this five stars, despite rather more bad language than I'm comfortable with, but it was let down by two overly explicit and entirely unnecessary scenes of intimacy early in the book.
Definitely recommended, if you can take the two 'purple' passages. Four and a half stars, really.
May 12, 2014
The first few chapters are quite interesting， and it triggered me to stay awake to read it in the midnight. I really had a high anticipation on how the story went and the ending. The love story of Elizabeth and Alexander broke my heart, they forced to break up because of an unreal rumor, both tried to move on, and married with others, but they still couldn't forget each other. They were meant to be and fought against the world to get together. There was an imperfection about this heartbreaking story, the ending turned out to disappoint me. I'm just so confused about the ending. Anyways, the overall story isn't really bad I'd have given 2 and half stars.
May 7, 2012
I tried to read this. I really did. It was given to me as a gift. I lasted through the whole first section.
After that I skimmed a little, and I felt happy with my decision to abandon the book.
The writing style didn't gel and I found I didn't believe any of the characters.
As I skimmed on, the story seemed to get even more stupid.
This was my first Susan Lewis, and I don't think I'll be looking out for more.
April 3, 2014
This is not the best susan lewis book in my opinion but the characters are well developed and the storyline is quite gripping in parts. I was a little disappointed that the story was quite short and the ending a little predictable but everything in the middle had me reading for hours, just like all her other books.
May 3, 2013
blah, the idea of the romance was good but it went loopy and you couldn't support the couple because of how their 'love' hurt almost every single other character in the book.
January 23, 2014
Appalling. If I could give it no stars I would.
October 25, 2021
Elizabeth's life is enchanting, as odd as that sounds to admit.
For a budding teenager such as myself when I first picked up this book, which was two years ago, the thought of having an attractive, socially affluent guy aggressively pursuing me would have been a dream come true.
My favourite part about the book is the author's ability to write almost in this kind of conversational manner, such that it allows you to get soaked into the book and transported into Elizabeth's and Alexander's world.
10/10 would definitely recommend! I shall be reading this book for the 3rd time in a row soon.
For a budding teenager such as myself when I first picked up this book, which was two years ago, the thought of having an attractive, socially affluent guy aggressively pursuing me would have been a dream come true.
My favourite part about the book is the author's ability to write almost in this kind of conversational manner, such that it allows you to get soaked into the book and transported into Elizabeth's and Alexander's world.
10/10 would definitely recommend! I shall be reading this book for the 3rd time in a row soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2023
I couldn't stop reading this book but felt thoroughly depressed by the end! Didn't like the characters, their illicit affair, the marriages, Alexander's misogynist attitude to women, Elizabeth's life bumbling along creating misery in everyone's path she met, the storyline going out of control?Nevertheless throughout all of this I still think Susan Lewis is an amazing writer, her stories usually flow and make sense unfortunately I would have changed this books title to Dance with the Devil!!! 😕
Despite the above hoping this book was a one off and look to my next Susan Lewis read. 🙂
Despite the above hoping this book was a one off and look to my next Susan Lewis read. 🙂
September 15, 2017
I really enjoyed the book and loved the twist at the end. The only thing I didn't like about the book is the trial and the lead up to it and the trip to Egypt of Alexander and Charlotte, it just didn't ring true and it was the only part of the book that didn't hold my interest. The rest of it was great it kept me reading and turning the pages.
January 28, 2019
A gripping novel that pulls you in and doesn't let go. I couldn't read it in one go, but even when not reading I couldn't keep my mind of it. Frustrating and fascinating at the same time, it left me breathless and wondering till the very last.
September 19, 2022
What a brilliant book so many twists and turns and such a tragic life for the main characters, some things that happened I did not expect but it made the story more exciting. Can’t wait for the next book.
January 23, 2020
An okay book interesting but I felt it lost my interest about midway through
February 27, 2020
I read this book when i was about 17 years old.I am now 37.Still a beautiful book! Love it!
August 13, 2020
Interesting!
I love her books but did find this one a bit muddled and with an abrupt and unusually silly ending.
I love her books but did find this one a bit muddled and with an abrupt and unusually silly ending.
November 15, 2020
The setting of the book was awesome and the English used was easily to understand. It is quite a good book
March 7, 2021
An enjoyable read
August 1, 2022
Really enjoyed this book. Kept me hooked all the way through. You are sure to be entranced with it.
July 4, 2025
Strange story line not expected but enjoyed it
December 29, 2016
Enjoyable read with surprising twist at the end.
August 1, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, bit sad in places .
February 12, 2015
This book began brilliantly and I loved the depth of the story and characters, as the innocence of Elizabeth and Alexander’s love was attempting to overcome the problems they were facing in the factor that she was junior matron at his elite boys school and ever more complex, the issue of class, as he was the son of a lord chief of justice and she came from a gypsy background. At this point I was gripped wondering where on earth this could go. Elizabeth’s voice at this point narrating the story is sincere, innocent without being irritating and thoughtful.
The first problem comes when we are then transported to Alexander’s life. Although a nice try at attempting to tell the story from both points of view in the first person narrative, I didn’t feel there was enough distinction between the two voices.
Nevertheless, the story still continued to draw me in with Alexander’s wild antics and his completely dysfunctional marriage to the gorgeous feminist Jessica and then Elisabeth’s marriage to the kindly older figure of Edward, despite having Alexander’s child. Although not always likeable, up to this point the main protagonists in the story are very real – selfish in their struggle to overcome the hurt they are feeling.
They meet again at the island of Sark and this is the point that I feel the characters are becoming too weak and the reality flawed. Elizabeth falls pregnant again with Alexander’s second child, lies to Edward that it is his and gets found out – and supposedly Edward just forgives her and takes it on as his own.
It is not long after this that the real downfall of the book comes in when the Egyptian subplot picks up pace. The theft of Tutankhamen’s death mask and Edward and his sister Christine’s obsession with both the artefact and ‘the Pasha’ then draws Elizabeth and Alexander into a story at which to me all reality is lost. As Alexander is chasing through Egypt, guns, people flying everywhere, kidnapping – it all becomes a bit of a fast paces action thriller Hollywood blockbuster rather than the deep tale of tortured minds it was previously and I feel it lost some of its credibility. This starts off much more emotionally engaging than the light-hearted chick-lit love story that I expected from the book cover but then descended into what I felt was a bit of a farce – culminating in a bit of a cliché ending.
Rather then growing as a person as you wish most heroines to do, Elizabeth actually got weaker and weaker with each passing moment, made no effort to fight for the thing the whole book has been about (the love of Alexander) and then just sat and weakly and waited for it all to come to her – which it annoyingly did.
I expected more of a thoughtful ending than them simply ending up in each others arms and I have still been trying to read more into it – but probably searching for something that is not there. I wondered if there was any ambiguity as to whether she had actually lost her mind and was dreaming he was there as she walked into the sea and took her life. No, I’m probably just looking for a morbid and deeper ending that isn’t there!!
I still gave it three stars as I feel the bits Lewis got right she got really right but I just wish it could have maintained it's initial depth and kept it's feet on the ground.
The first problem comes when we are then transported to Alexander’s life. Although a nice try at attempting to tell the story from both points of view in the first person narrative, I didn’t feel there was enough distinction between the two voices.
Nevertheless, the story still continued to draw me in with Alexander’s wild antics and his completely dysfunctional marriage to the gorgeous feminist Jessica and then Elisabeth’s marriage to the kindly older figure of Edward, despite having Alexander’s child. Although not always likeable, up to this point the main protagonists in the story are very real – selfish in their struggle to overcome the hurt they are feeling.
They meet again at the island of Sark and this is the point that I feel the characters are becoming too weak and the reality flawed. Elizabeth falls pregnant again with Alexander’s second child, lies to Edward that it is his and gets found out – and supposedly Edward just forgives her and takes it on as his own.
It is not long after this that the real downfall of the book comes in when the Egyptian subplot picks up pace. The theft of Tutankhamen’s death mask and Edward and his sister Christine’s obsession with both the artefact and ‘the Pasha’ then draws Elizabeth and Alexander into a story at which to me all reality is lost. As Alexander is chasing through Egypt, guns, people flying everywhere, kidnapping – it all becomes a bit of a fast paces action thriller Hollywood blockbuster rather than the deep tale of tortured minds it was previously and I feel it lost some of its credibility. This starts off much more emotionally engaging than the light-hearted chick-lit love story that I expected from the book cover but then descended into what I felt was a bit of a farce – culminating in a bit of a cliché ending.
Rather then growing as a person as you wish most heroines to do, Elizabeth actually got weaker and weaker with each passing moment, made no effort to fight for the thing the whole book has been about (the love of Alexander) and then just sat and weakly and waited for it all to come to her – which it annoyingly did.
I expected more of a thoughtful ending than them simply ending up in each others arms and I have still been trying to read more into it – but probably searching for something that is not there. I wondered if there was any ambiguity as to whether she had actually lost her mind and was dreaming he was there as she walked into the sea and took her life. No, I’m probably just looking for a morbid and deeper ending that isn’t there!!
I still gave it three stars as I feel the bits Lewis got right she got really right but I just wish it could have maintained it's initial depth and kept it's feet on the ground.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2015
JUST SHUT UP. YOU'RE STUPID.
An utter self-indulgent trip down the illicit romance road – the story lacked the character building and emotional nuances to convince the discerning reader that this "love" story would last longer than a Premier League footballer's fidelity. The lack of strong characters (Elizabeth was a lobotomised bimbo wet blanket) while Alexander a snotty brat suffocated the plot.
The whole premise of the romance is based on illicit relations – when he's a school boy and she's the older woman working at his school to when both are married – infidelity.
It appeared to me that Alex was with Elizabeth due to her looks and the lure of forbidden romance – rebelling against his upbringing.
Alexander's rendition of a bitter Byronic hero is ionospherically high in the cringe-factor rating – traumatised by his tragic first romance – he's a combination of Wickham and Heathcliff (minus the heavy goth and reserve the social status). All he needs is a black stallion to gallops across the English countryside bemoaning the injustice of being born rich and eligible.
As for Elizabeth – perhaps possessing a personality is demanding too much – but looks alone doesn’t' make a heroine. Her simpering bimbo behaviour is so uninspiringly wooden and tedious that at times I wondered whether she was recovering from severe sleep deprivation.
DUMB. DUMB. DUMB. SO DUMB IT HURTS.
I give them another 5 years before he becomes bored and the attraction wears off. Elizabeth is too weak and dumb to hold his interest for long and her looks will fade. While he's an idiot.
NO MORE PLEASE! YOU DUMB.
An utter self-indulgent trip down the illicit romance road – the story lacked the character building and emotional nuances to convince the discerning reader that this "love" story would last longer than a Premier League footballer's fidelity. The lack of strong characters (Elizabeth was a lobotomised bimbo wet blanket) while Alexander a snotty brat suffocated the plot.
The whole premise of the romance is based on illicit relations – when he's a school boy and she's the older woman working at his school to when both are married – infidelity.
It appeared to me that Alex was with Elizabeth due to her looks and the lure of forbidden romance – rebelling against his upbringing.
Alexander's rendition of a bitter Byronic hero is ionospherically high in the cringe-factor rating – traumatised by his tragic first romance – he's a combination of Wickham and Heathcliff (minus the heavy goth and reserve the social status). All he needs is a black stallion to gallops across the English countryside bemoaning the injustice of being born rich and eligible.
As for Elizabeth – perhaps possessing a personality is demanding too much – but looks alone doesn’t' make a heroine. Her simpering bimbo behaviour is so uninspiringly wooden and tedious that at times I wondered whether she was recovering from severe sleep deprivation.
DUMB. DUMB. DUMB. SO DUMB IT HURTS.
I give them another 5 years before he becomes bored and the attraction wears off. Elizabeth is too weak and dumb to hold his interest for long and her looks will fade. While he's an idiot.
NO MORE PLEASE! YOU DUMB.
April 7, 2014
I picked up this book in the doctor's surgery on Friday and finished it within 48 hours or so. I really enjoyed this book. It's about a school nurse (Elizabeth) who fell in love with a 17 year old pupil (Alexander) at the boys school where she worked. They both loved each other very deeply but she knew the relationship was wrong and couldn't continue. Bitter lies force them apart and he went off to oxford to further his studies and later became a lawyer. He had a reputation as a heartbreaker until he met and married Jessica. He never forgot his first true love though and all was not well in his world. He bumped into Elizabeth again and they had an affair which continued many years despite them both being married. The story gets a little more complicated later on with Elizabeth's husband committing a dreadful crime which she gets mixed up in. Alexander with his lawyers hat on helps prove her innocence - and do they end up together in the end? Well you have to read this book to find out. Excellent read and I give it five stars.
July 31, 2014
Right by the middle of it, I could not put it down. I hated the mystery adventurous part though, especially that part in Egypt, because I happen to live there in Cairo. I connected to every character, but I expected it to remain still at the romance/drama axis. it did to me what other novels do: the addiction, stomach ache and all. one hell of a journey though !, It was as they were so beautiful you actually wanted to picture them in a movie. Normally, I wanted and was so eager to know the ending but did not want it to finish it either even though it got me a bit bored in the process. I'm not really sure what I think of it to be honest.
March 4, 2011
Another book that caused a stir at school (see also Diving in) for being scandalous and full of sex. I don't remember much from it but I do remember borrowing it from a friend and lending her The Witching Hour in return. I definitely got the short end of that deal.
January 10, 2014
I am shocked at the stars people give this book? omw...... This is a coming of age story where charaCTERS HAVE TO GROW UP and face life and their decisions....
At first I didn't like the idea of a younger guy and older women but the love story and their love for one another made me a fan. I adored this book and also wanted to throw Elizabeth with a shoe.
Lies lies and betrayal follows these two star crossed lovers but they do over come life's hardships and find happiness.
A must read and very good.
At first I didn't like the idea of a younger guy and older women but the love story and their love for one another made me a fan. I adored this book and also wanted to throw Elizabeth with a shoe.
Lies lies and betrayal follows these two star crossed lovers but they do over come life's hardships and find happiness.
A must read and very good.
March 22, 2014
This was nice considering how old a publication it was and how modern it seemed once you start reading it. Many of the relationships in this never ending story were quite realistic, the complications were maturely handled even when it got a bit too dramatic. Either way a book which took a lot of my time to read but did manage to keep some interest. Got a bit repetitive in the end.. but the end was unpredictably positive. All smiles.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews