The Belly Dancer [Mass Market Paperback]

DeAnna Cameron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2009

A scandal that shocks a nation...and a passion that transforms a woman.

At the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the modern, the exotic, and the ground-breaking collide. But Dora Chambers has more pressing matters to consider. Hoping to begin a life of wealth and privilege in Chicago, she sets out to earn the approval of the Fair's Board of Lady Managers to appease her ambitious, aloof husband. Unimpressed, they give Dora the distasteful task of enforcing proper conduct at the Egyptian belly dancing exhibition.

But Dora's sensibilities are not so easily flustered. She finds herself captivated by these exotic women, and by their enigmatic manager, Hossam Farouk, who makes his mistrust of her known-although his lingering glances hint at something else.

As Dora's eyes are opened to the world beyond a life of social expectations and quiet servitude, she finds the courage to break free of her self-imposed bondage, and discovers the truth about the desire and passion in her own heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While Cameron depicts with accuracy and sympathy the very real plight of women in 19th century America, uneven pacing and character development weaken this debut. When the World's Fair arrives in Chicago in 1893, women are sexually repressed and strictly ruled by their husbands. Newlywed Dora Chambers goes to great lengths to keep her banker husband, Charles, happy, even ingratiating herself with a dreadful group of snotty socialites who oversee the decorum of the fair's more exotic exhibits, like the popular Egyptian belly dancing attraction. Dora is given the task of toning down the Egyptian dancers' act, strikes up a friendship with the troupe, and together they appease the outraged female population by modifying their dance and adding scarves to disguise their curves. Dora's husband, impatient with her virginal fear of the marriage bed, quickly resumes relations with his powerful and rich mistress, a widow who despises Dora and knows the secrets that can ruin Dora's social standing. Despite the intriguing subject and historical period, Dora's startling transformation under the tutelage of the dance troupe feels unreal, even though the story is based on fact.
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Review

"The characters in this novel will dance right off the page and into your imagination! Cameron''s representation of late nineteenth century Chicago is rich and evocative, and the whispered echoes of old New Orleans in Dora''s fragmented memory left me hoping this author goes there with her next novel."
-Brenda Rickman Vantrease, author of The Illuminator and The Mercy Seller

"A beautifully written page-turner with characters that leap off the page, THE BELLY DANCER transports readers into an exotic and sensual world within a world, as plucky but initially nanve Dora Chambers fights Chicago society''s conventions and her husband''s indifference to discover, in the thrall of the Egyptian Theatre, a passion beyond her wildest dreams. Will she risk security and society''s approval to live what many would think a dissolute life? Cameron keeps us guessing until the end. I loved it...(and picked up a few useful tips about seduction in the process!)."
-Lynette Brasfield, author of Booksense pick NATURE LESSONS: A NOVEL (St. Martin''s Press, NY, 2004)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (July 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425227782
• ISBN-13: 978-0425227787
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #902,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DeAnna Cameron is the author of romantic historical fiction set in early America. In THE BELLY DANCER (Berkley, 2009), a young woman defies expectations when she's thrust into the real-life belly-dancing scandal at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. DANCING AT THE CHANCE (Berkley, April 2012) tells the story of a vaudeville dancer struggling to save the down-and-out theater she calls home in turn-of-the-last-century New York.

Before turning to fiction, Ms. Cameron spent more than fifteen years as a reporter and editor for several Southern California newspapers and magazines. She's a member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America and the Literary Guild of Orange County. She lives in Lake Forest, Calif., with her family.

For more, visit www.DeAnnaCameron.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story, August 3, 2009

By 

Gayle Carline "maven in training" (The O.C.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Belly Dancer (Mass Market Paperback)

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Let me first say that I don't read romance. As a genre, the stuff I tried to read in my youth (200 years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth) was melodramatic, sordid, over-the-top, blech. Now that I've read The Belly Dancer, I may have to dabble in romance again. DeAnna's story of this young New Orleans girl who thinks she wants one thing, when in reality, she needs another, kept me so captivated that I read it in one day. The juxtaposition of the straight-laced Victorian society with the exotic world of not just belly dancers, but "Fair folk" made each one of Dora's jaunts to the theater so intriguing - I couldn't wait to find out what would happen.

Bottom line: If you like romance, you'll love The Belly Dancer, and if you don't like romance, you'll still love The Belly Dancer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!!, June 20, 2010

By 

L. Brackley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Belly Dancer (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is simply a great read! After reading the first page I was hooked and I
didn't put it down until the last. An insightful look into the world of orientale dance and a woman coming into her own. As a dancer this art form changed my life. I could relate to the woman in this book and how orientale dance changed her life in more ways than one. Read it..you'll love it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable reading!, June 30, 2010

By 

D. Rodriguez (miami florida) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Belly Dancer (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Belly Dancer" is enjoyable reading with as many twists and turns as the belly dance itself! The character (Dora) is like a flower unfolding, through the book,and the suspense and spice of her experiences is wonderful to read. We (women) can all relate to Dora!Diane