Customer Reviews

Dancing With Clara

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A Mary Balogh novel is either a hit or a miss for me. She is capable of creating beautiful, compelling romances like More than a Mistress and The Secret Pearl, but she has written her fair share of middling, disappointing efforts as well. However, Balogh is a wonderful writer. She has a gifted way of making the Regency period come alive. And that is the reason why I'll continue to give her stuff a whirl. Dancing with Clara is out of print and I went through a lot of trouble to obtain a second-hand copy. Why? Because I've heard many wonderful things about this book. And... Oh. My. God!! This is one of the darkest, most haunting and poignant romances out there! This is a very unconventional love story that in all likelihood has a more realistic portrayal of a marriage during Regency England. Frederick Sullivan is a devastatingly handsome gentleman with a big gambling debt. In order to avoid ending up in debtors' prison, he agrees to marry the sweet, albeit plain and disabled Clara Danford. Having lived a dull and sheltered life due to her father's overprotectiveness, Clara wants some beauty and happiness in her life and she thinks she will find that in Freddie. But she hadn't anticipated the heartbreak she experiences when Freddie returns to his old habits of gambling, partying and womanizing after he marries her. He is affectionate and polite to her and he does feel remorse for his out of control lifestyle, but Clara wants his love more than anything else. Will he ever love her?

This is a very heartbreaking story. I wouldn't categorize this under romance per se because this novel paints a more realistic portrayal of a married couple in Regency times. However, Clara's unconditional love for Freddie and ability to forgive his indiscretions make this quite a unique romance. This is a roller coaster ride full of emotions and I felt despair, dismay, anger, frustration and heartbreak for the protagonists. Why am I giving this five stars? Because it's brilliant. The author succeeded in moving me as I read this novel. That, at the end of the day, is the author's objective and she more than managed to compel and enthrall me. The protagonists have a great deal of depth and complexity. These aren't cookie-cutter characters by a long shot. Freddie is the proverbial anti-hero. His actions made me hate him at times. But I also felt some compassion for him as well. This is a man who isn't proud of his actions, yet is unable to put a stop to his self-destructive behavior. The worst part is that he does care for Clara and feels undeniable guilt for hurting her. His self-loathing is heartwrenching. I don't like adultery in romance novels, but as a reader of many other genres, I am able to read this with a more objective viewpoint. Besides, Freddie's attempt at being a better person could only endear him to readers. Dancing with Clara is one of the best romance novels I have ever read! I wish Mary Balogh's publisher would reprint her older stuff because if they are as good as this one and The Secret Pearl then I'd be in for a real treat. Give this a whirl if you're in the bargain for a dark, emotionally moving Regency-era romance (that is if you can obtain a second-hand copy somewhere). However, if you're looking for a light, fluffy read and hate adultery in your romances, then I suggest you look elsewhere.

A beautiful man owing too much money to too many people hunts for a wealthy woman to bail him out. Old story, right? Nope. It's never the same old story with Mary Balogh. The willing woman turns out to be plain but discerning Clara, tied to a chair since a crippling childhood illness. Clara knows Freddie is only marrying her for her fortune, but a bleak life stretches ahead and she doesn't want to live it completely alone. Freddie is so charming, so good looking. His cheerful lies relieve Clara's grey life.

Freddie hates what he has become but doesn't know how to break the cycle. Clara's money has erased the looming threat of debtor's prison, but he still can't relax into a normal life. He doesn't deserve it. Does he? Clara can't really love him. Can she?

You might prefer to read "Courting Julia" first, as Freddie's desperate financial circumstances and extravagant behavior figure in the plot. Then read "Tempting Harriet" to see how happy Freddie and Clara's marriage has become.

Wow, what a unique romance! Mary Balogh has the reputation of turning out stories with unlikely heroes and heroines and DANCING WITH CLARA is no exception.

Miss Clara Danford is a sickly, crippled heiress who desperately wants to have something healthy and beautiful in her life. And she has no scruples about spending some of her inheritance in order to get that. That is why when the virile, handsome rake-wastrel that is Mr. Frederick Sullivan offers for her, she decides to marry him despite her knowing him to be a fortune-hunter.

The truth is that Freddie, by which our hero is generally known to his family and friends, is deeply in debt at the beginning of the story. He needs to marry a rich heiress--quick!--to keep himself out of the debtor's prison and his father's wrath. So, yes, the premise of DANCING WITH CLARA is the conventional marriage of convenience, but this is definitely not the same old, same old you might be expecting.

Now, Clara is not the typical sort of ugly-duckling-in-disguise heroine. She does not undergo some major make-over or wind up a beautiful swine in the end. Clara remains, throughout the story, simply the same plain Clara, although Freddie comes to regard her in a totally different (and flattering) light as the story unfolds. I've heard some people complain that Clara is too much of a "push-over." To me, however, Clara is just being sensible, patient and understanding. Her willingness to forgive Freddie for his debauchery and unfaithfulness, off-putting as it may be to some readers, is reasonable, consistent with her personalities, and admirable.

Freddie, on the other hand, is just as lovable as Clara. It did not take much time for me to warm up to him. (I mean, he can be really charming and gentlemanly if he chooses) Although his intention to marry Clara is less than noble, he is not heartless or cruel in any way: he vows to treat Clara well and strives to bring whatever happiness he is capable of producing into Clara's lonely life. He does indeed do some unsavory things--gambling, drinking himself into oblivion, bedding other women--even after he marries Clara. Nevertheless, he engages in them with a stricken conscience and a deep sense of self-loathing. He tries, oh how he tries, to drag himself away from the corrupting mess of a life he's got himself into, but he is in for a bumpy ride. Watching Freddie struggles to cut off drinking and gambling, sometimes successfully, sometimes only to give in later, is heart-wrenching. And I held my breath for the moment when Freddie came to the realization that his reformation was almost improbable without Clara's love and support......

DANCING WITH CLARA is a great testament to the redemptive power of love and to why Mary Balogh is continued to be hailed as one of the best writers in the romance genre. I enjoy it really much, as, I believe, will you.

I was not sure how this all would work out and indeed we are left with hope but not assurances of a happy ending. This is a dark, moving story of a very weak and disillusioned man and the strong woman who loved him in spite of his faults. There are only two positive notes about Freddie, his looks and his apparent wish to bring Clara some much needed happiness in her life. He succeeds with bringing Clara out of the cocoon her father wrapped her in. Clara brings him the absolution he so desires. This was a very realistic portrayal of a couple who marry for reasons besides love. A very interesting book!

It seems that Balogh delights, and indeed revels, in taking the most difficult and painful of premises and weaving them into romance. Yet one will be hard pressed to call this a mere romance. Freddie, the hero, is handsome, a wastrel, and a rake in the true sense; drinking, womanizing, gambling... he just cannot seem to get out of a way of life even he detests. However, the truth is that he is not a bad person, but just weak. As if Freddie's anguish was not enough, we also have to deal with Clara's. She is a lonely, plain, and wealthy cripple who Freddie marries to pay off his debts. Her trouble is that she knows why Freddie has married her, and she knows what type of person Freddie is, but, because he takes such pains to be kind to her, she begins to fall in love with him anyway.

This story is not easy to read. Indeed, I almost felt myself cringe to see Freddie make a fool of himself, to see him smiling and telling Clara lies that she knows are lies. Balogh does not shy away from making this story realistic. Freddie does not immediately reform but we are made to know that, with Clara's love and help, he will reform.

After reading this book you are not left with that cherished feeling you have when you are done reading an exceptionally good romance. You know, the one that leaves a smile upon your lips, that leaves you floating through the remainder of the day, the reason that many of us will continue to read romance for the rest of our lives. Rather, you are left with an impression of having lived a lifetime, a lifetime of anguished loneliness, and of having attained peace and hope at last.

"Dancing with Clara" is the best regency romance that I've ever read, and I'm not exaggerating. Clara's motivations for marrying Freddie, knowing full well what he was, may be deemed shallow and stupid by some, but Balogh related her loneliness and desire for beauty in her life so well that I applauded her decision. In the strength and vulnerability of her character, she remains one of the most memorable heroines whom I've ever encountered. Freddie's transformation is also well worth the read. So, do yourself a favor and read this!

The surprise of this novel is that the hero is the villain from "Courting Julia!" The same fortune hunter from "Courting Julia" shows up still hunting a fortune in the form of a handicapped spinster named Clara. Freddie doesn't change his ways overnight. In fact he fears he never can change. He is unfornuately a former villain burdened with an overactive conscience. When Julia returns she ruins the burgeoning happiness between Clara and Freddie by reminding Freddie of just how unconscionable he can be. However, Clara knows to love is to forgive (a lesson Julia learns as well.)

Freddie isn't quickly redeemed but he was worth the effort (and if you read "Tempting Harriet" you find he eventually became more redeemed than he ever dreamed.)

A nice little love story.

This was my first book by Mary Balogh and it certainly won't be the last. Freddie is very flawed and filled with self-loathing. He makes so MANY mistakes, but you can't help but adore the scoundrel! He is a handsome "rake" who marries the lame, plain Clara for her money. Clara is no idiot heroine (thank you!). She is well aware of why Freddie is marrying her. She marries him for his handsomeness and because simply looking at him brings some sunlight into her dreary life. Their story is highly original and develops beutifully. The writing is superb. I just loved this book! Very highly recommended.

Mary Balogh's novels are almost always streets ahead of the competition writing Regencies today. Her characters have great depth and she often explores themes around broken relationships, trust and disability. "Dancing With Clara" is one of her older novels, now out of print and quite hard to find, but it's a really good read if you can get hold of a copy.

Like many of her other novels, one of the main characters in this story is disabled. Clara has been weak since an illness as a child in India and she can't walk - she has to be carried everywhere or use a wheelchair. She's 26 and an heiress but is plain, almost ugly, and lives a restricted life in Bath because of her disability and because her now-dead Father taught her to be very careful of her health.

However Clara isn't the only person with disabilities in this story - the hero, Frederick Sullivan, also has his own problems although these are of his mind, not his body. He is deeply in debt, lives the life of a rake including gambling, womanising and some drinking, and has recently caused a huge family rift because of his behaviour. He knows he's in serious trouble over his money problems and his only option seems to be to marry an heiress; unfortunately the picking of decent heiresses in Bath is slim.

Clara and Freddie embark on a marriage of convenience for both of them. Clara knows he is a fortune hunter but he is her chance to possess something of beauty and not to feel along; Freddie hides his fear of the future and of the huge step he has taken by declaring his love for Clara - which she of course knows is lies. How can these two people make something of their situation? Can Freddie be reformed? Is there hope of Clara having more of a life than as an invalid?

In some ways it is clear that this is an earlier story by Mary Balogh. I found Freddie's raking, although explained well, difficult to reconcile with a hero - and I was also very amazed at Clara's forbearance and perseverance amazing. A side character, Sir Archibald Vinney, appears to be an early draft of Wulfric Bedwyn (heir to a Dukedom, silver eyes, quizzing glass) and his foil in this story, Harriet, seems a rather mousy and unfinished character. However the main story, that of Clara learning about herself and Freddie, and Freddie learning about his failings and understanding the strength within Clara, is excellent. This isn't one of Mary Balogh's best stories but it still deserves five stars as it's so much better than most of the other books of this genre out there.

I am a huge Mary Balogh fan, but this one was not her finest.

The hero was a womanizing rake who had a gambling problem, a drinking problem, and a fidelity problem. I thought he was a very dislikable person that I had trouble feeling any empathy towards.

The heroine was a wimpy type of woman....obediant, subserviant, and self depracating. I did feel some empathy towards her as I learned how her father had overprotected and sheltered her.

This just wasn't very good love story. The hero cheats on Clara throughout the book without any real hope that in the future he'll be any different. I love a great rake book as well as the next girl.....but I like my rakes REFORMED!

Let me suggest...A Precious Jewel, The Temporary Wife, More than a Mistress, and The Secret Pearl...these are Balogh at her best!