Dancing in the Dark [Hardcover]

Janet Hobhouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1983

Set against the glitter of Manhattan society is "one of the most acute and serious novels on the theme of modern relationships in the last decade...Hobshouse has leapt into a rare class of novelist-as-social historian that was the metier of Jane Austen, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf."--The Philadelphia Inquirer

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anchor's rerelease of these three novels of upper-class urban life from the late Hobhouse will coincide with Dou-bleday's hardcover publication of her last work, The Furies .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Set against the glitter of Manhattan society is "one of the most acute and serious novels on the theme of modern relationships in the last decade...Hobshouse has leapt into a rare class of novelist-as-social historian that was the metier of Jane Austen, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf."--The Philadeipbia Inquirer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (April 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394529405
• ISBN-13: 978-0394529400
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,574,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully woven, ultimately hollow, October 22, 1998

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Dark (Paperback)

Everyone suffers in this novel, and no one can really say why. I loved the format, and some of the secondary characters (Claudio, Kate, You-Bear) were very appealing, but the main character, Gabriella, was really clueless and shallow and refused to grow up, and somewhere in the middle of the book I lost all empathy with her and just wanted to smack her. Hobhouse is a wonderful writer and tells a beautiful story. I'd just like to care more about her characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better novels of the 20th century, February 15, 2009

By 

Professor Scarlett "Ali S." (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Dark (Paperback)

This little treasure, vastly under-rated, perhaps because of its author's untimely death, or perhaps because of its unusual themes of love - but without the usual themes of loss - is one of the better novels of the 20th century. The characters are exceedingly well-drawn. Few people have reviewed it on Amazon or Facebook, and some seem disappointed that they were led to it as a "gay novel" - it isn't, like some books, about "gay people," but it's about New Yorkers. It's about people in general, some of whom are gay. Most importantly, it's about what it takes to be a friend or part of a deep couple relationship, about the numberology of relationships, and how many people can actually be part of a...couple.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough to keep me reading., June 8, 2011

By 

bookloverintexas (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Dark (Paperback)

I just couldn't get into this book...it felt like work to read it, wasn't enjoying any of the characters, and it felt trite. Seems to be written well, but just didn't grab me and I had to lay it aside after only a third of the book. Apologies to the author if the last 2/3 of the book are dynamite.