The Dancing Floor [Abridged] [Audio Cassette]

Barbara Michaels (Author), Barbara Rosenblat (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 18, 1997

Heather Tradescent had planned to tour England's historic gardens with her beloved father; but after his unexpected death, she takes off on her own, on a sad pilgrimage. Just when she is about to give it all up and return home, she decides to visit one last estate, Troytan House. Turned away at the very unhistoric electronic gate, she discovers a back way onto the property and unexpectedly meets the lord of the manor. Impressed by her knowledge of gardens and mazes, he insists that Heather stay on and help him restore the grounds. Reluctantly, she agrees, only to find herself all too quickly listening to hair-raising tales of local witchcraft, chasing a feral cat, struggling to find a way into the estate's seemingly impenetrable maze, and having to solve a bizarre murder. Penned in Barbara Michaels's inimitable witty and delightful style, The Dancing Floor leads readers through its own twisting, teasing maze of mystery with a hint of the occult.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When Heather Tradescent agrees to help the lord of Trotyan House restore the grounds, she gets more than she bargained for: an unassailable maze, tales of witchcraft, and a nasty murder. From a popular author with six New York Times best sellers to her name.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

After her parents are killed in a car crash, Heather Tradescant quits her teaching job and, financed by a substantial insurance settlement, takes the British holiday that she and her father had so diligently planned. Her last stop, the ruined gardens of Trayton, are locked and unwelcoming. In the nearby village, she learns the local legend about the Pendle Witches, who in the early 1600s began practicing black magic to defend themselves against rivals. The next morning, she discovers a secret passage through an overgrown, thorny maze and steps into the very private world of fantastically wealthy Franklin Karim, who recently purchased Trayton House and its grounds, which he plans to restore. John Tradescant, a famous seventeenth-century gardener, had originally laid out the estate; intrigued by the fact that Heather has the same last name, Karim invites her to stay and assist with the restoration. An enigmatic cat, a missing child, a clay figure pierced with thorns, and the continuing role of the Pendle Witches are but a few of the puzzles that trouble Heather in this well-crafted mystery of place and time. Jennifer Henderson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Harper Audio; Abridged edition (February 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0694517836
• ISBN-13: 978-0694517831
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,756,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and informative, August 3, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dancing Floor (Mass Market Paperback)

Barbara Michaels has a special talent for injecting both entertainment and interesting information (Gothic novels; politics; roses; vintage clothing; etc) into her novels. This one is no exception, offering the dual info caches of ancient witch-burning and the complex gardens in England.

Heather Tradescant is an intelligent, rather too-blunt heroine who has always dreamed of going to England with her father. Though her father is now deceased, a hefty wad of insurance money now allows her to go. While she sightsees, she stumbled into a massive maze of hedges and plants, and soon stumbles into the eccentric Mr. Karim and his son Jordon. Karim is intrigued first by her name (explanation in the book) and then by her, and invites her to stay awhile.

Heather soon discovers that the local village is a bit obsessed with the famed Pendle Witches, a family group that was burned for witchcraft centuries before. She also meets a group of odd people: Jennet, a kindly but reticient woman who fits into the role of "village witch"; Lindsay, a shallow, manipulative woman with a Barbie-doll body; Giles, Lindsay's handsome and long-suffering hubby; Lindsay's monstrous son Bobby and tormented daughter.

Mystery-readers soon grow tired of the usual, boring, gorgeous and immensely attractive heroines (Jacqueline Kirby doesn't count--she's quirky). Heather is none of these: She's a bit overweight, enjoys her food immensely, is rather plain in appearance, but with a sharp intellect and bluntly truthful manner. I found it highly enjoyable that the men around her found her interesting, because of her brain rather than her body.

Frank Karim, despite his little bouts of maliciousness, is overall a fun character to read about, the weird millionaire. His son Jordon is a little less interesting, as often he seems to be rushed into his interest in Heather. Lindsay is despicable from her first scene, screeching at Lindsay then putting on a facade of neighborly sweetness; Giles is likable from his first scene. As Heather does, it takes a while to warm up to Jennet, as she is so reticient, but she is a strong and likable character as well.

I was very pleased that though this book contains Jennet and other Wiccans, it was not gratuitous. It's actually connected to the plot and the villain, and to the massive maze of bushes and hedges. Though I could have used a teeny bit less of Jennet's expounding on Wiccan philosophies, it overall didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. (And I just LOOOOOOOVE the descriptions of her shop and the exotic merchandise in it. What I wouldn't give to buy some of the jewelry and clothing from there...)

The descriptions are good; I particularly liked descriptions of the maze, the house, and the aforementioned shop of Jennet's. The mild obsession with the old witches was well-made, such as the murder mystery. The only problems were that it is a bit too actionless for a stretch in the middle, and the relationship between Heather and Jordon feels a bit forced compared to other novels by Ms. Michaels. However, the portrayal of the spoiled-rotten, maliciously-bratty Bobby is spot-on.

Overall, this is a good mystery and immensely entertaining, as well as informative.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic heroine, June 24, 2003

By 

curvynovelsdotinfo "[e-mail]" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dancing Floor (Mass Market Paperback)

Heroine: husky

American school teacher Heather Tradescant has journeyed to merry Olde England on a trip that is anything but merry. She is living out her father's last wishes and visiting the famous ancient gardens as they had once dreamed of doing together.

Heather particularly desires to see the seventeenth century garden of one Troyton House, but is denied access by the owner. Determined to at least get a glimpse of the fabled grounds, she gives in to impulse and trespasses on the property, blundering her way through a monstrous prickly hedge that does far more damage to her than she does to it.

Arriving on the far side of the vegetation Heather is left with a deep-seated sense of uneasiness extending far beyond that of merely breaking the law. She senses that perhaps God's own laws are somehow being broken at Troyton House, but by who or what she does not know--and is desperately afraid she will find out.

What worked for me:

I give Heather big points for being a teacher, and a lover of gardening, traditional Regency romance novels, and chocolate!

I enjoyed the fact that the story was steeped in the lore of several cultures. I wish it gone into even further detail in some cases, it was so interesting.

Size-wise Heather describes herself as being big-boned but flat-chested. But it didn't seem to lessen her appeal to the other gender, as she had four men interested in her at one time or another.

What didn't work for me:

Reading this story felt like mentally traversing a maze with its twists, turns, and false leads. And yet, it wasn't that highly suspenseful for me. I think I went into it expecting something shocking, like a "Blair Witch" meets contemporary gothic romance sort of hybrid, and when I didn't get that kind of intense, high-speed action I found it to be a bit draggy.

Overall:

"The Dancing Floor" didn't quite have the zing the back cover blurb really promised. Still, it's definitely worth the searching out at the library if you are a fan of witches and/or gardening.

Warning: There are several mentions of the occult in this novel and don't expect many mentions of floors, dancing or otherwise in this oddly-named story.

If you liked "The Dancing Floor" you might also enjoy "Thornyhold".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW -- fabulous story, excellent mystery, February 24, 2002

By 

Mary Chrapliwy (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dancing Floor (Mass Market Paperback)

This Barbara Michaels mystery is first rate, well written, completely absorbing. I read it in two nail biting days. Excellent book.

The heroine of the store is Heather Tradescent. She lost both her parents in a car crash and was left with a lot of life insurance money and the desire to complete a dream of her's and her late father's -- to visit historic gardens in Great Britain. Sounds dull? Trust me it isn't. Heather visits all the gardens before the story begins. This book begins with her determination to see the last garden on the list she and her father made up. Though the grounds are closed to visitors, she isn't deterred and ends up crashing through a hedge at the feet of the very wealthy homeowner and his son. When the home owner hears her name (an name linked with the history of his land) he asks her to stay and help him restore the garden. Sound dull? It's not. This book isn't about restoring an old garden, it's about complex relationships that develop intertwined with a mysterious plot that involves some one plotting Heather's murder.

OK, here's where I have to stop, I don't want to give any of story away, but will say that the end had some twists and turns that will take your breath away! This is an excellent book and the mystery ... well let's just say, Ms. Michaels keeps you guessing. Mixed up with the mystery is a romantic story as well, so you have just the right mix of suspense, mystery, and a little romance to spice things up and keep you guessing. I borrowed this book from the library and will now be seeking a keeper copy for my bookshelf.