Customer Reviews

Falling for a Dancer

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4 star:		(1)
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Have you ever wondered what life would have been like if a certain event in your life had never occured?To read this novel is to read about the life of some one like that. If the bus had never broken down Elizabeth(Beth) would never have met George and her life wouldn't have been changed for the worse. It is the 1930's and Beth is living in Cork with her parents. She is after arriving home from a trip to Dublin with her friend Ida, but she has a deep secret that no one must know - she is pregnent and has only two choices- leave home and move into a home run by the nuns for unwed mothers or to marry... After a horrifying visit to the nun-run home Beth solomly decides to marry. The match is made for her, she is to wed a resently bereaved man named Neeley Scollard. After a quiet ceremony Beth is brought home- not to Cork but to her new home in Beara on the west most tip of Dingle where she is met by her new daughters.Beth has a son whom she calls Francey. Straight away it is obvious that Neeley is a strict man- all of his family fear him. Neeley's cousin Mossie is a decent type of person but Neeley maintains that Mossie is a land-grabber and that he and his family are to have nothing to do with him. After a dance Neeley losses his temper and hurts Francey, that night while Beth is in Cork hospital with Francey, Neeley dies. Everyone suspects that young Danny Mc Carthy has murdered him- noboby knows. After many years of heart ache and turmoil Beth wants to leave Beara but finds it too hard to leave. Mossie trys to win her heart but ............. You don't think that I'm going to tell you the whole story? If I did where's the point in reading the book? Deirdre Purcell is the best in a new type of writer. She is able to pull you into the story and into the lives the characters. I really enjoyed this book- I've read it God knows how many times. I have found that I hate to put this book down when I'm reading it. If you want to read more about the Scollard family, the continuation book is called Francey and it lets us know what happened the only boy and the rset of his clann (family for those of you that don't speak Irish). Happy reading- let me know if you read the book and enjoyed it or even if you hated it- I might be able to suggest more books for you. Slan o mise !! (Good bye from me !!

Falling for a Dancer is the first Deidre Purcell novel I had read. I bought it after having seen the movie; which by the way is also very good. I was immediately taken with the very difficult living conditions in post WWII Ireland. I hadn't realized hard the Irish worked just to have enough food for the many mouths at the table. The leading character Elizabeth is a credit to her heritage. I admired her sense of commitment, yet she wrestles with her strong, youthful sensuality. This book tells as much about life as it does about living. Gals, if you want a well developed story line with well-written sexuality and romance, this is your book. I now have a complete library of Purcell's works. As the previous reviewer said, this book is known by two titles, Ashes of Roses, and in the US, Falling for a Dancer. It is a novel I will read again & again. Even with its pathos and often heart wrenching tragedy, it is definitely a book you will not want to pass by.

From beginning to end, I found this book truly enthralling. I absolutely adored it. I could not at all put it down. The story is in depth and right at the heart of conflicts of emotions. The characters are lovable and realistic. It is full of heart ache, joy, love, romance, modern dilemas and sex. What else does one need from a book?

My advice to any hopeless romantic is to read this book, and maybe even then, buy the video. Even if you have already seen the video, it is worth reading the book. The plot is a lot thicker and more enjoyable!

This a beautifully written book, and while I could go on, there are some very nice reviews already at Amazon under the Ashes of Roses title. I just wanted to alert people who saw movie Falling for a Dancer who might look for the book that it has a different title in the US.

I saw the movie and fell for Liam Cunningham and am now looking for my Mossie Sheehan. I am not much for the romantical farce normally, but this one caught my eye and heart. I am also looking for a copy of the movie.

This is one of those rare books that I actually preferred the movie over the book. Some of the basic scenarios were the same; however many of the relationships in the book, such as with Daniel and George were very different. I did like this book and her writing, just the story line in the movie was much more to my taste. Her relationship with Mossie seemed more rushed in the book while it embellished far more on the other two men. I get that she was learning about herself and how she handled relationships, but it missed the true romance. And ladies, it didn't hurt that a young Colin Farrell played Daniel, as well as fine actors who played Elizabeth and Mossie. This said, the book should still be recommended reading.

I agree with all the previous reviewers, this is indeed a beautiful book. I could hardly put it down and stayed up late at night reading it. I was anxious to finish it to see how everything turned out and now wish I could still be reading it - I miss all the characters as if they were people I knew. I had just returned from my first trip to Ireland this past summer and was looking for movies and books set in that beautiful country. I found the movie "Falling for a Dancer" and liked it so much I looked for the book. I now want to read the rest of Diedre Purcell's books. She is a talented writer.

I was delighted that I had finally found this book. I had tried several times before several years ago and it was not available in the US. I read it the moment it arrived and was not disappointed. Like all books made into movies, several plot elements in the book were different than the movie, but I was not disappointed. Loved it.

I saw the mini-series and loved it....so I wanted to read the book. It is great and better than the mini-series.