The Man With The Dancing Eyes [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Sophie Dahl (Author), Annie Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2003

'In the golden half light of a midsummer's evening, the sort where any kind of magic can occur, and often does, in the midst of a party held in a wild and rambling garden stood Pierre, teetering on highly unsuitable heels, surrounded by overripe roses.' On that midsummer evening, Pierre, the daughter of a bumbling botanist and a ravishing Italian soprano, sweet and shy and gangly as a baby giraffe, meets a man with dancing eyes...Alas, in the midst of a glorious affair, an indiscretion is committed and Pierre flees to New York. But forgetting her beloved proves far harder than she imagines...Magical, bittersweet, and utterly charming, Sophie Dahl's debut is an old-fashioned romance for a modern day world.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Model Sophie Dahl (a granddaughter of Roald Dahl) has concocted a frothy romantic fantasy about a young woman-bookish, beautiful and rich-who meets and temporarily loses the man of her dreams. Pierre, the heroine of the picture book The Man with the Dancing Eyes: A Fairytale for Grownups, lives on a houseboat in London and works in a used bookstore. At a fancy dress party, she wants to dance to her favorite Ella Fitzgerald song, but finds herself stuck, "anchored by her Christian Louboutin shoes." A London painter with "the most wicked and dancing eyes she'd ever seen" comes to her rescue, initiating this breathless story of international heartbreak and reconciliation that ends with the words every woman longs to hear: "I want to live in Italy, have an Aga, four babies and a goat. I can't stand to be without you." Watercolor illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Sophie Dahl lives in New York. This is her first book. Annie Morris studied painting in the Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-Arts. She lives and works in London. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• ISBN-10: 158234342X
• ASIN: B000HWZ09W
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,751,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It takes a certain person to understand and love this book, March 11, 2003

By 

traceybeehive "traceybeehive" (Laguna Beach, Calif.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man With The Dancing Eyes (Hardcover)

Either you love this book or you don't. All it takes to see if you'll like it is a look through it or even just at the cover. It is whimsical and strange and full of funny little inuendos. I liked the drawings so much and the text is very sweet and it shows huge promise for future stories by Sophie Dahl.
I love these kind of books and the reason why is ...they always give me ideas. For drawings, for story ideas and even for noteboook entries. They even inspire me to remember sweet little memories of my life and to try and illlustrate them in a simple way, whether it is in my journal or just in my head.
If you are in this frame of mind.....only a little more warped, try The Melancoly Death of Oyster Boy by Tim Burton.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favourite, May 17, 2006

By 

Vicki (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man With The Dancing Eyes (Hardcover)

This has got to be one of the most captivating, magical books I have read. Sophie Dahl does a wonderful job writing a beautiful, almost typical, love story. The fact that this is in almost such a classic love story format, would make it dull, however, she adds her own spin on everything, and it truly pulls you in. The pictures just add to the tale, making each page a delight to turn. This is one of those books that you want to read over and over again. I have read it to everyone in my family, my friends and my boyfriend, and they all agree that it is a gorgeous, simple story.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Goodness, really!, September 24, 2008

By 

georgiavail - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man With The Dancing Eyes (Hardcover)

For all those negative reviewers: What did you think you were going to get? I mean, look at the cover! Not to mention the title.
Personally, I picked up this book when it came out. I immediately bought another copy for a good friend of mine, as both of us appreciate lighthearted, fantastical, rather girly stories involving tea (Lapsang Souchong is my favorite) and escapism. No, it's not going to burst out the back of your eye sockets with its depth or what have you, but it is a nice read for a rainy day when you're feeling low. So my advice is to go ahead, make a big ol' pot of tea (or a little hot toddy if you like), burrow a nest out of your bedclothes, open up the window and set your tray of snacks on your bedside table. That is what this book is good for. And I think it suits its purpose perfectly.
Those who don't need this kind of episode in their day-to-day can just go hike Kilimanjaro and call themselves deep. See how far it gets them. I suppose they never have a need for pretty things, anyway, so why bother reviewing something that is pretty much just that?
This book is most likely best-suited for those who take themselves a little less seriously, and take silliness and romance a little too seriously. And my only problem with the labels and name-dropping is that it tends to age a book, so in twenty or fifty years this book will seem dated, rather than intentionally old-fashioned.
Enjoy and cheers!