Mennonites Don't Dance [Paperback]

Darcie Friesen Hossack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2010

This vibrant collection of short fictions explores how families work, how they are torn apart, and, in spite of differences and struggles, brought back together. Darcie Friesen Hossack's stories in Mennonites Don't Dance offer an honest, detailed look into the experiences of children - both young and adult - and their parents and grandparents, exploring generational ties, sins, penance and redemption.

Taking place primarily on the Canadian prairies, the families in these stories are confronted by the conflict between tradition and change - one story sees a daughterin- law's urban ideals push and pull against a mother's simple, rural ways, in another, a daughter raised in the Mennonite tradition tries to break free from her upbringing to escape to the city in search of a better life. Children learn the rules of farm life, and parents learn that their decisions, in spite of all good intentions, can carry dire consequences.

Hossack's talent, honed through education and experience, is showcased in this polished collection, and is reflected in the relatable, realistic characters and situations she creates. The voices in the stories speak about how we measure ourselves in the absence of family, and how the most interesting families are always flawed in some way.

Editorial Reviews

Review

There's an unfussy purity of expression here, and of narrative control, that sometimes recalls the short fiction of Alistair MacLeod.

Globe&Mail

--theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/mennonites-dont-dance-by-darcie-friesen-hossack/article1912787/

Hossack's writing may remind readers of...Mennonite authors Patrick Friesen and Miriam Toews.

~Winnipeg Free Press

--winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/stories-of-mennonite-life-shine-a-light-on-a-sad-reality-113752274.html

The stories are well written, with vivid imagery, by someone who knows well the rural prairies and the Mennonites who lived there.

~Mennonite Weekly Review

--mennoweekly.org/2011/1/17/laughter-short-supply/

From the Back Cover

Darcie Hossack's stories reverberate with what has been left unsaid, the silence between people that speaks of betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of love to prevail. This is a fine debut by a very promising writer.

~ Sandra Birdsell

Uncompromising and often devastating, the stories in this collection prove the title true-both literally and metaphorically-but these very constraints make the stories' hard-won moments of joy and insight especially memorable. A vivid, breathtaking book.

~ Andreas Schroeder

Darcie Hossack introduces a culture in which dancing is verboten but the sensual pleasures of food are celebrated with artery-clogging abandon; life is cruel but rich in moments of grace. With unflinching honest, black humour and compassion, she serves up prose as richly palatable as cream gravy.

~ Betty Jane Hegerat, author of Delivery

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Thistledown Press (September 21, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189723578X
• ISBN-13: 978-1897235782
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly lovely stories, October 28, 2010

By 

Chickster - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mennonites Don't Dance (Paperback)

Darcie has a gift for language, it's clear after you've read the very first page. This collection of stories of Canadian mennonite families, the challenges they face, are so interesting, intriguing and well-document under Darcie's pen that you will not want to put this book down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CANADIAN TREASURE!, February 19, 2012

By 

Janet Babins "jayb" (Quebec, CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mennonites Don't Dance (Paperback)

This is a collection of short stories of Canadian Mennonites written by a Mennonite, Darcie Friesen Hossack set primarily on the Canadian Prairies.

In one of the stories called Ashes, Anke has lost her husband Abraham and has no choice but to sell her house to her son Matthew, who is newly married to Libby. Anke feels as though she's the unwelcome guest in the upstairs bedroom. She wonders if they appreciate her sacrifice.

Libby, the new daughter-in-law has taken over and wants to make the house hers. Anke dislikes Libby instantly and feels that Libby is trying to change things.

It begins with Anke and Libby bickering over how many peaches go into one peach pie. Libby begins by heaping all the peaches into one pie crust and is soon corrected by Anke who can make six peach pies out of all those peaches. Anke begins by scooping out all the fruit in the one pie and dividing it into six pie crusts and now, six pies go into the oven.

Libby is expecting her very first child and her mother-in-law Anke wants the baby to be named Abraham after Anke's late husband, but Libby rejects naming her baby after a dead person.

Libby decides on the name Abel. Anke is getting angrier with each moment and says "so you won't use the name of my dead husband, but you would curse a child with the name of the first person murdered on this earth." Libby then asks her mother-in-law "what if it's a girl?" Anke replies by saying she doesn't want any "new-age" names.

Anke insists on a solid German European name like Ruth, after her late baby daughter.

Tragedy strikes and Anke and Libby have bridged the generation gap for now. They both have something in common and their lives have changed forever.

Throughout the stories, God is Supreme in the house of the Mennonites. Whatever happens in life whether good or bad, it is the will of God and He is not to be questioned.

In the Mennonite home, the father rules while the mother tends to the children and to the home, yet still taking instructions from her husband.

They are always confronted by the conflict of Tradition and Change with the young Mennonites growing up.

Although the Mennonites' culture is different than any other, many of the problems that arise can happen in all homes.

This collection of stories is a GEM. Darcie Friesen Hossack's writing is so beautiful, honest and full of grace. Her characters are vibrant and full of personality.

Mennonites Don't Dance would make a wonderful gift for any occasion.

I enjoyed this book of stories immensely and give it my highest recommendation of FIVE out of FIVE STARS.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Read, November 6, 2010

By 

Lily B. (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mennonites Don't Dance (Paperback)

Mennonites Don't Dance is a beautiful book of short stories. Deftly drawn characters were so vibrant and alive to me that they felt like neighbours and friends. Many of the stories deal with difficult themes and subjects, but each one has a moment of turning, a twist that gives the reader and character hope.

Each story has many layers, allowing the reader to interpret and get different things out of them each reading, at different times in their lives. This book is bound to be a Canadian classic-- stories that will stand the test of time and can be read over and over.