Dance With Me by Luanne Rice
Reviewed by Vicki Carver Luanne Rice’s newest book, Dance With Me, is another lyrical story about two families who live in Twin Rivers, Rhode Island near the famous town of Newport.Margaret Porter is a retired school principal in failing health. Her librarian daughter, Sylvia, has taken a leave of absence from her job to care for her mother. Margaret’s older daughter, Jane, also comes home to help. Jane has been living in New York City operating a successful baking business.
The Chadwick family consists of two brothers, Eli and Dylan. Eli and his wife Sharon had previously adopted a daughter, Chloe, who is now fifteen . Dylan has lost his estranged wife and beloved daughter in a tragic accident four years previously. He has never stopped grieving over the loss of his daughter Isabel.
The Porters and the Chadwicks are forever linked by a secret. Jane Porter had given up her baby daughter for adoption fifteen years ago. Chloe is now the daughter of Eli Chadwick and his wife Sharon. Jane Porter knows where Chloe is and begins a friendship with her.
Once the framework is set for Dance With Me, the story moves along in Rice’s intense style. Jane’s relationship with Chloe becomes more complex. Dylan and Jane fall in love but their relationship is severed when Chloe’s relationship to Jane is revealed.
There is much interweaving of events as the plot unfolds. Margaret Porter realizes how unable her daughters have been in learning to trust others, perhaps because they had been deserted by their own father when they were young. Dylan Chadwick comes to terms with his failed marriage and the tragedy of his wife’s and daughter’s deaths. Sylvie and Jane learn to make decisions which will lead to their mother’s eventual move to a nursing home.
Dance With Me is somewhat like watching a daytime soap opera. The characters’ emotions always seem to be very much “on the surface” and events are always critical in determining their fates. There are few lighthearted moments in Dance With Me. Luanne Rice continues to be a very successful author and Dance With Me proceeds to a satisfying conclusion. Anyone who has already enjoyed one of Rice’s novels will find her newest novel worthwhile reading.