“Our kids, my, my,
Gracie” laughed Bud. “Where did we go wrong? One marries God, another a Jew and
the last one, the devil!”
Texas, 1951. The
Wolanskys—Grace, Bud and their three grown children—are a close-knit clan,
deeply rooted in their rural community and traditional faith. On their orderly
farm, life seems good and tomorrow always holds promise.
But under the surface,
it’s a different story. Grace is beset by dark memories and unnamed fears,
calmed only by practicing a secret obsession. Their son Andy has said no to
becoming a farmer like his dad and, worse, has fallen in love with a big-city
Jewish girl. Youngest child Regina is trapped in a loveless marriage to an
abusive, alcoholic husband. Even “perfect” daughter Angela’s decision to become
a nun unleashes consequences no one could foresee.
And then Ceil Dollard
breezes into town.
Ceil—wealthy,
sophisticated, irrepressible—is like a visitor from Mars. She’s a modern woman.
She drives a car and wears pants. She blows away tradition and certainty,
forcing Grace to face her fears and brave a changing world. Through Ceil, Grace
learns about courage and pleasure—but at the risk of losing Bud.
Barbara Frances’
sparkling, richly human novel takes you back to a time when Ike was president
and life was slower, but people were the same as now. You’ll encounter a cast
of characters storm-tossed by change, held together by love. Written with
compassion, humor and suspense, Like
I Used to Dance will charm you, warm you and even squeeze a
few tears, from its opening number to the last waltz.
Like I Used To Dance grabbed my attention from the very first page. As with all great books, I fell in love with the characters immediately. I cared deeply about what happened to them and their development in t his simple yet complex story. The unfolding of each character is full of surprise, intrigue, brilliantly written by Barbara Frances. Though set in the past, Like I Used to Dance weaves together many controversial ideas that will make a reader think or rethink for the first time about current and relevant issues of our day.
SJL
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