Andy thought of flying. She imagined the air under her arms, her hair lifting and floating. She felt her heartbeat separate from the faraway beat and form its own rhythm: light, quick, a dancing thrum. When she opened her eyes, her yard was dusky and her mood had lightened. She let her gaze drift across the darkening landscape. Andy’s heart filled with exultation. She raised her arms, fanned out … out her fingers, and arched her feet until she was on her toes. She was assaulted by memories. Her mother was dying, and Danny had been dead for years. Her daughter was in Minneapolis, and Alana was up in the North Woods someplace. All of her childhood friends—the fairies, Hairy, Mr. Tolliver, and Kenshi—were gone.Is it true that childhood is never overcome? “I have changed,” she whispered.The light exploded into a ring of fire in a black sky: total eclipse. She gently rose up into the warm, dark air and began to dance.
more
Eclipse Dancer draws the reader into a world that is both gritty and magical. Coming to terms with her abusive mother’s death allows the main character, Andy, to revisit her grimy life growing up in her mother’s trailer surrounded by corn fields and poverty. There is an abundance of pain there but also some magical gifts that are a natural inheritance for Andy just as the ancient plains hidden beneath the corn fields are. This author is masterful at describing the natural and the supernatural world. I found myself wondering if these scenes, including the supernatural ones, were somewhat autobiographical because they felt so true. I would have liked a little stronger plot or structure as a foundation to the poetry of this book. It would fall more into the literary genre rather than commercial fantasy although it has a bit of a Charles deLint feeling. If you love beautiful language, atmosphere and magic, this book is for you.
The Eclipse Dancer by Laura Koerber – Review by Krista Vaughan
Walking through her memories after returning home to care for her dying mother, Andy has a chance to reflect on her life as a young half Fae/half human. Her happy memories with her fae kin are at a direct counterpoint to the abusive treatment from her mother. This introspective trip down memory lane helps Andy to remember that she IS fae, and that her current situation isn’t permanent. Even though her fae friends are almost all gone, SHE is still fae. She still has access to the magic and wonder of being an eclipse dancer.
Very good read. Andy is half human and half fairy, and the story goes between caring for her dying mother and going back to her childhood days. Parts of the story were hard to follow for me when going back and forth, but overall, the story flowed all together. My heart goes out to Andy as she deals with many loses in her life. This story is magical and a good read relaxing day.
Andy is a woman with a secret, she is fifty two and is half fairy and has had to return to her childhood home to care for her mother, they never had the easiest relationship, but now between the cancer and the dementia, Andy’s mother is dying and is a shell of her past self and is still living in a memorial to the past in her trailer on Iowa. Everything has changed since Andy left home as a young woman, barely of the age to live on her own, but when the total eclipse of the sun comes around, she harks back to a time when life was much more simple, a time when all she had to to was dance and make sure nobody was watching, a time of memories and the emotions tied to them.
As the almost forgotten memories come flooding back the more time she spends in the trailer, the more regret and pain she feels for her family and for herself, she reminisces about her relationships with her mother and brother, how her life was dysfunctional and full of secrets from the time she made her Barbie doll walk through the long grass as if on an adventure, walking into town with her older brother Danny, times she spent with her friends when she had them and a birthday present which awoke strange and confusing thoughts swirling around her mind. She thinks of all the times she felt ashamed, from the snapshots of her life she can barely remember to full vivid recollections. One thing she cannot remember however, is her mother telling her anything about her father, she learned all that from an Auntie Alana who she met at the age of thirteen amid a tumultuous period when all she wanted was to feel like she belonged and this new found relative gave her just that, with stories of fairies and the past with lessons for the future weaved within them. For once, all Andy’s questions were being answered and a whole new world and experiences were opened up to her, including flying and the dances, the things which set her apart, yet at the same time joined her to something beautiful.
However, not all Andy’s memories are positive ones, the memories of loss, death and loneliness also plague both her waking hours and her dreams, memories of Kenshi the boy who lived with Alana and who taught her about flying and stealing, her neighbor Mr Toliver who knew about the fairies, but kept their secret and told stories of his own family, Hairy the dog whom she rescued from a puppy farm and kept as a pet and the rest of the fairies she met over time, her family and the father of her daughter who left them behind. Can a childhood be overcome, or is change something which can only be brought about if the lessons are learned? How do love, loss, loneliness and joy translate over time and would you change anything if you could go back in time? These are some of the things this story makes you think about as you become immersed in learning about Andy and her life through her memories and experiences.
This is a really beautifully written story. It is an emotional journey looking back over someone’s life. The author does an amazing job of writing about something magical and making it so realistic.
This is the story of Andy. While she is currently nursing her dying mother she reflects on her life and choices that she has made. You also learn about how certain events in her life shape how she is today and how she grew up. Its a very deep moving story that looks at relationship both good and bad and the effect this has on life. It also goes into details and thinks about the circle of life. From being young and enjoying life to growing old and eventually dying.
It’s a emotional read through someone’s memories that you can’t stop.
While this book should have been a heavy mess of emotions, and at times it was, it didn’t kill me with the tears and sobbing mess that I had prepared myself for when I first sat down expecting to. I was both pleasantly surprised by this and sad as well. I didn’t know how to really process the feels that I was going through while reading this novel but I suppose that is how I feel most of the time I read novels penned by Miss Koerber. I will say this book could be read as a fairytale yes but really it is a wonderful read for the middle-age adult who is dealing with the task of how to process or change to caring for our parents or grandparents ets… we become the caregivers at this age and I think there were some really strong poignant points that I took away from reading this for sure. It was also a nice escape as well with a wonderful understory that was nice to escape into and follow along with. I look forward to seeing what else may come from Koerber in the future.
This was a well written story by a new author to me. It was quite a refreshing read because the main character truly does remind me of people I know which made me feel quite a bit of sympathy for. The writer did a wonderful job writing about the circle of life, how we deal with life and death, and how it all ties together. The way that she writes in both past and present tense was a different, yet refreshing, change of pace for me. It’s not a happy-go-lucky book that is certain. It pulled at my emotional strings and had me bawling my eyes out in certain moments. While not quite the ending I was expecting it was a very poignant and proper ending in my opinion.
The Eclipse Dancer by Laura Koerber was an interesting read. The imagery in this book was very vivid, and it read like a classic piece of literature the descriptions were that great. If you’ve read from Koerber before, this story has her typical style of writing, obviously. It’s very flowy. My only complaint was the back and forth between Andy’s memories and her current state. It fluctuated in a way that confused me sometimes. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This was not a typical for me and I did enjoy it. I can’t wait to read more in the future!
The Eclipse Dancer by Laura Koerber is my new favorite book. I admit this with the utmost sincerity. The author’s style of writing is so beautiful that it dances off the page like sunlight sparkling off ripples of water. This book hit me right in the heart. I have a fond childhood memory of sitting on my grandmother’s porch, blanketed by the summer heat, as I listened to the breeze tinkle the wind chimes and watched the sun sweep across the landscape. This book relaxes and comforts me much in the same way. I’ve been a lover of words and stories since birth, and I truly appreciate when an author can elicit a physical response with the shape of their words. This story blends real, raw emotion with magic as Andy, a middle-aged woman, cares for her ailing mother and revisits a fantasy world from her childhood. I was hooked from the first line and give The Eclipse Dancer 5 stars only because I cannot give it more.
The Eclipse Dancer is a story woven around memories. The story begins with Andy sitting in the yard smoking a cigarette and enjoying the momentous occasion of a total solar eclipse. Andy finds herself caught in the moment, and she lets herself free to enjoy the solitude of the eclipse and the dance of the eclipse. A dance she learned about when she was a teenager here in Allenburg, Iowa.
Andy is back home where it all started…where she learned who/what she really is. As Andy assists her mother in the final days of her life, the memories of her childhood and teenage years take her down memory lane building into a lovely story about the coming of age and discovering who you were and how you came to be that way and why.
Laura Koerber carefully crafts this story as she weaves through Andy’s present-day and her time as a child and then into her teenage years. The imagery used in the writing creates a story that you can see as a reader. Though the material in the story was not of my usual preference I did enjoy reading the book.
This is my first book by Laura Keorber and I will be seeking out more stories by her. Her plotline was uplifting. She put so much emotion in this book that I could feel the energy as I read the book. I felt the emotional roller coaster ride as I was turning the pages. The characters are fully developed and connectable. This story is about Andy and all her life. . I have followed Andy throughout her emotional journey of forgiveness and letting go. I have learned that letting go is a good thing for my health and to let my spirit fly high to keep myself grounded. I highly suggest this story. I will warn you to have a box of kleenex and enough time to read this in one sitting.
The Eclipse Dancer by Laura Koerber is a well written and realistic story. This book was nothing at all like I expected when I started reading. It was so much darker and intense that I had thought it would be, but that just made it much more compelling to read. Andy is such a relatable character – trying to come to terms with the death of her mother she takes us on a journey that has her looking back through her past.
This book is a brilliant mix of natural and supernatural. Everything was easy to imagine and it really was such an interesting read. I would definitely recommend reading this book and I would also recommend going into blind, just like I did, so you can be swept away on the journey even more.
What a beautifully written book! Andy is a 52 year old woman back to care for her dying mom. She takes us for a stroll through her memories of her teen summer. Fairies, clans, “aunties”, and dysfunctional families all weave together to make a plot that transitions like a smooth river down the mountain side. The characters are very believable. Going home seemed to bring Andy some closure and clarity to that summer. I would love to see a sequel as to life in the North Woods. A must read for all.
Laura Koerber gives us The Eclipse Dancer which is a paranormal fantasy tale. I have read several of Laura’s books before and she is an emotive writer with different genres. This magical tale is vividly rich in its telling and I found myself easily entrenched in the world in which had been created. With its intricate layers finely woven the lead to an easy and a seamless flow but the ending felt a little rushed.
4 Stars!
I enjoyed this book very much. Sometimes I felt a little confused, but for the most part I was able to follow along. I felt a very strong sadness throughout this whole book. Andy, was not granted a great childhood growing up, I did see flickers of fun here and there with her and Danny but for the most part it seemed like she wasn’t really acknowledged by her alcoholic mess of a mother. I think when she found Alana and Kenshi, things started looking up for her, it seemed she had a purpose, and then when she lost the both of them, she seemed to be coasting again. Throughout this journey with Andy, we meet many people that she was introduced to, see many deaths she has to cope with and how her life turned out as an adult. The magical element added to the story made it much more interesting At some points I thought this book may be a little too deep for me, but as I kept reading, I became more and more entranced in the writing style. I would definitely recommend giving this book a read.
4 Stars
The Eclipse Dancer by Laura Koerber is, as I expected, another original story with plenty of thought provoking content. Ms. Koerber weaves magical realism with deft fingers, bringing complete believability to her work.
Andy has been through a lot in her life, and while nursing her dying mother, begins to reflect back on her life- telling her story which flashes back between the past and present, telling of the circle of life, the mother/daughter relationship, thought provoking details, melancholy/sad/emotive moments, sensitive topics, death/dying, choices, mysteries of life, and a little magic. The story is told with rich detail and descriptions, bringing everything to life before my eyes. It was like watching a movie play out on the screen.
Ms. Koerber has a lyrical, poetic feel to her writing which also adds to the atmosphere of her work, and making it very easy to read.
Another captivating story from this clever writer!
Thank you, Laura Koerber!
This is the first novel by Laura Koeber I have read and I was not disappointed. Koeber has a distinctive style that is unique within the science fiction fantasy genre. In “The Eclipse Dancer” we are invited into the world of a half-human/half-fairy being named Andy who still resides in the same central Iowa farm community she born into. Andy isn’t a typical fairy, at 65 she still hasn’t learned to fly and she still lives with her dying mother. What you will learn from this seemingly quiet and predictable story will amaze you. There is something wonderful and amazing about Andy and her tale in this story. You will be happy you spent some time with Koeber’s book!
I enjoyed this book. This is a new author for me which I enjoyed reading and look forward to reading more from her in the future. This is a story that is written with a lot of heart. The author used details that gave the story a realistic feel. The characters are connectable and made the story come to life on each page. This is a story that combines fantasy, life and death. Andy takes on a magical adventure that teaches about letting go and forgiveness. It took me on an emotional roller coaster ride but it was a ride I gladly went on. This is a great story and I highly recommend it.
This is a tale about Andy’s many losses in her life as she waits for yet another loss to happen, the loss of her mother, who’s dying from cancer and dementia. Andy is half human, and half fairy, and as such has some unusual abilities, save one, she cannot stop death. Andy has suffered several losses by the time she’s sixteen; the loss of her beloved dog, Hairy, Kenshi, her fairy-guide and playmate, and old man Tolliver, her neighbor who knows about the existence of fairies.
The author uses the backdrop of nature and the woods and woodlands to weave this tale of oneness that Andy shares with both her human and fairy halves, as the narration leapfrogs from past to present in vignettes of her earlier years and her present moments of caring for her dying mother.
Andy’s tale also shows us how history can also repeat itself no matter how much we don’t want it to when we see her less than perfect relationship with her daughter Bangii, who insists on going by the name Bridgette. Although different from Andy’s relationship with the now dying Cindy, the parallels are there for the reader to see.
The story is interesting, wonderfully displayed, and the characters are complex and memorable. The author does an excellent job of bringing us into not only the world of fairies but into Andy’s world.
Beautiful and lyrical, The Eclipse Dancer is a pleasure to read. It is the story of Andy’s life, her family, her magic, and herself. Her memories come to life in vivid detail, lush and filled with the emotions, loves, regrets, and yearnings. Her rememberings weave together into the tapestry of her life in a heartwarming way. The writing is intimate and charged with emotion; I could feel the cool night air on her skin, and the sway of her hips as she danced. This is a lovely story, I would recommend you sink into a comfy chair and let it whisk you away.