A journey through dance

LIFE is a dance: from slow stumbling steps to the swirl and dip of life's tango; en pointe as one reaches high; experiencing sultry salsa rhythm; swinging with the best and maybe moving on to the gently expressive steps of the waltz, foxtrot and more.

- BERYL EICHENBERGER

Or perhaps it is about finding your dance...Why am I starting this review like this? Well Nicola Rayner is a dance writer and as she dips and swirls though her historical fiction novel The Paris Dancer, I was literally gliding across the floor in tune with her protagonists, loving the analogies she created. But while dance is central to the theme this is a poignant family story spanning the decades from prewar Paris to New York 2012.

Secrets are about to be uncovered as Miriam makes her way to New York in 2012 to settle her scriptwriter great-aunt Esther's estate. Writer Mim is not in a good space, life blows and loss have left her reeling and this 'assignment' may just help her through it.