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A Dancer's Guide to Africa
Fiona Garvey, ballet dancer and new college graduate, is desperate to escape her sister’s betrayal and a failed relationship. Vowing to restart as far from home as possible, she accepts a two-year teaching position with the Peace Corps in Africa. It’s a role she’s sure she can perform. But in no time, Fiona realizes she’s traded her problems in Omaha for bigger ones in Gabon, a country as beautiful as it is filled with contradictions. Emotionally derailed by Christophe, a charismatic and privileged Gabonese man who can teach her to let go of her inhibitions but can’t commit to anything more, threatened by an overly familiar student with a menacing fixation on her, and drawn into the compelling but potentially dangerous local dance ceremonies, Fiona finds herself at increasing risk. And when matters come to a shocking head, she must reach inside herself, find her dancer’s power, and fight back. Blending humor and pathos, A DANCER’S GUIDE TO AFRICA takes the reader along on a suspense-laden, sensual journey through Africa’s complex beauty, mystery and mysticism.
375 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 2, 2018
120 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
Terez Mertes Rose
5 books200 followersTerez Mertes Rose is a writer and former ballet dancer whose work has appeared in the Crab Orchard Review, Literary Mama, Women Who Eat (Seal Press), A Woman’s Europe (Travelers’ Tales), the Philadelphia Inquirer and the San Jose Mercury News. She reviews dance performances for Bachtrack.com and blogs about ballet and classical music at The Classical Girl. The author of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles (OFF BALANCE, OUTSIDE THE LIMELIGHT, BALLET ORPHANS, OTHER STAGES) and A Dancer's Guide to Africa, she makes her home with family in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She loves good food, good wine, great books, and a good (but not too hard) adult ballet class. She's proud to announce that Outside the Limelight, Book 2 of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles, was named a Best Book of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 17, 2020
There is everything to love about this book. If you want a look at what it really takes to be a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa - this is it. If you want a look at what it feels like to be bitten and have the larvae mature a full year later and then feel it crawling around? This is it. If you want to know about the people, the culture, the beliefs - and above all - the dancing, in this part of Africa, this is it.
Terez Mertes Rose does a fantastic job of describing her time in Gabon. Sometimes, the story will break your heart (death is very much commonplace), and sometimes it will fill you with joy - it's like an emotional roller coaster, but one you just can't bring yourself to get off from, despite some lows - because it is what makes the story resonate. Where there is joy, there is also sorrow.
As you read this, you cannot help but compare the lives of the people in the village with your own life. Things we take for granted are either totally useless, totally meaningless, or only owned by the ultra rich there. When a child dies, the grief here is understandably deep, thick, and long-lasting. There, there is unspeakable grief that goes on for about 5 days, and then life gets back to "normal" - because they have to survive.
This book is one of my favorites, and one I will be reading again.
Terez Mertes Rose does a fantastic job of describing her time in Gabon. Sometimes, the story will break your heart (death is very much commonplace), and sometimes it will fill you with joy - it's like an emotional roller coaster, but one you just can't bring yourself to get off from, despite some lows - because it is what makes the story resonate. Where there is joy, there is also sorrow.
As you read this, you cannot help but compare the lives of the people in the village with your own life. Things we take for granted are either totally useless, totally meaningless, or only owned by the ultra rich there. When a child dies, the grief here is understandably deep, thick, and long-lasting. There, there is unspeakable grief that goes on for about 5 days, and then life gets back to "normal" - because they have to survive.
This book is one of my favorites, and one I will be reading again.
January 21, 2019
A better than average fictional account of a young woman's stint in the Peace Corps in Africa. Filled with relationships, danger and dancing the main character experiences personal growth. Descriptive writing of food and locale bring the setting to life.
Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley
Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley
October 2, 2018
Terez Mertes Rose has drawn on her considerable passions—dance, music, and storytelling—to take readers on a sometimes mystical and often suspenseful journey. The spiritual, visceral, and sensory-laden beauty of Gabon was a believable and riveting backdrop for this touching story of a women discovering her truth and power. A Dancer’s Guide to Africa commanded my attention from the first page to the last sentence.
June 8, 2019
I was totally captivated by this lush and moving novel set in Gabon, Africa. The protagonist, a ballet dancer, takes a two-year assignment in the Peace Corps after a wrenching betrayal by her sister and the end of an important relationship. You’re deeply drawn into her story of spiritual and emotional growth in a country she describes in exquisite detail. A mystical, magical tale that will enchant and capture the reader long after the last page is turned. 5/5
Pub Date 02 Oct 2018.
Thanks to the author, Classical Girl Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#AdancersGuideToAfrica #NetGalley
Pub Date 02 Oct 2018.
Thanks to the author, Classical Girl Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#AdancersGuideToAfrica #NetGalley
September 3, 2018
I really enjoyed "A Dancer's Guide to Africa." It was a well written novel about a young woman who joins the Peace Corps and teaches English in Gabon. While dance is a theme throughout the book, it did not dominate the story. The first part of the story focuses on Fiona's, the main character, adjustment to living in Gabon and her relationship with Christophe. I didn't like Christophe, but he doesn't dominate the story line either.
The author did an excellent job of describing the challenges Fiona faced in the Peace Corps, as well as the joy she found in teaching and exploring a new country. I really enjoyed seeing how Fiona grew as she went through her Peace Corps experience.
I received an advance reading copy from the publisher via NetGalley and from a Goodreads Giveaway.
The author did an excellent job of describing the challenges Fiona faced in the Peace Corps, as well as the joy she found in teaching and exploring a new country. I really enjoyed seeing how Fiona grew as she went through her Peace Corps experience.
I received an advance reading copy from the publisher via NetGalley and from a Goodreads Giveaway.
September 23, 2018
I won this Kindle book from Goodreads and I'm so glad I did. I related to this book more than I have in awhile. The author does a great job of capturing life in Africa. She does a great job of showing the challenges of seeing a culture from an outsider's perspective and trying to make those two things mesh. On top of all that, the author wove in excellent interpersonal relationships: both friendships and romantic interests. I would absolutely recommend this book!
October 1, 2020
Terez Mertes Rose writes with authority and insight. Never a dull moment, never a long, verbose passage to skim. I read every word.
So many lyrical passages in this novel just sing - elevating what could be a dry account of Africa's magic vs America's pragmatism to a sweeping tale of love, friendship, family, and cultural contrasts. The bug bites, worms, and other hazards leap out and remind us how brave the Peace Corps volunteers are, how tough the ones who don't drop out before the first year is up. Even if a volunteer feels initiated or enlightened at last, there are reminders like this from a native: "You might think you’re fully seasoned, that nothing more can faze you. To that, I’ll say, you don’t know Africa yet. You likely will never know Africa."
We experience the best and worst of it with Fiona. E.g.,
-- .... expect to be stared at, in your local store, in your neighborhood, as you walk, as you try to relax in your house. Your house might get broken into. That, and thefts, happened. Because you are American, people will assume you’re rich. They will also assume you’re CIA.
Fiona is robbed, of course, but ultimately she learns, "In a culture where just getting by and raising a family beyond childhood was a triumph over the odds, my household thefts were inconsequential to the point of being absurd."
Some of it is comical:
-- Those speaking English will call you Peace Corpse; no need to worry that this is a threat, it is simply how they think Americans pronounce the word “corps.”
I shall poss over in silence the scene involving "filaria, also called loiasis. You get it when a bite from an infected deerfly transmits a parasitic larva. For a while you can’t tell you’ve been infected—the worm takes up to a year to mature. But then the adult worm starts moving around.” I WILL SAY NO MORE!
Every detail has the ring of authenticity. Some of the food is great, but this:
> ....it had to be soaked in the river or a pond for several days before it was dried, peeled, washed again, then pounded to a pale mush. This was rolled in a banana leaf—the Handi-wrap of Gabon—to form a baton, which got boiled once again. When cut into slices, it looked (and tasted) like those translucent erasers I’d used in grade school. I ate it; it was amazing what you’d eat when you were hungry enough.
Unequal distribution of wealth is obvious in the cities. Again, the ring of authenticity is clear on every page:
-- French and Belgian expatriates and Africans from all over the continent mingled on the crowded sidewalks. On paved, four-lane highways, Peugeot sedans, battered Renault taxis and BMWs shared the road with dusty pickups.
-- Car horns, conversations and stereos kept noise at a blaring constant. Every nook of space, from stalls, covered tents and shops to card tables and spread-out blankets, was used to sell. Cheap perfume emanating from hundreds of sweating bodies did little to disguise the pervasive body odor, which competed with the stench of trash, decaying produce and unrefrigerated meat.
Everything is different for Fiona, fresh out of college, born and raised in Omaha. Transportation involves hitching a ride in a derelict truck and bouncing over rutted dirt roads.
-- .... the driver of the beer truck delivering me to Oyem was a madman. He raced the lumbering vehicle down the narrow, unpaved roads, swerving wildly to avoid crater-sized potholes that punctuated the washboard ruts. Chickens fluttered and goats scattered in panic as we thundered through villages.
Fallen tree in the road? In America, people attack the problem swiftly but in Africa, it may take 24 hours or more for the road to be cleared. Mail is unreliable with "packages from home that keep getting torn into at the post office and arriving to me empty."
But the magic, the music, the dancing!
-- "The music here was heart-stoppingly beautiful, the melody supported by the low, sonorous chords of an organ played so softly, you could feel more than hear...
-- Dance, I’d come to see, was everywhere in Africa. The Gabonese danced at clubs, bars, parties. They danced in church; they danced in rituals; they danced to honor the arrivals of politicians and luminaries. They danced any time someone put on the right music, which meant, any music with a beat.
-- I’d watch the Gabonese move with a freedom within their bodies that I couldn’t even imagine. Relaxed energy flowed from all parts of their body: the legs, the torso, the arms. Sometimes the movement would be so small, just this gentle, rhythmic shifting from one foot to another. There was an innate flexibility in their hips that I lacked.... Babies were tucked on their mother’s backs, tied in place with a swathe of fabric. Every movement the mother made, and she went right along with her business, the child felt. Jiggling, swerving, dancing, striding, straining, from a child’s earliest kinetic memory.
Fiona is a trained ballet dancer, but she resists invitations to join the natives until, one night -- well, no spoilers from me!
The dialogue is riveting, believable, and engaging, especially when Fiona and a fellow Peace Corps volunteer compare notes and wax philosophical:
-- Opposing ideas can both be correct. Ram Dass has a quote about that. ‘Across planes of consciousness, we have to live with the paradox that opposite things can be simultaneously true.’
And the deaths - the heartbreak - the necessity of learning to detach: “You learn to offer sympathy without empathy. Nonattachment is essential.” A 3-year-old girl dies. "Grief saturated the air, heavier than the humidity. But it was African-style grief. After five days and nights of endless activity at their compound, with visitors, rattling gourds, wailing, singing, celebrating, it all abruptly stopped and the household returned, eerily, to precisely the same scene and hub of activity as before."
And so Fiona dances. "The Gabonese were still going to tragically die no matter what I did. The thoughts made me want to crumple and sob. Instead I danced."
Dance, philosophy, questions, answers, life, death: so many big issues and conflicts come together in a coherent narrative. I love it. This:
-- How far can you go? The rules in ballet were simple. You focused on a fixed point on the wall to avoid getting too dizzy during turns. If you failed to do so, the dizziness would overtake you and at some point you’d fall, maybe even pass out. Or would you? What happened at that moment when you lost control? Was there a divide? Could you suspend that moment between conscious and unconscious? Would being in that place give you answers?
What Fiona has learned will save her life when we reach the finale. It is glorious. Empowering. And, believe it or not, it's believable. With all the subplots and many characters, the story reads smoothly and the plot unfolds inexorably.
Her two years come to an end, and she asks a haunting question: “How do you leave Africa? How do you get on a plane and just fly out of here, knowing you’ll never come back?”
Not a spoiler, I hope, but an answer that should inspire others to read this book: “Maybe, deep inside, you don’t ever completely leave. Or maybe it’s that Africa never completely leaves you.”
Is there anything not to like in this book? Certainly. Fiona is immature and annoying in many ways, but she is believable and real, and she leaves quite an impression on this reader.
BUY THE BOOK! Read it asap!
So many lyrical passages in this novel just sing - elevating what could be a dry account of Africa's magic vs America's pragmatism to a sweeping tale of love, friendship, family, and cultural contrasts. The bug bites, worms, and other hazards leap out and remind us how brave the Peace Corps volunteers are, how tough the ones who don't drop out before the first year is up. Even if a volunteer feels initiated or enlightened at last, there are reminders like this from a native: "You might think you’re fully seasoned, that nothing more can faze you. To that, I’ll say, you don’t know Africa yet. You likely will never know Africa."
We experience the best and worst of it with Fiona. E.g.,
-- .... expect to be stared at, in your local store, in your neighborhood, as you walk, as you try to relax in your house. Your house might get broken into. That, and thefts, happened. Because you are American, people will assume you’re rich. They will also assume you’re CIA.
Fiona is robbed, of course, but ultimately she learns, "In a culture where just getting by and raising a family beyond childhood was a triumph over the odds, my household thefts were inconsequential to the point of being absurd."
Some of it is comical:
-- Those speaking English will call you Peace Corpse; no need to worry that this is a threat, it is simply how they think Americans pronounce the word “corps.”
I shall poss over in silence the scene involving "filaria, also called loiasis. You get it when a bite from an infected deerfly transmits a parasitic larva. For a while you can’t tell you’ve been infected—the worm takes up to a year to mature. But then the adult worm starts moving around.” I WILL SAY NO MORE!
Every detail has the ring of authenticity. Some of the food is great, but this:
> ....it had to be soaked in the river or a pond for several days before it was dried, peeled, washed again, then pounded to a pale mush. This was rolled in a banana leaf—the Handi-wrap of Gabon—to form a baton, which got boiled once again. When cut into slices, it looked (and tasted) like those translucent erasers I’d used in grade school. I ate it; it was amazing what you’d eat when you were hungry enough.
Unequal distribution of wealth is obvious in the cities. Again, the ring of authenticity is clear on every page:
-- French and Belgian expatriates and Africans from all over the continent mingled on the crowded sidewalks. On paved, four-lane highways, Peugeot sedans, battered Renault taxis and BMWs shared the road with dusty pickups.
-- Car horns, conversations and stereos kept noise at a blaring constant. Every nook of space, from stalls, covered tents and shops to card tables and spread-out blankets, was used to sell. Cheap perfume emanating from hundreds of sweating bodies did little to disguise the pervasive body odor, which competed with the stench of trash, decaying produce and unrefrigerated meat.
Everything is different for Fiona, fresh out of college, born and raised in Omaha. Transportation involves hitching a ride in a derelict truck and bouncing over rutted dirt roads.
-- .... the driver of the beer truck delivering me to Oyem was a madman. He raced the lumbering vehicle down the narrow, unpaved roads, swerving wildly to avoid crater-sized potholes that punctuated the washboard ruts. Chickens fluttered and goats scattered in panic as we thundered through villages.
Fallen tree in the road? In America, people attack the problem swiftly but in Africa, it may take 24 hours or more for the road to be cleared. Mail is unreliable with "packages from home that keep getting torn into at the post office and arriving to me empty."
But the magic, the music, the dancing!
-- "The music here was heart-stoppingly beautiful, the melody supported by the low, sonorous chords of an organ played so softly, you could feel more than hear...
-- Dance, I’d come to see, was everywhere in Africa. The Gabonese danced at clubs, bars, parties. They danced in church; they danced in rituals; they danced to honor the arrivals of politicians and luminaries. They danced any time someone put on the right music, which meant, any music with a beat.
-- I’d watch the Gabonese move with a freedom within their bodies that I couldn’t even imagine. Relaxed energy flowed from all parts of their body: the legs, the torso, the arms. Sometimes the movement would be so small, just this gentle, rhythmic shifting from one foot to another. There was an innate flexibility in their hips that I lacked.... Babies were tucked on their mother’s backs, tied in place with a swathe of fabric. Every movement the mother made, and she went right along with her business, the child felt. Jiggling, swerving, dancing, striding, straining, from a child’s earliest kinetic memory.
Fiona is a trained ballet dancer, but she resists invitations to join the natives until, one night -- well, no spoilers from me!
The dialogue is riveting, believable, and engaging, especially when Fiona and a fellow Peace Corps volunteer compare notes and wax philosophical:
-- Opposing ideas can both be correct. Ram Dass has a quote about that. ‘Across planes of consciousness, we have to live with the paradox that opposite things can be simultaneously true.’
And the deaths - the heartbreak - the necessity of learning to detach: “You learn to offer sympathy without empathy. Nonattachment is essential.” A 3-year-old girl dies. "Grief saturated the air, heavier than the humidity. But it was African-style grief. After five days and nights of endless activity at their compound, with visitors, rattling gourds, wailing, singing, celebrating, it all abruptly stopped and the household returned, eerily, to precisely the same scene and hub of activity as before."
And so Fiona dances. "The Gabonese were still going to tragically die no matter what I did. The thoughts made me want to crumple and sob. Instead I danced."
Dance, philosophy, questions, answers, life, death: so many big issues and conflicts come together in a coherent narrative. I love it. This:
-- How far can you go? The rules in ballet were simple. You focused on a fixed point on the wall to avoid getting too dizzy during turns. If you failed to do so, the dizziness would overtake you and at some point you’d fall, maybe even pass out. Or would you? What happened at that moment when you lost control? Was there a divide? Could you suspend that moment between conscious and unconscious? Would being in that place give you answers?
What Fiona has learned will save her life when we reach the finale. It is glorious. Empowering. And, believe it or not, it's believable. With all the subplots and many characters, the story reads smoothly and the plot unfolds inexorably.
Her two years come to an end, and she asks a haunting question: “How do you leave Africa? How do you get on a plane and just fly out of here, knowing you’ll never come back?”
Not a spoiler, I hope, but an answer that should inspire others to read this book: “Maybe, deep inside, you don’t ever completely leave. Or maybe it’s that Africa never completely leaves you.”
Is there anything not to like in this book? Certainly. Fiona is immature and annoying in many ways, but she is believable and real, and she leaves quite an impression on this reader.
BUY THE BOOK! Read it asap!
October 3, 2018
I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads, Classical Girl Press and Terez Mertes Rose for a free ARC ebook copy. As always, an honest review from me.
My actual rating is 3.5/5 stars, but since there aren't half stars I always round up.
A Dancer’s Guide to Africa is the story of a young woman who went to Africa with the Peace Corps to appease her father with a real job, instead of dancing. She learns so much about herself, other cultures, and people in general. I loved reading about the experiences the Peace Corps workers had in different cities, so far away from their homes. It absolutely captivated me. The writing and storytelling is beautiful. Perfectly blending the art of ballet and African dance into a wonderful symphony of words. I felt as if I was right there with the characters. The story is fictional, but it almost reads as a memoir. I actually thought it was for a bit.
However, some of the characters were very arrogant, judgmental, and/or whiny. Not to say I would be any better in their situation, but at times it became frustrating to read when these segments went on for many chapters.
Overall the book is a beautiful read that absolutely transports you to another world filled with dance, spirit, and passion. I definitely recommend giving it a read.
My actual rating is 3.5/5 stars, but since there aren't half stars I always round up.
A Dancer’s Guide to Africa is the story of a young woman who went to Africa with the Peace Corps to appease her father with a real job, instead of dancing. She learns so much about herself, other cultures, and people in general. I loved reading about the experiences the Peace Corps workers had in different cities, so far away from their homes. It absolutely captivated me. The writing and storytelling is beautiful. Perfectly blending the art of ballet and African dance into a wonderful symphony of words. I felt as if I was right there with the characters. The story is fictional, but it almost reads as a memoir. I actually thought it was for a bit.
However, some of the characters were very arrogant, judgmental, and/or whiny. Not to say I would be any better in their situation, but at times it became frustrating to read when these segments went on for many chapters.
Overall the book is a beautiful read that absolutely transports you to another world filled with dance, spirit, and passion. I definitely recommend giving it a read.
November 3, 2023
3.5 stars Found on SCRIBD. Naturally the cheating and betrayal aspects were initially the draw.Though somewhat convoluted ,this reveals itself to be a complex and intriguing tale that served to rewrite a horrific real life attack\tragedy that occurred in Africa when a Peace core volunteer was found murdered. The healing vibe involves deeply cultural nuances and ethereal paranormal aspects that make for a compelling journey .It speaks to and for both the lost soul of a crime victim and the fictional h who heals herself as she communes with the spirits to overcome evil and finds true love.
December 3, 2018
I received this book for free through a contest. I've read Terez Mertes Rose's Ballet Chronicles Books 1 & 2. This book didn't live up to those books. I ultimately ended up liking it but for the first half of the book I considered quitting many times. It just seemed to drag in sections. The second half picked up and the rest of the book flew by. I am excited to read the book she has coming out in 2020 that ties this book to the Ballet Chronicles!
January 7, 2019
This is the kind of story that stays with you long after turning the last page. Vivid, gripping, poignant beyond words - I highly recommend it.
September 11, 2018
A Dancer’s Guide to Africa is a brilliantly informative novel of a stubborn college graduate running away to the Peace Corps. Fiona is anything but daring, really. She is a ballerina first and foremost and just finishing college. She is not on good terms with her beauty queen sister, nothing like her overachieving brother, and so when her father tells her it’s time to get a real job, she decides she’s done being the black sheep and answers an ad. She’ll show them. And when laughed at during a family dinner, she all but leaves then and there.
What follows is an amazing story of two years in the Peace Corps in Africa. While dancing is a main theme in her books, Terez does not dominate the story with it. She weaves it in as part of the character. It is who Fiona is, and even who she becomes, during her journey. Terez also deeply gets into what it is like to be a member of the Peace Corps and provides fantastic views into the cultures of Africa.
A Dancer’s Guide was as interesting as it was educational for me. The character development was done well, though I did wish for a little bit more background on her sister and what happened. However, that is my personal opinion and does not take away from the story in the slightest. The ending brought everything to a close and I enjoyed this book very much.
I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
What follows is an amazing story of two years in the Peace Corps in Africa. While dancing is a main theme in her books, Terez does not dominate the story with it. She weaves it in as part of the character. It is who Fiona is, and even who she becomes, during her journey. Terez also deeply gets into what it is like to be a member of the Peace Corps and provides fantastic views into the cultures of Africa.
A Dancer’s Guide was as interesting as it was educational for me. The character development was done well, though I did wish for a little bit more background on her sister and what happened. However, that is my personal opinion and does not take away from the story in the slightest. The ending brought everything to a close and I enjoyed this book very much.
I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
October 7, 2018
I was blown away by A Dancer’s Guide to Africa. The story drew me in right away. There are so many layers of drama, action and romance that I had a difficult time putting it down. This is not a typical grab for me, and I absolutely love when I read a genre that I don’t normally, and I’m this hooked!
The writing was beautiful. I could feel the hope, and the heartache. The rollercoaster of emotions that come with the ups and downs of a real, romantic relationship.
I also was drawn into the descriptions of the culture of Africa. An area I do not know much about, but I learned quite a bit about the Peace Corps, and the difficulties of traveling there, particularly for women. It just gives you this newfound respect.
I highly recommend checking out Dancer’s Gide to Africa! You will walk away feeling inspired.
*I received a copy of this book as part of a blog tour. All opinions are my own.*
The writing was beautiful. I could feel the hope, and the heartache. The rollercoaster of emotions that come with the ups and downs of a real, romantic relationship.
I also was drawn into the descriptions of the culture of Africa. An area I do not know much about, but I learned quite a bit about the Peace Corps, and the difficulties of traveling there, particularly for women. It just gives you this newfound respect.
I highly recommend checking out Dancer’s Gide to Africa! You will walk away feeling inspired.
*I received a copy of this book as part of a blog tour. All opinions are my own.*
September 13, 2019
I came across Terez's books on Goodreads. Someone posted her novels, Off Balance and Outside the Limelight. I read one, enjoyed it and read the other, and enjoyed it just as much. I won a copy of this one through Goodreads, and I am blown away. Terez is magnificent storyteller and this was an exhilarating journey with Fiona and all the characters. I was truly enthralled by every solitary event that took place in this story all the way to the end.
October 2, 2019
A father saying get a job, enough with the dancing and changing careers. Joining thePeace Corp as an English teacher, was that the answer. No, six months later, but parents approved. The grit, the dirt, and a language one didn’t understand. A time for her personal growth, and experiencing
being in the culture of Africa.
being in the culture of Africa.
January 7, 2019
Wonderful book
A great look at the Peace Corp experience and life in Africa. It was a privilege to read this book.
A great look at the Peace Corp experience and life in Africa. It was a privilege to read this book.
May 27, 2019
The author writes really well and draws one easily into the story.
This novel is about a young woman, Fiona, a recent college graduate, a ballet dancer and a person who wants to find herself and get away from some things that are bothering her in her hometown. Fiona decides to join the Peace Corps and is sent to the country of Gabon in Africa to become an English teacher.
Once in Africa, and assigned to her village Fiona, experiences, both respect and disrespect from some of her students and experiences some hardships in her village to where she is transferred to another place.
Dance which has always been so important to her, was found again after much reluctance in a local African dance, where she is finally able to feel free again.
A couple of romances which teach her a lot about herself, and experiences she has with the local people bring her a fulfilling experience.
The author gives use a wonderfully visual look at the culture, traditions and feel of the country and I felt I was there with the character as she goes through every aspect of it.
A very worthwhile read, and I look forward to more of her books.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Classical Girl Press for the ARC of this book.
This novel is about a young woman, Fiona, a recent college graduate, a ballet dancer and a person who wants to find herself and get away from some things that are bothering her in her hometown. Fiona decides to join the Peace Corps and is sent to the country of Gabon in Africa to become an English teacher.
Once in Africa, and assigned to her village Fiona, experiences, both respect and disrespect from some of her students and experiences some hardships in her village to where she is transferred to another place.
Dance which has always been so important to her, was found again after much reluctance in a local African dance, where she is finally able to feel free again.
A couple of romances which teach her a lot about herself, and experiences she has with the local people bring her a fulfilling experience.
The author gives use a wonderfully visual look at the culture, traditions and feel of the country and I felt I was there with the character as she goes through every aspect of it.
A very worthwhile read, and I look forward to more of her books.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Classical Girl Press for the ARC of this book.
October 8, 2018
To be honest I was a little apprehensive at the start of this book. I thought it was just going to be another story naive girl who falls in love and becomes dependent on a man. Thankfully this book proved me wrong, and the story unfolded about a young girls journey to Africa. The author did a wonderful job of setting the scene, and describing the culture and customs in Africa. I loved learning about the different traditions, language, social hierarchies, and comparing them to US norms. The author also did a fantastic job of putting the reader in the main characters shoes. I really felt the excitement, fear and lust the main character was experiencing. I loved seeing her transform over the course of her stay in Africa, learning more about herself and the world around her.
Overall this is a great book, an easy read with a hint of self discovery. I would highly recommend this book to others, especially those with a hint of wanderlust :)
Overall this is a great book, an easy read with a hint of self discovery. I would highly recommend this book to others, especially those with a hint of wanderlust :)
May 16, 2019
What I loved: the depictions of Gabon and being in the Peace Corps, written only as someone who’d experienced both could do. What I hated: Fiona’s obsession with a man who made her miserable, with whom she had nothing in common, shared no common values or vision of the future, and (despite some chemistry) only had mediocre sex with. Remove that component and it would be a five star book! (Disclosure: I received a free copy of this e-book.)
August 23, 2019
AMAZING!! I thoroughly LOVED this book. I got so lost in the imagery, it was as though I was right alongside Fiona in her journeys. LOVED all the cultural nuances and character depths. Phenomenal read!!
April 30, 2019
An exotic journey into beautiful land and culture of Gabon Africa
I just finished A Dancer's Guide to Africa by Terez Mertes Rose. I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway drawing.
I'm typically drawn to historically fiction or women's fiction. This was neither, in fact not sure how to classify except simply fiction - very enjoyable fiction.
This story is set in late 1980s and follows rather naive Fiona, a twenty something classically trained ballerina through her decision to join (run away to) the Peace Corp, and her two years teaching English in small town and remote villages of Gabon Africa.
Although she does find two loves, it did not turn this into a romance read for me, rather just part of her experience, and excellent illustration of cultural differences between African and American men.
I enjoyed Fiona's growth and transformation throughout the two year period, growth happening the most when she stopped fighting against the experiences and just opened herself to them. Without giving too much away, I was particularly delighted with her final resolution with the male student intent on teaching her her proper place in their country and culture.
I likely would not have found this book on my own, so glad I stumbled on it in Goodreads, and honored to have been gifted a copy.
Although there are a few moments throughout that start to drag a bit, it always picks up, and it's well worth reading.
Really enjoyed this one and recommend to anyone looking for something just a little different.
I just finished A Dancer's Guide to Africa by Terez Mertes Rose. I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway drawing.
I'm typically drawn to historically fiction or women's fiction. This was neither, in fact not sure how to classify except simply fiction - very enjoyable fiction.
This story is set in late 1980s and follows rather naive Fiona, a twenty something classically trained ballerina through her decision to join (run away to) the Peace Corp, and her two years teaching English in small town and remote villages of Gabon Africa.
Although she does find two loves, it did not turn this into a romance read for me, rather just part of her experience, and excellent illustration of cultural differences between African and American men.
I enjoyed Fiona's growth and transformation throughout the two year period, growth happening the most when she stopped fighting against the experiences and just opened herself to them. Without giving too much away, I was particularly delighted with her final resolution with the male student intent on teaching her her proper place in their country and culture.
I likely would not have found this book on my own, so glad I stumbled on it in Goodreads, and honored to have been gifted a copy.
Although there are a few moments throughout that start to drag a bit, it always picks up, and it's well worth reading.
Really enjoyed this one and recommend to anyone looking for something just a little different.
May 9, 2019
This is a fictional account of recent college graduate's experience in the Peace Corps in Africa in the 1980's. The story did a great job of showing what life was like for Peace Corps volunteers. Also, the fictional element allowed for lots of interesting personal relationships between the main character, Fiona, and her friends and lovers. The dance element was important to the story, but wasn't the main focus.
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Yay!
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Yay!
August 16, 2019
Really interesting story about a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa. Fascinating to learn about Gabon.
November 1, 2018
This is such a wonderfully original novel! I’ve never come across anything close to the plot of this before, and it’s also completely out of my realm when it comes to genres I read. I’m a slut for books about dancers, and so it’s that that drew me in in the first place. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to win a Kindle version of this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I’m grateful I got to read it!
The only thing I didn’t particularly care for was any of the characters. Fiona was a little difficult to relate to in how whiny and wimpy she is throughout the book, and her fascination with Christophe, who is a Class A asshole, doesn’t make sense. He’s supposed to be charismatic and charming, and I never once got that impression of him. If anything, he was transparently manipulative, hiding behind his family’s wealth to get what he wants. Ultimately, I wasn’t thrilled with his conclusion in the novel.
As for Fiona’s conclusion, I’m not sure I liked that much, either. She left things in shambles back home with her family, and I was looking forward to a reunion or a good talk with her sister where they clear the air, but the readers never get that. She has a dream where she imagines her sister crying over her, and that’s it. Her fulfillment and sense of purpose comes from being asked to move in with a guy she’s only been with for a week. I was just hoping for something a little more Fiona-centric rather than something centric around the men and how they fit into her life.
Regardless, this novel was wildly fascinating and definitely broadened my cultural awareness and reading tastes. I’d recommend for anyone who’s curious about the peace corps and Africa!
The only thing I didn’t particularly care for was any of the characters. Fiona was a little difficult to relate to in how whiny and wimpy she is throughout the book, and her fascination with Christophe, who is a Class A asshole, doesn’t make sense. He’s supposed to be charismatic and charming, and I never once got that impression of him. If anything, he was transparently manipulative, hiding behind his family’s wealth to get what he wants. Ultimately, I wasn’t thrilled with his conclusion in the novel.
As for Fiona’s conclusion, I’m not sure I liked that much, either. She left things in shambles back home with her family, and I was looking forward to a reunion or a good talk with her sister where they clear the air, but the readers never get that. She has a dream where she imagines her sister crying over her, and that’s it. Her fulfillment and sense of purpose comes from being asked to move in with a guy she’s only been with for a week. I was just hoping for something a little more Fiona-centric rather than something centric around the men and how they fit into her life.
Regardless, this novel was wildly fascinating and definitely broadened my cultural awareness and reading tastes. I’d recommend for anyone who’s curious about the peace corps and Africa!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2018
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and cannot wait to read it!
November 3, 2021
I won this book as a FirstRead.
Fiona Garvey loves dancing ballet but doesn't know what to do with her life after college. When she impulsively announces to her family that she wants to join the Peace Corps after college, she doesn't want to go back on her declaration. Thus, Fiona ends up as an English teacher in Gabon for two years. There, Fiona is thrown for a loop, both by the cultural differences and by her attraction to a Gabonese man named Christophe. Fiona learns that the structure that she is used to in ballet is diametrically opposed to the looseness of both African dance and African life.
Terez Mertez Rose is a phenomenal writer; she really has a way with words. I did not always like the characters, but I loved the story from start to finish. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
Fiona Garvey loves dancing ballet but doesn't know what to do with her life after college. When she impulsively announces to her family that she wants to join the Peace Corps after college, she doesn't want to go back on her declaration. Thus, Fiona ends up as an English teacher in Gabon for two years. There, Fiona is thrown for a loop, both by the cultural differences and by her attraction to a Gabonese man named Christophe. Fiona learns that the structure that she is used to in ballet is diametrically opposed to the looseness of both African dance and African life.
Terez Mertez Rose is a phenomenal writer; she really has a way with words. I did not always like the characters, but I loved the story from start to finish. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
January 24, 2019
It didn’t take me long to fall in love with this book. I want to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.
This is a beautifully written novel about a young woman with a background in classical ballet who gets a position as an English teacher with the Peace Corps in Gabon, Africa. The lush descriptions of the countryside and customs are alone worth the read. It was evident the author drew on her knowledge and love of dance, storytelling, music and their mystical elements to weave a suspenseful tale. I will definitely be reading her other books.
This is a beautifully written novel about a young woman with a background in classical ballet who gets a position as an English teacher with the Peace Corps in Gabon, Africa. The lush descriptions of the countryside and customs are alone worth the read. It was evident the author drew on her knowledge and love of dance, storytelling, music and their mystical elements to weave a suspenseful tale. I will definitely be reading her other books.
April 2, 2019
This book started as a fascinating study of an American's life in Africa and the differences between American and Gabonese culture. There were times, though, when I wanted to throttle the protagonist either for her inaction or the choices she made. In the middle of the book, some chapters moved a little slowly, hence the one star deduction.
December 11, 2018
I won this Kindle Edition book in a GoodReads giveaway - thank you to everyone involved!!
A well written book. We follow Fiona as she grows and matures in the Peace Corps in Africa.
Interesting and has a dance theme. I highly recommend!!
A well written book. We follow Fiona as she grows and matures in the Peace Corps in Africa.
Interesting and has a dance theme. I highly recommend!!
March 22, 2019
I don't have to like the characters to enjoy a book. One of the reasons I liked this book, is that it transported me to African villages. It felt as if I experienced it through reading. It was a well-written, very authentic book, even though from the American perspective only.
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