Dancing Woman by Elaine Neil Orr ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

Elaine Neil Orr, born in Nigeria to expat parents, brings us an indelible portrait of a young female artist, torn between two men and two cultures, struggling to find her passion and her purpose.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2025; Blair; 978-1958888339
ebook, print (304 pages); historical fiction

Dancing Woman takes place in 1963 in Nigeria. The story is beautifully written with well-developed characters.  The setting in Nigeria is so well described that you can almost see it in your mind as you read about it.  The setting is a crucial part of the story and is as important to the story progression as the characters are and truly is another character in this story.

Isabel has moved to Nigeria with her husband Nick who is an agricultural aid worker.  When Nick first told her his plans to work in Nigeria, Isabel was looking forward to making a difference in people's lives and finding inspiration for her art and more importantly for her life.  Instead, she finds herself spending a lot of time alone or with the servant in her home.  While on a rare weekend away from home, she is fascinated by Bobby Tunde a charismatic local singer.   They share a night of passion and it begins to change her perspective on her life. When she goes back to her home, she becomes involved in making her art and in the daily running of her home.  Because of her night with Bobby, her life becomes more difficult and she worries that her husband may find out about it.  There is a lot of unrest in Nigeria at this time and life in general becomes dangerous.

Can her art and the culture of life in Nigeria help Isabel find the person that she wants to become?

The writing in this book is fantastic -- if I highlighted all of the beautifully written sentences, the book would be highlighted throughout.  Isabel is a wonderful character who grows and becomes a better person throughout the story - from a young wife who isn't sure of her place in the world to a woman who knows the direction that she wants her life to follow.

Buy Dancing Woman at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

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