The Dancer Upstairs
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Review
"Riveting...an intriguing, well-crafted and powerful novel."-"The Washington Post
""A beautifully crafted tale of love, obsession, and terror."-"The Baltimore Sun
"
"Enviably good, a genuinely fine novel from a writer who possesses real heart and flair."-Louis de Bernieres, "The Sunday Times "(London)
"An intriguing, well-crafted and powerful novel." --"The Washington Post"
"I cannot think of any other contemporary foreign writer who has ventured with such curiosity and such sure instincts into the labyrinth of the politics of my country and acquitted himself so well." --Mario Vargas Llosa
""A beautifully crafted tale of love, obsession, and terror."-"The Baltimore Sun
"
"Enviably good, a genuinely fine novel from a writer who possesses real heart and flair."-Louis de Bernieres, "The Sunday Times "(London)
"An intriguing, well-crafted and powerful novel." --"The Washington Post"
"I cannot think of any other contemporary foreign writer who has ventured with such curiosity and such sure instincts into the labyrinth of the politics of my country and acquitted himself so well." --Mario Vargas Llosa
Book Description
'A crackling good yarn - Graham Greene meets Gabriel García Marquez' Evening Standard
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nicholas Shakespeare is tough on his characters. He makes them inhabit a world where daily they must confront the big issues of life: morality, love, betrayal and the political machinations of an unstable state. But just as dancers must often endure pain to produce movement of great beauty, Shakespeare's protagonists are made to fight emotional battles to produce a work of surprising humanity and tenderness.
Of course all this needs an environment sufficiently grand to accommodate such large themes, and Shakespeare's undeniable understanding of South America and its societies provides ample space. Across Shakespeare's lonely mountains and confused cities we follow Colonel Rejas, a policeman on the trail of Eziquiel, a terrorist leader. Eziquiel himself leads a life of incarceration, partly due to his outlaw status and partly because of his own illness, an ailment which, ironically, is confined largely to the social group Eziquiel is fighting against.
Throughout the book we watch the characters make moral choices, influenced both by the society and the environment they find themselves in. This is a place where children carry out political assassinations and in which no-one remains untouched by politics and corruption. We see most of the events through the eyes of Rejas, who himself begins to question the rights and wrongs of his own actions when confronted with evidence of violence on both sides of the political divide and realises the risk to the relationships he holds dear. The book is full of fearful encounters, but each has its own humanity and with each we achieve some sort of recognition, or empathy even.
The Dancer Upstairs has the pace of a thriller and the intrigue of a detective novel, but has a very human heart. Read this and, just like Colonel Rejas, you may find yourself examining the very roots of values and relationships you hold close.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A fabulous novel - a real page turner. The storyline is inspired by the real life capture of the leader of the Peruvian Shining Path terrorist group and does bear some similarity. As well as being a gripping thriller, it is also a story full of humanity.
The couple of chapters were a little slow but once the story proper starts the book becomes immediately compelling. The central character and narrator is Rejas, the policeman who succeeded in capturing the enigmatic guerilla leader Ezequiel after years of searching. Rejas is a good character and one who is easy to sympathise with, and is supported by strong supporting characters.
South America is vividly conjured up and anyone who has lived in or travelled on the continent will be transported back there. The descriptions of the hardships suffered by people in rural areas, at the hands of both guerillas and military, are powerful. Although the story is a work of fiction set in an unnamed South American country, there are many similarities with Peru and the Shining Path group.
Sometimes the plot relies a little bit too much on coincidence, although that doesn't spoil the story, it does stretch credibility a little bit. For example, we have to believe that Ezequiel just happens to be hiding above the dancing school where Rejas' daughter regularly attends, and where Rejas has a friendship with the teacher. It's handled well though and never feels too clunking.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone - it will be particularly enjoyed by those with a love of South America, and by anyone who likes the novels of Le Carre, Grisham etc.
The couple of chapters were a little slow but once the story proper starts the book becomes immediately compelling. The central character and narrator is Rejas, the policeman who succeeded in capturing the enigmatic guerilla leader Ezequiel after years of searching. Rejas is a good character and one who is easy to sympathise with, and is supported by strong supporting characters.
South America is vividly conjured up and anyone who has lived in or travelled on the continent will be transported back there. The descriptions of the hardships suffered by people in rural areas, at the hands of both guerillas and military, are powerful. Although the story is a work of fiction set in an unnamed South American country, there are many similarities with Peru and the Shining Path group.
Sometimes the plot relies a little bit too much on coincidence, although that doesn't spoil the story, it does stretch credibility a little bit. For example, we have to believe that Ezequiel just happens to be hiding above the dancing school where Rejas' daughter regularly attends, and where Rejas has a friendship with the teacher. It's handled well though and never feels too clunking.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone - it will be particularly enjoyed by those with a love of South America, and by anyone who likes the novels of Le Carre, Grisham etc.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well written. Compelling, I read it just about in one sitting. The story drags you into the horror of the political situation and the human interest behind it. Excellent. I'll look for this author again.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fact turned into fiction: review of "The dancer upstairs" by Nicholas...
This is basically Nicholas Shakespeare's own dramatised version of the capture in 1992 of Abimael Guzmán, the leader of the Shining Path (or Sendero Luminoso), the Maoist... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Easy Reader
I good read if you're a fan of SA..
The insight into Peru and what has occurred is brilliant. The combination of love, relationships, violence and mystery are enough to keep a casual reader like myself eager for... Read more
Published on 13 April 2005 by Mul
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