[YRJ]⋙ [PDF] Free Dancing at The Chance DeAnna Cameron 9780425245590 Books

Dancing at The Chance DeAnna Cameron 9780425245590 Books

Download As PDF : Dancing at The Chance DeAnna Cameron 9780425245590 Books

Dancing at The Chance DeAnna Cameron 9780425245590 Books

It's important to me to be able to attach to a character if I'm to enjoy a book. I don't have to like them or even sympathize with them, however I do need to be able to understand who they are and what motivates them. Cameron definitely delivers on that count. You don't have to be a dancer to empathize with her heroine, and you'll be amazed how quickly you find yourself rooting for this plucky underdog all the way. The obstacles are real, the plot twisted with enough intrigue to keep you turning pages right to the end.

I found myself noting favorite enjoyable scenes and passages throughout, which doesn't happen all the time. And her maelstrom of supporting characters really sets you up for a rollicking adventure in old vaudville New York. I want to go there myself and live it firsthand, but until I put the finishing touches on my time machine, I'll have to settle for re-reading the book instead.

I've already passed my copy on to deserving friends who are in need of some fun adventure. I suggest you pick up a copy and treat yourself to the same.


Tags : Dancing at The Chance [DeAnna Cameron] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. New York City in 1907 is a kingdom of endless possibilities for anyone who dares to dream. The Gilded Age has ended,DeAnna Cameron,Dancing at The Chance,Berkley,0425245594,Historical - General,Ambition;Fiction.,Theater;New York (State);New York;Fiction.,Women dancers;Fiction.,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,Ambition,FICTION Historical General,Fiction,Fiction-Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Illinois,New York,New York (State),Theater,United States,Women dancers

Dancing at The Chance DeAnna Cameron 9780425245590 Books Reviews

Dancing at the Chance is a rich, historical novel about vaudeville in the early 1900s and will appeal to those that wish to learn more about that period while experiencing a heartwarming, romantic story.

Pepper has lived in the basement of The Chance Theater for over 13 years, since she and her mother came to help with the costumes. After her mother died, Pepper continues to be the wardrobe assistant, until she gets a chance to actually be a dancer in the show--something she's dreamed about since she arrived.

Pepper is plagued by insecurities about her abilities as a dancer, though. And, because of her loose tongue, she continues to stay on the bad side of Stanley, the stage manager. She's in constant fear that she will be let go.

It's 1907, and the old fashioned, small theater is almost dead. Bigger, more extravagant theaters, owned by large partnerships are squeezing out the small guy. Pepper, however, blames much of their failures on Stanley. When she finds out the owner's son is returning, her hopes grow. Before Robert was suddenly shipped away to school, Pepper and Robert were romantically involved. She has hopes that not only will his return cause the theater to be successful once again, but also that their romance will continue, as Robert promised.

As a reader, we know this is unlikely. The owner taking up with a performer? Not likely. But Pepper is young and naive, and we must experience her mistakes. There are a few interesting side characters, in particular Em, Pepper's mother's special friend, who tries to take care of Pepper. The performers fit the model -- some are arrogant, while many are incompetent. Some of them have both of these characteristics.

The first thought that comes to mind about Dancing at the Chance is "richly detailed." I could see myself at The Chance, sitting in the audience, or backstage with the performers. The amount of detail was also a put-off, though. The actual events of the story proceeded very slowly; the action was not the emphasis in this one.

Cameron includes interesting historical personalities. It is the birth of motion pictures, and we are introduced to Edwin S. Porter, a famous movie maker of the time. We also meet Florenz Ziegfeld, who is just introducing his Ziegfeld Follies.

The romance is predictable. We know who Pepper belongs with, and it's just a matter of time before she figures it out too. The ending is simply perfect. The happiest of happy endings possible -- and that was OK with me. I love "feeling good" after finishing a novel, and Dancing at the Chance definitely gave me that feeling. This book doesn't have wide appeal to teens (it is billed as an adult book), but those fans of historical romance, especially if they are interested in theater will enjoy it.
Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty A heartwarmingly beautiful story of loss, love and talent.

Opening Sentence For a full half hour the stage manager sat on a stool near the footlights, his fingers curled on the hooked head of his cane, silently watching the vaudeville players at morning rehearsal.

The Review

Picture, if you will, early twentieth century New York City. Back before terrorism, before the Great Depression, or even the Roaring Twenties. Back to the days of stage performing, before moving pictures were so popular. Back to the little theaters featuring vaudeville -- variety acts much like one would see on, well to be current, on America's Got Talent. This book has dancers, singers, dog acts, even a guy who spins plates on sticks.

This story features one of these vaudeville performers, Pepper MacClair. Pepper and her mother, Bessie, arrived thirteen years prior to the opening of this story on a boat from Scotland, braced for a new life beginning with the reunion with Pepper's father. When the man never showed, Bessie was forced to make do, to find ways to support herself and her daughter, and that's where The Chance Theatre comes in. For the past thirteen years, Pepper has called the theater and its small basement rooms her home, and its employees and performers her family.

After a disastrous premiere as a dancer on the stage, on what was apparently the worst night of her young life, Pepper was relegated to work behind the scenes. That is until an opening in one of the chorus line acts gave her another chance at stardom. But, stardom is a hard row to hoe in a place as unkempt and obscure as The Chance is. But, The Chance is apparently her only shot, as she is rather reluctant to leave. So, there she dances, every night, hoping for her big break. Or is it something else that keeps her there. Perhaps it is the return of her true love that she is truly waiting for.

On the night of her debut, she had given herself to one Robert DeGraaf, son of the owner of The Chance. Robert swore to love her forever, and never forget her. But, also on that night, Robert's father had sent him away, back to school, refusing them the ability to be together. Pepper had always assumed that it was because she was a lowly immigrant showgirl. And when Robert returns, she naively thinks that he will go against society and his father and marry her.

Alas, upon Robert's return to New York, all is not as Pepper had planned. Robert does indeed want her back in his life, but as his mistress, not his wife, and he wants her to quit dancing. And when Pepper is fired from her job, he gets what he wants. But, when his father dies, she comes to realize that he cares nothing for his father's theater legacy, or what it meant to Pepper and all the others involved therein. And, it turns out that Robert was perfectly willing to leave her back then to return to school. In fact, it was his idea all along. But never fear, for waiting in the wings is the one man who always has and always will truly love her, Gregory Creighton. Gregory and Pepper both came to The Chance as young children, and she has always held a special place in his heart. Gregory is there for her when everything crumbles at her feet, holding her up, helping her deal, loving her anyway.

So, with the demise of her relationship with Robert, Pepper is forced to return to her stage family and it is she who delivers the news to them of The Chance's imminent demise. But, she will not allow them to go quietly into the night, and she and her friends come up with a brilliant idea. They will do one final show for free, a showcase of everyone's talents, with a title completely unlike anything The Chance's stage has seen.

After the show, which was a hit by the way, Pepper is summoned to attend the reading of Robert's father's will. And what happens there is quite the shock to everyone, including Pepper and that piss poor excuse for a human being, Robert. Best part of the book, and where we finally receive our happy ending.

You might say that this book stands alone among the other type books that this website features. And I believe you would be correct. This is, after all, a largely paranormal based site, hence the name, and a large percentage of books featured here are just that -- paranormal. This story is straight up historical women's fiction, I guess the term would be. Not our usual mojo, nor is it my personal preference of reading material. I am more of a steamy-medieval-romance-with-a-mysterious-vampire-sex-god kind of gal. But, the genre of this book shouldn't keep any of you from reading it, however. It is still a very well written, heart-wrenching story without the sex, mystery, or fanged love machine.

FTC Advisory Penguin/Berkley provided me with a copy of Dancing at The Chance. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.
In the same way she took me back to turn-of-the-century Chicago in The Belly Dancer, DeAnna has taken me to old New York and the Vaudeville stage. The characters were engaging, although I confess, I wanted to shake Pepper a time or two to get the lovesick stars out of her eyes. (You know when you want to yell at a character that the author has created a real person!) The story turned out to have some twists along the way, too, that I wasn't expecting. Reading this book was a delightful experience.
It's important to me to be able to attach to a character if I'm to enjoy a book. I don't have to like them or even sympathize with them, however I do need to be able to understand who they are and what motivates them. Cameron definitely delivers on that count. You don't have to be a dancer to empathize with her heroine, and you'll be amazed how quickly you find yourself rooting for this plucky underdog all the way. The obstacles are real, the plot twisted with enough intrigue to keep you turning pages right to the end.

I found myself noting favorite enjoyable scenes and passages throughout, which doesn't happen all the time. And her maelstrom of supporting characters really sets you up for a rollicking adventure in old vaudville New York. I want to go there myself and live it firsthand, but until I put the finishing touches on my time machine, I'll have to settle for re-reading the book instead.

I've already passed my copy on to deserving friends who are in need of some fun adventure. I suggest you pick up a copy and treat yourself to the same.