Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance

Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance

Lloyd Jones2002
'If you haven t fallen in love by the end of the dance you haven t danced the tango.' So says Rosa, fiery Argentinean restaurateur, to her 19-year-old kitchenhand and bumbling dance partner Lionel. As a story of the most captivating nature unravels, their unlikely union on the dance floor develops into a bond of love and obsession - fierce and all encompassing, and so it mirrors the dance. As they dance, Rosa tells Lionel the story of her grandfather Paul Schmidt and his lover Louise. A secret love that spanned decades; from their time during the First World War hiding out in a cave on New Zealand's West Coast - to Buenos Aires, where they continue their affair, dancing the tango endlessly in her barren room. The language is beautifully crafted, the imagery strikes straight to the heart. And while the old story is being told we become aware of the uncanny parallel with the present: between Schmidt's granddaughter Rosa and Lionel the dishwasher. This is Jones at his finest. Also available as an eBook
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Reviews

Photo of Vanessa Egger
Vanessa Egger@vanessalovesbooks
2 stars
Mar 8, 2022

1916 in Neuseeland die junge Louise und der Klavierstimmer Schmidt müssen sich im Verborgenen halten und zum Zeitvertreib tanzen sie Tango und kommen sich dabei näher. Doch das Schicksal ist nicht auf ihrer Seite. Viele Jahre später treffen sich Louise und Schmidt in Buenos Aires wieder. Louise hat sich gerade von ihrem Mann getrennt und Schmidt hat geheiratet und erwartet ein Kind. Wieder bleibt den beiden nur der Tango. Zwei Generationen später lernt Rosa, Schmidts Enkelin, den Studenten Lionel kennen. Auf den Spuren des Großvaters führt sie ihn in die Welt des Tangos ein, beschwört den Zauber der Vergangenheit herauf, und eine weitere Affäre nimmt ihren Lauf. Die Geschichte an sich finde ich gut, nur leider hat mich die Umsetzung nicht gepackt und gefesselt, es fehlt mir der Spannungsbogen. Der Schreibstil gefällt mir persönlich auch nicht.

This book appears on the shelf 2015

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