The Dancing Floor, by Barbara Michaels

I'm fast running out of Barbara Michaels books that I haven't reread in the last year or so. The latest was the last "real" Barbara Michaels the author wrote (I don't count Other Worlds, I'm afraid), The Dancing Floor.

For years, Heather Tradescant had dreamed of the journey she and her father would take to England--a pilgrimage to the great gardens of history.Now that her father is dead, Heather is determined to fulfill his dreams. Unfortunately, her request to see the fabled 17th-century garden of Troytan House is denied by the owner. Though unwelcome, she braves the walls of briars and reaches the Victorian manor house beyond. She senses a strange mission of evil lurking, tainting the manor's peaceful beauty. Only then does Heather begin to wonder whether it is only stories of long-vanished witchcraft that haunt Troytan House or whether there is some more modern horror, hearer at hand, and far, far more dangerous.

I enjoyed it immensely. Michaels later books have a very different flavour from her early "ghost" stories. I adore both. A B+.

This is not a book for action junkies, very definitely NOT a page-turner. The pace is leisurely, and often long stretches go by where nothing really exciting happens, but it happens to be a style I enjoy very much, at least when done by this author.

It has a bit of a gothic feeling, though less than other titles, and it's narrated in first person by the heroine, Heather, which adds to the gothic tones. This POV succeeds very well because Heather is a lovely character, and one interesting to read, with a witty, sarcastic voice. I suppose she might come across as a bit too brash and blunt to some people, but I cheered every time she spoke her mind and refused to put up with any shit or refused to be condescended to and to be treated like a "little woman". Something else I enjoyed about her was how she was very self-aware, and good-naturedly accepted when she was being ridiculous. Added to that, an enjoyable sense of humour, and this makes for a really good narrator. Oh, and I also loved how she'd eat with great gusto, even though she knew she was a little overweight. Good for her!

The very interesting cast of secondary characters was quite well done. I actually thought the characterization of Bobbie, a child who was really monstrously bad-behaved, was remarkable. There are kids who are sweet and kids who are just that... monsters, but authors tend to portray children as inherently good, while here, Michaels doesn't do that at all. Bobbie is written in all his horrible glory, and yet he never comes across as a caricature, but as a real person.

The only kind-of exception to this was Heather's love interest, who I thought was a little underwritten. This meant, of course, that the romance wasn't so good. Being a Michaels fan, I knew from the start who this love interest would be, so I took note of the little details which showed an attraction. Still, it was all a bit too subtle, even for Michaels.

More tangentially, I was interested in the way romance novels were portrayed here. After some of the Jacqueline Kirby books, where romance novels were pretty ridiculed (Die for Love and Naked Once More come to mind), here the attitude has changed. Heather reads romance (she actually shares a Regency with the other women in the house), and at one point, when Jordan asks her where she got a certain obscure knowledge, well, it was from a romance novel. That was a nice touch, I thought.

Oh, and a last note: I always enjoy the nuggets of specialized info Michaels offers the reader as part of the story (it never sounds like she's just quoting from a reference book). This time, there was some fascinating stuff about old English gardens and about witches, both the 17th century witch trials and the modern wicca. This made for very good setting and atmosphere.