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Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance

By Lloyd Jones
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Brief Description
"If you haven't fallen in love by the end of the dance, you haven't danced the tango." So says Rosa, a 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... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"If you haven't fallen in love by the end of the dance, you haven't danced the tango." So says Rosa, a 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.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780143018506

Publisher: Penguin Group (NZ)

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 August 2002

Country: New Zealand

Imprint: Penguin Books (NZ)

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 260g

Pages: 288

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Lloyd Jones New Zealand and Australia Published New Zealand Published Penguin Books

About the Author

Lloyd Jones is one of New Zealand's best known contemporary writers. He has published essays and children's books, his distinctive works including the novels The Book of Fame, winner of numerous literary awards, Biografi, a New York Times Notable Book, Choo Woo, Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance, Paint Your Wife, Hand Me Down World, The Cage, The Fish, and the phenomenally successful Mister Pip, winner of the 2007 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Montana Medal for Fiction and the Kiriyama Writers' Prize. Mister Pip was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007.

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