The Dance of Life

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

Once again Meggy is called on to demonstrate courage, fortitude,
generosity, and spirit. Like the other books in the series—Dancing for
Danger (2000) and Secret of the Crystal Cave (2001)— this story is set
in 18th-century Ireland under the Penal Laws. Meggy’s father has been
seriously injured in a mine accident and is unable to support the
family. Meggy tries out for and wins—despite being female—the
position of travelling dance master to County Kerry. The money she earns
from teaching Irish-Catholic children to dance in secret will enable the
family to keep their cottage.

Meggy endures many trials as dance mistress, including betrayal by a
rival, surprise searches of the homes of the people who board her by
English-Protestant soldiers, brutalized villagers, informers, and the
dangers and discomforts of travelling by night in secret, in the cold,
and in unfamiliar territory. How she prevails, with the help of loving
friends and family, and, indeed, discovers a treasure, makes for
interesting reading.

The story is well-told, fast-paced, and exciting. Meggy is an
empathetic heroine, and we root for her. Other characters are
well-drawn. There is a hint of romance. The countryside of Ireland is
lovingly described; flora and fauna are woven into the everyday
experiences of the rural Irish and provide poignant witness to a
vanished way of life lived close to nature. The novel also puts a human
face on the misery that was the lot of the Irish people during the dark
period of English colonialism. Recommended.