Book Description
With her 40th birthday approaching and with three well-received novels in hand, Miss Jane Austen determines that she will host a ball. She has her reasons – quite sensible reasons. With the end of the war, the nation is in economic turmoil and, close to home, her brother’s bank is in distress. She has gained confidence and sees a way to gain her own means and independence.
A dancing master is sent for; a dancing master
arrives. There is confusion, music, a literary rescue mission, a murder, a
mystery and a puzzle that must be solved; even if the quest flies in the face
of propriety. A mousetrap is set; it captures the wrong prey. Honor must be
served, even if it involves headlong flight. And a mystery must be unraveled,
even if it involves dark secrets.
Music & Dance
One unusual aspect of the story is the degree to
which music and dance pervade its telling. The act of playing music together
brings people into a special kind of intimate relationship. The story weaves in
scenes of dance preparations, making music, teaching dancing and provides an
inside look at a ball from the musicians’ and dance leader’s perspective. One
scene follows a couple down the set through a longways dance.
A line on the cover promises “a novel with musical
accompaniment” as we plan to provide readers with “audio illustrations” –
online access to custom tracks that will be recorded to go along with the book.
Some e-readers may even be able to click and hear the music. Most of the
melodies will be tunes Miss Austen might have heard, danced to and even played.
But there is one newly composed melody—The Dancing Master’s New Tune we’ll call it for now—that takes a prominent place
in the tale.
