Review of The Dedicated Dancer

[Shally Z]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Dedicated Dancer" by Marcy Bowser.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Annie Edson Taylor is the first and only person to survive the plunge down Niagara Falls in a barrel that she designed herself. She performs this stunt on her birthday (October 24th, 1901), mostly for financial reasons. But what had led her to this point?

The book starts with Annie reflecting on her life to date, just before she’s going to perform the stunt. She had lived a difficult life and lost many loved ones. She was orphaned at 14 and married Samuel D. Taylor at 18 years old. Their marriage was rocked by the loss of their baby boy shortly after he was born. She then lost both her husband and brother within a week of each other during the battle at Gettysburg. However, these hurdles were not enough to break her.

Marcy Bowser combines Annie’s memoirs and historical facts with creative embellishments to retell the life of one of America’s most underrated daredevils in The Dedicated Dancer: Annie Taylor, the Woman Who Conquered Niagara Falls in a Barrel. Bowser categorises the book as historical fiction because, although she did thorough research on Annie’s life, there were some missing details that had to be supplemented with her creativity. Interestingly, Bowser’s grandmother was Annie’s cousin by marriage. However, Annie had been estranged from most of the family following her stunt, as it was not considered appropriate behaviour for women at that time.

I learnt a lot from the book and enjoyed reading about Annie’s life and America during this era. The book was thoroughly researched, with quotes and references throughout the story. You can tell that Bowser was passionate about this topic since she would often add extra details and facts to paint a clearer picture of Annie’s life. The timeline and additional information at the end of the book also helped me understand which sections were based on fact and which sections were from the author’s imagination.

The book had pull quotes, which were fine in the prologue and reference sections. However, I found that the pull quotes throughout the story itself were distracting and interrupted my reading experience. Often, the quotes appeared before the text, and that would sometimes give away spoilers for what was to come. In the end, I chose to ignore those quotes while reading, but it would have been easier if they weren’t there. If I’m being really picky, there was also a longer quote from a reference book that would be better as an embedded footnote since Bower later retells the same information with more descriptive detail.

I am very pleased to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I absolutely devoured The Dedicated Dancer and finished it in less than a day. However, I am deducting a star because the pull quotes affected my reading experience, and some quotes from sources would have been better as a footnote to avoid redundancy in a short 120-page book. The book was professionally edited, with some minor errors that did not affect my reading experience.

The Dedicated Dancer is a great choice for readers who enjoy historical fiction and learning about Annie’s life. I’d also recommend it to those who enjoy biographies, as long as they remember that some parts of the book are creative embellishments. However, the author does her best to clarify which parts are purely speculation. If you do read the novel, I strongly recommend you read the prologue since it gives an overview of the inspiration for the book and has a wealth of background information. This book is suitable for all audiences, including teenagers, as there is no profanity and only brief descriptions of kissing.

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The Dedicated Dancer
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[Aswin3848]

The title of the book gives us no idea about the events it has tried to cover. The detailed review has left me amazed with the contents of the book. Definitely, I am going to have a read.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

This memoir is something unique as it was blended with historical facts and was written by an author who's related to the biographee. It sounds like Annie's life is beautiful to read. Thanks for your wonderful review, Shally!

[Shally Z]

The title of the book gives us no idea about the events it has tried to cover. The detailed review has left me amazed with the contents of the book. Definitely, I am going to have a read.

Thanks for your comment Aswin. I had the exact same thoughts when I first read the title but it makes sense after you read the book though!

[Shally Z]

This memoir is something unique as it was blended with historical facts and was written by an author who's related to the biographee. It sounds like Annie's life is beautiful to read. Thanks for your wonderful review, Shally!

Yes, it was very unique! Thanks for your lovely comment

[Ama Ra Chi]

A well written review. Good job

[Kavita Shah]

Thank you for an wonderful review Shally Z!
That are too many sad and tragic incidents but not enough to break Annie. It sounds incredible to take a plunge down the Niagara falls in a barrel and survive, an astonishing feat. The pull quotes sound like spoilers, but ok.

[Shally Z]

A well written review. Good job

Thanks for stopping by and leaving some feedback!

[Sarah Zain]

Well written review Shally . I loved your way to describe the details of the book. I began to imagine how is Annie’s life was . Great review

[Shally Z]

Well written review Shally . I loved your way to describe the details of the book. I began to imagine how is Annie’s life was . Great review

Thanks for your comment Sarah! Annie definitely led a very interesting life and achieved many things in spite of her struggles.

[Fergie Jessica Edeni]

Annie's life portrayed in this memoir is truly captivating to read, thanks to its unique blend of historical facts and the author's personal connection as a relative of the biographee. Great review.

[Shally Z]

Annie's life portrayed in this memoir is truly captivating to read, thanks to its unique blend of historical facts and the author's personal connection as a relative of the biographee. Great review.

Hi Fergie, I definitely agree it's a unique and interesting approach. Thanks for your feedback