Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Summer Of The Dancing Bear
    Summer Of The Dancing Bear
    Summer Of The Dancing Bear
    Ebook288 pages4 hours

    Summer Of The Dancing Bear

    By Bianca Lakoseljac

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Bianca Lakoseljac’s debut novel, The Summer of the Dancing Bear, is a mesmerizing melange of love story and mystery, as young protagonist Kata explores the unfamiliar world of the gypsy tribe that has befriended her and embarks on a quest to discover the fate of a neighbour’s missing child. Memory and magic play their roles until the shocking denouement that reveals Kata’s own family secrets and forever alters her perceptions of life as she once knew it. Engaging and original, the novel fuses history, myth, and tradition in a whimsical literary voice that reminds us that the complex and innocent humanity in us is too often haunted by human tragedy. {Elizabeth Abbott}
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGuernica
    Release dateJan 1, 2012
    ISBN9781550713626
    Summer Of The Dancing Bear

    Read more from Bianca Lakoseljac

    Related to Summer Of The Dancing Bear

    Related ebooks

    Legal For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Witch Finders

      Jul 16, 2020

      Beth pulled her cloak tightly around her. It was the very last day of October and the air was damp and chill. Dead autumn leaves lay in deep piles in the woods and smoke curled into the night air from her cottage. Not far to go now. She bent her head

      4 min read

    • Article

      Raiders From The Sea

      Sep 1, 2023

      CANNY LIFTED HER head from the swirls of gold and red and put down the brush, stretching her frozen fingers. The sun fell through the scriptorium window in warm panels, but the room was still cold, and she’d been at work on the manuscript in front of

      7 min read

    • Article

      This One So Loved

      May 9, 2019

      This One So Loved
      9 min read

    • Article

      Intarsia

      Feb 6, 2020

      Intarsia
      6 min read

    • Article

      Paper Princess

      Apr 1, 2023

      Paper Princess
      3 min read

    • Article

      Shelter

      May 28, 2022

      Shelter
      4 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading Special

      Dec 28, 2023

      The distinctive depth of characterisation shines in this tightly knitted story of therapist Nick and retired solicitor wife Zoe, as they decide to view a deconsecrated Victorian church which is for sale. It’s “even more picturesque than it looked onl

      11 min read

    • Article

      The Trouble Gene

      Jul 1, 2020

      One clear thing about trouble—it can set you back to zero, a personal cone of silence. And reading, writing, listening allow entry into that troubled solitude; you disappear into it regardless t of the time or place you really are in, be it bed, kitc

      12 min read

    • Article

      Alice And The Jabberwocky

      Apr 10, 2022

      ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe. Once again, Alice found herself in her bedroom, feeling rather mimsy indeed. Every day now, at two o’clock, she would sit at

      18 min read

    • Article

      Magnets: Carried through time, lovers seek their purpose.

      Feb 6, 2014

      Moon Colony B, 2213 Former Ponzi-schemer Mary Pillar digs through a trashcan. It smells like rotten eggs and milk. She is elderly and homeless, living in an alley between two eco-efficient skyscrapers. Dust particles dance around her. She has lost ev

      11 min read

    • Article

      Commonplace Book

      Jun 3, 2019

      You are old when your longtime friend Melvin, turned seventy-five, writes you in rage about becoming old. … Melvin knows nothing about old age: Melvin can walk upstairs! Melvin flies to the West Indies with his girlfriend and his wife! In your eighti

      3 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading Special

      Dec 28, 2023

      Summer Reading Special
      11 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Jun 16, 2021

      Great Read
      4 min read

    • Article

      All It Takes Is A Spark

      Nov 25, 2019

      All It Takes Is A Spark
      5 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Jan 1, 2021

      Light delimits the darkness as snowgives shape to the silence of winter trees.Above a rooftop, the shadow of illness hoversindistinguishable from the wraithsof common chimney smoke.Strip skin from flesh, flesh from boneto behold the comical, adumbrat

      4 min read

    • Article

      Cul-de-Sac

      Dec 1, 2021

      That old rage for order: how my father drove a square mouthed mower over-and-back, over-and-back, each row of neatly trimmed grass cut just like he told his barber: boy’s short, regular. O pioneer, taming this joke bit of prairie, no bindweed or dog

      5 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Apr 1, 2020

      Linden, age 9 Green Bay, WI Ophidia, the medusa, tried desperately to sketch a self-portrait. Later she would add color. Her problem was every time she looked into the lake at her reflection, the snakes of her hair were in a very different place. Sh

      8 min read

    • Article

      Summer Beach Reads

      Jan 10, 2021

      Summer Beach Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Practicing

      Mar 15, 2018

      This would have been her favorite season in the Allegheny woods. The shadows of the trees were rickety, and the wind had sap in its scent. But last week, Ty had left; now one day decayed into the next. Their house was abandoned. Only their father, si

      18 min read

    • Article

      Must-Read Poetry: October 2018

      Oct 2, 2018

      Here are six notable books of poetry publishing in October. The Lumberjack’s Dove by GennaRose Nethercott All praise to book-length poems. Nethercott’s yarn begins with a lumberjack who chops off his own hand. “The hand becomes a dove” and tries to f

      5 min read

    • Article

      Something Wicked This Way Comes

      Sep 3, 2019

      Something Wicked This Way Comes
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Summer Of The Dancing Bear

    4/5

    8 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I enjoyed reading Summer of the Dancing Bear by Bianca Lakoseljac. The novel tells the growth of a girl, Kata, in a village in the former Yugoslavia in 1960s. The novel starts with Kata’s summer during which a child in the village disappears, which later causes the mother’s death. As the story goes, the reader learns about Kata’s curious mind, the cheerful dancing bear in the Gypsy camp and Kata’s first love. Kata is a lovely and adventurous character. Like Anne in Anne of Green Gables who lives with her aunt, Kata lives with her grandma instead of her parents. There is a strong bond between Kata and her grandma. The grandma tells her Greek Mythology stories and guides her with wisdom, and after her death, the grandma still influences Kata. The author has successfully built suspense in the storyline. The reader wonders whether the baby would be found. Who fathers the baby? Can Kata find her birthfather, and does he accept her? Does the Gypsy man love Kata? All these questions stir up the reader’s emotion, and the clues lead to the ending of the story. Besides its intriguing events, the novel also satisfies my interest in Gypsy culture.
    • 4/5
      A past world is revealed to us in Bianca Lakoseljac’s haunting "Summer of the Dancing Bear," a world in which gypsy lore and culture play prominent roles. The author makes the discovery of this world deeply rewarding by using a risky gambit in portraying her heroine’s consciousness.A girl struggles to come of age in this haunting story set in Tito’s Yugoslavia in the 1960s, and the struggles arise because of the girl’s unusual abilities. She perceives her idyllic country surroundings unusually deeply for one so young: the harvest-ready wheat fields glow and swirl as though rendered by Van Gogh – her grandmother took her to the museum to see the exhibit – and her dreams reveal events and calamities she could not know of otherwise. Her grandmother is friendly with the gypsies when they pass through, and they respect her as a shaman. Her grandmother also sees the abilities of young Kata, and raises her with loving attention. The gypsies play a central role here, first by bringing a bear to perform at the village in the summer of Kata’s eighth year. This vividly-told event sets off the narrative’s tragic spiral. A village woman’s baby disappears, and the gypsies are naturally blamed. Kata, in the midst of an idyllic childhood, plays a role in the events at a climactic event in which her abilities finally become apparent.Ms. Lakoseljac sets herself a very difficult path: she portrays Kata’s consciousness as a confused and dream-infused vision. Thoughts and images come to her suddenly – sometimes she has been dreaming, and sometimes she finds herself in a remote spot near a marsh or woodland with no idea how she got there. Sometimes it affects her health, and her loved ones and neighbors become alarmed for her. The author always fills us in on the events that lead to the spell, and poor Kata must work through the significance of her visions. Readers will find themselves wishing they could help, because Kata is a very sympathetic character.Regardless of Kata’s sudden and unpredictable visions, this book is tightly-plotted and rewarding. It honors the oppressed and wandering Romany tribes, effectively portraying their lust for life as well as their humanity and enlightened traditions. Kata learns the part she will play in the tradition, and the reader is treated to a captivating story set in a seeming far-off time and place. Highly recommended.

    Book preview

    Summer Of The Dancing Bear - Bianca Lakoseljac

    1^book_preview_excerpt.html}|͒ݫwIWBHR$͡$pxQݨ@A`Z~ >*{t̓' 0~>?\Om[7{Mܳkyg_n~9 k߸)]T}[WSH]eUu\: 1oW=ָmLrUJxߍ>Q+/ Wsw^[LfCYH FGERj[95RBnq_~|%X}zWoˏ?䏷W_]z}/eSۏV );ҍq8Ka6Tž u8*Bb5mBrc*Wwr?vuQl,B6N)alr>qUbKV&q"v+jLpcs·8]C=4fP6)|% ӔFmCtSCO5Sb6)<|ۺtR<@x?}ٯ._g_Wz+)Bct_U6_O<||skj}}?@?0wt=x|ϗחW/jp0] QL.4hp冥<v |0g{oE.shm О_Xh \Z^c_0$EOv4oτcQ6̛/o"2S E'2׉[Y?2~MTwS;o=~>p6{lPYǜhg 7LH/O\Reغ& :qJw+NzT@oh>N5u` nL6V$crp=®<jAپ2yTyئBmPbS9\ұ-@+| }S%a!u@=f!Kwumhbu ~X6KgJ/y7mSlm$H@b!YE.ZPFqy@ ͨj6a c6{gpptyrMGd8PɠBc ] PܠR*?ߍ6\xU|W9-]; X\(R#p+=l複yWb?s [j BEnez#F\ivp4oaXJ3m'.Ad։htW:8\&P)r—IuW CBrnhyf*č#qrƺ׼ȔR&8/T[_#P{t?j:GE!#zh>BGA@śW _coB?g +7e1=@1e({Sf`E7a<8m*"C,†XYjwJey.e4@Y34lOm?wd reSon ޫbj lO=n6TF~{QWGR@mjY LklNLY,lkMV$ 3j3e,ЫP+"ܨA)@OAA Gjm-;l8 B:opTO!I$?B;Rk`m"Elv4w*+p(4_q#nOaSFUZB!?oT:*xftP7S51RLSסw&T*zYt:_6u`XɦNf6=ak #\f=Gt}|\5B T}a5.0b|&apg6WCa'. tiwub++Y=.q17^Mdl&J暾lԚxƊ<նl:\\=i-Y7T& @Vm?ؼCv>$QP:DfyuhA4[\94n; pRI$Tr<УW^P:¸/Eڄ¨0 gCx"\"<ۓB5?Gfx01ui/dK CA^%wqi5dB=2/|&m*1 c"0M)0&5xpٛ!NWJ 9*}_<`UN4%'vУԯ 6G j8q\Ÿg)JB&` V7k8v}6^ NoCcB.C\ tas)D N p!^9w L'(Ѩ9ɑJ\<-T+xo}4,V2뎚 N{hI۵ KBC0-? M?E>Be_ߓ|Ml[ܽ(2({W#a<sӪ K-vs#{7V AoKMԽhQ2[ր*cm`/T_ xCcy92Ȓ| Ku!Iu" @NKCD.y7 uPVrcQwǖ_py#vLF$歛YYq9NT/ƕ4$ >!$3o8{QNSw3IC6 :I7K&r!zpğZ i#:\ N9~ &(~>460n(.z@hRwC e}cd6Im}Z ;,p" 3HmO5qo=zD91y"ZMۉhqu:P'K%DMҍyy(prxFJHrM44 ! 7Կ { 2pul*G˱ fpjmKe6/ȟqkQ& ^ԆA)$0}A }PZ(uA$H֬v9O^xR {t7ޙxt5r\o$WBtMQ#bA\8+܏P:dW* Dt;ɜ~c-f5?6PWKV3~1n,B;[^SWړ8c)MB Tqhy_šc׋"9\ѱߡuK+;˭|ɨId5lo!et"+G3NlIБYag Ω~B@ah9FuW.Ń&|>[j M6SsbIJbm. 3/6݆9Mcy' \z4_L/U;LXeVӥ{y婚. Rm4ޤa(,,Y]7 IqSځ5Thq, uLS(B,Pf41 @.Ou/@AtP qI%8%n_2[n3AYD6*rH)Ȩ/.Kb)i`M~,mRYsc &~,I.}亐Dpmk8hHSiAVdϴu"Te- XxM|dҘK~DJLk!TX金_^A֤Yhyt D×_13S*]j֛I(4R*7>$-!3} .66odC Ösװ)Zj@ybu7-a)uZ?flC"iNn|w:~z*pĵOk)؃4,TV#Fa$@ 03-Dx v!yF8) =()+3z8YR:ِ,KD*@6Â8@P߄/ XafeWtD71r;lXnON! 9QRRQx0[ 5/$j!Qnm"HZLiCVlq H/5/M4{$c^n4t'ɮ#@Sތ~З L#2KV]e897T#nj*Sd{r u iVe4lKLm l3,"2fr՜*aJIMLV#7vQ)$*1Kyv21S7/?i%9Mm`d}•|'$n2ROWJcuurc)d ,B4Lkn|w-農S։i86~ʬhRk?AX$tu A zi;-)'X>D/ ~` QL^hfA'F`_0͌ë1 dv4-O^ևrT$~2]HVeE)1; ^-əu X%kGC& )ZѤ44S3_" v!IQ^P~{ :Ml*ik(3¼22C M7-+ qPBG2x7Tě0&kKdĽƆ0@4߆ 3W9vS jO00- >*_di{AqFV"H*t)O㨥U(3mHRJ}mXchFhd vg ּ;w>Zts-miY -˪ټZ.DzЌ~~bKI,:zJe Ij7YfQ0?'m/!;OB¢ n赌!1ff%2sk}ƞG(XYhJN#-t]Ш_^GG唹 +[yx 'x<ǝ?н(Mu g28QhÿF}yj=3T'b+II:[R~:(D[o5)]3jQ`Ok!bP޴ȪW}.tփ8e,fTɃ% (ҏ+4R 4)`&ׅB_lJʺ#B3aG'6X4Lt>rB$MadTVJdQg6rsujwm32擕pTAQ @$٣^ P5)۠nqyov#]M3F{JFJgĮv[ ̌*z^mLErb(WL]I۲Se f*uȩC]۰*Uvb/ "fh󁥛y,hBL6u:f/VsJ'&J)Ѽʕ^*s6nLlm…$r:'+Q<θ* ^Զq39SJrfy,m{y3¬zmAE9Z| L Vrl(mUA@r<wh2tIvi3ec2c?l-?Qؾ͇?=AXaTI̺ͭxpI<ݪĶԂEߐj 9 ,!0'g/3cN,:kr6 萻%n|N2/B0jvRĭS v&ΰ]ғ/鰜G!ﱩ^;vZ NfH #Q_웭:KSi<]S5+I`ߜזUeq㡮hN$sَck93ѯf|,ʥȼڀNT{)o0 (d] Sfww)A0߁!UMkuV$'MbZwA8Osdzg޸"~<%vXӴI~} aB@F)vRLv'z%\"3#lawQ󖞒 ယh=C`7ꉊ4{. Ca\9p?jKi鏭:&'}J7FX
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1