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| Plot Summary of Dance to the Piper |
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"Basically this book is a saga about the O'Hurley family. They are a fun loving family of entertainers. Each of the children have gone there own way one son, and nonidential triplet girls. This story is about the middle triplet Maggie. She is a dancer on Broadway, and has recently left her long running musical where she was lead. She is going to star in a new musical that is backed by Valentine Records, a family owned business. Reed, the CEO of Valentine records has taken over the company from his father and he decides to stop by and watch them practice. When he meets Maggie he is late for a meeting with the producers but sees that she is getting mugged by a desparate teenager. By the time he reaches her, she has won the struggle with the would-be mugger and she is picking up her things.
She is spontaneous and asks him over for dinner then she leaves. After she has left, he finds her brush.
A few nights later, he comes to her place for dinner and is sort of shocked by her apartment. It has stage props everywhere in a jumble, yet it all seems to fit. Spralled across her wall is her name is lights, a gift from her brother. He notices a dying plant and comments on it. Her reply is that she keeps on killing them and someone should save the plant.
They eat and he learns that she has made steak for him, and a salad for herself. She explains that being a dancer she has to watch what she eats, but she wouldn't refuse a few bites of his steak, it would be rude. So as the night winds down, she sets them up for another date.
Events go on like this for a while until they make a regular habit if it all. One day while it is raining she goes to his offices and brings him the plant because it is a matter of "life and death" and she would feel terrible if she killed another one.
However, Reed is having a little meeting with his father, and so Maggie gets to meet his father. It turns out that Reeds father knows Maggie's parents and that they had helped him out during a hard time in his past.
As the musical progresses, Reed and Maggie get more involved and Maggie receives a surprise visit from her triplet sister Chantel, who is a famous actress. Maggie fills her in on what is going on in her life, and Chantel gives her what advice she can. Then she goes shopping and buys an outfit for Maggie to wear on her special date with Reed.
After their date, they are basically considered a couple, she wants to get married, and he doesn't believe in the institution of marraige. Then the story of his past comes out.
It turns out that Reed's mother slept around on her husband and that Reed was not her husbands son- due to the fact that he turns out to be sterile. The worst part about it is that the mother told the whole story to a young 5-6 year old boy, and then ran off with her lover.
On the way home from the going away cast party for the musical, Maggie is told this story by Reeds father, who has considered Reed his son regardless of the facts. The status of Reeds birth doesn't matter to Maggie except for the pain felt by the young Reed.
The cast is now in Philly getting ready for the premier performance of their musical. Maggie is rehearsing when her family shows up. The O'Hurleys and the Valentines all go out to eat.
On the night before opening night, Reed gets worried because Maggie hasn't answered her phone all night so she drives over to see what is going on. He has suspicions that she might be cheating on him or something. When he arrives he discovers Maggie in bed getting some sleep for the next day and he questions her about what she was doing all night. Maggie gets upset realizing that he came all the way down just to check if she was seeing someone else.
The next day, Reed has gotten over his inner difficulties about marriage and proposes to Maggie. The only problem is that he does it like a business contract. Not very romantic.
Of course Maggie gets upset and tells him to leave her alone so she can get ready. Reed goes and has a talk with his father, and learns the error of his ways.
Of course opening night is perfect, and afterward Reed has the plant from earlier sent down as a gift for Maggie. But there is a huge change. Now the plant is healthy and growing where it was once droopy and yellow. This is a sign to Maggie and they make up and she accepts his marraige proposal.
It all ends happily.
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Autumn Lee, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Dance to the Piper |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- Present (2000-2010)
Inner struggle subplot
Yes
Struggle with...
- (general) search for identity/new understanding
If one lover chases another...
- they alternate
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
How sexual is this person?
- several sexual encounters
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
Sex makes him
- confused
Sex has good effect on him
Yes
Sex makes him
- sensitive
Sex has bad effect on him
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- entertainer
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
How sexual is this person?
- naive virgin
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
Sex has good effect on her
Yes
Effect of sexing
- confident
- blissful
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
What % of story is romance related?
- 90%
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- actual description of sex
Part of a series?
Yes
Focus of story
- equally on him and her
How much dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much sexing?
- 3-4 sex acts
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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