Books › A time for dancing
A time for dancing
a novel
First published 1995 · 257 pages
An intimate, dual-perspective journey through the heartbreaking intersection of teenage friendship and terminal illness.
What it feels like
This deeply emotional young adult novel offers a tender and sorrowful exploration of a friendship pushed to its absolute limits. Told through alternating perspectives, the narrative creates an intimate, conversational rhythm that pulls the reader directly into the minds of two teenage best friends. The mood is heavily steeped in anticipatory grief and melancholic reflection, yet anchored by the fierce, enduring bond between the girls. The prose feels raw and earnest, capturing the authentic voices of youth colliding with the harsh realities of illness and mortality. It is a steady, tear-jerking read that will resonate deeply with anyone drawn to poignant, character-driven stories about the devastating but beautiful complexities of loving someone through their final days.
- Mood
- melancholic
- tender
- sorrowful
- poignant
- Tone
- earnest
- intimate
- heartbreaking
- honest
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- navigating terminal illness · bonds of female friendship · anticipatory grief · coming of age amidst tragedy
- The writing
- Told through alternating, deeply personal perspectives that capture the authentic, raw voices of teenage best friends.
- The arc
- Moves from the comfortable intimacy of teenage friendship into the devastating, shared reality of terminal illness and profound grief.
- Who it's for
- Readers seeking a tear-jerking, character-driven exploration of young friendship tested by the ultimate tragedy.
Content notes
- cancer diagnosis
- terminal illness
- death of a friend
- grief
About the book
Seventeen-year-old best friends Samantha and Juliana tell their stories in alternating chapters after Juliana is diagnosed with cancer.
Description from Open Library.
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