"Dancing Backwards in High Heels"
'Written with panache and flair, this charming story captures that loss of identity that can come with marriage and children. Madeleine is 42 and, despite loving her family very much, she feels so isolated that she has to do something about it. That "something" turns into dance classes. The joy of music and dance transforms her, although as Madeleine discovers, the bump and grind of Latin can take you into dangerous territory …'
Australian Women's Weekly (April 2008)
'Dancing Backwards in High Heels is an exploration of one woman's search for identity against the backdrop of being forty-something, a full time mother and wife, and living in a new country. It also examines the issues of family and marital relationships, and the impact of infidelity, both real and contemplated. Madeleine is a likeable first person narrator and the problems she is faced with are familiar for many women, and believable. An insightful exploration of one woman's complicated life.'
Aussiereviews.com (July 2008)
'Oh no, not another novel about How I Found Ballroom Dancing and Then Found Myself. But wait, there's more. Darcas's plot has a few twists that make the story of 41-year-old Madeleine Hutchinson unique. This yummy mummy is an expat from Chicago, who loves her hunky-but-obtuse American businessman husband and cute sons. But dancing proves a much-needed escape from an alien culture (even the Melbourne Cup brings its traumas). You'll be guessing to the end, and come to care about Madeleine in the process.'
Mx Newspaper (Pick of the Week, July 2, 2008)
'Dancing Backwards in High Heels is an insightful exploration of one woman's journey of being a wife, mother and resident in a new country [while] struggling with her identity.'
The Weekly Times
'Madeleine is in a rut, but that changes once she starts Latin American dancing lessons. A beautifully written novel about a woman finding herself again.'
New Idea (Must-reads May 31, 2008)
'I suspect that dance studios throughout Australia have scores of lithe and vibrant middle-aged Maddys, but I'm willing to bet that the long-lashed, 25-year-old Hugh with no attachments is something of a rarity. American Maddy, new to Australia, fumes at how hard it is to get a repairperson to care. Her husband's not a bad bloke, but a washing-machine crisis is strictly women's business. (The scenes of domestic strife hit bullseye after bullseye.) One day Maddy signs up to learn the rumba. In her novel about what happens when the body becomes young again, Christine Darcas brilliantly evokes the invasive thrills of Latin dancing.
By page 100 your feet will be tapping.'
Australian Country Style (June 2008)
Read more about Dancing Backwards in High Heels here.
'Christine competing at the Tattersall's 2007 Australian Dancesport Championships with Peter Bowen'
'Competition photographs courtesy of DANCESPORT photo'.
'Christine competing at the Tattersall's 2007 Australian Dancesport Championships with Peter Bowen'
'Gold Star Latin exam with instructor Adam Blakey'.
