Interesting coming of age story.

This book was outstanding and came to me from out of nowhere. The story was extremely realistic and relatable. The detail of Cary's struggle with depression was very well written!!

predictable,

This bittersweet coming of age tale told in masterful prose centers around a love triangle between Adam, Jane, and Cary three naive teenagers from North Carolina who start out as life long friends but who run into big trouble when they become mesmerized by a group of older glamorous people who arrive to run a flashy resort on the Outer Shore. Not much plot here, but plenty of angst, drug use, and sex, in this story of friendship, love , betrayal, and disillusionment . If one summer could be called "the dance " the characters who participate this year will find their lives forever changed when due to their own actions someone they care about deeply is to be called away early. My first read by David Payne, whose writing in the Southern tradition has been compared to Pat Conroy. I liked his writing style more here than his subject matter. 3.5 stars

One of my all-time favorites. This really resonated with me on many different levels.

Early from the Dance is yet another book I bought, saved even, because it looked so good and set in the South - one of my favorite locations and it was very disappointing. Adam and Jane meet again after being apart for 13 years. The story is the unraveling of the fateful summer that tore them apart and what exactly tore them apart. The present day (1980s) Adam is a coke-snorting, alcoholic painter whose art hasn't sold in a while and Jane has just started going through a divorce. They meet again at Adam's aunt's funeral. Adam has lived in NYC for years and coming home is a stretch for him. Jane has never left. Jane begins as a sympathetic character but this evolves as the story slogs on. Every conversation, every touch is described in grueling detail and left my eyes falling out of my head from boredom. The drug use and alcohol consumption is enough to down a rhino. There is no way a 30 year old man could still stand, let alone function. I confess the only reason I kept reading was to see how the story resolves. The ending was contrived. The characters are dull and stereotypical.

This book got rave reviews. I must have read a different book. It was so drawn out, such a laborious read I thought it would never end. The author used a horrible dialog mechanics method that made following a conversation almost impossible and after a while I just didn't care who was saying what to whom. I gave it 2 stars because the book's setting.

The storyline is interesting and the characters are well developed. There’s just a lot of extra filler not really necessary to move the plot along. The settings are well detailed. The ending makes reading the book worthwhile.

would give it 5 stars if it weren't for the occasional racist characterization

Characters were interesting enough to finish the book,but lots of foul language and drug use,once you got past those things it was an ok read.

David Payne taught one of my MFA workshop semesters, and the experience was transformative. This book delivers the energy, forward motion and deep characterization that Payne moved me toward.

my favorite book by living author

My husband told me to read this book, as it was one of his favorites. I was dubious. I'm not a big fan of "literature" and these types of books usually bore me or make me gag or both.

I freakin LOVED this book. Loved loved loved it. I love it so much that I refused to let my husband get rid of my personal copy when we were consolidating our massive book collection to fit it into our tiny little NYC apartment.

It's beautifully written, gorgeously characterized... Just a gorgeous book. I need to re-read it.