A Dance for Three

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A Dance for Three

• By Louise Plummer

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About the Author

• Louise moved to the Americas when she was five
  years old and she now lives in Salt Lake City,
  Utah.
• She lives with her husband, Tom, and they have
  four sons.
• She is a associate professor of English at
  Brigham Young University, and she received her
  masters from the University of Minnesota.
• Other novels she has written include The
  Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie
  Sehlmeier and The Unlikely Romance of Kate
  Bjorkman.

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Short Summary

• Hannah becomes pregnant at age 15 and thinks
  nothing of it. She thinks everything will be
  alright and her and Milo, the so-called dad,
  will start and family and live happily ever after
  with their new-born baby. She is still stuck in
  the teenage world until reality hits her. She
  realizes she is in a difficult situation and
  through many bad decisions she made, she learned
  from them with the help of others. They helped
  her make a decision that would influence her life
  forever. Her father died from a freak accident
  and her mother will not leave the house or go
  anywhere, so Hannah has to be the mother figure
  and take care of her mom. After everything hits
  her, she is put into a mental hospital because of
  her actions and for guidance. It changes her life
  completely. What happened to the teenage world,
  free of worries, and living happily ever after?

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Authors Purpose

• Louise Plummer wrote this novel to young adults
  about the challenges of teenage pregnancy. She
  intended to teach us how only one decision can
  influence our lives forever. As difficult as it
  is for the teenager who is involved in the
  pregnancy, it affects many others in their life.
  It is important to realize what the consequences
  are for your actions and whether or not you are
  able to accept them. This novel is very
  appropriate for people in high school because
  teenage pregnancy is a large issue this is dealt
  with everyday in society.

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Main Characters

• Hannah Ziebarth- She becomes pregnant at age 15
  and story is based on her pregnancy.
• Rosa Benson- She is Hannahs neighbor and Hannah
  describes her as being very strict.
• Milo Fabiano- He was Hannahs boyfriend until he
  got her pregnant and he caused many conflicts
  throughout the novel.
• Trilby Evans- She is Hannahs best friend and she
  goes to visit her in the hospital and spends time
  with her, trying to help her.
• Roman Fabiano- He is Milos brother who cares a
  lot for Hannah and wants to help her. He feels
  very bad for her and hates to see his brother
  treat her the way he does.
• Caitlin Sanders- She is Hannahs therapist at the
  hospital and she and Hannah become very close.
• Mrs. Ziebarth- Hannahs psychotic mother who
  never leaves the house and is very anti-social.

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Symbolism

• Hannahs favorite thing in life are roses. She
  knew all the different types of roses and each of
  their characteristics, telling them all apart.
  She loved having her own rose garden to mend to,
  but going around the neighborhood collecting them
  from other gardens were even better. She would
  walk around everyday and steal several roses at
  a time, enjoying every bit of it. She would hang
  them upside down in her room so they would dry
  out and she would be able to keep them forever.
  There were brass vases all over her house filled
  with a bouquet of dead roses. When Tribly went to
  visit her in the hospital, she went around
  Hannahs neighborhood and made Hannah a bouquet
  of roses, knowing how much they meant to her. To
  Hannah, roses symbolize Life and Love.

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Book Information

• Title A Dance for Three
• Author Louise Plummer
• Paperback 230 pages with 5 parts- three
  different characters narrate the story (Hannah,
  Trilby, and Roman)
• Price 5.50
• Publisher Dell Laurel-Leaf