Because Mother Liked to Dance

Because Mother Liked to Dance is the story of the Cullen family. Forced to leave New York City after his fathers death, Nick Cullen brings his wife Joanna and their two children to New Jersey and attempts to establish an independent union at his new place of work. Joanna accompanies Nick reluctantly. She enjoys city life, has an excellent job there and has no wish to live next door to her mother Louise, a hard, bitter woman. Emotionally guarded, a detached mother figure, Joanna slowly reveals her past life, and we learn about events shes kept secret and of the man she might have chosen. Set in New York City and New Jersey during the 1950s, narrated by the daughter Meg, Because Mother Liked To Dance chronicles, in poignant, humorous and, at times, harsh episodes, how a family copes with stress brought on by change, and how dissension in family relationships develops over time ... and is resolved.