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cathquillscrap's review against another edition
5.0
brilliant story with great advice. worth the read
pn_hinton's review against another edition
4.0
Dan Walsh’s books have never disappointed and this was no exception. I enjoy Walsh’s books because they are firmly rooted in faith without being judgmental or preachy. It may sound corny but I always feel lighter after reading his books and they almost always catch me in my ‘feels’.
This one touched on a pretty sensitive topic; feeling unappreciated in a marriage. I am sure that is something ever married person has felt at some point, even in cases where there isn’t a separation. I did find that Jim was a bit too oblivious. People are selfish as a whole. But there had to be signs that he noticed about the state of his marriage, and choose to ignore. While it may be easy to dismiss Marilyn as wimpy or too submissive she did what most people do. Whether they admit it or not most married people will put up with a lot in the sake of saving or keeping their marriage. And as with most situations, it was a tiny straw that broke the proverbial back and made her leave. Again some people may find that unbelievable but I didn’t since it tends to be the case in any relationship.
While Jim’s self-awareness of his missteps as the story progressed was well documented, the same was not done for Marilyn. She was the one who let the behavior continue for as long as she did. Even though she did become more assertive, she never had a moment of clarity. Things may not have gotten that bad had she drawn a line with Jim about anything during the course of their marriage. So they both had to admit and come to terms with their failings during the course of the marriage.
I do like at the end how everything wasn’t neatly tied together. The general story arch for this one did end. Since it is a series around the family, there were seed planted for the work that still needed be done before they can be ready to grow and walk further in their faith and life together. I will likely pick up the rest of this series as my wallet allows me to.
This one touched on a pretty sensitive topic; feeling unappreciated in a marriage. I am sure that is something ever married person has felt at some point, even in cases where there isn’t a separation. I did find that Jim was a bit too oblivious. People are selfish as a whole. But there had to be signs that he noticed about the state of his marriage, and choose to ignore. While it may be easy to dismiss Marilyn as wimpy or too submissive she did what most people do. Whether they admit it or not most married people will put up with a lot in the sake of saving or keeping their marriage. And as with most situations, it was a tiny straw that broke the proverbial back and made her leave. Again some people may find that unbelievable but I didn’t since it tends to be the case in any relationship.
While Jim’s self-awareness of his missteps as the story progressed was well documented, the same was not done for Marilyn. She was the one who let the behavior continue for as long as she did. Even though she did become more assertive, she never had a moment of clarity. Things may not have gotten that bad had she drawn a line with Jim about anything during the course of their marriage. So they both had to admit and come to terms with their failings during the course of the marriage.
I do like at the end how everything wasn’t neatly tied together. The general story arch for this one did end. Since it is a series around the family, there were seed planted for the work that still needed be done before they can be ready to grow and walk further in their faith and life together. I will likely pick up the rest of this series as my wallet allows me to.
danicapage's review against another edition
5.0
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Disclaimers: I received a temporary electronic arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Going into this novel, I wasn't sure I'd like it. I don't generally like novels that are about married couples or about couples who are having marital problems.
But I decided to give this one a shot and I'm so glad I did. This novel was absolutely beautiful. I loved reading it.
I love novels where characters experience some life-changing or self-actualizing journey. Jim and Marilyn both changed so much and I loved watching them grow.
Dan's novel was poignant and a great read. I found myself turning the pages faster and faster as the story went on. I enjoyed watching the Anderson family grow closer and overcome trials.
I already mentioned how surprised I was by how much I loved this novel, but that doesn't begin to do this novel justice. This noel was easily one of my favorites of the year. Dan wrote this novel with such skill and expertise. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to anybody.
The novel does have a Christian stance, but religion is never pushed down the reader's throats. The theme of faith was expertly woven in. Definitely recommend this novel.
So Why 5 Stars? It was beautifully and poignantly written. There was depth to this novel and yet it was also just a really enjoyable read.
In Summary: A beautiful novel that greatly exceeded my expectations. The Dance is an inspiring novel that reflects the growth of one family in the midst of trials and struggles.
The Wrap-up: Love this novel. I was really impressed with it and can't wait to read more by this author. Definitely recommend it.
Love,
Danica Page
Disclaimers: I received a temporary electronic arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Going into this novel, I wasn't sure I'd like it. I don't generally like novels that are about married couples or about couples who are having marital problems.
But I decided to give this one a shot and I'm so glad I did. This novel was absolutely beautiful. I loved reading it.
I love novels where characters experience some life-changing or self-actualizing journey. Jim and Marilyn both changed so much and I loved watching them grow.
Dan's novel was poignant and a great read. I found myself turning the pages faster and faster as the story went on. I enjoyed watching the Anderson family grow closer and overcome trials.
I already mentioned how surprised I was by how much I loved this novel, but that doesn't begin to do this novel justice. This noel was easily one of my favorites of the year. Dan wrote this novel with such skill and expertise. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to anybody.
The novel does have a Christian stance, but religion is never pushed down the reader's throats. The theme of faith was expertly woven in. Definitely recommend this novel.
So Why 5 Stars? It was beautifully and poignantly written. There was depth to this novel and yet it was also just a really enjoyable read.
In Summary: A beautiful novel that greatly exceeded my expectations. The Dance is an inspiring novel that reflects the growth of one family in the midst of trials and struggles.
The Wrap-up: Love this novel. I was really impressed with it and can't wait to read more by this author. Definitely recommend it.
Love,
Danica Page
chrissymcbooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
Marilyn is unhappy with her marriage, despite being over her husband for over 20 years. She feels ignored, neglected, and just so.. alone, somehow. She can't help but remember how her husband, Jim, refused to dance with her at her wedding -- and then he refused to dance so many more times in the future, at other events and weddings that felt so important to her. Jim claims he simply didn't know how to dance and didn't want to be embarrassed, but wasn't it more than that? Wasn't Jim's refusal to dance with his wife an analogy for an entire marriage gone wrong?
Jim never really saw it coming until Marilyn packed up her bags and left. After all, he gave her a wonderful house, a fabulous life, and three brilliant children -- what more could she possibly want? Jim decides that Marilyn must be involved with another man, and he makes it his mission to find his wife and end her secret affair before their own relationship ends in divorce. How could his wife be so fixated on the fact that Jim didn't want to dance at his wedding? What is the big deal about a dance -- something that means so little in the grand scheme of things.
As Marilyn and Jim grow further apart, each are forced to face their own selfish behaviors, hidden desires, and misplaced expectations on marriage, relationships, and love in general. Now that Marilyn has tasted freedom, is she even interested in patching her broken relationship with Jim? And will Jim's stubbornness threatened to keep him apart from the one thing that he never realized he needed -- a long and happy marriage with his wife?
From the start, I felt the parallels between The Dance and the movie Fireproof -- both focused on rocky relationships in which a husband undergoes a series of steps, under the wing of a wise tutor, to try and mend broken hearts. And honestly, both involved characters that I really didn't like at all until the end of the story, although the happy -- albeit, abrupt -- ending really tied things together in both stories in a way that made me forget how selfish, irritating, and nit picky the characters tended to be throughout the tale.
I do think THE DANCE conveys a heartfelt Christian message about love and humility, although the references to God aren't overwhelming enough to isolate those who are fans of sensitive, mainstream romances. The moral of the story did involve trusting God to mend hardened human hearts, but the majority of the story was focused more on the humility between two frustrated people.
As a side note, the cover is beautiful and I think it's what ultimately made me decide to read this book. I know you can't always judge a book by its cover, but this time it happened to work in my favor.
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book for review purposes. All ideas are my own and are uninfluenced by the manner in which I obtained this novel.
Jim never really saw it coming until Marilyn packed up her bags and left. After all, he gave her a wonderful house, a fabulous life, and three brilliant children -- what more could she possibly want? Jim decides that Marilyn must be involved with another man, and he makes it his mission to find his wife and end her secret affair before their own relationship ends in divorce. How could his wife be so fixated on the fact that Jim didn't want to dance at his wedding? What is the big deal about a dance -- something that means so little in the grand scheme of things.
As Marilyn and Jim grow further apart, each are forced to face their own selfish behaviors, hidden desires, and misplaced expectations on marriage, relationships, and love in general. Now that Marilyn has tasted freedom, is she even interested in patching her broken relationship with Jim? And will Jim's stubbornness threatened to keep him apart from the one thing that he never realized he needed -- a long and happy marriage with his wife?
From the start, I felt the parallels between The Dance and the movie Fireproof -- both focused on rocky relationships in which a husband undergoes a series of steps, under the wing of a wise tutor, to try and mend broken hearts. And honestly, both involved characters that I really didn't like at all until the end of the story, although the happy -- albeit, abrupt -- ending really tied things together in both stories in a way that made me forget how selfish, irritating, and nit picky the characters tended to be throughout the tale.
I do think THE DANCE conveys a heartfelt Christian message about love and humility, although the references to God aren't overwhelming enough to isolate those who are fans of sensitive, mainstream romances. The moral of the story did involve trusting God to mend hardened human hearts, but the majority of the story was focused more on the humility between two frustrated people.
As a side note, the cover is beautiful and I think it's what ultimately made me decide to read this book. I know you can't always judge a book by its cover, but this time it happened to work in my favor.
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book for review purposes. All ideas are my own and are uninfluenced by the manner in which I obtained this novel.
nadoislandgirl's review against another edition
1.0
This book had a lot of completely unnecessary little details, like -- oh, what did you have for lunch? I had chicken, but with mustard. I almost spilled the mustard on my shirt. But I didn't! It missed and fell on my steering wheel!
What in the world does that have to do with ANYTHING? I don't care.
Skimmed just to finish.
What in the world does that have to do with ANYTHING? I don't care.
Skimmed just to finish.
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