A review by erincataldi
A Dance for Emilia by Peter S. Beagle

4.0

My best friend April has been hyping up this book for months so I was super glad to finally get around to reading it. She told me she was in hysterics when she got to the end and couldn't stop crying for hours so I was preparing myself for the worst. Tissues ready I launched into Peter S. Beagle's "A Dance for Emilia." I had forgotten how much I liked Beagle's writing style, it's so fluid and sounds beautiful in your head while you're reading, "A Dance for Emilia" was no different. This beautiful short story follows a beautiful friendship that amazingly still flourishes after death. Sam and Jake had been best friends for several decades before Sam suddenly passed away. Jake starts to bond with Emilia (Sam's lover) after his death and together for two years they do nothing but recount Sam's life and the adventures they had with him. Then suddenly one day, Sam's old cat, Millamant, begins to dance and speak, and they realize that their friend has come back. It's a beautiful story that recounts the power of friendship and it's a super fast read (the large print version was only 133 pages!). A feel good read that may (or may not) have you grabbing for tissues at the end.