Jim Anderson is a successful businessman, and his wife, Marilyn, is the perfect wife. And why wouldn't she be? He gives her everything she needs. That's why Jim never expected to come home one day and find Marilyn gone.
After 27 years of marriage, Marilyn has had enough of feeling unloved and neglected. She wants to experience some measure of happiness before she's too old to enjoy it, even signing up for dance lessons, something Jim would never do. What will it take for Jim to finally become the man Marilyn needs him to be?
Combining the literary talents of bestselling author Dan Walsh and the relationship expertise of bestselling author Gary Smalley, "The Dance" is the first novel in The Restoration Series. Readers will get caught up in these flawed but sincere members of the Anderson family as they rediscover genuine love and start a transformation that ultimately affects all of them.
My review:
This story started out a bit slow for me, but I found myself warming up to the characters and eventually softening toward Jim and Marilyn. Jim presented as an angry man who was upset about his wife leaving him and how that complicated his life and tarnished his image. There wasn't much to like about him at first. That was well portrayed and very good characterization by the authors. The fact that Marilyn was clearly bitter to the point that she didn't believe her husband even when he was sincere was also well done.
Then things started to turn around. I loved the change of heart that Jim had, but it started with recognizing that the responsibility for his failed marriage rested squarely on his shoulders. As long as it was everyone else's fault, it prevented him from having a change of heart. The conversations he had with his children were touching. The ending brought tears to my eyes. This book shows that marriage really does take work and that the death of love happens slowly over time, but even that can be restored. This was a touching and beautiful story of healing. I really enjoyed it.
“Available April 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
No comments:
Post a Comment