Official Review: Last Dance by Stephen Manning

[Saint Bruno]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Last Dance" by Stephen Manning.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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People die every day, but the death of a loved one registers that truth in our lives. Our consolation should come from knowing that the departed one lived a beautiful life. Last Dance, written by Stephen Manning, is a non-fiction book about the life of his beloved wife, Mary Ann Manning.

The author recounts how he met his wife, their marriage, challenges, and successes in life. Tragedy first reared its ugly head in their family when they lost their last-born, Kyle. Later on, Mary Ann was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though her strength continued to fail her, Mary Ann was determined to stay alive and dance with her son, Ryan, on his wedding day, even if it would be her last.

At the end of the book, there are links to Mary Ann's last dance and a touching report by a TV station on YouTube. After watching both videos, I couldn't hold back my tears. However, I drew strength, inspiration, and hope from Mary Ann's loving gesture to her child. Her life was exemplary even in the face of death. She was a loving mother who always took the business of running the family seriously. Also, I found her attention to detail and planning abilities to be very inspiring.

I enjoyed the author's engaging writing style. In fact, that is what I liked the most about the book. His narrations follow a linear sequence of events, which makes the book easy to follow. Also, the author's descriptions are easy to understand because of his use of simple language. There were times I felt as if I was reading a fictionalized story due to how suspenseful the author's narrations were.

Furthermore, there are lots of things to learn from this story. I enjoyed the author's lessons on family management and how to spice up one's marriage. I liked that the author was sensitive enough to detect when things were not going well with his spouse and immediately seek to address the cause. I also learned about the importance of gratitude in this book. I noticed the author was always thankful to the people that rendered any form of help to him and his family. That trait is worthy of emulation!

Another aspect of this book that I love is that it is a lovely tribute to a loving mother and wife. Even though writing a book is a way of processing overwhelming emotions, I am proud of the author's decision to tell his wife's story to the world. I also like the author's use of dialogue and humor to help his children release some of the emotions arising from such a loss. I think most families leave every individual to deal with grief in his or her way, so we can all learn from the author's style.

To conclude, I enjoyed the author's sense of humor because it provided me with some comic relief while reading this touching story. There wasn't a thing that I disliked about the book, so I am glad to rate Last Dance four out of four stars. The book is professionally edited but has a few errors. I am recommending it to readers who enjoy touching non-fiction stories, especially those who have lost someone they love.

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Last Dance
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[Sararob06]

Mary Ann must’ve been quite special to be remembered this way. I’m glad she survived long enough to make it to Ryan’s wedding. I could feel your emotion through your review and had a difficult time finishing it without getting choked up! Good job!

[jardenjarden]

Mary Ann seems like such a sweet would, and it was really brave of the author to write such a genuine story. It must have been both painful and healing to address how he was feeling head-on. It's also wonderful to hear that it was so captivating and well written. Thank you for your review!!

[Atieno Magero]

This is such a touching story. Kudos to the the author for writing this wonderful book because I'm sure it couldn't have been easy for him.

[davidniku 12]

Such a heart touching felling comming to me. I salute to the author. Love it!

[Shahina C A]

The heading itself made be curious. I think it's a very emotional read. Thanks for the review

[Fozia RYK]

No one in the world can know better than me the loss of our be loved ones because I have lost my mother. She has left me and left all of us and gone from this world about 1 year ago. The loss of their last born Kyle is very very sad and makes story very tragic.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

The books seems very touching, but I should be in a certain state of mind to read such a sad story. Great job with the review!

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

They were clever enough to keep video recordings of Mary Ann while she was alive. We really should treasure moments with our loved ones as they won't be there forever. What a touching review!

[shamayelnur]

This book sounds very emotional to me. I agree with your point for the writer to write this book as a tribute to his wife. It makes the book yet more beautiful and meaningful.

[Tarilan]

I wanted to review this book sometime back. I had second thoughts because I thought it would be full of emotional scenes. However, I would love to try reading it after reading this review. Thanks for the amazing review.

[Deval Sodha]

This is indeed a touching tale.
I will definitely read this book.
Thank you for the great review

[De_larose]

The book is pretty nice, I have learned some life lessons from this book. It's really nice.

[SamaylaM]

The author's writing style mixed with his sense of humor, descriptions, and narrative sounds commendable. Seems like a touching read indeed. Thanks for your beautiful review!

[Elvis Best]

I've watched that particular video on youtube. It was so emotional and touching. I've been meaning to read the book for a while now. Thank you for this review.