Dance Real Slow [Paperback]

Michael Grant Jaffe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 1997

Calvin eats dirt.  He never actually swallows it, just places loose clumps onto his tongue and sucks, I think....He knows better, my son, but he is still
young and needs to be watched.

So goes the poignant journey of discovery for Gordon Nash, a journey that began two years ago when his wife suddenly walked out on him, leaving him alone to
raise their son.  Calvin is now four, fragile yet stubborn, devoted to his pet, a dead Portuguese man-o-war he calls Mom.  Faced daily with the struggle and
joys of raising this bright little boy, Gordon learns the vast reaches of his affection and the limits of his patience.  He plumbs the deep well of rage within himself, to find there disturbing echoes of his own father.  And he comes to understand that nothing is as important as this complex, imperfect love--a lesson he must turn to when his wife reappears one day, threatening to turn his and Calvin's world upside down once again

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gordon Nash is a young attorney living in small-town Kansas, raising his four-year-old son, Calvin. His wife, who left him two years ago to find herself, now finds herself in Texas. Gordon is in Kansas as if by accident-he got a job in a law firm run by some college buddies, but he welcomes the exile as a means to escape the emotional clutches of his cold and distant father, who racked up a stellar career as a college basketball coach in Ohio before recently passing away. Divorces and small-claims cases fill Gordon's day; by evening he tends to Calvin until he takes over as basketball coach at the local high school, eventually falling in romantically with Zoe, the older sister of one of his players. Gordon meanders along, seemingly stunned by his single fatherhood and the absence of his world-beating father, until his ex arrives on the scene for a brief bout of guilt and a stab at kidnapping. Jaffe's first novel shapelessly renders this emotional vortex, relying on a lot of "This reminds me of. . . " transitions from the present to a past memory. Gordon's sense of parenthood seems more like a teenager's persecuted view of what family obligations entail than a genuine experience of the overburdened household. That the selfish Gordon, who is the sort of guy who allows his girlfriend to baby-sit his child and fix her own muffler, has no irony in his sense of self doesn't help Jaffe in his attempt to use single parenthood as a rite of passage.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

After his wife leaves, Gordon Nash does his best to provide a loving home for his four-year-old son, Calvin. He takes an undemanding job in a small-town Kansas law firm, eventually coaching the high school basketball team as well. Although he is an affectionate dad and easygoing coach, Gordon fears he will become like his own cold, uncommunicative father, who was a tough college basketball coach. He begins dating Zoe, a self-sufficient college student and waitress, adored by Calvin because she lets him ride her horse. When Gordon's ex-wife secretly steals Calvin away, Gordon falls apart and depends on Zoe to help him find his son. This promising first novel is an absorbing, introspective domestic story. Jaffe, a writer for Sports Illustrated, captures the small, intimate, humorous details of a child's life as well as the fierce, protective love of a single father tormented by doubts and fears. Gordon, Calvin, and Zoe are characters to care about. Recommended for all public libraries.?Patricia Ross, Westerville P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (June 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553577093
• ISBN-13: 978-0553577099
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,760,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lame, tame, much the same, April 8, 2002

By 

J. C Clark "eanna" (Overland Park, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance Real Slow (Paperback)

The misapplied metaphor and the meaningless adjective overwhelm this slight book pretending to be a serious examination of love and fathering. But besides the numerous inappopriate and gratuitous modifiers, there is nothing here. The conflict feels grafted on by an author who recognizes the dullness of his tale, the plot surprises would only surprise the comatose, and the predictability of the whole thing left me weary. A book for those who feel rather than think, for the feelings are all good in this. Nice man, nice boy, nice girlfriend. Nice make-believe story line.

Nothing in here approaches real. Nothing is thought out. It is the harmless cotton candy of modern fiction, tastes great (in very limnited quantities) with no content whatsoever.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a sweet read in parts, July 26, 2000

By 

M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance Real Slow (Hardcover)

Though Jaffe's novel is far from perfect (weak writing in parts that sounds contrived, some plot strands that just don't work out), let's dwell on the bright side. He captures quite well the frustrations and joys of parenthood. Even the most patient parent occassionaly feels like smacking his/her child at times. Calvin is a cute 4 year old who becomes enamoured of the Portuguese Man of War that his grandmother sends him in a jar! In one of the funniest scenes in the book, they make a trip to a doctor friend who treats the decaying jellyfish and adds formaldyhide which prolongs the creatures jar life a few more days. The love interest part of the book works, although we never find out much about her, but the scenes when his exwife comes back just don't seem to hang together. There were times that the writing sounded "workshoppy" to me. In short, this novel is worth reading for some poignant moments and sweet scenes, but it has several weaknesses that interfere with the novel as a whole.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Nicholas Webber, January 14, 2000

By 

Nick Webber (Pismo Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dance Real Slow (Hardcover)

Jaffe's story provides a wonderful example of how a thirty-something single father deals with parenthood, while at the same time living through the trials and tribulations of his new found life. Love, loss of love, security, and insecurity are all very important themes within this book. Jaffe provides a wonderful set of characters who play out the problems of life in a small town in Kansas (a slow paced backdrop which allows the reader to put into perspective the interaction which occurs between its complex protagonist and the rest of the characters within the novel). All and all, this story is well thought out, and it is very well portrayed. In terms of writing style, Jaffe has room to improve. Though he shows flashes of briliance, his narrative, many times, appears to be organic and repetitive. Written in the first person, there are a lot of "I's," and there is not a whole lot depth in the description of setting. In conclusion, this book excells in bringing to life the problems of a man trying to become a father, and lacks in literary maturity. Something this good writer will only get better at.