Customer Reviews

The Dance

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a father. My daughter is a dancer. She has just started her freshman year at college. I saw this book mentioned in a mail flyer. I sought it out. I had tears in my eye in the store as I read it. I cried in the car. I like to think that we are at that point in the book where the daughter is dancing with her prom boyfriend.

This is a WONDERFUL touching story. It is exceptional for any father who has a daughter who dances. It is a wonderful book, too, for any father of a daughter. Please spread the word. I loved this book. I am giving it as a Christmas gift to my own daughter. I still smile when I see her dance.

One more thing. The author donates the proceeds from the sale of this book to a home for abused children. You can't go wrong with this book.

I first came across this book while browsing through the children's section of my local library. I opened the cover and was so amazed by the first picture that I had to stand there and finish it...I never even made it to a table! This tale of a young daughter dancing her way into her father's heart is enough to inspire any young dancer...and her parents alike. I highly recommend it for any age...child or adult.

Here's an easy recipe to make any father or daughter you know get all puddled up: get them Richard Paul Evans'"The Dance." This short, epigrammatic tale follows an unnamed father as he watches his daughter grow up, progressing from hopping around in the yard to formal dance lessons to being a ballerina. I can't say too much more or I'll give away the tear-inducing ending.

It's short--you can read it with or without a child on your lap in perhaps ten minutes. But the emotions it provokes are powerful, and powerfully enhanced by Jonathan Linton's astonishing paintings. Evans has a note at the beginning of the book saying that although a different illustrator had been selected for "The Dance," he happened to see the cover painting (by Linton) somewhere and felt strongly that Linton should illustrate the book. Thank goodness Evans went to bat for Linton, as the text and pictures mesh beautifully. I can't think of a girl, young or old, who wouldn't enjoy "The Dance"--and I can think of lots of dads who would get a little emotional reading through it themselves. Highly, highly recommended.

Beautiful illustrations accompany this delightful story which places you in a time of rememberance. Powerful words which make you reflect back into your life as a child, and makes you wonder as you grew what did your father think... It is a book that will end with you in tears because of the touching story line. Worth reading, and then buying one for a friend, and your father...

I picked up The Dance as I browsed my favorite bookstore and was immediately caught in the magic of the illustrations. The message within struck a personal chord. An only daughter, I am extremely close to my father. His time on this earth is limited as he battles a devastating neurological disease. With tears streaming down my face, I was reminded that his love will always be with me. I am grateful for this simple book with such a powerful message.

My daughter gave me a clipping from the paper about this book. I was curious so I looked it up here on amazon.com. From what I read I ordered the book. When I received it I read it, and got a little tear in my eye. The same happened to my wife. My daughter doesn't dance but the story told of our relationship. I gave the book to my daughter, it was a perfect gift for her. By the way, my daughter is 41 years old.

I found this book the year before I got married. I gave it to my dad for Christmas when I could not be there, he read it to my brothers and started to cry.

This is a beautiful story for any father and daughter to share. I don't want to ruin the story, but when you get to the last few pages you will understand the signifigance of the timing for my father and I.

Almost every little girl grows up with the dream to become a ballerina. This is a story about how a father observes his daughter go through the many different stages of life by the dances she does, from her first ballet class to the dance on her wedding day. Though the daughter does not realize it, the father watches proudly as she waltzes through life. I would recommend this book for every dancer, no matter what age. This touching story can help build or restore the bond between a father and daughter. The illustrations by Jonathan Linton are extremely beautiful and very realistic. It should be a must on every dancer's reading list!

How do you describe the love between father and daughter? Richard Paul Evans does a magnificent job. His simple, lyrical story follows the relationship between a girl and the father who loved to watch her dance. While we imagine that she was unaware of his presence, she lets him know, later in life, that she had always been aware of his support, and that she always danced for him. Older children, whether dancers or not, will no doubt be touched and encouraged to realize that their parents, whom they think so completely out of touch with their lives, are in fact pretty tuned-in.

John Linton's graceful illustrations are sublime. Readers learn the extraordinary circumstances under which the cover illustration - a personal portrait - was made available to the author. Small wonder The Dance was chosen as an alternate selection of both The Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club. A bonus is that all proceeds from the book go to help abused and neglected children.

[...]

I work in a bookstore, and as such, often at lunch time, I will grab a random childrens book and read it over my break, to better aquaint myself with that section of the store.

This book broke my heart.

The absolutely gorgeous tale of a father and a daughter united by her love of dancing (and his love of watching his daughter dance), this is a tale of a little girl who grows up, and the father who watches her dance every step of the way.

I refuse to ruin this book for you, but to say that you will desire a tissue by the last three pages is not an understatement. It is a beautifully written book that speaks volumes on the love between a father and daughter, and the bittersweet pain of letting a loved one go.

Find this book and read it, it puts "I'll Love You Forever," to shame.