Review of Last Dance
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- Latest Review: Last Dance by Stephen Manning
Review of Last Dance
[Following is a volunteer review of "Last Dance" by Stephen Manning.]
Last Dance by Stephan Manning is a Memoir for his late wife Mary Ann Manning "a loving mother" and the accounts of their family life. This memoir is like a practical fairy tale, with a happily ever after, that we need to understand takes a lifetime to create and is not without tragedies and hard times. In 1974, Stephan, a young man from Nebraska relocates to Chicago after college to work at Inland Steel as an accountant. He meets Mary Ann Lesin who works as a secretary for the same company. At first they are both dating different people as their friendship develops and they eventually date each other. Things escalate to meeting each other's parents,to an engagement, a marriage and starting a family of their own. Mary Ann beautifully eases into becoming a full time stay at home mother and the best mother her children could ever have. She cares for them, pays attention to them, and loves them while supporting Stephan at his job, as a father and in making important family decisions.
My positive observation about this book is that even though Stephan experienced sadness after the demise of Mary Ann, he went ahead to share with the world their lovely story. He together with Mary Ann worked to build foundations of the happy family they had a vision of. At one point when Stephan's presence for the family was threatened by work travel, leaving Mary Ann to feel like a single parent, she called him out to work on it, "I don't want to be like some of our friends who let their relationships and families fall apart. I am certainly willing to give it a try if you can make some significant changes." She constantly stood by her family and made it work. Stephan also gives a good example of a family man. He hears out his wife and makes adjustments on whatever is required of him. Their marriage is practical and realistic.
It was difficult for me to pick out any negative aspects as this is a personal story. I cannot add on or take away anything to make it more perfect. It is a perfect legacy as it is. After a long period of ailment and strong medication, Mary Ann holds on and uses the last ounce of her strength to dance with her son Ryan at his wedding. When the author mentioned that the dance could be found on YouTube, I ran to check it out. It is overwhelming, emotional and beautiful if you understand the rest of the story. An act of selflessness that very few mothers manage to give their children. The author is a strong believer in God, a Christian who prays and attends church regularly. Faith is one of the anchors of his family.
With everything put into consideration, I will rate Last Dance a 3 out of 4 stars. The book will benefit from a final round of editing due to a few minor grammar mistakes. I would suggest this read for young couples, singles who intend to get married one day and families who would like to have an encounter with a marriage that worked out. It gives one an idea of what to expect from a marriage, on good days and on bad days alike.
******
Last Dance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Last Dance by Stephan Manning is a Memoir for his late wife Mary Ann Manning "a loving mother" and the accounts of their family life. This memoir is like a practical fairy tale, with a happily ever after, that we need to understand takes a lifetime to create and is not without tragedies and hard times. In 1974, Stephan, a young man from Nebraska relocates to Chicago after college to work at Inland Steel as an accountant. He meets Mary Ann Lesin who works as a secretary for the same company. At first they are both dating different people as their friendship develops and they eventually date each other. Things escalate to meeting each other's parents,to an engagement, a marriage and starting a family of their own. Mary Ann beautifully eases into becoming a full time stay at home mother and the best mother her children could ever have. She cares for them, pays attention to them, and loves them while supporting Stephan at his job, as a father and in making important family decisions.
My positive observation about this book is that even though Stephan experienced sadness after the demise of Mary Ann, he went ahead to share with the world their lovely story. He together with Mary Ann worked to build foundations of the happy family they had a vision of. At one point when Stephan's presence for the family was threatened by work travel, leaving Mary Ann to feel like a single parent, she called him out to work on it, "I don't want to be like some of our friends who let their relationships and families fall apart. I am certainly willing to give it a try if you can make some significant changes." She constantly stood by her family and made it work. Stephan also gives a good example of a family man. He hears out his wife and makes adjustments on whatever is required of him. Their marriage is practical and realistic.
It was difficult for me to pick out any negative aspects as this is a personal story. I cannot add on or take away anything to make it more perfect. It is a perfect legacy as it is. After a long period of ailment and strong medication, Mary Ann holds on and uses the last ounce of her strength to dance with her son Ryan at his wedding. When the author mentioned that the dance could be found on YouTube, I ran to check it out. It is overwhelming, emotional and beautiful if you understand the rest of the story. An act of selflessness that very few mothers manage to give their children. The author is a strong believer in God, a Christian who prays and attends church regularly. Faith is one of the anchors of his family.
With everything put into consideration, I will rate Last Dance a 3 out of 4 stars. The book will benefit from a final round of editing due to a few minor grammar mistakes. I would suggest this read for young couples, singles who intend to get married one day and families who would like to have an encounter with a marriage that worked out. It gives one an idea of what to expect from a marriage, on good days and on bad days alike.
******
Last Dance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Last Dance by Stephen Manning
