The Dead Don't Dance (Awakening Series #1)

For me a five-star rating means I LOVED the book. It might not fall into the category of amazing literature, but it kept me entertained or I found the information inside fascinating and/or helpful.RECAP: Dylan Styles loves his wife fiercely. When their world takes a tragic turn he doesn’t really know how to get through each day. In the midst of “life moving on” Dylan struggles with his faith, struggles with how to do his job, grieves everything he’s lost, but never gives up on loving his wife. I love that about this book.BLUSH FACTOR/LANGUAGE: Nothing to see here, folks.THE WRITING: Outstanding. It reminds me a little of “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” although I liked it much better than that book. Charles Martin creates lovable, real characters and puts a sentence together that creates amazing word pictures.STAND-ALONE OR CLIFFHANGER ENDING? The Dead Don’t Dance is part of a series called Awakening, which as far as I can tell, contains just two books. You could stop after one book and be satisfied with the ending, but you probably won’t want to.BOTTOM LINE: Though it took me awhile to get into this book, I really enjoyed it a lot. I debated between it being a 4-star book, or a 5-star book because it isn’t a real page turner in the beginning, but it’s at least a 4.5 star book so I rounded up. I highly recommend it.

I love these lines from the story, “I think that if we could give God a choice, He’d prefer that we scream and argue rather than say nothing at all… I keep the lines open… If God is who he said He is, then He’s big enough to handle my ranting and raving… and all my questions.” (p. 181)Dylan and Maggie are living the good life. After obtaining his doctorate Dylan was unable to find a teaching job. But he found himself pleasantly satisfied working the land at his deceased grandfather’s farm. They were happy with their lot in life. And farming had not been all that bad. All except for a mean pig, of course, the pig was only mean to Dylan. About four weeks after a romantic evening, Dylan and Maggie realized that they were expecting. They were ecstatic, they enjoyed months of preparation. The baby was born deceased. After vomiting Maggie lapsed into a coma. She continued to bleed, so much so, that Dylan had to give one more pint than what was normally allowed.This novel tells the story of Dylan’s suffering, and how he learned to cope with the reality that his wife was in a coma, and that she may never wake up. I loved the story, and I thought it was brilliant. During this difficult time, Dylan, unbeknownst to himself, influenced so many people. The main story revolves around Dylan and Maggie, but there is so much more. I enjoyed reading about all the characters and how all of their stories (lives) tied together. Near the end of the book Dylan realized that he was not alone. And he learned that he was not the only one who experienced suffering. If you read this book, make sure that you keep a box of tissues nearby. There is a sequel to this book, Maggie. I will read it soon.

There's something so wonderful about reading one of Charles' books. It is trust. The reader trusts that his story will grab you without delay. Start the first page and you're in. The reader experiences so many trials, sorrows, struggles and just as many blessings. We grow and mature in our humanity, intelligence and closeness to God. What greater gift can an author give his readers? I don't like giving reviews that retell the story. The Kindle summaries are informative enough. I will just share my thoughts and feelings upon reading the past sentence as I have just done. In closing, I will add that coming to the end is so hard because parting is not always a sweet sorrow.

While enjoyed most of this book, it was not one of his best. I didn't realize it was an early work, I think his first published. Since I have read others, later ones, I was a little disappointed. It was still well written. Charles is an incredible wordsmith. He paints a picture complete with smells and facial expressions.His books always come with incredible difficulty it's characters face, hardship that brings tears. In the midst of this the main character usually fights with and loses to God, comes to understand Him with a depth that only pain can deliver. So many novels are drivel as far as their Christian message. Martin's are always a powerhouse of faith. That is my favorite part. I would still recommend this to my friends but it isn't a five star.

I love this guy. I have read every book he has written, including the little personal notes he puts in the back of the books. It is a story of a miscarriage which devastates the main character and redirects his life. Martin is a Christian writer who does not try to overwhelm his readers with his beliefs, but He is present in almost every page.

I’ve recently discovered the writing of Charles Martín & I really am enjoying his work. The dead don’t dance is his third novel that I’ve read & it moved me to tears in places. Written I guess for an American audience I didn’t follow the explanation of the American football game very well but aside from that the book has enthralled me! I particularly like the way sexual elements of the story are explained in a wholesome way without unnecessary & explicit description.I look forward to reading all his work!

I loved this book. Charles Martin has such a way with words and his books are very uplifting.

A good read. Arrived before the due date

Wonderful an amazing book,excelant service

Good book