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Fiction. Literature. Christian Fiction. HTML: The Dead Don't Dance is a bittersweet yet triumphant love story�??a tale of one man's journey through the darkness of despair and into the light of hope. In a sleepy rural town in South Carolina, Dylan and Maggie Styles are a young couple in love, preparing eagerly for the birth of their first son. But events take a tragic turn in the delivery room, and their child is delivered stillborn. When Maggie hemorrhages and slips into a coma, Dylan slips into what can only be described as a walking coma, holding vigil at his beloved wife's bedside. Usually tough and self-reliant, an outdoorsman and a farmer, Dylan finds that everything he has known is suddenly thrown into doubt. Refusing to give up on Maggie's recovery, a devastated Dylan takes a job as an English professor in order to pay for Maggie's medical bills. Dylan connects with his students despite himself and offers hope to others amid his own disappointment and grief. As Dylan waits for some change in Maggie's condition, he reflects on his life and hers. Through friends and grace-filled moments of insight, Dylan slowly begins to heal, but it will take a second tragedy�??and an anxious period of wrestling with God�??to truly awaken him from his stupor and open him up to a new life. New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin's debut novel Full-length emotive Southern fiction Book 1 of the Awakening Series Book 2: Maggie… (more)
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Dylan Styles was looking forward to the birth of his first child, to sharing time with him and his wife Maggie. But his son dies in childbirth and his wife loses a lot of blood and goes into a coma. The reader watches and
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The story is slow paced and introspective, the main drama being whether or not the wife will survive, and whether or not Dylan will make it. We delve deep into his character, though not all at once, the author gives us glimpses and flashbacks into what is going on behind the scenes. In these we meet unforgettable characters, like Bryce MacGregor, an eccentric multi-millionaire who spends his time playing the bagpipes in the buff and watching old drive-in movies (Hey, it is South Carolina, after all). The spiritual struggles of the characters also make this story stand out, we see a lot more pain as Dylan learns from a teenager who is pregnant with the child of one of the men who kidnapped and raped her. There is also hope and joy as Dylan ultimately learns to dance in the midst of despair.
How Good is it?
An excellent read for those who want to slow down and taste the joys and sorrows of life through the characters.
Dylan Styles loves his wife. Loves her from head to toe. When his wife, Maggie, slips into a coma after a nightmarish experience in the labor and delivery ward, his world has been turned over, shaken, and left hanging upside down. He feels lost without her. Doctors are anything but encouraging. How's a guy to keep living when his other half is lying helpless in a hospital bed?
This is story that will make you laugh, cry, nod your head, and so much more. It's not your average story--it's better! If you love Nicolas Sparks, you will love Charles Martin. If you love to connect with characters, you will love this book.
Clear your evening when you pick up this novel. You will not want to be disturbed. It's just that good!
Not the best book I have read this year but very possibly my favorite read thus far. Not only did I care about our protagonist and his wife but all of the secondary characters were wonderfully written. From the deputy to the students to the hound dogs to
Martin has created a beautiful story. The characters are so believable and honest. Dylan Stiles is married to a wonderful woman named Maggie. When she shares the news of her pregnancy with Dylan, they are thrilled. But tragedy strikes. The baby dies at birth and the tremendous loss of blood causes Maggie to fall into a coma. While her life is hanging by a thread, Dylan takes a job teaching English to community college students whose futures are also hanging in the balance. The relativeness between students and teacher is really interesting to read.
Dylan's passion for teaching is awakened during this time. But his passion for living is stymied for a time. Somehow he comes to balance his professional life with his personal life.