Ohioana Library Award for Writing and Editing Excellence
Independent Publisher Book Awards, Best Regional Fiction
National Readers Choice Awards, Finalist
"Who better than Mardo Williams to convey the uncertainty and fulfillment of love between senior citizens? Williams' writing shows a ready wit, and neither Dixie nor Morgan is spared from comic consequences. One Last Dance is charming and touching. That the main characters are willful and stubborn does little to diminish their appeal." --Barbara McIntyre, Akron Beacon-Journal
"The Williamses introduce us to Morgan, a handsome curmudgeon, still running from his past, and Dixie, a lovely social butterfly, who is still grieving hers. Their disastrous meeting started with smeared cake frosting and developed into a moving tribute that love conquers all pain. Williams and his daughters have achieved a thing of beauty. Do yourself a favor, snuggle up in a chair and enjoy this hallmark of senior romance." --Debra Kiefat, ArmchairInterviews.com
"Mardo Williams' One Last Dance is proof that romance isn't dead, there's life after 80, the sins of the parents can be redeemed, and old age and youth both have lessons to teach and to learn. The story waltzes through an honestly depicted world of assisted living, Social Security, hospitals and sweethearts. Lyrical prose and perfect dialog create delicious humor and pathos while the characters weave their way through all the expected trials of a good romance novel. Will Dixie end up with Morgan or with his best friend? Will Morgan ever learn to see things her way? Will she ever stop setting rules? And will Morgan's mysterious past catch up with him and tear things apart?
Romantic novels are meant to engage the emotions and leave the reader feeling good. This story of 90-year-old Morgan and 80-year-old Dixie achieves its aim delightfully. The characters are beautifully real, with the problems of aging adding depth and a time-dependent urgency to romantic entanglements. The plot's nicely woven to bring in youth and old age, and everything in between. And the writer's gentle hand with sex, politics and religion, his skill with creating scenes of ballroom and flowers around the lawn, plus his own experience of aging, brings a wonderful authenticity to it all.
Morgan's heard if you reach 90 you've got every chance of making 100. If I could still be like him at 90, I'd go for 100 too. I feel like I've met these characters, and my only regret is the author hasn't lived to see his creations dancing on the page. A perfect romantic novel for real people of real age, with honest promise for the future." Sheila Deeth, Books, Gather.com
." . .This skillfully-written book by a former journalist should be required reading for everyone involved in elder caregiving and everyone contemplating the issue of aging. It is honest, informative, and entertaining, a pleasure to read.
The book includes a Reading Group Guide which would seem to make it an excellent choice for Senior--and Boomer--book clubs." -- Marlys Marshall Styne
