France Book Tours Review: The Church of Tango

SYNOPSIS

More than a metaphor and much more than a dance, the Tango takes Cherie from being a widow with suicidal tendencies to traveling the world in search of herself, finding love, sorrow and serenity. Her quest takes her to France where she falls in love with aristocratic Olivier, and to Argentina where she falls in love with the tango. Along the way she discovers and deals with her own two separate breast cancers and the loss of all that she’d previously valued. Relationships in the desperate singles world is a whole new dance to learn, before being blessed at the Church of Tango.

The Church of Tango captivates readers struggling with tragic loss, illness, and death, as well as those who are passionate about travel and adventure, who long for love, or who delight in dance of all kinds.

Gold Medal winner 2013 of the Wishing Shelf Book Award

MY REVIEW

This memoir, which is partially set in France, tells the story of Cherie Magnus. Magnus shares her life as a widow with us and at times it is almost painful to read about all of the hardships she encounters, from the heartache of losing her husband to the betrayal of friends to challenging relationships.  I think it was especially hard to read her recount some of her forays into the dating world as a widow because as a reader you want to reach through the pages of the book and tell her that she deserves so much better.  But I admire her ability to honestly recount her relationships as not everyone can tell it like it is or was.  

Through all of her trials and triumphs, the tango is her source of comfort.  I did not know much about tango before reading this so it was interesting to learn about the dance and the customs in the clubs where the tango is danced.  My favorite part of the book was her initial trip to Paris as she comments about how Paris felt more like home than anywhere else did at the time, which is a sentiment that I can completely relate to. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cherie Magnus, a California native, lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 12 years.

She was a dance research librarian in the Los Angeles Central Library and a dance critic for local newspapers before moving to France, Mexico, and finally to Argentina in 2003.

Many of her articles on dance, books, travel and international culture have been published in magazines, professional journals, and several anthologies.
She has written a blog on expat life, Buenos Aires culture, and tango since 2006.

Currently she is preparing a prequel, Arabesque: Dancing on the Edge in Los Angeles, to be published in 2014.

Visit her website. Follow her on Facebook, and Twitter 
Buy the book: Amazon (paperback) | Amazon (kindle) | Smashwords