Dancing on Broken Glass
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
Dancing on Broken Glass Paperback – March 13, 2012
See all 6 formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
MP3 CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged
"Please retry"
|
$16.45 | $23.76 |
$11.21
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
Only 2 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Start reading Dancing on Broken Glass on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.
|
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Hancock’s debut is an authentic tearjerker—an intimate and touching story that will remain in readers’ hearts."
—Publishers Weekly
"In a world of Nicholas Sparks wannabes, there are an infinite number of ways to get a tear-jerking romance wrong. Ka Hancock’s lovely, heartbreaking debut novel, Dancing On Broken Glass, shows off one great way to get it right. ... She grounds her emotionally wrenching situations in beautifully detailed characters—including the amazing interplay between Lucy and her two sisters—and uses her background in nursing to provide compelling texture for the medical dramas. As those characters struggle to understand the connection between love and mortality, Hancock fills her pages with a rich, optimistic spirituality that never feels oppressive. Get ready for a good, cleansing cry built on real, tangled humanity rather than forced tragedy."
—Salt Lake City Weekly
—Publishers Weekly
"In a world of Nicholas Sparks wannabes, there are an infinite number of ways to get a tear-jerking romance wrong. Ka Hancock’s lovely, heartbreaking debut novel, Dancing On Broken Glass, shows off one great way to get it right. ... She grounds her emotionally wrenching situations in beautifully detailed characters—including the amazing interplay between Lucy and her two sisters—and uses her background in nursing to provide compelling texture for the medical dramas. As those characters struggle to understand the connection between love and mortality, Hancock fills her pages with a rich, optimistic spirituality that never feels oppressive. Get ready for a good, cleansing cry built on real, tangled humanity rather than forced tragedy."
—Salt Lake City Weekly
About the Author
Ka Hancock has two nursing degrees and has spent most of her career working with psychiatric and substance abuse patients. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and has four children. Dancing on Broken Glass is her first novel.
More About the Author
Ka was born and raised in Utah in the shadow of the most spectacular mountains on earth. A lifelong learner with two degrees in nursing, her expertise is in the field of mental health. Somewhere between raising her family, going to school, working and getting the laundry done, she managed to write a novel that takes an unvarnished look at imperfect love, loss, and bipolar disorder. Her underlying faith in the resiliency of the human spirit shines through in her debut Dancing on Broken Glass. Read it.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By
Haley Mathiot
VINE VOICE on April 4, 2012
Format: Paperback
Comment
Sending feedback...
I think this is the best book I've read in a really long time.
Let's start with a critical analysis and break down the text: First, the writing was really good. Like, Dianne Dixon good, or JK Rowling good. It was filled with flowing and descriptive prose and beautiful metaphors. I could probably write a ten-page paper on some of the literary themes in this novel. It wasn't just fiction for the sake of the story: There was so much beauty about the meaning of life and love and commitment and... well, I'll let you read it.
The pacing was excellent. The very first sentence caught me by the hair and dragged me the whole way through the book. I read most of it in one setting, stopping only to readjust the pillow behind my back.
Now for the really important stuff:
The characters in Dancing on Broken Glass were so epic that I truly didn't want this book to end. They were so wonderful, but so terribly and humanly flawed, just like real people are, that I feel like if I saw Mickey or Lily on the street, I'd recognize them right away.
And boy did I relate to some of these characters!
The ending was just superb. It was heartbreaking, but I knew it was destined from the moment I started reading. It was so perfect and fulfilling that it was worth all the emotional turmoil the rest of the novel put me through.
On that note, it wasn't one of those books that are so hard to read that you can only take it in small doses or that it makes you cry, or extremely emotional readers can't handle it. Nor did it have any offensive language or sex scenes (okay there was some mention of sex, but it wasn't explicit in any way). In fact, it was one of the least offensive novels I've read in a very long time. We're talking years.Read more ›
Let's start with a critical analysis and break down the text: First, the writing was really good. Like, Dianne Dixon good, or JK Rowling good. It was filled with flowing and descriptive prose and beautiful metaphors. I could probably write a ten-page paper on some of the literary themes in this novel. It wasn't just fiction for the sake of the story: There was so much beauty about the meaning of life and love and commitment and... well, I'll let you read it.
The pacing was excellent. The very first sentence caught me by the hair and dragged me the whole way through the book. I read most of it in one setting, stopping only to readjust the pillow behind my back.
Now for the really important stuff:
The characters in Dancing on Broken Glass were so epic that I truly didn't want this book to end. They were so wonderful, but so terribly and humanly flawed, just like real people are, that I feel like if I saw Mickey or Lily on the street, I'd recognize them right away.
And boy did I relate to some of these characters!
The ending was just superb. It was heartbreaking, but I knew it was destined from the moment I started reading. It was so perfect and fulfilling that it was worth all the emotional turmoil the rest of the novel put me through.
On that note, it wasn't one of those books that are so hard to read that you can only take it in small doses or that it makes you cry, or extremely emotional readers can't handle it. Nor did it have any offensive language or sex scenes (okay there was some mention of sex, but it wasn't explicit in any way). In fact, it was one of the least offensive novels I've read in a very long time. We're talking years.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By
J. Ganesh
on April 24, 2012
Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
After reading a slew of chick-lit and books targeted towards women that have been extremely disappointing, picking up this book was refreshing. From the prose that was both thoughtfully and beautifully written, to the emotional backdrop of this story, I was engaged from beginning to end. I can't recommend this book enough- however, I will admit that I felt sad and introspective at the end of this book- this can only be the result of a well written book.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By
Matilda Gerard
on April 4, 2012
Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
I walked in Barnes and Noble and at once saw "Dancing on Broken Glass", picked it up and scanned it, read the back cover, acknowledgment, and finally the prologue, and I was hooked. Bought it, took it out to my car and began reading 6 CHAPTERS! I finished in a week, because it was a "savoring" book, and I just couldn't hurry through it, in fact I reread many pages until I came to the end. I admit to many tears before I finished it, but it has stayed with me and I just keep rereading it. I now have a new favorite author and can't wait until she releases another book!
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
Hilary B
on April 5, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition
Comment
Sending feedback...
Such a beautiful book, it is definitely on my favorites and I look for more to come from this debut author. Mickey and Lucy are two people who maybe never should have fallen in love, but they did and their love story is one that is lovely and raw. They both have flawed medical history and come with many imperfections and "baggage" if you will, but they conquer all and are devoted to each other with such passion that you can't help but love them too. The relationship between them is not easy but they prove with each page that it is worth it. To round out the story there are also realtionships between sisters, friends and neighbors and even the little town they live in. I want to live there! The writing is smooth and the pace is just perfect. I shed many tears but laughed as well. I love a book that makes me feel and this one definitely did that! Highly recommend for anyone!!
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By
M. Schemanski
on April 16, 2012
Format: Paperback
Comment
Sending feedback...
Dancing on Broken Glass
Ka Hancock
On occasion a novel comes along that shows strong depth of love, a boundless love that in this throwaway society, stands firm. The kind of relationship we all long for in our souls, but would be willing to count the cost for it?
Lucy and Mickey attempt to beat the odds in their lives to pledge their undying love to one another. Lucy, whose family lineage is gone from breast cancer and has overcome herself. Mickey who is bi-polar and has a personality that can go from deeply depressed to mania. The love each other despite these obstacles and make a vow to make it work, accepting the things they cannot change.
It isn't easy. Dealing with Mickey in and out of the hospital over the years to get his meds regulated again. Lucy dealing with cancer and the fear of dying like her own mother did at a young age. Their list of `rules' for living, framed by their bedside helps them to focus. The last rule on the list is that they will not have any children to pass on these diseases to. Lucy who has had her tubes tied several years ago finds out she is pregnant. How can they raise a child with all that they deal with in their unique situation?
Ka Hancock uses her experience in the nursing and psychiatric field to paint a picture of bi-polar and the affects it has not only on the person with it, but those who love him. She does an excellent job of utilizing Mickey's own words in a journal type format, while Lucy deals with all she does in loving Mickey. We meet up with Lucy and Mickey as they fall in love, and shift to the present and back. Catching up on their story as they deal with the here and now.
This is a heart wrenching novel, reading as if watching a movie unfold in front of you. Seeing the kind of true love that sticks it out.Read more ›
Ka Hancock
On occasion a novel comes along that shows strong depth of love, a boundless love that in this throwaway society, stands firm. The kind of relationship we all long for in our souls, but would be willing to count the cost for it?
Lucy and Mickey attempt to beat the odds in their lives to pledge their undying love to one another. Lucy, whose family lineage is gone from breast cancer and has overcome herself. Mickey who is bi-polar and has a personality that can go from deeply depressed to mania. The love each other despite these obstacles and make a vow to make it work, accepting the things they cannot change.
It isn't easy. Dealing with Mickey in and out of the hospital over the years to get his meds regulated again. Lucy dealing with cancer and the fear of dying like her own mother did at a young age. Their list of `rules' for living, framed by their bedside helps them to focus. The last rule on the list is that they will not have any children to pass on these diseases to. Lucy who has had her tubes tied several years ago finds out she is pregnant. How can they raise a child with all that they deal with in their unique situation?
Ka Hancock uses her experience in the nursing and psychiatric field to paint a picture of bi-polar and the affects it has not only on the person with it, but those who love him. She does an excellent job of utilizing Mickey's own words in a journal type format, while Lucy deals with all she does in loving Mickey. We meet up with Lucy and Mickey as they fall in love, and shift to the present and back. Catching up on their story as they deal with the here and now.
This is a heart wrenching novel, reading as if watching a movie unfold in front of you. Seeing the kind of true love that sticks it out.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
