Quick, Before the Music Stops

作者:Carlson, Janet

页数:272

出版时间:2008-5

价格:CDN$ 22.95

isbn号码:9780767926829

具体描述

“I’ve been dancing steadily since that Valentine’s Day. I have taken countless lessons and classes, passed a professional certification exam, done several shows and a competition—yes, dressed in those outrageous gowns and false eyelashes—and then gone back home to the kids, the soccer, the housework, and to work the next day. It hasn’t been easy to make room in the schedule for my passion, but I have done it, because I’m certain now that it is necessary for life. This new period is rich—as rich in some ways as having my two children because it has been a kind of birth—but it has also been extraordinarily painful thanks to the self-examination that dancing has provoked in me. And so, because of dance, I can say, unequivocally and gratefully, that I am alive at last.”

– From Quick, Before the Music Stops

“ There is no time for regret in dance. You have only now, this moment, for your performance, your glorious movement. Whatever you’re going to do, do it now, quick, before the music stops.” – Janet Carlson

In her twenties, Janet Carlson was a successful competitive ballroom dancer, but she abandoned dancing to raise a family and pursue a more conventional profession as an editor for a luxury lifestyle magazine. Twenty years later, she seemed to have it all: two beautiful daughters, a glamorous job, and a handsome, talented husband. Despite all of her successes, she felt a terrible void - her marriage was deeply troubled, and she was somehow withdrawn in the very midst of her own life and the lives of her children. Then, one Valentine’s Day, her husband gave her ballroom dancing lessons as a gift, and everything changed. She discovered the joy, passion, and confidence she hadn’t realized had gone missing for so long.

Over time, Janet discovers that ballroom dancing also contains the secrets to life and love: the give-and-take of dance, two bodies in rhythm and harmony, mirrors the reciprocity of human relationships. Total trust between partners is as vital on the dance floor as it is within a marriage. And yet, both partners - in dance and in life - must stand on their own two feet. The unadulterated joy Janet feels as she intuitively moves to the music speaks to the kind of absolute, whole-body happiness we were born to have. On the dance floor, she finds resolve in the waltz, self-confidence in the tango, and passion in nearly everything. Embracing dance once more allows her to let go of a marriage that was completely out of sync; put more heart and emotion into her work; find more time to truly be with her children; and ultimately rejoice in her intrinsic balance and poise.

Told with precision, grace, and painstaking honesty, Quick, Before the Music Stops is the tale of one woman’s midlife renewal through dance, and how her newfound empowerment transcends the dance floor and becomes immediate and relevant in every aspect of her life. It shows us how to recognize and celebrate both our strengths and our flaws, reignite passion for the everyday, and how to step from the periphery into the light and surrender to the music.

用户评价

最近读到一本让我久久不能平静的书，它的名字叫做“Quick, Before the Music Stops”。刚翻开第一页，我就被一股强烈的悬念所笼罩。书中的人物似乎都生活在一个充满不确定性的世界里，他们面临着某种难以回避的命运，或者说是被某种无形的力量所驱使，必须在极短的时间内做出重要的选择。我脑海中闪现出许多画面：也许是某个古老的预言即将实现，也许是一场突如其来的危机正在逼近，而“音乐停止”则像是一个倒计时的钟声，预示着一切将发生翻天覆地的变化。我猜测，作者在构建故事时，一定花费了大量心思在营造紧张的氛围上，让读者仿佛置身其中，与主人公一同感受那种分秒必争的压迫感。我想象中的情节，可能充满了意想不到的转折，让人猝不及防，每一次阅读都像是一次冒险。而且，这种“音乐停止”的隐喻，又让我联想到生命中的某些重要时刻，那些我们在平静中安于现状，但潜在的危机却在悄然滋长，直到某个触发点出现，一切都被打破。这本书，或许是在提醒我们，要珍惜当下，要勇敢面对变化，要抓住每一个稍纵即逝的机会，因为，谁也不知道，下一秒，音乐是否就会戛然而止。

“Quick, Before the Music Stops”，这个书名就像是一首未完成的诗，留下了太多的想象空间，也引发了我无数的好奇。我常常会在脑海里想象，这个“音乐”究竟代表着什么？是现实生活中的音乐，还是某种比喻，比如一段美好的时光，或者一种稳定的局面？而“停止”则意味着什么？是结束，是失落，还是某种新的开始？我感觉这本书的基调可能带着一种淡淡的忧伤，但又不失力量。我猜想，故事中的人物可能都在经历着某种紧迫的追逐，或者是在与时间赛跑，他们可能要在一个不确定的未来到来之前，完成某件至关重要的事情。这种“Quick”的紧迫感，与“Before the Music Stops”的潜在的末日感相互交织，形成了一种独特的张力。我喜欢这种带有哲学思考的书名，它不仅仅是一个故事的标签，更像是一个引子，引导读者去思考生命的意义，去审视自己在时间长河中的位置。这本书，会不会是一次关于如何把握当下，如何面对失去，以及如何在混乱中寻找希望的深刻探索？我迫不及待地想通过阅读来寻找答案。

读到“Quick, Before the Music Stops”这个书名，我脑子里立刻浮现出一幅画面：一个灯火辉煌的舞池，人们尽情地欢笑、跳跃，享受着音乐带来的快乐。然而，在那欢乐的背后，似乎隐藏着一种不为人知的危机，一种迫在眉睫的危险，而“音乐停止”就像是这场盛宴的终结，或是某个秘密被揭露的信号。我深深地被这个名字所吸引，因为它暗示着故事中充满了戏剧性的冲突和不可预测的转折。我猜想，书中的角色可能都在一场精心设计的命运游戏之中，他们必须在音乐停止之前，找到出路，或者完成某种不为人知的使命。这种“Quick”的紧迫感，让我想象到一场猫鼠游戏，或是某个重要的解谜过程，每一次的行动都关系到最终的结局。而“Before the Music Stops”则为整个故事蒙上了一层神秘的面纱，让人不禁想要一探究竟，音乐停止时，将会是怎样的场景？是戛然而止的平静，还是惊涛骇浪的到来？这本书，无疑是一次关于时间、关于选择、关于在看似平静的生活下涌动的暗流的精彩呈现，我非常期待它带给我的震撼。

哇，拿到这本书的时候，我简直迫不及待地想 dive in 了！封面设计就非常有吸引力，带着一种复古又神秘的气息，让我对里面要讲的故事充满了好奇。我猜想，这本书的名字“Quick, Before the Music Stops”本身就蕴含着一种紧迫感和一种转瞬即逝的美好，也许是在描绘一段正在消逝的时光，或者是一个即将发生的重大事件，而“音乐停止”则像是一个隐喻，象征着某种平静的打破、某种美好的结束，亦或是某种危险的降临。我喜欢这种留有想象空间的书名，它不像有些书名那样直白，而是像一首诗，需要我们自己去解读其中蕴含的情感和意义。我猜想，故事的节奏可能会很快，就像名字里说的“Quick”，可能会有很多出乎意料的情节发展，让人肾上腺素飙升。同时，“Before the Music Stops”也暗示着一个时间限制，也许主角们需要在音乐停止之前完成某个任务，或者做出某个重要的决定，这无疑会增加故事的张力和悬念。我对于作者是如何运用这个意象来构建情节，以及它在故事中扮演着怎样的角色，感到非常期待。这本书会是一场关于时间、关于选择、关于生命中那些稍纵即逝却又无比珍贵的瞬间的深刻探讨吗？我迫不及待地想知道答案。

不得不说，“Quick, Before the Music Stops”这个名字，实在是太有“味道”了！它不是那种一眼就能看穿的书名，而是像一块陈年的琥珀，越品越有韵味。我第一次看到它的时候，脑海里就涌现出无数的可能性。我猜想，故事里一定有那么一刻，时间仿佛被静止了，但同时又在飞速流逝，而“音乐”的象征意义，可能比我们想象的要深刻得多。它或许代表着某种秩序、某种和谐、或者是一种我们习以为常的生活状态。当音乐停止的时候，意味着什么？是混乱？是寂静？还是新生？我非常好奇作者将如何描绘这种“停止”前的躁动与不安。我想象着，在故事的某个节点，可能有一个盛大的宴会，或者一个充满活力的集会，人们沉浸在欢乐之中，却浑然不知危险的临近，而“音乐”就是这场狂欢的背景音。当音乐声骤然停止，所有人都惊愕地抬起头，迎接他们的将是怎样的命运？这种极致的对比，想想就让人心头一紧。这本书，也许是在探讨人性中的脆弱与坚韧，在面对突如其来的变故时，我们是如何反应的，又是如何重新找到生活的节奏。