Fooling Nazi espionage may cost Lenny the trust of the girl who captured his heart. Will Natasha discover his secret D-Day reports, disguised as love letters to another woman? In these letters, Lenny gives the enemy misleading information about allied plans. Once Natasha arrives in London, he takes her for a ride on his Harley throughout England, from the White Cliffs of Dover to a village near … village near an underground ammunition depot in Staffordshire. When he is wounded in a horrific explosion, she brings him back to safety, only to discover the other woman’s letter to him. Will love survive the test of war?
In the past Natasha wrote, with girlish infatuation, “He will be running his fingers down, all the way down to the small of my back, touching his lips to my ear, breathing his name, breathing mine. Here I am, dancing with air.” In years to come, she will begin to lose her memory, which will make Lenny see her as fragile. “I gather her gently into my arms, holding her like a breath.” But right now, she is at her peak. She is ready to take charge of the course of their story.
Dancing with Air is a standalone WWII romance, as well as the 4th volume of the family saga series Still Life with Memories, one of family sagas best sellers of all time. If you like family saga romance, wounded warrior romance, military romance or romantic suspense, you will find that this love story, twisting and turning through its marital issues, is a unique melding of them all.
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Uvi Poznansky has a unique writing style and this story was perfect for her musical prose, weaving this tender romance story as if she were leading the reader along in a dance, drawing us in, captivating, making us care about the lyrical characters of Lenny and Natasha and making us hope for them.
As we are taken back to the time of World War II and the beginnings of their love affair, you can’t help but be fascinated with the time period, the spy mission, the danger and sacrifices. Ms. Poznansky sprinkles interesting historical details about events and settings and customs of the times.
The characters themselves are exemplary and endearing in their innocence and all-consuming love. You want them to have it all, to be as happy as they are on the verge of being.
Including the songs of the era make the immersion complete into the story world of Lenny & Natasha, and their beautiful love in the time of war.
The ending circles back to their advanced adulthood, and is poignant and perfect, but that’s all I’ll say so as not to spoil the experience.
Excellent story, very well told! Superb!
This is a beautifully written love story!
Dancing with Air opens years after Lenny and Natasha’s tumultuous relationship takes place. They are married and he is losing her once again– not because of the war, instead a dreaded disease is taking her mind to a place he cannot follow.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel reading this book as my grandmother passed away after years of dementia, but that’s only a small part of the story and is treated with grace and kindness.
Instead, we are treated to a love story that is at times both poignant and humorous. Lenny falls for a young pianist he sees shortly after injury in a training exercise. This line stood out for me:
I was enamored with Natasha even before laying eyes on her.
Poznansky, Uvi. The Music of Us (Still Life with Memories Book 3) (p. 22). Uvi Poznansky. Kindle Edition.
She played a beautiful rendition of God Bless America and had every soldier in the theatre eating out of her sixteen year old hand, Lenny included.
Knowing how besotted Lenny was, his friend wrote her a letter just before he left on his tour to Hawaii (and the subsequent bombing of Pearl Harbor).
Natasha writes Lenny back, thinking he’d sent the first letter, and so their relationship begins.
There are many undercurrents running through this book, from the death of Lenny’s friend, then later his father, to Natasha’s mother who thinks no man is good enough for her daughter. And under everything, is the threat of war.
Lenny and Natasha are separated time and again by their respective careers, but nothing will stop their growing love for one another.
This is romance in its truest form, I loved it!
I give Dancing with Air 5 lovely kisses
Dancing with Air is a story of deep and abiding love between Lenny and Natasha. While it opens with a challenge this couple faces late in life, we get to start at the beginning. Their love unfolds at a languid pace that poses a stark contrast to the jarring cadence of a world at war. So much is beyond their control as these young lovers are swept away by romance and duty.
Set in Britain during World War II, Lenny and Natasha’s story is skillfully interwoven with historical events and provides a vivid representation of life in a dangerously unpredictable world. Told in a lyrical, highly visual style, we’re transported back in time. The characters are well-developed, nuanced, and the range of emotions they display is done with tenderness and depth. That’s particularly true when Lenny and Natasha are much older and must confront and challenge the boundaries that test the bond between soulmates. I hope you’ll read this deftly-written tale that will stay with you long after you finish reading the book.
A Beautiful Love Story
Dancing With Air, a WWII Love Story, From USA Today Bestselling Author, Uvi Poznansky, is the 4th book in the Still Life with Memories series.
As his wife Natasha starts suffering from symptoms of a devastating illness, Lenny returns to the past, as a marine stationed in London, recalling their courtship.
‘He will be running his fingers down, all the way down to the small of my back, touching his lips to my ear, breathing his name, breathing mine… here I am, dancing with air…’
Natasha, a concert pianist, misses Lenny, and she follows him to Europe, where she performed for the troops.
Lenny has flashbacks of what his and Natasha’s lives were like back then when they were falling in love while coping with the present, as he tries to deal with his wife’s frightening disease.
But Lenny’s role overseas is more than it appears. His D-Day reports, written as letters to another woman, are filled with misleading information to help fool the Nazis.
Will Natasha discover the letters? And if she does, will it tear them apart?
Bombs are falling and danger seems to lurk around every corner, and even though bad things are happening all around them, their love somehow seems to find a way to survive.
Each book in the series is told from a different point of view, but each can easily be read as a standalone.
The author tells a beautiful and unique heartbreaking story of love and loss and how those special moments can keep love alive in your heart.
Definitely a five star read!
Uvi Poznansky
Love the series!
Dancing with Air by Uvi Poznansky is a lyrical tour se force set in World War II in England.
Poetic, evocative, and at times languorously delicious, the new audiobook version adds even more to the sense of “being there” along side the delightful characters who, by the way, span a series of novels over the course of their lifetimes.
One of the lovely gifts embedded in this series is a collection of beautiful poems set to music to represent songs of the era. Mr. Warrick, the phenomenal narrator of this story, creates some memorable tunes with his amazing voice.
Do yourself a favor and download this romantic adventure. Then sit back, push play, and let the beauty wash over you.
Highly recommended for all book lovers!
Dancing with Air by Uvi Poznansky is a historical fiction, military romance that takes place during World War II. It’s the fourth book in the Still Life with Memories series, but can definitely be read as a standalone novel. This is the first book I read by the author and I did not feel like I was missing out on anything revealed earlier in the series.
I enjoyed reading Lenny and Natasha’s wartime love story. It is told entirely through Lenny’s perspective as he recalls his involvement in a special military mission and remembers how Natasha used to be before Alzheimer’s began advancing upon her mind. The story was well written and thought-provoking.
Reads As A Stand-Alone In A Series Of Stories About Lenny And Natasha. The Flashback To World War II Is A Fascinating Tale Of Espionage With A Backdrop Of Romance! Fans Of The Notebook May Enjoy This Book.
This is the fourth book in the Still Life with Memories series, a five book series with a sixth brief book bite. I have not read the first books in the series and cannot comment on the series as a whole to this point; however, this book reads well as a stand-alone. Fans of The Notebook may enjoy this book, as some aspects are reminiscent of that story.
This is the story of Lenny and Natasha. It opens and closes when they are somewhat older. Lenny has become the caretaker of Natasha, whose memory has been slipping for some time. She has few lucid moments, and it weighs heavily on Lenny. They do not yet have a diagnosis for her condition. Lenny longs for his teenage son, who quit school and is travelling abroad, to return home to him. They have a complicated relationship, however.
The bulk of the book is a flashback to a time before Lenny and Natasha marry. Lenny reflects back to a time when Natasha was at her peak. She was a successful Russian pianist, and he a would-be writer enlisted in the Marines in World War II. After taking time out to return to New York because of his father’s illness and death, Lenny is called back into service. He had spent time with Natasha while in New York, and the young couple was crazy about one another. Duty takes him to London, and love inspires Natasha to hazard a trip across the dangerous waters of the Atlantic and join a USO tour in England, bringing her to Lenny.
Lenny’s talent has caused him to be recruited to join a secret mission to mislead the Germans. He has been tasked to write love letters with false information about the Allied forces in an effort meant to misdirect German intelligence, whose spy network had infiltrated the British postal service. With Natasha’s arrival, Lenny is ordered to find another woman to write letters to, as Natasha’s presence eliminates her as a credible recipient. His friend Ryan’s ex-girlfriend happened to have had eyes for Lenny back in New York, and though Lenny was devoted to Natasha, he could come up with no other option and was forced to begin a correspondence with Lana. The fact that he cannot divulge the truth to Natasha weighs heavily on his conscience, and the possibility of her discovering the letters has him living in fear.
The war story is a fascinating tale of espionage with a backdrop of romance. It is nicely written. The plot is complex. The characters are unique and authentic. The story is written in first person in Lenny’s POV. I rate the book four stars.
I have read a lot of Uvi Poznansky’s books in fact I have read everything she has written. I first became a fan after reading snippets of her work online.
Her romantic disposition and luxuriant style of prose left an indelible mark upon me. A comfortable one that I didn’t want to let fade. Luckily her stories and the characters within them stay with the reader long after the final page.
Dancing with Air is the forth instalment from her series entitled Still Life with Memories.
Reading it transported me back in time and, to a place I am familiar with, England and London. It is clear that her research of 1940s fashion, music and general attitudes is thorough. This shows in her work and is perhaps what makes it easy to fall back into the world she has created with ease.
After reviewing so many of Uvi Poznansky’s books I find it hard not to repeat myself. Often I’m not sure what to praise, the writer or the words. So this review is a bit of both. If you are considering reading her work, consider no longer.
The last chapter in Dancing with Air is particularly poignant. To quote Uvi Poznansky herself, it ” choked me like a lump of unshed tears”.
Whew! Now this is a love story! The last chapter….I’m all choked up, eyes watery. I need to blink.
I listened to Audible version. The narrator was excellent. Well, maybe except for his singing……Except I have no right to complain with my voice. He helped create the feels of this WWII romance. Well done.
This love story is a work of art. So beautifully written. The plot so captivating. The characters so appealing. The feels deep and meaningful. I will be recommending this book and this author to my friends and family.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Story Origin.