Praise for Our Last Blue Moon
“Both elegy and eulogy, this book describes a heart-stopping devotion to one whose heart has stopped.”
— Nicholas Delbanco, author, most recently, of the non-fiction Why Writing Matters and the novel It is Enough
“The dancer Kris O'Shee's memoir of her life with the novelist Alan Cheuse is precisely what we need. It's a practical, everyday primer of how to be (and stay) in love. Its uses for our daily lives are countless and many colored.”
— Richard Ford
“Kris O’Shee’s memoir about her late husband, Alan Cheuse, is written with grace, charm, wit, and mischief. It’s a book Alan would have loved.”
— Molly Giles
“What a rare, beautiful book. Two talented artists meet in mid-life, fall in love, and keep the passion alive until they are parted by death. Kris O'Shee tells this story with sensuality, spirituality, and the radiance of love that abides.”
— Stephen Goodwin, author of Breaking Her Fall, The Blood of Paradise, and Kin
“Kris O’Shee is a natural—a talented dancer, choreographer, and psychotherapist—and it’s now abundantly clear that she’s also a talented writer. In her crisp and energetic prose, she brings to life her long and successful marriage to the eminent and beloved author and teacher, Alan Cheuse, and to the moments surrounding his tragic and untimely death. In Our Last Blue Moon, the author shares profound and moving insights, and her thoughts are raw and clear. Her grief and joy will stay with me for a long time.”
— Matthew Klam, author of Who Is Rich? and Sam the Cat
““Beloved author, critic, teacher and mentor to a generation of writers, Alan Cheuse was the soul and conscience of contemporary American literature. In this beautiful and moving memoir, the artist Kris O’Shee, honors her late husband’s extraordinary life while tracing the intimate story of their marriage, a partnership whose love grew large enough to contain all of us. This is a story of ultimate grace, told with a dancer’s elegant precision. Six years after Alan’s tragic death, here is a tribute as generous, warm and wise as the man we remember -- somewhere on the other side of Perth Amboy, N.J., in the universe swirling inside an Authentic Captain Marvel Ring, Alan Cheuse is smiling.”
— Ana Menendez, author of Adios, Happy Homeland!, The Last War, Loving Che, and In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd
“With courageous honesty, Kris O'Shee has composed an elegy that calls forth Horace: Why should I be ashamed or exercise control, mourning so dear a soul. There are three vivid figures here: Kris herself, Alan Cheuse, and their marriage—all of which are woven into a heartrending and bittersweet tapestry. Our Last Blue Moon dignifies the very word love.”
— Howard Norman, author of The Ghost Clause
“A grown-up love story interwoven with a poignant elegy, laughter and tears, a conversation between the balances of grief and art in two lives: Kris O’Shee’s Our Last Blue Moon lives up to its title. In a personal way, I’m glad to celebrate this work of art as a tribute to Alan Cheuse, a wonderful writer and friend.”
— Robert Pinsky, author, most recently, of At the Foundling Hospital (poems) and an anthology, The Book of Poetry for Hard Times
“I am captivated by the authenticity of Kris O'Shee's voice. At once passionate, playful and profound, O'Shee’s creation is a warm, funny testament to what ultimately endures in a life lived together and apart. I loved it!”
— Susan Richards Shreve, author, most recently, of the novels You Are the Love of my Life and More News Tomorrow, and the memoir Traces of a Childhood
“Alan was a dear friend. And he met Kris. Destiny. What a grand pair they were. Those affinities, the fun they had, the deep, deep love, is on these pages. They indeed crafted a full life together, as this book attests. It's an act of caring and generosity. Thank you, Kris.”
— Susan Stamberg, NPR Special Correspondent
“Our Last Blue Moon reveals the impetuous love affair between two people of like mind, different temperament, and independent nature—literary icon Alan Cheuse and free-spirited choreographer Kris O’Shee. Writing with the intimacy of a love letter, O’Shee chronicles the minute details of a full marriage: the funny quirks, the ingrained habits, the shared hopes, the personal space, and the yearly rituals, both private and shared. As a friend and colleague of Alan Cheuse, I was especially delighted to learn of his many other endearing qualities, some of them humorous given his renown as a serious literary writer, NPR commentator, and professor.”