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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Uh, yeah. Well written. A book list that compelled me to read/re-read them. And a whole hell of a lot of familiarity with the situation. Cried myself to sleep for a few nights, but worth it.
I heard fantastic things about this book and I really wanted to love it. Also, having lost a father to cancer, I was reluctant to read a book about a man who loses his mother to cancer. Anyway. It was okay, I liked it, didn't love it. Will and his mom have a pretty special relationship it seems before the cancer. Talking about books is something they had always done, but it is a way to pass the time while waiting for her doctors appointments, and a way to avoid talking about the fact that she is indeed dying. If you love literature, this book will speak to you. If you love mainstream fiction...not so much. But the heart of the story is that Will gets to use something they both love to spend quality time with his mother before she dies. And that right there makes this a book I will recommend to others.
A two person Book Club, between a mother who was diagnosed and is being treated for stage IV pancreatic cancer and her son. They started the Book Club with the simple question during one of her out-patient treatments, "What are you reading?" The book is used as a medium to pay tribute to his mother, his mother's accomplishments, and accomplishments by the way that we mere mortals will never approach. It is also about life, death, his mom's illness and most importantly how they stayed connected by sharing with each other their love of reading during the trying and emotional times when someone you love life is fading away right before your eyes. The book shows that cancer treatment and death is often a slow and grueling process that is emotionally as painful for the family as the physical part of the disease is for the patient. Probably more of an intellectual read regarding the books they read and slightly less of an emotional read until the books end, but still very poignant to anyone who has lost someone they love to a long drawn out disease...
I love the fact that this "book club" existed and that they were able to share the time together along with their thoughts and ideas. It was a great way for them to connect and enjoy each other's company. Will's mother sounds like a wonderful person and definitely showed a lot of dignity. I found myself getting bored every now and then, and may not have finished it if it hadn't been for the fact that I chose it for my "E" book in an A to Z book challenge. I love the idea but, sadly, it's not a book that I would recommend to others. I guess I like the "summarization in my head" better than the actual book. I think it was too long and drawn out.
Wow. This book really hit home for me...Both as a reader and as someone who lost a mother figure to pancreatic cancer. It gave me a whole new understanding ofso-called cancer etiquette and nearly doubled my TBR list. The mother was a truly remarkable person, and I'm recommending this book to anyone who will listen!
I loved this, and found myself in the odd position of envying someone who had lost his mother to cancer. To have had such a relationship, to have grown up in a house where one was encouraged to read constantly rather than being told "get your nose out of that book"--how amazing. It made me think not just about what and how I read, but how I relate to people. Mary Anne Schwalbe is now one of my heroes. And I have a lengthy list of books to look forward to reading.
I forget how this book came to my attention, but I'm so glad it did. As a life-long reader who now often shares book recommendations with my dad, I really appreciated the ideas behind the book. I love how looking at the lessons in books and how they apply to life shape us all.I'm also very glad that an appendix of all read and/or mentioned books at the end as about halfway through I began to wish I'd written down some of the titles and authors.
My only issue with the book is how long my reading list is getting!!
My only issue with the book is how long my reading list is getting!!
For some reason, this program doesn't want to save my starred reviews. FIVE STARS. I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it is about books, but it is also about a son his relationship with his mother - how it evolves as she undergoes treatment for Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Not only did it open a world of new books for me, but it also made me think. And the best books are ones that make you think. I have already recommended this to my mother and I recommend it to all on Good Reads as well.
This was different than what I expected it to be. Not sure how to review it. I was a bit surprised that religion and faith played into so much of it...(the mother...not the son)...however I could see the mother's need or want for faith as she faced her cancer. I loved the discussion of the books for their private book club, but thought there might even be more and better discussions...but even with that said...there are some books mentioned in the story that I plan on looking into and perhaps reading for myself.