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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This book is absolutely horrible! It reminded me of the gag writing many shows and play portray as bad writing by a wanna be artist. The idea is great and interesting but the prose are a complete disappointment. It bounces and goes down very long tangents and unimportant information about someone the author clearly loves but without knowing her, these story are annoying. More so at the start of the story. All I was thinking was get to the point for the whole book!
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Words fail, mostly because of the lump in my throat.
I write as the daughter of a woman of character, elegance, intellect, grace and charm who fought her own personal battle with cancer. She was also a passionate reader with discriminating taste, and I knew from the very beginning of this book, and this book club, when Mary Ann and Will chose "Crossing to Safety" as their first read, that the comparisons would cascade and bring back the most painful, and most wonderful, memories.
I am so grateful to Will Schwalbe for sharing this deeply personal experience. His book was like a spiritual retreat, far from my quotidian life, in which I could immerse myself in the memory of my mother in ways I had not for many years.
I know that my mother would have loved this book. I can just see her checking off the titles she'd read, and I am so happy that we, too, had the pleasure of sharing literature, and its life lessons, together.
I loved reading this book. I loved hearing their opinions about the various books they read and have since read many of them. All excellent choices. The mother was an impressive and inspiring figure yet so humble. I liked being part of this book group.
A quietly lovely experience. It's clear how much the author loves not just the idea of his mother, but spending time with her, and witnessing with pride her efforts and accomplishments. Wonderful to see two people communicate with and about books, to hear the author reflect on and report his mother's thoughts on books. I'll admit the mother's connection with religion/faith is one I don't share, so I felt a little distanced as a result, but if you love books, I think you'll have a good time, even as the story is also one of a family preparing for the loss of a loved one, seeing the journey through the final stages of treatment of, and death by, cancer, and also recounts harrowing moments related to the mother's work with refugees. Less of an inspiring tear jerker than I thought it might be, more of a meditation on how people deal with death, and the importance of books in their lives. ♥️ ⚠️terminal illness, suicide, mention of torture, SA, abduction, child soldiers
This was an interesting book. I feel like I have to parition the book into two emotions. On one hand this is a sweet story of an incredible woman (who has done so much good in the world) and her son relating through books as she deals with her cancer (whew! deep breath). But inbetween the "sweet" story I feel like this is a memoir of a son trying desperately to make a relationship with his mom that he has not had in previous years. I feel like things he brought up to say, "Mom, do you remember the time..." were really sad. And when he talked about not wanting his time with his mom to be interuppted by new people she would always bring around my heart just broke for him!
I didn't love the book but I would recommend it. Especially if you are stuck and don't know what to read because then you will finish with a nice long list of books to read and/or reread.
I didn't love the book but I would recommend it. Especially if you are stuck and don't know what to read because then you will finish with a nice long list of books to read and/or reread.
emotional
inspiring
reflective