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emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Although I didn't LOVE the book, I enjoyed it and I especially had fun making myself a list of the all the books mentioned that I might want to read in the future.
Poignant memoir that really hits home right now as my friend is battling the same type of cancer. The grace and strength that the mother uses to live her life while battling a terminal illness is incredibly beautiful to see.
All in all I think it was a good book - a tribute to the author's mom and the lessons she imparted him with throughout his life. Also a tribute to books (and readers) everywhere.
It was definitely something that was clearly very personal to the author, which in some ways made it harder for me to connect. Also, since I didn't read most of the books they referenced, it was at times a bit off-putting. I found myself flipping through sections since I didn't feel like I could really understand their dialogue around certain books.
I think if I had read this book without any preconceived notions (I kept reading all of its great reviews in magazines, newspapers, etc.) I would have enjoyed it more, but it had a hard time living up to my high expectations.
If nothing else, it was a really touching tribute to a mom from her son.
It was definitely something that was clearly very personal to the author, which in some ways made it harder for me to connect. Also, since I didn't read most of the books they referenced, it was at times a bit off-putting. I found myself flipping through sections since I didn't feel like I could really understand their dialogue around certain books.
I think if I had read this book without any preconceived notions (I kept reading all of its great reviews in magazines, newspapers, etc.) I would have enjoyed it more, but it had a hard time living up to my high expectations.
If nothing else, it was a really touching tribute to a mom from her son.
I like to read books about books. Also, as a gerontologist, I like to read books about older adults engaged in a variety of life tasks, including the act of dying. This book includes both of these interests, and like a mixture of coffee and hot chocolate, the results are a delicious mocha that is better than the sum of its parts.
Schwalbe does a great job depicting the complexities that result when two people discuss a book. There are those moments of joy when you both love the same passage. Then there are those opportunities for greater understanding of the book and of each other when you have diverging responses. Obviously, Schwalbe has known his mother his whole life. However, he continues to learn things about her through their discussion of dozens of books they read together during the last two years of her life--as she is undergoing treatments and then hospice for her metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Of course, the book is also about the two people in the book club. I found Will and his mother Mary Anne to be interesting people. I will confess that when I read memoir about age-related illnesses, I often skim the biographical details of the person who is ill and then read more slowly the passages about the illness and how people cope with that. However, with this book, Schwalbe does an excellent job making the books and the biography interconnected so seemlessly, that I remained engaged through the entirety of the book.
One of my favorite chapters is called "The Painted Veil" and is organized around Mary Anne's response to Maugham's novel of the same name. There is a character in that novel who ends up developing courage she did not believe she could muster. Mary Anne remarks that many try to call her courageous for battling pancreatic cancer. She rejects this label and counter argues with many examples of people she sees as truly courageous, primarily the refugees she knows from her work as an advocate for them. I cried as I read her examples, not just because they really did demonstrate incredible bravery in impossible situations. I cried also because Mary Anne's love for them is so apparent and her passion for their welfare was still strong even as she had her own challenges.
All throughout the book, you will find Will and Mary Anne discussing books and their own lives in ways that are intense, intimate and interesting. It's a glorious tribute to his mother, a wonderful depiction of the bond between parent and child, and an enthusiastic celebration of the power of the written word.
Schwalbe does a great job depicting the complexities that result when two people discuss a book. There are those moments of joy when you both love the same passage. Then there are those opportunities for greater understanding of the book and of each other when you have diverging responses. Obviously, Schwalbe has known his mother his whole life. However, he continues to learn things about her through their discussion of dozens of books they read together during the last two years of her life--as she is undergoing treatments and then hospice for her metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Of course, the book is also about the two people in the book club. I found Will and his mother Mary Anne to be interesting people. I will confess that when I read memoir about age-related illnesses, I often skim the biographical details of the person who is ill and then read more slowly the passages about the illness and how people cope with that. However, with this book, Schwalbe does an excellent job making the books and the biography interconnected so seemlessly, that I remained engaged through the entirety of the book.
One of my favorite chapters is called "The Painted Veil" and is organized around Mary Anne's response to Maugham's novel of the same name. There is a character in that novel who ends up developing courage she did not believe she could muster. Mary Anne remarks that many try to call her courageous for battling pancreatic cancer. She rejects this label and counter argues with many examples of people she sees as truly courageous, primarily the refugees she knows from her work as an advocate for them. I cried as I read her examples, not just because they really did demonstrate incredible bravery in impossible situations. I cried also because Mary Anne's love for them is so apparent and her passion for their welfare was still strong even as she had her own challenges.
All throughout the book, you will find Will and Mary Anne discussing books and their own lives in ways that are intense, intimate and interesting. It's a glorious tribute to his mother, a wonderful depiction of the bond between parent and child, and an enthusiastic celebration of the power of the written word.
Amazing story! I loved reading about the relationship with his mother as it developed through each book they read. Touching story - I laughed, cried, and smiled through the pages! Now I have another whole list of books to read because of it.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This was overall pretty good, and the book club pulled me in as I learned about some new ones. They were used beautifully to put into perspective the situation and the individuals' personality traits and growth.
Am I alone in thinking the mother was portrayed as perfection defined? I'm not sure I saw any faults...didn't seem quite as realistic to me.
Am I alone in thinking the mother was portrayed as perfection defined? I'm not sure I saw any faults...didn't seem quite as realistic to me.