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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I feel terrible admitting I didn't love this novel. While I thought the premise was great, and I did enjoy some of the comments made about the books Will and his mother read, I felt the story itself wasn't very well written and repetitive. I wish there had been more discussion on the books that they were reading as opposed to comments like "Thomas Mann takes while to finish"
While Will's palpable admiration and love for his mother is admirable, and tugged on my heart strings, it wasn't enough for me to not find myself sometimes flipping ahead pages to see if more interesting things were going to happen.
While Will's palpable admiration and love for his mother is admirable, and tugged on my heart strings, it wasn't enough for me to not find myself sometimes flipping ahead pages to see if more interesting things were going to happen.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
While I can't really relate to the author, his family, or their taste in books, I did think this was a very stirring book. It brings up alot of good conversation for book clubs, and good conversations to have with your loved ones. There were alot of good passages to highlight- very good for a book club.
A nice, sentimental memoir about a very interesting woman and her family. Sharing one's life through books is not a bad thing to do. Mary Anne Schwalbe lived a privileged life, but chose to expand it by embarking on all sorts of humanitarian causes, all the while reading, reading, reading. She even put herself in harm's way many times over her life, which is inspiring in and of itself. And while, just like Steve Jobs, she would never be able to beat pancreatic cancer, she soldiered on and made the most of her time left. And that clearly is a lesson for us all - given those gifts and opportunities, we ought not to waste them.
The mother and son relationship was front and center, as was Will's personality just as much as his mother's. I'll never be able to read all of the books mentioned in the memoir that appealed to me, but it's a good start.
There are some "words to live by" moments that will inspire many a reader to underline them, and this would make an interesting addition to a book club - what did you underline? did this book change the way you think about living your life? did it make you mad that Schwalbe was wealthy and had no financial worries to cause added stress? how did she remain so calm throughout her illness? was that serenity real or only Will's version of events? and of course, what would you do if faced with the same situation that Schwalbe, Jobs, and Patrick Swayze all confronted? is serious illness, in a way, a blessing?
All good questions. Will Schwalbe offers some resolution to them through his tale which first and foremost honors his mother, but then also honors the resilience of human nature and the connection we all have to rising above the worst stuff that life throws at us.
The mother and son relationship was front and center, as was Will's personality just as much as his mother's. I'll never be able to read all of the books mentioned in the memoir that appealed to me, but it's a good start.
There are some "words to live by" moments that will inspire many a reader to underline them, and this would make an interesting addition to a book club - what did you underline? did this book change the way you think about living your life? did it make you mad that Schwalbe was wealthy and had no financial worries to cause added stress? how did she remain so calm throughout her illness? was that serenity real or only Will's version of events? and of course, what would you do if faced with the same situation that Schwalbe, Jobs, and Patrick Swayze all confronted? is serious illness, in a way, a blessing?
All good questions. Will Schwalbe offers some resolution to them through his tale which first and foremost honors his mother, but then also honors the resilience of human nature and the connection we all have to rising above the worst stuff that life throws at us.
This is a touching story of a wonderful woman and her loving son, both dealing with the hardships of cancer through their love of each other and books.
I hope my sons and I, who are both mere children at the moment, have a bond as strong and endearing.
I enjoyed the discussions on all the books, so much, my to-read list had doubled. It was definitely not good to squelch my obsession for the written word.
It is a must read for those that love to read and love something to pull on their heart strings.
I hope my sons and I, who are both mere children at the moment, have a bond as strong and endearing.
I enjoyed the discussions on all the books, so much, my to-read list had doubled. It was definitely not good to squelch my obsession for the written word.
It is a must read for those that love to read and love something to pull on their heart strings.
reflective
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
It's clear that writing this book is an act of love and a form of tribute for the author's mom - to honor who she was to him and her marvelous, altruistic legacy for the world. And he did that through showing who she was, who they were, through books. It was beautiful, and it made me remember how showing words is a wonderful way to share life.