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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Read my full thoughts over at Read.Write.Repeat.
I highly recommend this book. Whether you are walking through a season of grief and can relate or whether you simply are looking for great literature. Schwalbe and his mother made their time count when it came to books; they were only picking up the best of the best. I added quite a few books to my list because of my list. Thankfully, Schwalbe is carefully not to give away too much about any of them. No spoiler alerts needed. Through those books, I look forward to continuing my journey with the Schwalbe family, thankful for the lessons they found between the pages of good fiction.
I highly recommend this book. Whether you are walking through a season of grief and can relate or whether you simply are looking for great literature. Schwalbe and his mother made their time count when it came to books; they were only picking up the best of the best. I added quite a few books to my list because of my list. Thankfully, Schwalbe is carefully not to give away too much about any of them. No spoiler alerts needed. Through those books, I look forward to continuing my journey with the Schwalbe family, thankful for the lessons they found between the pages of good fiction.
I really wanted to like this book. It sounded like something that would captivate me.
However, as I started reading, I was disappointed.
I found it very disjointed. While I understand it was recounting specific times more than a fluid story, I hated that people's names were used without an explanation of who these people were. I often wondered if I'd missed something vital in a previous chapter, only to find something 3-5 chapters later that explained who this person is.
I also felt.... Very disconnected from the characters. I guess I expected this to be more about the bond between mother and son. But I found this was more about Mary Anne's life and work. While she did have an awe inspiring life, this to me took precident. We are constantly reminded about how much Mary Anne had done, and it took away from the relationships she had with her own family.
That said, the idea behind this book was fabulous. There were glimpses of what I initially thought this book was going to be, and they were great.
However, as I started reading, I was disappointed.
I found it very disjointed. While I understand it was recounting specific times more than a fluid story, I hated that people's names were used without an explanation of who these people were. I often wondered if I'd missed something vital in a previous chapter, only to find something 3-5 chapters later that explained who this person is.
I also felt.... Very disconnected from the characters. I guess I expected this to be more about the bond between mother and son. But I found this was more about Mary Anne's life and work. While she did have an awe inspiring life, this to me took precident. We are constantly reminded about how much Mary Anne had done, and it took away from the relationships she had with her own family.
That said, the idea behind this book was fabulous. There were glimpses of what I initially thought this book was going to be, and they were great.
Beautiful. Ended with tears and tears... and more tears.
This may be the best book I've read this year. Touching account of the relationship of the author and his mother as they navigate the end of her life with the help of their private "book club." I found the book discussions to be interesting and entertaining while tackling the difficult journey towards death in a lovely manner with humor and honesty.
This book is completely wonderful. I so wish I could have the same kind of relationship with my own mother. One where they they can disagree and not fight about it. And the books they read! I can't wait to start reading my way through the list. A great book on so many levels--death and dying; hospitals and insurance; philanthropy; so much more!
I agreed with the NY time reviewer who said there is just not enough tough honesty in the book. Yet it does have a lovely message and his mother is lovely. Friends who are dealing with loved ones with cancer say this is a very helpful book.
I love this book! To quote the author, "how could anyone who loves books not love a book that is itself so in love with books?" This was a very moving true story about a mother and son, in the last two years of her life, who share and talk about books. The author's mother, Mary Anne Schwable, was a very inspiring woman who lived a life of service, love, and acceptance. I have been inspired by her life story and her relationship with her son. It is my hope that my children and I can have the same bonding experience over books the way the subject the author and his mother did.
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I read this book in one sitting, most of which happened to be while sitting on a plane for 7 hours on the tarmac, waiting for the weather to clear up so we could take off. >-< How often can you say you read an entire book between entering a plane and taking off? Not often, thank goodness.
Even in that frustrating environment, I loved every second of reading this book. Or, well, hmm, maybe "loved" is not the best word because so much of this book was hitting close to home. My mother-in-law is dying of lung cancer and I just spent the holidays with her and the rest of the family. This book consoled me with true empathy -- I felt incredible relief, reading accurate descriptions of things that I haven't felt comfortable talking about with anyone (including my wife and her family because it's so raw, it's the reality they're living). And I know from the book that the author himself wasn't ready to talk so openly about some of the topics until later on in the grieving process. Thank you, Will Schwalbe, for writing a book that I desperately needed to read that day, in that place, in this season of life.
So should you read this book if you don't have a loved one dying of cancer? Absolutely. For a few, this book will really speak because it describes walking alongside someone fighting illness. But for the majority of readers, this book is actually a powerful story about a mother-son friendship, and the incredible ways that books weave in and out of our lives. As I quickly glance over the reviews on the back cover of the book, I see they're all about mother-son relationships and the love of books, not about cancer or illness. So there ya go, the book is definitely not a downer -- it's a celebration that you should pick up if you enjoy reading books (or haven't read a good, touching story about a mother-son friendship for a long time).
Finally, I just want to say that I jotted down many of the books mentioned throughout this book. The title doesn't mislead at all, this book doesn't skimp on the "book club" element of the story, yeah-ah.
Even in that frustrating environment, I loved every second of reading this book. Or, well, hmm, maybe "loved" is not the best word because so much of this book was hitting close to home. My mother-in-law is dying of lung cancer and I just spent the holidays with her and the rest of the family. This book consoled me with true empathy -- I felt incredible relief, reading accurate descriptions of things that I haven't felt comfortable talking about with anyone (including my wife and her family because it's so raw, it's the reality they're living). And I know from the book that the author himself wasn't ready to talk so openly about some of the topics until later on in the grieving process. Thank you, Will Schwalbe, for writing a book that I desperately needed to read that day, in that place, in this season of life.
So should you read this book if you don't have a loved one dying of cancer? Absolutely. For a few, this book will really speak because it describes walking alongside someone fighting illness. But for the majority of readers, this book is actually a powerful story about a mother-son friendship, and the incredible ways that books weave in and out of our lives. As I quickly glance over the reviews on the back cover of the book, I see they're all about mother-son relationships and the love of books, not about cancer or illness. So there ya go, the book is definitely not a downer -- it's a celebration that you should pick up if you enjoy reading books (or haven't read a good, touching story about a mother-son friendship for a long time).
Finally, I just want to say that I jotted down many of the books mentioned throughout this book. The title doesn't mislead at all, this book doesn't skimp on the "book club" element of the story, yeah-ah.
I read this book in two sitings. Maybe it's the place I'm in.. having recently lost my love unexpectedly or maybe that my own father died of pancreatic cancer or maybe it's my relationship with books ....I found this book to be touching on many different levels much like the story itself is written on different levels. it's the story of an amazing woman who was involved in refugee organizations all over the world it's also a story of a relationship between a mother and son. it's a story of a woman's faith. it's a story of a strong giving woman coming to terms with death and her family's journey of dealing with her cancer and treatment. it's a story of books...how they mark stages in your life how they can speak to you about the world or your own life or how books are a great escape for many of us. I smiled alot reading this....I also cried at the end because I identified with the loss and I ended up adding 18 books to my read list based on this story. because it's many levels of stories rolled into one I recommend it to everyone. it's heartfelt and book centered and it's doesn't get much better than that.