Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This is a book about the death of the author's mother. That explanation is on its own is sufficient for me to have expected a heart-breaking.... or inspiring.... or emotional story. What I really ended up reading was a fairly dry, unemotional, one-dimensional tribute to Will Schwalbe's mother. The book essentially follows the last couple of years of Schwalbe's time with his mom where they share their love of books while they chat in waiting rooms at doctor's offices. The concept sounds like it would be full of heartbreak and tear-filled bonding between mother and son but it really wasn't.
I don't want to sell this book short as not being a lovely tribute to his mother, because I'm sure she'd be very proud, but what it lacked was a reason for me, the reader (who doesn't know his mom), to be interested. It lacked a heart. As with most eulogies, the author seemed unable to admit to any flaws in his mom, which is understandable but makes for bland reading. She's depicted basically as a superhuman who has single-handedly changed the world and hasn't said or done a single negative thing in her life. She was completely selfless and a champion of humanity. That's all well and good and very well may be true, but it just felt like a child describing why their mom is the best mom. The moments in the book that were told as life-lessons felt more like a advocacy campaign than a book I'd want to read.
I enjoyed some of the discussion about the novels they read, especially since I have read many of those myself, but that was mostly due to a comradery that I had regarding the other book, not because the story in this one made it more interesting or compelling. The concept fell flat and was lost in banal descriptions of the things that filled Schwalbe's time with his mom.
What really disappointed me the most is that the book simply lacked emotion. Something like this should have brought a grown man to his knees in a puddle of tears. I didn't even feel sad, or anything else for that matter, when his mom died. To me this one is a book to skip.
I don't want to sell this book short as not being a lovely tribute to his mother, because I'm sure she'd be very proud, but what it lacked was a reason for me, the reader (who doesn't know his mom), to be interested. It lacked a heart. As with most eulogies, the author seemed unable to admit to any flaws in his mom, which is understandable but makes for bland reading. She's depicted basically as a superhuman who has single-handedly changed the world and hasn't said or done a single negative thing in her life. She was completely selfless and a champion of humanity. That's all well and good and very well may be true, but it just felt like a child describing why their mom is the best mom. The moments in the book that were told as life-lessons felt more like a advocacy campaign than a book I'd want to read.
I enjoyed some of the discussion about the novels they read, especially since I have read many of those myself, but that was mostly due to a comradery that I had regarding the other book, not because the story in this one made it more interesting or compelling. The concept fell flat and was lost in banal descriptions of the things that filled Schwalbe's time with his mom.
What really disappointed me the most is that the book simply lacked emotion. Something like this should have brought a grown man to his knees in a puddle of tears. I didn't even feel sad, or anything else for that matter, when his mom died. To me this one is a book to skip.
A really touching story of a mother and son's journey through her battle with cancer. I enjoyed learning about the the books they read throughout her illness and how they affected them both. I highly recommend it!
“Reading isn’t the opposite of doing, it is the opposite of dying”
A great memoir about life, death, love, family, and the power of literature.
A great memoir about life, death, love, family, and the power of literature.
I loved his mother, loved their discussions of books, loved the writing of this book.
I don't know what compelled me to read this book, except I love books and the idea of a book about a book club, albeit a two-member one, and one of those members is dying, rather intrigued me.
Whatever my initial impulse, I couldn't be more grateful to Mr. Schwalbe and his willingness to share this remarkable story. And lest you have any misgivings, this story is not about the book club Will and his mother created, but rather the most loving and befitting tribute from a devoted son to his mother's legacy.
Whatever my initial impulse, I couldn't be more grateful to Mr. Schwalbe and his willingness to share this remarkable story. And lest you have any misgivings, this story is not about the book club Will and his mother created, but rather the most loving and befitting tribute from a devoted son to his mother's legacy.
Will Schwalbe loved and admired his mother, Mary Anne. She was a tireless humanitarian crusader, champion friend-maker, working mom, and avid reader. When diagnosed with terminal cancer, she spent many hours at doctors' appointments, often in the company of Will. Mother and son formed a book club with only two members, discussing a wide range of books during those hours of waiting. In the end, the experience drew them even closer, and underscored the importance of reading. "She never wavered in her conviction that books are the most powerful tool in the human arsenal, that reading all kinds of books....is the grandest entertainment, and also is how you take part in the human conversation. Mom taught me that you can make a difference in the world and that books really do matter: they're how we know what we need to do in life, and how we tell others. Mom also showed me, over the course of two years and dozens of books and hundreds of hours in hospitals, that books can be how we get closer to each other, and stay close."
Not only did this book touch my emotions and extend my list of books I'd like to read, it also caused me to rethink my beliefs on the value of treatment for terminal disease. I greatly respect Mary Anne's choice to seek treatment, not because it would cure her but because it might extend her life, giving her more time with the many people she loved.
Not only did this book touch my emotions and extend my list of books I'd like to read, it also caused me to rethink my beliefs on the value of treatment for terminal disease. I greatly respect Mary Anne's choice to seek treatment, not because it would cure her but because it might extend her life, giving her more time with the many people she loved.
Inspiring,humbling and wonderful. BUT HEY. I love e-readers. Those with failing eyesight have a new way to keep reading!
Loved everything about this book - the description & discussion of other books, the mother/son relationship, Mary Anne's story as a woman ahead of her time, & most of all her passion for life even in the face of certain death!
I loved it. Didn’t want it to end. Buying paper copies, and recommending it to friends.
This book is emotional and filled with stories that make me laugh with happiness. It's a lovely read.