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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This is a memoir of a son's experience of his mother's battle with terminal pancreatic cancer. During chemo visits, time spent as a family, through her "good days" and days where she is "not so good" they share their love of books, in a book club of two.
This book is a beautiful, cultured tribute to a woman who travelled extensively, worked tirelessly for refugee care and who really was the core of a family she was very proud of. They aren't a family of people I can identify with, given that they are wealthy and do things like rent a summer house for months on end, go to operas and galas, and are very entrenched in a life of privilege. But this book shows that when it comes to cancer, it really is the great equaliser - these are people grieving in advance, worried about their mother, and trying to keep it together for her and for themselves. For Will Schwalbe, his way of doing that was to be there with his mother but to also share something with her that was beyond the cancer - books. He and his mother Mary Anne were lucky enough to share a passion and a similar taste, and I really enjoyed the insights they gained from their reading about their current place in life, but also about life in general and lives that they had lived. There are a lot of books discussed in this memoir, not many that I myself have read or would pick up, but for me the important and interesting part was how they experienced them. This, along with learning about the process of cancer treatment (which I did not know much about) was what kept me turning the pages.
I had gone into this expecting a very emotional read. However, although it is obviously very sad to see someone suffering, a family facing the end of the life of their mother, and to read of the loss of a woman who did so much humanitarian work, this is not the gut-wrenching book I had expected. Although it is good to have been spared the trauma, I do find myself wondering why I wasn't more upset reading this book. And I think it is because Mary Anne wasn't the author. I get from Will that he is probably quite a contained person, and that comes across in both his writing of his own emotions and in his portrayal of his mother. Although I witnessed her death, I don't feel like I ever really got to know her. She is portrayed as something of a saint, barely complaining as cancer takes over her body. Maybe she was such a person. But I have doubts. Considering how close Will and his mother seem to have been, it seems strange that he has her on such a pedestal. Surely closeness to a person naturally comes with frustrations, awareness of quirks, the scales falling from your eyes. In short, family can drive you crazy. That there was barely more than a hint of any less than glowing descriptions of Mary Anne makes me feel as if we aren't getting the full story.
But I suppose that is Will's prerogative. He clearly loved his mother very much and wanted a book that celebrated and honoured her. This certainly does that.
This book is a beautiful, cultured tribute to a woman who travelled extensively, worked tirelessly for refugee care and who really was the core of a family she was very proud of. They aren't a family of people I can identify with, given that they are wealthy and do things like rent a summer house for months on end, go to operas and galas, and are very entrenched in a life of privilege. But this book shows that when it comes to cancer, it really is the great equaliser - these are people grieving in advance, worried about their mother, and trying to keep it together for her and for themselves. For Will Schwalbe, his way of doing that was to be there with his mother but to also share something with her that was beyond the cancer - books. He and his mother Mary Anne were lucky enough to share a passion and a similar taste, and I really enjoyed the insights they gained from their reading about their current place in life, but also about life in general and lives that they had lived. There are a lot of books discussed in this memoir, not many that I myself have read or would pick up, but for me the important and interesting part was how they experienced them. This, along with learning about the process of cancer treatment (which I did not know much about) was what kept me turning the pages.
I had gone into this expecting a very emotional read. However, although it is obviously very sad to see someone suffering, a family facing the end of the life of their mother, and to read of the loss of a woman who did so much humanitarian work, this is not the gut-wrenching book I had expected. Although it is good to have been spared the trauma, I do find myself wondering why I wasn't more upset reading this book. And I think it is because Mary Anne wasn't the author. I get from Will that he is probably quite a contained person, and that comes across in both his writing of his own emotions and in his portrayal of his mother. Although I witnessed her death, I don't feel like I ever really got to know her. She is portrayed as something of a saint, barely complaining as cancer takes over her body. Maybe she was such a person. But I have doubts. Considering how close Will and his mother seem to have been, it seems strange that he has her on such a pedestal. Surely closeness to a person naturally comes with frustrations, awareness of quirks, the scales falling from your eyes. In short, family can drive you crazy. That there was barely more than a hint of any less than glowing descriptions of Mary Anne makes me feel as if we aren't getting the full story.
But I suppose that is Will's prerogative. He clearly loved his mother very much and wanted a book that celebrated and honoured her. This certainly does that.
I really enjoyed this book - especially as a lover of books. I thought the interaction between mother and son was touching and I loved their book club. I love books and I love reading and this book made me even more grateful for books and the impact they can have in a person's life. This book made me wish for three things 1: more books 2: more time to read books 3: more people with which to discuss said books.
There are things that I did like about the book. As a book lover, I loved that this was a way for Will and Mary Anne to become closer in the final years of her life. While I was reading this book, I discovered that my daughter could read much more than I realized. I started fantasizing about the book club that we could have together for years to come!
Like Mary Anne, I love to share my favorite books with friends and recommend books when I think they can benefit from them. I hope that my friends remember my love of reading when I'm gone.
I'm looking forward to reading many of the books that were mentioned in the book and was thrilled to find a list of them in the back of the book.
Like Mary Anne, I love to share my favorite books with friends and recommend books when I think they can benefit from them. I hope that my friends remember my love of reading when I'm gone.
I'm looking forward to reading many of the books that were mentioned in the book and was thrilled to find a list of them in the back of the book.
This memoir tells the story of a grown son who starts a book club with his mother as he accompanies her to chemotherapy appointments after she is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It's a beautiful portrait of the relationship between an adult child and parent, the way that books bring us together, and find a way to truly live, even if you're nearing the end of your life. I found Mary Anne's optimism very inspiring, and it was wonderful reading about so many books through her eyes.
I literally cried.
We're all in the end-of-your-life book-club, whether we acknowledge it or not; each book we read may well be the last, each conversation the final one.
I could not get into this book. I appreciated the mention of books and suck, but I could not connect or relate at all to this book.
⭐️3.5⭐️
Me resulta complicado hacer una reseña de este libro, la verdad. Por un lado, siento una profunda empatía por Will y por su madre Mary Ann... Pero la pluma del autor llega a hacerse un poco repetitiva, no obstante es una historia muy emotiva sobre, más que las pérdida y la añoranza, sobre el camino que se hace hasta ese destino inevitable.
Recomendaría está lectura, puesto que incluye enseñanzas y reflexiones tremendamente bellas.
Me resulta complicado hacer una reseña de este libro, la verdad. Por un lado, siento una profunda empatía por Will y por su madre Mary Ann... Pero la pluma del autor llega a hacerse un poco repetitiva, no obstante es una historia muy emotiva sobre, más que las pérdida y la añoranza, sobre el camino que se hace hasta ese destino inevitable.
Recomendaría está lectura, puesto que incluye enseñanzas y reflexiones tremendamente bellas.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to read this book, but found myself pleasantly surprised. I loved the interaction of the relationship between mother and son, and the way the son was challenged to assess his views through his reading and discussing with his dying mother. More, I loved how the son learned more about his mother, and himself, and their relationship through their discussions, and her dignified journey towards death. I confess, I copied the reference list of books from the back of the book. I may never read any of them - most certainly not all of them! - but I would like the opportunity to chose to do so if I wish. To see these books through new, and more personally critical eyes. While this book may not be for all, I would certainly recommend it to quite a number of my fellow bibliophiles.