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carolinerd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A road trip with a difference. Terry, along with her dementia-stricken father, Eugene, is looking for her best friend, Iris. Iris is supposed to be on a yoga retreat but has gone missing. What follows is a life-changing journey involving lots of adventures and insights. It is a wonderful story of friendship, love, courage and living life to the full. Heartbreaking, emotional, funny, moving and uplifting, but refreshingly unsentimental. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Dementia
aperson's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
julie7's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
5.0
This was a thought provoking, emotional and extremely well written book. One that I wanted to keep reading to see how it developed.
It handled delicate subjects with tact and sensitivity.
Ideal to take on holiday as easy to follow the thread of the plot. Saying this, don't be fooled into thinking this is a fluffy chick lit book that will have no depth... it has depth in abundance.
It handled delicate subjects with tact and sensitivity.
Ideal to take on holiday as easy to follow the thread of the plot. Saying this, don't be fooled into thinking this is a fluffy chick lit book that will have no depth... it has depth in abundance.
heatherymakes's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mh_books's review against another edition
4.0
Terry is a worrier, in an okay marriage, with two mostly grown girls, a house in a sought after address and she sticks to the rules of the road. She is also really good at laundry, I mean really good, she may be imaginary but she is never allowed in my house unless she is going to do some good. I thought that was an important part of her character to establish :)
Then one day, she drops off the 58th Birthday cake to the Yoga retreat that her best friend Iris staying at only to find her best friend is not booked there and never had any intention of going. Iris has a whole other secret intention of how she is going to spend her birthday week. Will Terry, together with her Alzheimers suffering Father, abandon her well ordered but gently crumbling life to bring back her best friend from Europe? Well, the answer is in the title of the book I suppose.
Written with warmth and humour this book nevertheless explores some dark themes of loss in general and Alzheimer's and Assisted Suicide in particular. Ultimately though it is a book about love, friendship, self-discovery, and living your best day every day.
The prose is relatively simple and the outlook from Terry’s first-person perspective is straight forward, somewhat self-deprecating but full of love.
Ciara Geraghty writes big bold characters that sing off the page with humour, wit, and a touch of irrelevance and I came to love them all in the end.
This book is recommended for those who don’t mind a little bitter with the sweet and some tears at the end, as this uplift novel includes some darker themes.
Then one day, she drops off the 58th Birthday cake to the Yoga retreat that her best friend Iris staying at only to find her best friend is not booked there and never had any intention of going. Iris has a whole other secret intention of how she is going to spend her birthday week. Will Terry, together with her Alzheimers suffering Father, abandon her well ordered but gently crumbling life to bring back her best friend from Europe? Well, the answer is in the title of the book I suppose.
Written with warmth and humour this book nevertheless explores some dark themes of loss in general and Alzheimer's and Assisted Suicide in particular. Ultimately though it is a book about love, friendship, self-discovery, and living your best day every day.
The prose is relatively simple and the outlook from Terry’s first-person perspective is straight forward, somewhat self-deprecating but full of love.
Ciara Geraghty writes big bold characters that sing off the page with humour, wit, and a touch of irrelevance and I came to love them all in the end.
This book is recommended for those who don’t mind a little bitter with the sweet and some tears at the end, as this uplift novel includes some darker themes.
bookboss85's review against another edition
4.0
Original review can be found at: http://www.nerdprobs.com/books/book-review-rules-of-the-road-by-ciara-geraghty/
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
When I got an email from Harlequin Publishing with a list of their summer reads this one was listed in the group. I read the description (although apparently not very well because once I started to read it, it was nothing that I expected) and excitedly signed up to read and review this book.
Terry is living the Irish dream. Gorgeous house in a good address area, two children are grown and out of the house living their own lives and a loving and caring husband. She has a best friend named, Iris. One day Iris isn’t at her home but she finds a letter addressed to her and finds out that she is going to Zurich to end her life with assisted suicide. To make matters worse Terry also has her father with her since his nursing facility is being fumigated for vermin. Her father has Dementia that is progressively getting worse. First off, this book is emotional. I wasn’t sure how I actually liked it. The subject matter is deep. I was left drained while reading it. There is no happy ending and I think that is what left me drained. I knew what was coming the whole entire time. The author did an amazing job of writing about subject matter that isn’t exactly for the faint of heart.
In the end, I really did like this book. It may have taken me a little bit to get into it but when I actually did it definitely flowed. I could relate to Terry in so many ways. She used the trip with Iris and rediscover who she is or actually discover herself. She lost herself somewhere along the way while raising her children. Not that I have lost myself in the raising of my kids but as my kids get older I need to work things I used to love back into my life again. She desperately wants to save her friend, she doesn’t want to lose her. She is struggling to care for her father who doesn’t remember much except for a Frank Sinatra story. I have lost a Grandfather to Alzheimer’s. Shortly before he died he didn’t recognize me, he called me several other names but not one of them my actual name. This was a man that I spent a lot of time with during the summer since they lived close to us. It was heartbreaking. In the end, before he died my Dad didn’t want me to visit him. He wanted me to remember him for the good times and not the end. For that I am grateful. In the end, I definitely think that I will be putting this in my top 10 round-up of books for 2020. While the subject matter wasn’t pleasant it was still a powerful read. If her other books are like this I will probably be checking them out.
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
When I got an email from Harlequin Publishing with a list of their summer reads this one was listed in the group. I read the description (although apparently not very well because once I started to read it, it was nothing that I expected) and excitedly signed up to read and review this book.
Terry is living the Irish dream. Gorgeous house in a good address area, two children are grown and out of the house living their own lives and a loving and caring husband. She has a best friend named, Iris. One day Iris isn’t at her home but she finds a letter addressed to her and finds out that she is going to Zurich to end her life with assisted suicide. To make matters worse Terry also has her father with her since his nursing facility is being fumigated for vermin. Her father has Dementia that is progressively getting worse. First off, this book is emotional. I wasn’t sure how I actually liked it. The subject matter is deep. I was left drained while reading it. There is no happy ending and I think that is what left me drained. I knew what was coming the whole entire time. The author did an amazing job of writing about subject matter that isn’t exactly for the faint of heart.
In the end, I really did like this book. It may have taken me a little bit to get into it but when I actually did it definitely flowed. I could relate to Terry in so many ways. She used the trip with Iris and rediscover who she is or actually discover herself. She lost herself somewhere along the way while raising her children. Not that I have lost myself in the raising of my kids but as my kids get older I need to work things I used to love back into my life again. She desperately wants to save her friend, she doesn’t want to lose her. She is struggling to care for her father who doesn’t remember much except for a Frank Sinatra story. I have lost a Grandfather to Alzheimer’s. Shortly before he died he didn’t recognize me, he called me several other names but not one of them my actual name. This was a man that I spent a lot of time with during the summer since they lived close to us. It was heartbreaking. In the end, before he died my Dad didn’t want me to visit him. He wanted me to remember him for the good times and not the end. For that I am grateful. In the end, I definitely think that I will be putting this in my top 10 round-up of books for 2020. While the subject matter wasn’t pleasant it was still a powerful read. If her other books are like this I will probably be checking them out.
sarahreads12's review against another edition
4.0
Terry is a very ordinary, slightly neurotic mother of two, with a father who is suffering from dementia and a husband who takes her for granted. She also has a friend suffering from M.S and so starts the story. Terry discovers accidentally that Iris is planning to go to Switzerland in order to end her life in a euthanasia facility. Shocked, Terry vows to travel with her in order to prevent this from happening. At times this book is very funny as we travel to England, through France and eventually into Switzerland. Terry discovers much about herself, her friend, her family and her father as she does so. No spoilers as to plot but suffice to say that Terry changes forever as a result of her journey. A lovely book and one I’d highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
A great story that made me smile and move, poignant and heartwarming at the same time.
I rooted for the well thought characters and was hooked till the end.
it's the first book i read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I rooted for the well thought characters and was hooked till the end.
it's the first book i read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
travelartandbookblogger's review against another edition
5.0
Das Leben ist zu kurz für irgendwann von Ciara Geraghty ist eine herzzerreißende Geschichte über Freundschaft, Freiheit, Selbstbestimmung, Verantwortung und auch irgendwie eine Reise zu sich selbst.
Terry Shepherd ist ein aufopferungsvoller Familienmensch, der sich vorwiegend um den dementen Vater, die schon erwachsenen beiden Töchter und den berufstätigen Mann kümmert. Sie hat im Grunde eigentlich keine Zeit für sich selbst, geschweige denn dafür, über ihr Leben nachzudenken.
Iris Armstrong ist ihre beste Freundin. Sie hat Multiple Sklerose. Diese Erkrankung hat sie zu dem Schluss kommen lassen, ihrem Leben selbstbestimmt ein Ende zu setzen. Von diesem Vorhaben will Terry sie jedoch um jeden Preis abbringen und so beginnt ein spannender und actionreicher Roadtrip von Irland über Wales und England, bis hin nach Frankreich und schließlich in die Schweiz.
Erzählt wird stets aus Terrys Perspektive, die Überschriften der einzelnen Kapitel sind Straßenverkehrsregeln, die sich thematisch den jeweiligen Inhalten anpassen. Der Schreibstil ist erfrischend und schnelllebig, eben voller Vitalität wie die beiden Protagonistinnen.
Lange hat mich ein Buch nicht mehr so sehr aufgewühlt wie dieses: ich habe Tränen gelacht und geweint. Wirklich eine wunderschöne Geschichte mit einer so wichtigen Message! Mega süß fand ich die Tatsache, dass Terry nur lügen kann, wenn sie dabei die Finger hinter ihrem Rücken kreuzt, außerdem haben mir die vielen erwähnten Songs, die ich direkt während des Lesens angehört habe, sehr gut gefallen - und ja, ich bin auch ein kleiner Sinatra-Fan, ich hätte ihm die Geschichte aber auch nicht abgekauft ;)
Terry Shepherd ist ein aufopferungsvoller Familienmensch, der sich vorwiegend um den dementen Vater, die schon erwachsenen beiden Töchter und den berufstätigen Mann kümmert. Sie hat im Grunde eigentlich keine Zeit für sich selbst, geschweige denn dafür, über ihr Leben nachzudenken.
Iris Armstrong ist ihre beste Freundin. Sie hat Multiple Sklerose. Diese Erkrankung hat sie zu dem Schluss kommen lassen, ihrem Leben selbstbestimmt ein Ende zu setzen. Von diesem Vorhaben will Terry sie jedoch um jeden Preis abbringen und so beginnt ein spannender und actionreicher Roadtrip von Irland über Wales und England, bis hin nach Frankreich und schließlich in die Schweiz.
Erzählt wird stets aus Terrys Perspektive, die Überschriften der einzelnen Kapitel sind Straßenverkehrsregeln, die sich thematisch den jeweiligen Inhalten anpassen. Der Schreibstil ist erfrischend und schnelllebig, eben voller Vitalität wie die beiden Protagonistinnen.
Lange hat mich ein Buch nicht mehr so sehr aufgewühlt wie dieses: ich habe Tränen gelacht und geweint. Wirklich eine wunderschöne Geschichte mit einer so wichtigen Message! Mega süß fand ich die Tatsache, dass Terry nur lügen kann, wenn sie dabei die Finger hinter ihrem Rücken kreuzt, außerdem haben mir die vielen erwähnten Songs, die ich direkt während des Lesens angehört habe, sehr gut gefallen - und ja, ich bin auch ein kleiner Sinatra-Fan, ich hätte ihm die Geschichte aber auch nicht abgekauft ;)
bernadettewalshauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Clever. Well written. Heartbreaking at times. Looking forward to reading more from this author