Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

A Living Remedy: A Memoir by Nicole Chung

20 reviews

faithaforman's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

Very moving, a portrait of the complicated yet ultimately simple relationship between the author and her parents and the impact of distance and COVID-19 on their passing and her grief.

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leweylibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

Chung is obviously a very skilled writer and wrote about such a difficult time in her life with poise and so much heart. Although there were some rather religious bits that annoyed me, I could feel how much she loved her parents and the toll their loss took on her. The COVID 19 pandemic's part in the book was really interesting (and gutting) too. I haven't lost a parent yet, but I imagine those who have will be very struck by this book. 

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dananana's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad

4.5


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sjanke2's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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clarabooksit's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This wrecked me. And it didn’t put me back together. It hurt and it’s beautiful and I loved it.

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bitesizedbeet's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

3.0


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hnagarne's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad

5.0


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leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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caseythereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Thanks to Ecco Books for the free advance copy of this book.

 - My goodness, is A LIVING REMEDY a powerful book. It boils over with rage and love. It brings the reader along the confusing, overwhelming path of grief.
- Chung meanders between the present day and memories of her childhood, giving us a full picture of who her parents were and the bond she had with them. Her writing is to the point, but always thoughtful.
- For me, I am grateful that this book shows that strange pre-grief period, when you know a loved one is dying but they're still here, and there isn't much you can do about anything. It's a strange, though common, situation that our society and our health care system don't really know how to deal with. 

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bookmindedmag's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I just finished reading this book and it took me a few minutes to get myself together. Ms. Chung has written a memoir that talks about grief in a way that is extremely relatable, especially to those who have lost parents. Although I have not gone through this type of loss yet, I had no problem understanding her pain . The author also writes of the guilt she felt living so far away from her parents, something else I can relate to. But it is Ms. Chung's chapters about the loss of her mother that had me in tears for the second half of the book.

The writing is especially beautiful and raw, letting readers know that what we're reading is how Ms. Chung felt, and still feels. It felt almost cruel how quickly she lost both parents, not having the space to grieve them individually. Reading this book helped me face my own fears of one day losing my own parents and trying to do whatever I can to be there for them like a dutiful daughter should be. I thought the author's bouts with anxiety, panic attacks, guilt and rage were necessary for readers to see on the page because too many of us still try to keep it together during times of crisis or grief, causing more harm to ourselves in the long run. 

I definitely plan to purchase a finished copy of this book. I normally do not read memoirs more than once, but this book will be one of the few I choose to keep in my personal library and read again.

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