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rachelb36's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars
A lot of telling, very little showing.
The author recounts her husband Joel's battle with cancer, their struggle to conceive, his eventual death, and her attempts at IVF afterward. I feel a little guilty saying it, but as I read, I didn't care very much.
Sarah was writing about incredibly emotional experiences but rather than allowing me to see her emotion, she had to tell me that she was sad, angry, etc. I didn't ever feel that I was invited to be present and experience it with her. I never connected with her so I wasn't invested in her story.
The writing is simplistic, abrupt, and clichéd. (There were several variations of "little did I know that was the last time that...," "a smile slowly crept across my face," "peace washed over me," and on and on.)
I started caring a little more when she documented her time in the PICU with her daughter, Ellis, but the clichéd writing continued.
One part that really irked me happened after she had started the process of IVF for the second time (after Joel died). One of the nurses informed her that they'd never before had a situation where one of the biological parents was deceased. The nurse goes on to say:
"We don't have a box [on the legal paperwork] that states what exactly should be done in a situation like this. We want to make sure we are handling it the right way, but it's a situation our lawyers may need to be involved in..." (p. 133)
They received the green light to proceed within 48 hours, and Sarah is once again interacting with this nurse. The nurse tells her that everyone at the clinic thought she was so brave. Sarah's thoughts in response to this?
"Stunned, I didn't know quite what to say. She was one of the first oppositions I had encountered in my decision. Now, her opinion had softened." (p. 136)
The nurse was not "opposed" in the first place. It wasn't her "opinion" that Sarah shouldn't go through with the procedure or something – she's a nurse, and had a responsibility to be sure everything that transpired was legal. It really frustrated me that Sarah villainized her.
I would, of course, never wish anyone to have to go through what Sarah experienced; however, I don't think Sarah's story was done justice through her writing.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
A lot of telling, very little showing.
The author recounts her husband Joel's battle with cancer, their struggle to conceive, his eventual death, and her attempts at IVF afterward. I feel a little guilty saying it, but as I read, I didn't care very much.
Sarah was writing about incredibly emotional experiences but rather than allowing me to see her emotion, she had to tell me that she was sad, angry, etc. I didn't ever feel that I was invited to be present and experience it with her. I never connected with her so I wasn't invested in her story.
The writing is simplistic, abrupt, and clichéd. (There were several variations of "little did I know that was the last time that...," "a smile slowly crept across my face," "peace washed over me," and on and on.)
I started caring a little more when she documented her time in the PICU with her daughter, Ellis, but the clichéd writing continued.
One part that really irked me happened after she had started the process of IVF for the second time (after Joel died). One of the nurses informed her that they'd never before had a situation where one of the biological parents was deceased. The nurse goes on to say:
"We don't have a box [on the legal paperwork] that states what exactly should be done in a situation like this. We want to make sure we are handling it the right way, but it's a situation our lawyers may need to be involved in..." (p. 133)
They received the green light to proceed within 48 hours, and Sarah is once again interacting with this nurse. The nurse tells her that everyone at the clinic thought she was so brave. Sarah's thoughts in response to this?
"Stunned, I didn't know quite what to say. She was one of the first oppositions I had encountered in my decision. Now, her opinion had softened." (p. 136)
The nurse was not "opposed" in the first place. It wasn't her "opinion" that Sarah shouldn't go through with the procedure or something – she's a nurse, and had a responsibility to be sure everything that transpired was legal. It really frustrated me that Sarah villainized her.
I would, of course, never wish anyone to have to go through what Sarah experienced; however, I don't think Sarah's story was done justice through her writing.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
kargoforth's review against another edition
3.0
I did not rate this book because of profound writing, although there are a few reflective ones. I rated it because of its raw emotion. I do not give three stars lightly and infrequently does a book receive four stars from me. I read this through the night as I experienced the pain, joy, bewilderment, shock, and absolute awe, along with the writer. The author takes you through her journeys of several dark nights of the soul. She has a profound realization of God’s power despite circumstances on this earth.
I recommend this to those who are grieving and those struggling with their faith. Additionally, it is just an interesting and encouraging read for anyone.
I recommend this to those who are grieving and those struggling with their faith. Additionally, it is just an interesting and encouraging read for anyone.
rachel92886's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not sure if I can even find the words to describe this book. This book touched me deep down into the most hidden parts of my heart. I read this book in one sitting. I really felt as if Sarah and I were friends and we were having a conversation about her life. It reads very much like Sarah is talking one on one with you. From page one I was hooked and ready to know anything and everything she wanted to tell me. I began to see as I read that this book was going to make me an emotional wreck as I read. The things that Sarah went through are almost unbelievable. As I read I kept thinking, surly this isn't a true story, maybe I got a fiction book by mistake, but as unbelievable as it was, it was real and painful and heartbreaking. I cannot imagine going through anything close to what she went through in such a short amount of time. Sarah's strong faith in Christ is most definitely what kept me reading. I needed to see how she handled each situation and I had to know the rest of the story. I had to see the conclusion of all these unbearable circumstances to know that it really can work out for good. The thing that I found most profound about this book is how Sarah never lost her faith. Sure she questioned God, Sure she begged for it to stop but in the end she always submitted her life and the lives of her husband and children to God and never let that go. This was a great example to me and helped me to see some things in my walk with the Lord that could use some work. I LOVED this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I received this book for free from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are my own.
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