What this book is about:
In her poignant memoir, Linda Campanella offers readers an intimate look inside her family and her heart as she relives and reconstructs her last year with her terminally ill mother and, in the process, comes to terms with the pain and permanence of her loss. At the heart of this story is the important realization that a terminal diagnosis does not terminate life.
Have you ever read a book that just seemed to be the "right book at the right time" sort of read? Well, this was one for me. I haven't experienced the excruciating pain of watching a parent suffer from a terminal illness or live with the knowledge that at some point in time my parent was going to die. But my mother had to go through all of that with her own mother and father. I have friends who just recently lost a parent to a terminal illness, one just diagnosed with cancer, and I have friends who are still learning how to live with their grief from the sudden death of a loved one. So, the reason this book came into my life at the "perfect" time is because I was
supposed to read this one and then buy a copy for my mom. I was
supposed to read this book and share a poignant poem about loss with a co-worker who lost her husband two years ago this month. I was
supposed to read this book and pass it on to a friend whose father passed a few months ago. This is how Linda's story touched me. I connected with her immediately and her love for her parents just jumped off the pages. I liked how she told her story with the help of emails that she saved. Some of the emails were from her to her mother, father, siblings, and various other people. Other emails were from her mother, siblings, and people she met during her mother's year-long battle. Many will think that this story is too sad to read, but I tell you that it is NOT! Linda's mother loved life. This book is a testament to her big heart, her ability to smile and laugh her way through the pain, and to leave a legacy of love so big that you can only admire her determination to live each day of her life. This book may make you cry, but it's all good....really it is.
Recommend? Absolutely. If you have lost a loved one from a terminal illness, accident, natural causes, or whatever the circumstances, you may find some comfort and solace with this book. I'm sure her experience will resonate with you. Linda's mother loved poetry and there are many pieces shared in this book. I've made copies of the ones that touched me and have made a point to purchase
Good Poems by Garrison Keillor because it calls to me. This is the type of book that you will read in a day, highlight those aha moments, write down the poems in a journal, make notes all over the pages, and more than likely buy another copy for a family member, friend, or someone you know who may need some help dealing with their pain from the death of a loved one.
Linda Campanella is a management consultant and the mother of three sons. Before she launched a private consulting practice serving nonprofit organizations, her professional career included stints as an international trade negotiator in the executive branch of the U.S. government, a corporate executive in the aerospace industry, and a senior administrator at a private college. She is a graduate of the first co-ed class of Amherst College and earned a master’s from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Raised in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, she currently resides in West Hartford, Connecticut, with her husband and high school sweetheart, Joe, and the mini-goldendoodle who joined the family nine months after the author became a motherless daughter. This book, her first, was written as a tribute to her mother and a gift to her father.
Source: TLC Book Tours and Linda Campanella
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 232
Published: August, 2011
Disclaimer:Thank you to Linda Campanella for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.
Review Book #14
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
