Thursday 15 March 2012

WHEN ALL THAT'S LEFT OF ME IS LOVE BY LINDA CAMPANELLA



BLURB from Goodreads
When All That's Left of Me Is Love is an intensely personal story about one family's determination to enjoy life while anticipating death. Linda Campanella's emotional account of her last year with her mother, Nancy Sachsse, wrote itself on the pages of her mind as she lay awake unable to sleep in the days and weeks following Nan's death one year and one day after a diagnosis of terminal cancer. It is a heartwarming memoir filled with insights and inspirations that will help anyone jolted into confronting the inevitability and sudden imminence of death. Join the author as she reconstructs and relives a year of living while dying and, in the process, comes to terms with the pain and permanence of her loss. When All That's Left of Me Is Love is indeed a sad story born of death, but it is above all an uplifting portrait of living, loving, believing, and letting go. It is a celebration of the special bond between mothers and daughters, a touching love story, a spiritual journey, a poetry lesson, and even a case for happy hour. This story of a daughter's undying love for her dying mother will move and inspire not only those who face or fear death but also those who love and embrace life.


MY REVIEW
I pride myself on being honest so I have to say that I found this book personally difficult to read. that is not to say it is poorly written, or the content isn't book worthy. The problem I had was that I have lost quite a few aunties in the past few years to this awful disease called cancer, so found the book personally taxing and upsetting to read.
Linda is the brave person telling this heartfelt, and heart-wrenching story of her last year spent with her deeply loved mother, Nancy. I will not lie, the book did upset me at times I was reading it through tears and bleary eyes, but that has much more to do with my own family circumstances and the poignant memories it brought back to me.
As Linda explained to me the book is not written as a "sad" book it has an uplifting feeling to it too. This book contains the wonderful emotions of unconditional, unending love that Linda has for her mum. obviously cancer is mentioned in the book and how Linda and Nancy come to terms with the diagnosis.
I wont add my normal So was the book good etc as I think to do so to such a beautiful, heartfelt book on the subject this one covers is wrong. I would say if you'd like to read Linda and Nancy's journey then go ahead< I would recommend this to you certainly, but just be aware if you have suffered losses to cancer how this book may make you feel and the memories it will rekindle. Having said that all the memories the book re-kindled in me were not bad or sad ones, just highly emotional ones. Its a book to read alone with your tissues undisturbed, I find it difficult to find the words as to say the book is enjoyable or that I enjoyed it sounds wrong. I feel its a book to be treasured and perhaps when I am feeling down thinking of one or the other of my aunties I can perhaps dip into this book to read an uplifting section to help me through too! So thank you for sharing your very personal story with us the readers. I must also add what a beautiful title, and so beautifully written too.

Available from Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk.

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