Review of Lady B and her Memory Box

[Vivian Writes]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lady B and her Memory Box" by James Pumpelly.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Growing old can be tough for anyone, especially if you have lived as an adventurous young adult. No one was more adventurous than Lady B. In her youth, Lady B dabbled in several careers and met so many important people that she lost count. With a world of experience and contacts from her restaurant business, she often flew to different states. But when she got diagnosed with Parkinson’s, everything changed.

She soon moved into a nursing home, and her condition continued to deteriorate. When she reaches the point where she cannot walk or move from her bed, Lady B starts to revisit her past through newspaper clippings, diary entries, letters, and photos, leading her to find a new friendship with Father Black, a faithful and kind reverend father. In the process of finding peace, she also extends a helping hand to other characters suffering from trauma. Lady B and Her Memory Box by James Pumpelly follows Lady B as she travels down memory lane, finds healing, and shares her selfless spirit.

While this book is a fiction book, the author mentioned that he got inspiration from real people and their different stories. His keen observation led him to create what I felt was a lovable, kind, and humane character: Lady B. I enjoyed the author’s characterization of the leading lady. She was exotic, had visited many places, and had seen many people. And the author successfully translated her experiences through his words to make for a profound read. Readers who enjoy heartfelt memoirs will find Lady B’s fictional character to suit their tastes. If you simply enjoy older people narrating exciting stories of their past, you might also like this book.

At first, Lady B reveals her memories through her efforts alone. During this time, she features her teenage years when she escaped abuse by moving to Washington, DC, and had two men fall in love with her. By this time, it looked like the book would be filled with upbeat and thrilling adventures from her life. But soon enough, the book took a turn and infused themes of pain and healing as she started visiting her memories through her discussions with Father Black. While I appreciated the added depth, the book soon became slow and a chore to read. It would have been better to include more engaging stories of Lady B’s past where she took action and drove her story forward rather than revisiting all the sad things that happened to her. Actions move a story forward better than things happening to the characters ever could.

The author made decent use of metaphor and imagery, so it was easy to envision Lady B, both in her past splendor and her current despair. Even though the author told the story in the first person through Lady B’s narration, he still managed a good overview of all the other characters. Truly, if there was one thing the author outdid himself in, it was Lady B’s characterization; she did not keep all the spotlight for herself but let other characters shine instead. However, I did not appreciate that her memories were a bit disorganized, so it was tasking to piece many events together by myself. Consequently, 3 out of 5 is my rating.

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Lady B and her Memory Box
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[Nwoko E]

The author made descent use of metaphor and imaginary, so it was easy to envision Lady B, both in her past splendor and her current despair. Great review

[Baggett Yori]

"Lady B and Her Memory Box" by James Pumpelly appears to be a heartfelt exploration of aging, memory, and healing through the eyes of the protagonist, Lady B. The book follows Lady B's journey as she grapples with Parkinson's disease and finds solace in revisiting her past through newspaper clippings, diary entries, and letters, ultimately forming a new friendship with Father Black, a reverend father.

[Amanda Kenneth]

Lady B sounds like she led quite an exciting and fulfilling life! It must have been challenging for her to adjust to the changes that Parkinson's brought. How did she cope with these changes?