Official Review: My Husband Our Father: A Family's Walk T...

[ALynnPowers]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "My Husband Our Father: A Family's Walk Through the Storm of Grief in Search of a Rainbow" by Michelle Caravelli and family.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The inevitable tragedy of losing a loved one is an unfortunate event that most of us will have the displeasure of experiencing at least once in our lives. Unless you are the one personally experiencing such a loss -- whether of a spouse, parent, child, friend, or more distant relative -- it's impossible to really understand the pain of those whose lives are suddenly changed against their will. For those who have experienced such pain and want to know that they are not alone in their grieving process, I would like to recommend My Husband Our Father: A Family's Walk Through the Storm of Grief in Search of a Rainbow.

This book is a non-fiction account of one family's story of losing an irreplaceable member of their close family. Diagnosed with liver cancer that spread to his lungs, Gus left behind his wife and four children after just a few months. Written approximately five years after his death, this book is comprised of five different memoirs, each written by a different member of the family. Michelle, Gus's wife, starts off and tells about how she first met Gus (her second husband), up through his diagnosis, his eventual death, and the dramatic changes of her life after his death. Each of their children, starting with the youngest daughter, who was merely ten years old at the time of her father's death, follow by sharing their own account of Gus’s death.

Because this single book shares five different perspectives of the same story, there is a lot of potential for repetition of the same information. However, I didn't find this to be the case when reading the different stories. Each individual had his or her own distinct voice and unique memories. There were a few instances where I felt like some information, usually a small detail here and there, was unnecessarily repeated within Michelle's section of the book, but I think this was due more to the fact that different parts were written during different sittings. Maybe she just forgot that she had already included such specific detail in a previous section.

As someone who has experienced the loss of both parents at a relatively young age, I realize how difficult it must have been to put all of these words down and relive such a tragic event for the purpose of sharing this story and making this book. The entire book was very touching and filled with honesty and pure, raw emotion. I found it impossible not to tear up while reading any section of this book. I especially enjoyed reading the stories told by Madeline, the youngest daughter, and Brittany, Gus's step-daughter from Michelle's first marriage. Their perspectives in particular really captured me.

I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It could benefit from another round of editing, mostly to clean up some awkward commas and to cut out the unnecessary repetition of minor details. However, it is still an excellent book if you have lost a loved one. It shows that you are not alone in your experience and that everyone grieves differently. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, according to this family, and they give us a great example of how each member of their family experienced a different process of grief.

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My Husband Our Father: A Family's Walk Through the Storm of Grief in Search of a Rainbow
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Like ALynnPowers's review? Post a comment saying so!

[mcaravelli]

Thank you for the review. I would like to clear up a couple misunderstandings. Gus's cancer originated within his lung (small spot) which then spread throughout his liver. While I do appreciate your kind words within the review, I was aware of some repetitions that I purposely put in my memoir to accentuate past, present and future. I am sorry that you deemed these as unnecessary repetitions of minor detail. Having written this memoir about the most difficult time in my life, I felt it was often these minor details that were clearly the most significant to my personal story.

[bookowlie]

Great review! It must have difficult for you to read this book, considering that you lost your own parents.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review! I think it's beautiful that everyone loved Gus so much. He must've been a terrific guy.

I love rainbows, and I love this book's cover an awful lot! It's so pretty!

[ALynnPowers]

Gus's cancer originated within his lung (small spot) which then spread throughout his liver.

Oh no! I've made a horrible error! I blame the tears, which clouded my vision and, consequently, my comprehension.

[H0LD0Nthere]

Thank you for this beautiful review. And thanks to the author for writing the book. Grief is such a part of life, and at the same time so isolating, that we simply cannot have too many good books about it.

And I am so sorry about your own parents.

Have you read Hard Laughter, by Anne LaMott? I have not read it, but I understand it chronicles her family's journey as her own father was dying of cancer, in her own funny/poignant style.

[gali]

Thank you for the review and for sharing and I am very sorry for your loss. Those kind of books are difficult for me to read.

[ALynnPowers]

Thank you for the review and for sharing and I am very sorry for your loss. Those kind of books are difficult for me to read.

I made the mistake of attempting to read it at the gym. That didn't go well.

[bookowlie]

This book reminds me of a friend who remarried a woman who had been widowed in her late-30's. Her husband passed away after a 2-year battle with cancer and her kids were very young at the time.

[ALynnPowers]

This book reminds me of a friend who remarried a woman who had been widowed in her late-30's. Her husband passed away after a 2-year battle with cancer and her kids were very young at the time.

Sounds like another story that would make me cry!!!

[debo9967]

Nice, heartfelt review.

[ALynnPowers]

Thank you for this beautiful review. And thanks to the author for writing the book. Grief is such a part of life, and at the same time so isolating, that we simply cannot have too many good books about it.

And I am so sorry about your own parents.

Have you read Hard Laughter, by Anne LaMott? I have not read it, but I understand it chronicles her family's journey as her own father was dying of cancer, in her own funny/poignant style.

For some reason I just now saw this comment....

I've never heard of that book, but it sounds interesting.

[Emmanuel Ota]

Losing a loved one or someone close can be devastating, you could tell from the tone and energy of this review, what it means to lose someone. I love the style the author adopted in expressing his feelings.