Review by Slshu24 -- Dying Well by Susan Ducharme Hoben

[Slshu24]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Dying Well" by Susan Ducharme Hoben.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Dying Well: Our Journey of Love and Loss by Susan Ducharme Hoben is the heartfelt story of her family’s walk through multiple diagnoses of cancer and how her family chose to deal with it.

You will only be a few pages in before you are drawn into their story. A few chapters in and you will be drawn into their lives. By the end of the end of the book you will be drawn into their family as if you have always known them. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. Warning- have tissues handy because it is an emotional book to read.

Susan has a way of telling their journey that makes you not only feel as if you were there but as if you were a welcome guest. That is a difficult task considering the incredibly heartbreaking subject matter. She approaches it with sensitivity, humor, love and a directness that allows a reader to respect the choices that they made even if you may disagree with those choices in your life.

There were times when the descriptions of surroundings were too detailed and it seemed to get in the way of following their journey. However overall the author is able to help you visualize the space in such a way that you are with the family as they navigated this frightening part of their lives.

Because of the subject matter it is too heavy a read for children or young readers and I’m sure that is why the author was comfortable with putting in a couple of swear words. They really were a rarity and didn’t offend this reviewer, as a matter of fact they seemed to be quite relevant in the telling of the story.

I was very pleased to find such exceptional editing as I did not notice any spelling errors that can sometimes spoil the reading of a book.

I was impressed with how the author expressed the strength and love the Hoben family felt towards each other and towards their friends and community along their journey.

By the end of Dying Well: Our Journey of Love and Loss you will feel a part of the Hoben family. You will feel their pain, shed tears with them and grieve with them.

I give the book 4 out of 4 stars and I highly recommend Dying Well: Our Journey of Love and Loss. It is a book that shows how you can take the worst news possible and handle it with grace and dignity and on your terms. It is an emotional journey but one filled with love, respect, raw truth, and as they say in the book a celebration of life.

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Dying Well
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