Official Review: Saved by Grace by Maria Balestrieri

[Nikolas Farmakis]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Saved by Grace" by Maria Balestrieri.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Saved by Grace by Maria Balestrieri is the writer’s memoir about her fight with cancer and her survival. The author aims to inspire other readers facing similar problems with cancer to push through the pain and become a survivor too.

The author starts this memoir by remembering a part of her career as a psychologist and a counselor working for the Department of Corrections and later in a school. The author recalls turning forty and deciding to stop smoking and losing some excess pounds to improve her health. It was during this time that she was diagnosed with breast cancer, even though for the past years no tumors were found in her breasts when she was doing mammograms. The cancer was still in its initial stages, but the author’s family was devastated since her mother had also been recently plagued by breast cancer. The writer underwent two surgeries, including a lumpectomy. The surgeries were successful and then she also had to undergo radiation for over six weeks daily to kill the breast cancer. Throughout this time, the author took a minimum of time off from work and continued working while undergoing radiation. The author’s faith, family, and friends helped her cope during this difficult time.

This book was enjoyable in a number of ways. To begin with, I found no syntax or grammatical mistakes in the text, which means that it was exceptionally edited. Furthermore, the author’s experiences were conveyed in a genuine and authentic way, which evoked emotion and pathos in the memoir. Additionally, I liked the few poems the writer dispersed throughout the text, which allowed the writer to express herself in a creative and wonderful way. Moreover, the writer expertly transitioned from one of her memories to another in an organized and logical way, allowing the reader to clearly comprehend the events occurring in her memoir. What I liked most about this book was that the author included many pictures from her life experiences at the end of the book, thereby adding more beauty, excitement, and completeness to her memoir.

This book will be mainly appreciated by readers who like inspirational memoirs related to surviving cancer. The author writes from a woman’s perspective, mainly because she writes about breast cancer. So, female readers may be more inclined to read this book.

To conclude, this book must receive a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. It deserves a perfect score because it is creative, original, vivid, organized, and professional.

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Saved by Grace
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[Peace Odii]

Fighting cancer in contemporary times is difficult. It's a great topic to read on.

[El_limitless]

I admire the author's fighting spirit, and her attempt to inculcate same in the reader. Great review.

[Becca Olsson]

This sounds like an inspiring piece of work! It’s incredible to hear how people overcome such obstacles, especially when it’s in their own words. Thanks for the great review