Review of The Gifts of Cancer

[Standor5865]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Gifts of Cancer" by Elizabeth Renee Oldershaw.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Her marriage to Dave was one of the happiest moments of the timid Elizabeth Renee Oldershaw's life. She had initially come to terms with the grief that followed her first husband's passing through suicide, and she didn't even see Dave as someone she could date when she first met him. He equally did not see himself dating a woman with five children. Nevertheless, they would fall in love and get married. Life was perfect until the diagnosis. What started as a cough with shortness of breath would turn out to be lung cancer. In The Gifts of Cancer, Elizabeth Renee Oldershaw details her life-changing journey with her husband through those turbulent times.

The first emotion I had when I read the introduction of this book was of pity, and I had questions revolving around how the author would cope with the prospect of losing another soulmate and the toll that this would have on her family. Nevertheless, this book goes beyond just describing her painful journey. The book, in many ways, preserves the wonderful memories of her husband, from his adventurous side, ability to understand the big picture, and choice to enjoy little happy moments amidst the chaos to how he loved unconditionally and his strong resolve.

Also, as the book title suggests, it presents a series of gifts (from knowing, trusting, and becoming to forgiveness, questioning, and love) that the author picked up along her journey. There is quite a lot for readers to learn from these gifts, as they can generally be applied in life. Understanding the gift of time and the value of my "tribe" and relationships were the ones I related to the most.

My favorite aspect of this emotional read was watching the author's growth through her story. She mentions journalling as a means she used to deal with her emotions, and she expertly channels the emotions she felt at the time of her husband's illness in this book. I felt her fear and confusion in the early stages and saw how she usually shied away from speaking up for herself and her husband when he was in a coma. Her gradual growth in this regard is well documented while she is forced to come out of her shell and summon an inner strength that has always been there.

I applaud Elizabeth Renee Oldershaw for her strength in showing us this part of her life. I also find her outlook on personifying grief and how it relates to love intriguing. Her storytelling is exemplary and showcases her relatable personality as well. It is also worth mentioning that The Gifts of Cancer is a professionally edited book, and I cannot think of anything I dislike about the book. Therefore, I rate The Gifts of Cancer four out of four stars. The book will be beneficial to readers who are going through difficult times and grieving the loss of a loved one.

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The Gifts of Cancer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[cd20]

This sounds like an intriguing read, but a hard read. I think I will skip it as I am trying to stick with "lighter" reads this summer. Thank you for an informative review.

[maggi3]

The title of this book was immediately intriguing. I’m interested in how Oldershaw manages to take something positive away from her husband dealing with cancer. I’ll have to give this one a try. Thanks for the review and recommendation!

[Kavita Shah]

The title sure catches the eye. It's a book which talks about the pain and the lessons from an emotional journey. It sounds a lot to take in. Thank you for a great review!

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

I'm happy to read that the author has intentionally looked for the positives through all the tragedies she has experienced. Beautiful review!

[Dzejn_Crvena]

Sounds like the kind of book I will treasure in my marriage years.
May the story inspire me to be strong when tragedy strikes.
Thank you for the review.

[Gabrielle D 1]

Like probably many others, I originally clicked on this forum because of the title. I immediately was curious to know what the book was about, because of the irony of the title. After reading the review that has been posted, I will say that this is definitely going on my "To Read" shelf!

[Jalal Hossain]

The author has intentionally looked for the positives through all the tragedies. Beautiful review.