Review of Dear Abigail

[Reva Parker]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Dear Abigail" by Richard Rees.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Dear Abigail by Richard Rees is a letter that turned into a book to his granddaughter. It will tug at your heart with sad, funny, and much-love incidents. Mr. Rees' wife passed away in her 40s from ovarian cancer. Their son and daughter were nearly grown. His wife, Rachel, was the love of his life. Richard decided to write a letter to his granddaughter about the family when Abigail, his granddaughter, was five.

Richard tells Abigail about how he met Abigail's dad, Ian. It's funny how he described it. Ian was several years younger than Carys, Richard's daughter. Carys discovered before she met Ian that she also had ovarian cysts, but they were all benign. At this time, Carys found out that since ovarian cancer ran in her mother’s family, Carys had a better-than-average chance of having it. She made sure to see her doctor regularly. Due to the medical recommendation that Carys have a hysterectomy by age 30, she and Ian married without a lengthy engagement. Shortly afterward, Carys was pregnant. When she was five months pregnant, Carys began having pains, thinking she was losing the baby. She didn’t, with the pain turning out to be appendicitis. But the appendix showed cancer, which likely meant she had ovarian cancer. She, and Ian, decided to go ahead with the pregnancy, delivering the baby two months early and then dealing with the chance of catching any cancer, hopefully in time. The baby, Abigail, ends up being fine but in the NICU for a while. Sadly, the cancer had grown. She started treatments that were a roller coaster journey while Richard helped care for Abigail. Carys sadly passed away at age 29, shortly before Abigail was two. Carys requested that her dad make sure that Abigail knew about her side of the family, thus this letter.

I adored the book, Dear Abigail. It made me laugh, cry, and be envious of Richard loving his daughter and granddaughter so much that he did write this letter. I’m glad that Abigail will be able to know about her mom's side of the family. To see that Richard loves his daughter enough to put his life on hold for her and to care for Abigail is special. I appreciated that Richard showed everyone respect since he wrote it after Ian had remarried and had another child. After all, Ian is still Abigail’s dad, and Carys had wished that for Ian. Sometimes people become so attached to their feelings they don't consider what they might be doing to the child or grandchild. Some of the funny things are about how he didn't think he would care for Ian and how Ian looked so different from Carys’ previous boyfriends. Also, how Richard included the parts of bumbling things happening to him and how he wondered, at times, what his wife would have said. I experienced multiple emotions and was glad to feel them along with everyone in the book.

There wasn't anything I didn't like about the book. It did take me a while to get used to British English and the correctness of the grammar, but it was easy to understand. I had wanted to read this book because I could relate to it in some ways. My dad died when I was eighteen months old, but I wasn't fortunate to have someone write as much about him as Richard did for his granddaughter. I know Richard was waiting until Abigail was older to receive it. I hope when she does read it, she realizes how lucky she is. No spoilers here though.

Due to the fact this book meets all of my expectations, I happily give Dear Abigail by Richard Rees a 5 out of 5 stars because it deserves nothing less.

I recommend this book to those that enjoy memoirs, books about family relationships, and feel-good books. It’s a fantastic read for one that needs a cry, a laugh, or a smile. It would also be suitable for those who have people going through cancer treatments to know they are not alone, and perhaps even those who had a parent or their child's parent die when they were young.

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Dear Abigail
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[Fawmi FJumana]

Now I feel so jealous of the love Richard has for his daughter and grand daughter. The bond seems so beautiful and adoring that he wrote the letter for Abigail. This seems like just the book to read to feel good.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

What a loving granddad Richard is! Abigail must be so lucky and grateful to read that letter when she grows up. That would be the best remembrance left of her mother's legacy! Thanks for your detailed and wonderful review!

[King Nyebuchi]

This review was really well-written, I equally felt like crying while reading, haha.
Thanks for a detailed and well crafted review.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

What a lovely concept for a book. Abigail is so lucky to have a grandfather like Richard. While this isn't my kind of book I'm sure it will appeal to many.