Official Review: A Patchwork of Pink by Bev Arnold

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 18 May 2018, 10:30

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Patchwork of Pink" by Bev Arnold.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Bev Arnold’s A Patchwork of Pink is a memoir about the time when her world was brought crashing down after being told that the two lumps in her left breast were malignant – she had only just realised her childhood dream of releasing her debut album at the age of sixty-nine just months ago. Arnold tells the story of her battle with breast cancer from diagnosis to treatment, and finally, to being in remission.

Arnold understandably falls into despair after that earth-shattering diagnosis, as her life had to be put on hold for the numerous doctors’ appointments and the seemingly never-ending rounds of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, as well as treatments for the resultant side effects. Even country music, which used to be such a joy for her, failed to pull her out of the dark pit she had fallen into. Eventually, it is Arnold’s boundless love and concern for the local Australian wildlife (who look upon her as one of their own due to her frequent provision of food and medical care pre-diagnosis) which kick-starts her emotional healing. I could certainly see her passion for them in the numerous anecdotes peppered throughout the novel, as she even gave names to the animals who visit her regularly.

In A Patchwork of Pink, Arnold is extremely detailed about even the smallest and most technical aspects of her condition, even taking the time to explain her thought process when making decisions about various treatments. This is an excellent reference for people who want to learn more about breast cancer, as well as for sufferers who would like to know more about the treatment process. However, this acts as a double-edged sword, as the medical jargon used would turn off casual readers. It would have been much better if a glossary was included at the back for easier reference.

Unfortunately, this also made the parts of the novel about her battle with breast cancer read somewhat like a medical case study, albeit one in the first-person narrative. For a book which has been marketed as her journey towards psychological wellbeing via her unabating love for and interaction with the local wildlife, I would have liked to have seen more of Arnold’s thoughts and emotions. Also, there is a lack of signposting in Arnold’s writing – she has a tendency to jump from anecdote to anecdote – making the story slightly confusing. I had to stop and double back multiple times when reading, which prevented me from immersing myself fully into her narrative.

Nonetheless, what I liked was Arnold’s ability to draw rich and vivid images in your mind with her writing. Despite the generous use of medical terminology, her descriptive ability amazes – I could easily picture the house she lives in, I could feel the fatigue she feels after chemotherapy, along with the joy she experiences when interacting with her wildlife visitors. However, this was done almost to the point of verbosity, which detracted slightly from the overall reading experience.

All in all, whilst I liked reading A Patchwork of Pink, I am rating it 2 out of 4 stars. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could but am unfortunately forced to round it down, as there were many grammatical and punctuation errors which should have been caught easily during proofreading. I would still recommend this book to readers who are looking for an honest and sincere story about a woman’s struggle to overcome one of the harshest periods in her life, but please be warned: it is definitely not for you if you are looking for a deeply immersive read!

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A Patchwork of Pink
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Libs_Books · Post by **Libs_Books** » 19 May 2018, 13:17

Despite the errors, I really like the sound of this one, and can think of one or two people who might appreciate it as a gift. Thanks for the review, which balanced critical analysis with sensitivity.

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 19 May 2018, 14:36

I agree, this is a great recommendation for a recently diagnosed individual. Especially if it has all the intricacies that us laymen are not familiar with.
Thanks for the sincere review.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 19 May 2018, 20:48

Libs_Books wrote: ↑19 May 2018, 13:17 Despite the errors, I really like the sound of this one, and can think of one or two people who might appreciate it as a gift. Thanks for the review, which balanced critical analysis with sensitivity.

Thank you for your kind comments!

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 19 May 2018, 20:49

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑19 May 2018, 14:36 I agree, this is a great recommendation for a recently diagnosed individual. Especially if it has all the intricacies that us laymen are not familiar with.
Thanks for the sincere review.

Thank you for your kind reply; indeed, it discusses many intricacies about breast cancer that can’t be found easily online.

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 20 May 2018, 05:19

This is a book on a really sensitive topic, and I think you handled writing it really well. Thank you for your detailed critique and thoughtful treatment of the book

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 20 May 2018, 05:20

Ginnamassa19 wrote: ↑20 May 2018, 05:19 This is a book on a really sensitive topic, and I think you handled writing it really well. Thank you for your detailed critique and thoughtful treatment of the book

Thank you for your kind comments! I hope you will enjoy it if you decide to pick this up.

Dolor · Post by **Dolor** » 21 May 2018, 06:26

A story of battle with breast cancer from diagnosis to treatment, and finally, to being in remission is surely insightful. Though this is not my cup of tea, I will recommend this book to all who are suffering with breast cancer, and to all who are interested in this genre. Thanks for the detailed review.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 21 May 2018, 08:06

Dolor wrote: ↑21 May 2018, 06:26 A story of battle with breast cancer from diagnosis to treatment, and finally, to being in remission is surely insightful. Though this is not my cup of tea, I will recommend this book to all who are suffering with breast cancer, and to all who are interested in this genre. Thanks for the detailed review.

Thank you for your kind comments!

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 21 May 2018, 11:23

Great analysis of this book. Very good balance of the good versus the bad. I would not enjoy the technical aspect of this although I wouldn't mind learning about what she went through on a more broad level. I don't know much about cancer from diagnosis to treatment and its different stages but I don't need all the technical jargon that goes with the nitty gritty details. What would be really interesting is learning about breast cancer from a man's perspective. It is not nearly as common but it happens and I bet that is quite a shocking diagnosis for the men afflicted.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 21 May 2018, 11:36

kfwilson6 wrote: ↑21 May 2018, 11:23 Great analysis of this book. Very good balance of the good versus the bad. I would not enjoy the technical aspect of this although I wouldn't mind learning about what she went through on a more broad level. I don't know much about cancer from diagnosis to treatment and its different stages but I don't need although technical jargon that goes with the nitty gritty details. What would be really interesting is learning about breast cancer from a man's perspective. It is not nearly as common but it happens and I bet that is quite a shocking diagnosis for the men afflicted.

I do agree - the amount of literature on breast cancer in men is grossly inadequate. Perhaps there can be a book on it up for review soon. I know that I would definitely be interested in that - since I think that there is a misconception out there about men and breast cancer. Thank you for your kind comments!

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 21 May 2018, 11:59

Interesting and inspirational memoir, especially for this who are fighting with deadly cancer disease. Thanks for your comprehensive review.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 21 May 2018, 12:07

Sarah Tariq wrote: ↑21 May 2018, 11:59 Interesting and inspirational memoir, especially for this who are fighting with deadly cancer disease. Thanks for your comprehensive review.

Thank you for reading and leaving kind your comments! Yes, I hope that it would serve as an inspiration for sufferers or simply as a great resource for others.