Official Review: Rose Colored Glasses by Jo Ann Simon

[kislany]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Rose Colored Glasses" by Jo Ann Simon.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Rose Colored Glasses by Jo Ann Simon is a story about Jo Ann and Tom, two people deeply in love who suffered the ultimate pain: that of losing each other.

When Jo Ann first saw Tom, she didn’t pay him too much attention. After all, he was not her type at all. Yet, Tom knew from the very first moment they saw each other that she would be the love of his life, and that he would marry her.

Tom was always attentive towards Jo Ann, and he literally worshipped the ground she walked on, so eventually Jo Ann learned to love him as well. Their love for each other grew and became indestructible. It read like an everlasting fairy tale, right until the fateful tick bite on Block Island which slowly destroyed Tom’s health and ultimately took his life. Through the tick bite, Tom got Lyme disease and ALS (the second one being incurable which invariably leads to death). From that moment on, they tried every treatment for Tom they could find, they went to countless doctors and did every test available to them, and they never lost hope that Tom would, eventually, heal once again.

Even when Tom had no longer strength and energy left and had just about given up, Jo Ann would relentlessly search for a cure for her love. There had to be something that would help him heal.

I know I bit about Lyme disease and ALS, as in the Vitamin C Facebook group I’m a member of there are several people with either Lyme or ALS seeking help through orthomolecular medicine. Lyme is curable, and orthomolecular supplementation helps many even when Lyme is in an advanced stage, but ALS is much trickier. So when I got to the chapters in the book where Tom was diagnosed with ALS, I knew exactly how the story would end. Still, it didn’t make reading it any less emotional.

From the second half of the book I was in tears until the last page. Jo Ann’s hope was intact almost until the end (hence the title of the book). She would always see everything through rose-colored glasses. That’s what gave her strength, and even after Tom died, once she went through the grieving process, that’s what kept her going, helping her move on with her life knowing Tom would always be next to her in heart and soul.

I enjoyed reading about the small signs showing Jo Ann that Tom was never far away. Their favorite songs would play in the most unlikely places, and people she met would utter the same words that Tom used to tell her lovingly.

Most chapters started with small handwritten notes Tom and Jo Ann had left for each other. They were heartwarming and full of emotion and love. The whole book speaks about love, a deep one that transcends time. It is also a memoir of loss and of hope. The author noted that she started writing this book to help her remember everything that happened from the time she met Tom. While she might not have known back when she started the book, I believe it also helped her cope and end the cycle of grief. Publishing the book, however, can help countless other people who face loss and grief and need a way to deal with them. This story will speak to them personally.

The book is well-written with words that evoke strong emotions in the reader. I would be surprised if the story didn’t make everyone who reads it shed at least one tear. It’s just that powerful. I didn’t find any grammatical errors in the book, so I know that the editors did a great job with the manuscript.

For all the reasons above, I give Rose Colored Glasses by Jo Ann Simon 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to people who enjoy reading memoirs, to those who need a way to deal with loss and grief, and to those who are fond of reading true love stories.

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Rose Colored Glasses
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Like kislany's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Cecilia_L]

Most chapters started with small handwritten notes Tom and Jo Ann had left for each other. They were heartwarming and full of emotion and love. The whole book speaks about love, a deep one that transcends time. It is also a memoir of loss and of hope. The author noted that she started writing this book to help her remember everything that happened from the time she met Tom. While she might not have known back when she started the book, I believe it also helped her cope and end the cycle of grief. Publishing the book, however, can help countless other people who face loss and grief and need a way to deal with them. This story will speak to them personally.

What a redemptive way to deal with this type of grief! I agree it will help others too. Thanks for your engaging review!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

This sounds like a lovely, meaningful book. I´m not very familiar with ALS but I´m familiar with loss and grief and I think this creative outlet is great and it´s also a very meaningful way of remembering and honoring her partner.
Thanks for a great review!

[Sharon_leichsenring]

Enjoyed reading this review , especially to the nod of differentiating Lymes disease with ALS. This part of JoAnn’s memoir is so powerful.

[kandscreeley]

Wow! I'm not sure that I could read this book. Just from your review, I'm getting tears in my eyes. It's great that she doesn't lose hope, and I hope that someday a cure is found for ALS. Thanks for a great review, but this one is going to be too emotional for me right now.

[tanya_bagga1]

A good option for people who love reading emotional and romantic stories.

[Ruba Abu Ali]

Thanks for the lovely review! I just added the book to my To-Read list after going through your words.

[Kat Berg]

Somehow it seems so rare that memorials are so well-edited that they do not contain grammatical errors. I have had my own bout with Lyme's and know how life-changing just that one illness can be, but ALS...it is devastating. What a horrible way to die, but it sounds like the author weaves in beauty along with the sadness. Thanks for the review.

[Shmuck_reader]

I want to read it, but I'm hoping it has an uplifting ending... sad books are good if they end with something hopeful or reassuring... otherwise I'm left to drown in tears by myself haha. Nice review! Very informative.

[EvaDar]

What a beautiful review. I really enjoyed it. You write in a way that engages. This book sounds like it hits on all fronts. What a pleasure to read a book that is both emotionally moving and well edited! Thanks for piquing my interest in this one.

[elizab8]

Great review! I have read your review, and it is very touching. I too shed a little tear and I have not read the book yet. ALS can be deadly, once it gets to the brain. As you mentioned when two people fall deeply in love it is usually difficult to accept death at an early stage in life if either dies. In Tom's case it was a slow death and that will hurt most for JoAnn hoping that he will be better again but never did.

[Anon_Reviewer]

Any book with the slightest potential to make me cry is definitely worth my time! I can already tell that the small handwritten notes at the beginning of the chapters are going to be the death of me. I'm looking forward to reading this book. Great review!

[AmySmiles]

I'm crying from the review you gave let alone try to get through the book with a dry eye. Great review, thank you!

[Dahmy 10]

Oh my, I didn't even realize it was a memoir at first until I got to the end. This real event looks like a well scripted novel. I commend Jo Ann, this book must be indeed special, I think I would have to go through it. Sorry about loosing Tom.

Thank you Kislany, you made an awesome review here...

[Jackie Holycross]

This sounds like a real tear-jerker.