From Publishers Weekly
Because it is rendered with such clarity, authority and feeling, Berg's novel may cause readers to forget that this story of a woman's death from cancer is fiction. Berg's ( Durable Goods ) depiction of a sisterhood of women banding together to succor a friend is never falsely sentimental. Accurately observed details and honest descriptions of the body's frailties make the narrative gripping and immediate. But intensely real characterizations, outrageous black humor and graceful prose are what render it memorable. Narrator Ann Stanley, a nurse who loves her young daughter and husband but sometimes hates the institution of marriage, recognizes a soul mate when she meets Ruth Thomas. A talented artist, Ruth is mercurial, outspoken, fearless, charming, charismatic. When she leaves her caustic, icy husband and (regretfully) her teenaged son, she is eager to embrace new experiences, to find love and artistic fulfillment. Instead, she is sidetracked by cancer, which she fights gallantly, even into its terminal phase. Ann and several other devoted friends spend days and nights by Ruth's side, helping her to die. Berg writes candidly--if ultimately a bit too schematically--about the bonds between women that transcend the male-female relationship. A celebration of intimate friendship as well as a cry of grief, this book is a weeper, all right, but its effect is cathartic.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The subject of women's friendships in the face of death is sensitively handled in Berg's ( Durable Goods , LJ 4/15/93) second novel. Conventional and quiet, Ann Stanley never had a true best friend until she met the beautiful and outgoing Ruth Thomas. Over the years, their friendship deepens and enriches them both. Then Ruth is diagnosed with rapidly metastasizing breast cancer. During the period of Ruth's dying, a small group of women, along with Ann, share Ruth's doctor visits, help make funeral plans, and enjoy late-night lobster feasts together. They talk about men, children, sex, the future, and the past. They weep, laugh, analyze, and try to console one another. Never preachy or maudlin, this novel is utterly convincing. All the conversations ring true; all the emotions are recognizable and real. Many women will be able to identify with the subject matter of this novel, which should guarantee it a well-deserved readership. Highly recommended for all public libraries.
- Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, SeattleCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
