Cradled All the While: The Unexpected Gifts of a Mother's Death

Rating:
Summary: A Courageous and Honest Memoir
Review: As the author of this beautifully written book says, "The curtain between life and death is a gossamer veil." With insight and honesty, Sara Corse gazes through this gossamer veil as she recounts her experiences caring for her mother, dying of cancer. Part memoir, part reflection on the meaning of life and death, this book mainly gives a moving account of her mother's last months, but through the use of flashbacks and discursions, Corse shows how the tenderness and pain of this final illness are woven into the larger complexities of a mother-daughter relationship. Corse understands the anguish of losing a parent in the context of her own sometimes anguished struggle for a personal identity and a meaningful faith. For those facing the death of a loved one, this book will be a comfort and a help. For anyone seeking understanding in the presence of the mystery of death, this book will be a deep river of wisdom.

Rating:
Summary: For any daughter
Review: Don't wait until your mother is ill or gone before you read this heartfelt book. Any woman who has ever questioned whether she was properly "mothered" or whether she was a good daughter would benefit from the insights Dr. Corse shares about her own process of forgiving herself and her mother. In her case, it was caring for her mother after she was diagnosed with incurable cancer that provided the opportunity for them to develop a closer relationship. We don't always have such an opportunity to heal old hurts. There is much here to hearten and inspire. Highly recommended; give it to yourself or your sister or your best girlfriend for Mother's Day.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended for anyone with a mother
Review: I found this to be a beautifully written book. To be able to take care of the dying is a tremendous gift, a blessing, and Sara found unexpected grace and healing in it. I found it only made me appreciate my mother even more. I wanted to tell her how important it was to me to be able to take care of her now that she is older, and she mustn't prevent me from doing so. If your relationship with your mom is troubled, all the more reason to read this book. Most of us don't want to face the inevitable, but when we do, some surprising things can happen. An excellent book for anyone with a mother...particularly someone in midlife with an older parent. Thank you Sara, for this book.