mom2daniel's Full Review: Elizabeth Berg - Talk Before Sleep: A Novel
Elizabeth Berg has a way of writing that is like no other. Her characters are so real that you feel like you're living through them. You feel their pain, their joy, and their triumphs in life. Talk Before Sleep is no exception.
This book hit home for me because it is about a woman and her friend who is dying of breast cancer. Having lost relatives to cancer, I totally related to what each character was going through, throughout the whole story.
What is the book about?
The main character is a woman named Ann, a nurse who meets Ruth at a party and dislikes her immediately. However, over a short span of time, the two become the closest of friends. After a short while, they find out that Ruth has breast cancer.
The book takes you through Ann's world of trying to balance her family (a husband and daughter) and Ruth, and her work as a nurse. She wants to take care of Ruth as a nurse would, but she can't stay distant enough to be unaffected by the cancer invading Ruth's body.
Ruth goes through many ups and downs, between her numerous affairs and leaving her husband. She gets her own apartment which becomes the central hangout for Ann and other friends of Ruth's, a lesbian named L.D. and two other women named Helen and Sarah. Together they create a bond of friendship like no other, where nothing exists except Ruth and making her final days on Earth the best that they can be.
There are fights, tears, and laughter along with early-morning and late-night food cravings, and an old boyfriend or two that pops up here and there. There are more tears when Ruth decides to not let any of her friends see her die, and she moves to Florida to be with her brother, leaving her ex-husband and son behind. The friends wait for the final phone call.
It's tense and moving, and very realistic in terms of what cancer does to a person and everyone surrounding them.
Do I recommend this book?
Yes, absolutely. It's a must-read that you can finish in one night if you can, and a book that you will go back to more than one time. It's a keeper. I wouldn't term it a feel-good book so much as a true-to-life book that hits your heart and soul with love and friendship. Berg's books are outstanding, but this has got to be her best one, hands down.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.