Book Review - Finding Frances by Janice M. Van Dyck

Finding Frances is about a family that is  torn. Torn between their mother/wife wanting to die and the family wanting her to stay alive.

Frances is very ill and she knows she is dying and she is ready but her family isn't ready to let go.  

"I want to die, William. I am ready. No more shots or medicines. Sweet Jesus, I'm ready." She put her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Her speech  came in short bursts now that she'd expended what little energy she'd saved up."

From the back: "Is it our responsibility to keep people alive or to help them die a good death? Frances Baldwin is ready to die. Prepared to deny further medical care that might save her, she asks her son to help her bring closure to a well-lived life. Can William, a philosophical med-school dropout honor his mother without tearing himself and his family apart? To help her die, he must face off against the medical community  and the system that is trying to keep her alive regardless of the quality of life she will lead. To lose her , he must find her and find himself."

Even though it is a hard subject to read about, I thought the story was powerful and also interesting how each family member dealt with their loved one dying. At first I wasn't sure if I could read it but I was intrigued and read the book in 2 days!

Finding Frances is a powerful exploration a family's uncharted emotional terrain set against the larger cultural and ethical issues of death in the 21st century. It's a gentle, upbeat, and off-beat exploration of the love beneath a family's defenses and contrary positions. Based on true events, it is an inspirational story about a woman who died as she lived: with dignity, humor, and occasional flashes of brilliance.

About the author Janice M. Van Dyck: From her website

My goal is to write books that are true. When you read them, I want you to recognize yourself and the people you know.  I want to create characters and situations that are commonplace, yet lend insight at a deeper level so you are left thinking for a while after you close the book.  Isn’t that what books are supposed to do?

While I always wanted to be a writer, I found myself climbing the corporate ladder for over twenty years while I raised my daughter.  I eventually landed a senior executive position, where I specialized in corporate communications, strategic planning and organizational development.  These skills turned out to be vital as I transitioned into writing fiction in 2004.  They gave me the ability to understand my audience, to put a story together, to tell it clearly and to move the consensus from one point to another.  I am trained to tell stories that catch your attention, give a new perspective, and motivate you to keep thinking about the topic long after the story is over.

I was born in Philadelphia and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  When the stars lined up at the millennium, I moved to the west coast of Florida where I live with my family and two dogs.

The Friday 56

Hosted by Storytime with Tonya:

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

 Mine comes from the book that I'm currently reading called Finding Frances by Janice M. Van Dyck:

"The door that required a magic combination closed firmly behind her. Sugar grew just a little calmer when she saw that the tile, the nurse's desk and all of the wood work were pink; not the greasy green of the rest of the hospital."

From Amazon:

Is there such a thing as a good death? Frances Baldwin is dying and instead of fearing the end, she welcomes death as a consequence of her terminal condition. Frances regards any marginally effective medical intervention as interfering with life s natural process. This quality of life discussion is at the heart of author Janice Van Dyck's family drama, Finding Frances. The novel examines the moral and ethical constraints imposed by modern medicine as a family faces end-of-life decisions. Frances asks her son, William, a medical school drop-out, to help her deal with his own lawyer brother Randy, his divorced sister Sugar, and father-in-denial Bill. William is faced with the demanding and complex task of mediating the divergent opinions of each family member and the medical establishment in an attempt to honor his mother s desire to have a peaceful death. Finding Frances brings into focus the larger cultural, ethical, and legal issues confronting everyone today in this age of patients rights versus institutionalized healthcare. Janice Van Dyck confronts these difficult issues with a deft hand in bringing out the subtleties of all of the characters points of view. The story is a tribute to human dignity exemplified by an exceptional and inspirational woman, who in the author s words, "...died as she lived with dignity and occasional flashes of brilliance and hilarity." Finding Frances is a novel based on actual events.

Whats In My Mailbox?

 This little meme is hosted by The Printed Page and its done on Mondays but I'm doing mine on today! Its a windy cold Saturday here. We've had some light snow the last couple of days and we thought it was Spring! Nope not yet. 

So I'm getting very stressed because my TBR stack is mount TBR !


 Finding Frances by Janice M. Van Dyck- The back of the book:
"Finding Frances is a powerful exploration a family's uncharted emotional terrain  set against the larger cultural and ethical issues of death in the 21st century. It's a gentle, upbeat, and off-beat exploration of the love beneath a family's defenses and contrary positions. Based on true events, it is an inspirational story about a woman who died as she lived: with dignity, humor, and occasional flashes of brilliance. " Sounds like I better have a box of tissue handy....


A book I won on The Library Thing from the author Chris Tusa :
Dirty Little Angels   From the authors site:

"Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses’s lopsided view of religion, Hailey, and her brother Cyrus, begin spending time down at an abandoned bank that Moses plans to convert into a drive-through church. Gradually, though, Moses’s twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey and Cyrus soon find themselves trapped in a world of danger and fear from which there may be no escape. "


Seasons Of Water and Ice by Donald Lystra    

From Amazon :Named by the Library of Michigan as a Michigan Notable Book for 2010, SEASON OF WATER AND ICE is the unforgettable story of two young people confronting life during a tumultuous few months of 1957. In quiet but searing prose it explores the enduring issues of love and family, the destructive forces to which these ideals are exposed, and the healing powers which can restore them.

Danny DeWitt, aged fourteen, lives with his father in a rural area of northern Michigan following the family's abrupt move from the city and the unexplained departure of his mother. Bookish and friendless--and wanting to "stand at the side of things for a while"--Danny becomes acquainted with Amber Dwyer, a pregnant teenager abandoned by her boyfriend and rejected by her family and community. Both outsiders--one by choice, the other because of social stigma--Danny and Amber form an unusual, openhearted alliance which helps each to deal with their separate challenge. Amber must build a life for herself in the face of intolerance, and Danny must come to terms with his mother's rejection and his father's growing isolation. The friendship is tested when Amber's abusive boyfriend returns and Danny's mother draws further away, leading to a crisis which threatens Amber and her unborn child, as well as Danny's conception of love and manhood.

Reflecting the political and social climate of the 1950s, Season of Water and Ice is underscored by themes of independence and obligation, love and sexuality, courage and surrender. This realistic work will appeal to both adult and young adult readers. 

Looking forward to reading all of these.  Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get some good reading in.  I am also very behind in writing reviews. Do I really need to sleep??

 

Best regards,