3.5 stars
I loved the story of Doris and her life through the years. It made me think that I really need to talk with parents/grandparents and discover what there is to know about their lives before they are gone and can't tell me. It was a small part--but the way that some of her care workers talked to her, as if she were a small child rather than a woman with a rich history of life experiences--It gave me pause to caution myself not to do the same. Even if someone has limited ability to communicate, that doesn't diminish their life and experiences.
I think the book lost a bit in translation. The conversations between Jenny and her husband were almost comically stilted and unrealistic. Maybe in the original Swedish they read better.
I really loved the ending. It was so beautiful it brought me to tears. Made the entire reading of the book worthwhile.
I loved the story of Doris and her life through the years. It made me think that I really need to talk with parents/grandparents and discover what there is to know about their lives before they are gone and can't tell me. It was a small part--but the way that some of her care workers talked to her, as if she were a small child rather than a woman with a rich history of life experiences--It gave me pause to caution myself not to do the same. Even if someone has limited ability to communicate, that doesn't diminish their life and experiences.
I think the book lost a bit in translation. The conversations between Jenny and her husband were almost comically stilted and unrealistic. Maybe in the original Swedish they read better.
I really loved the ending. It was so beautiful it brought me to tears. Made the entire reading of the book worthwhile.