Review: An Unforgettable Story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2014
Done Deal was a departure for me. I typically read Romance, Romance Suspense, Chick Lit, Mysteries and a bit of Fantasy (think Harry Potter, Twilight, Anita Blake). So when I was asked to review this novel, I jumped at the chance! Especially once I found out that the author was an Indie author and had self-published not only this novel, but also her debut novel, Bishop Street. As an Indie author myself, I feel that it's very important to support other authors who choose a road less traveled.Now, I've had this novel in hand since before Thanksgiving, but between the holidays, an unexpected trip to Maine to help my mother, my daughter's birthday and the sub-zero Arctic vortex that kept my littles home from school, -- reading, writing and reviewing have been pretty far down on my priority list. I kept in contact with the author and with major apologies I promised I would accomplish my review as soon as I could.I'm glad I finally had a chance to finish reading this amazing book. I won't say I enjoyed Cissy's journey; journeys that can only end in sadness don't exactly make for enjoyable reading. Then again, this wasn't a Chick Lit book, full of romance, comedy and fun. This was a book about Cancer. A woman's journey from the moment she received the diagnosis to the bitter end. A woman's journey to expose the politics and greed behind the pharmaceutical companies and the government. A woman's journey to ensure her family and friends are well-taken care of before she dies. A woman's journey to put so many others before herself.I found her journey interesting and inspiring. Once I was able to put my mind to reading, I couldn't and didn't want, to put this novel down. I found Cissy's passion for life, before and after the diagnosis, to be inspiring. All people, whether living under a death sentence or not, should aspire to live each and every day to the fullest. I admired the relationship she had with her children and her friends. I laughed at their antics and cried with them in sadness. I admired how Cissy was able to make friends with everyone and how she was able to patch things up with her sister at the end. I'm a huge believer in closure and it made me feel better to know that the author ensured there were no loose ends.I admit to being lost at times when the author went into great detail about the treatments and medications, but this was diminished quite a bit by the awe I held for the author. An amazing amount of work had to have gone into the researching and writing of this novel. There were some typos and some formatting issues, but those are easily forgiven since the story was so intriguing. I felt it was a well-written, fast paced and well researched novel. I enjoyed the detail the author was able to sneak into the book, from the sights and smells in San Francisco all the way to the Cayman Islands.I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to read something outside their normal box. This Indie Author is on her way! I know I'll be picking up a copy of her debut novel, Bishop Street, soon!