Anna
lives in New York and teaches English in a small private school. She is smart, athletic, an inspired teacher and
has multiple sclerosis. Most of the time she
can walk unaided; other times she needs a wheel chair and always needs a variety of drugs
to keep healthy. Anna has a terrific
relationship with her earthy mother and even though she has no relationship with her
philandering father, he does pay her doctor bills. Her
mother runs a bakery and takes care of Anna.
Anna meets Joe
Malone, an amateur photographer, who is involved in his family business full-time. They get together and fall in love but Anna
questions her future and feels that she cannot drag this wonderful man into the quagmire
of her debilitating disease.
Sally Mandel writes
a smart, sassy and realistic book that is difficult to put down. The characters are all so likeable. The hero and heroine are so special that you
can’t help put root for them to have a future together. The mother is an especially terrific secondary
character – a true earth mother who loves her child unconditionally and uses funny
and very colorful language. Anna tries
desperately to be “normal” all the while worrying about keeping her job and
wanting to live a full life.
Ms Mandel’s
writing is impeccable and so impressive that I constantly wondered if she had MS because
she was so knowledgeable and understanding. Obviously,
she has done her homework to write a funny, sad and heart-wrenching novel. I know that I will never look at someone with MS
in the same way. Thank you Sally Mandel for
such a touching story. It gets my highest
praise.
Reviewed by
Marilyn Heyman for The Road to Romance
May 20, 2003 |
