Of Mice and Maltesers 3 - LolaLadybird's book

[LolaLadybird]

Ok, getting myself organised. Hope you enjoy second time round AP - at least it's not that long ..!

Well, despite having already read this book 6 or 7 years ago, none of it was even vaguely familiar. I enjoyed it much more this time round, too.

It's so tragic to think that someone's like can change completely, in literally, a couple of minutes, with no warning whatsoever. It was beautifully written (without any spare words - imagine spelling out the content of a book, letter by letter!) and/or translated.

I thought the book was remarkably free from self-pity (whereas if I'd been in his situation...) and the saddest part was when he cried passing his former office in an ambulance, and seeing people he used to know going about their business.

Thanks for choosing this.

I'm really glad you enjoyed it AP. I think it is quite an amazing piece of literature when you consider how it was written. Also, hugely inspiring - I think it really puts in perspective one's everyday woes and makes you feel lucky to be a fully functioning person.

I think the saddest part for me was when his family/children came to visit him - very moving. Interestingly, I re-read it once I'd decided to make it my book choice and enjoyed it more than the first time I read it. I think maybe I spent more time thinking about it, knowing that others were going to read it too.

I read somewhere else recently that patients with 'locked-in' syndrome feel a kind of peace within their condition - rather than the panic that you might expect - and that certainly comes across in the book. Whilst his account is very sad in places, it still had a tranquillity to it.

Thanks Lola, I really enjoyed this! I've had to read it twice, because of my very bad habit of reading very quickly. When you know how much effort went into writing the book, it really is worth taking a bit more time.

In a funny way it's like a book sent back from the after-life. His view back over his life, knowing that he wasn't going back to it, or even that he was going to get a "new" life in the way that you might if you recovered after cancer or something like that, is necessarily restricted to what was meaningful. It was very very touching.

It obviously had the same message for a lot of people, to appreciate life while you have it. It's so important to build up a bank of wonderful memories.

A really good choice, I'm so glad I read it!

Ooooh this has arrived for me today will start asap and come back to this thread soon