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Summary: This book changed my life.
Review: From the stirring opening commentary to the dramatic close, Midlife Orphan is a godsend to any grieving middle-aged son or daughter. Almost like a roadmap, it guides the reader from issue to issue, giving coping stratagies and relating the tales of actual mourners who have had the experience of orphanhood. Not to be missed, it is a must for any adult facing life without his or her parents.
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: I am 48 and lost both my parents a year apart. This book has helped me far more than a counselor. The author totally understands the feelings of losing ones parents in midlife. This book is a must read for anyone who has lost a parent.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a godsend.
Review: I am moved by this book. I am an orphan, at the age of 49, I lost both parents this year 9 weeks apart. I never really grieved my mother the first to pass on. For taking care of my father whom had been ill for about ten years and thought he would go first. So this book makes me understand why I am feeling as I do. It has given me much insight. And I know I am not the only one, whom wonders and feels like this. I have siblings and it is hard to talk to them. This book lets me see things we never see or try not to. I purchased the books for all of us. I will read and reread it. And pass it on to friends, when their parents pass. As I was the first, to loose both. And I had called myself an orphan, just before my local paper ran the story, about the book. It is wonderful, and helpful a must read for any adult whom is orphaned. Thank You Jane Brooks.
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Summary: An insightful and touching exploration of the inevitable
Review: I am so fortunate to still have my parents and my parents-in-law. But I dread the day when they will no longer be with us ... and my husband and I become "orphaned." Well-researched and extremely readable, MIDLIFE ORPHAN has helped me face that inevitability. Reading how others felt on becoming "orphaned" may not ease the actual grieving process, but it certainly helps to understand it. This book very sensitively explores this eventuality.
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Summary: It's a very good place to start
Review: I bought several books (from Amazon) a few months after my mother's death. People, even though well meaning, are often uncomfortable listening to the memories and hearing about the challenges a "midlife orphan" faces. I started with this book because it seemed the most basic of the three. It was a good choice because dealing with grief is a lot like pealing an onion -- layer after layer after layer. If you're trying to deal with grief, certainly buy this book. I would have considered the book worthwhile if it taught me one thing, gave me one insight. But it taught me many things -- about myself, about my family relationships, gave me strategies for coping and gave me insights into how well I'm coping. My only reservation is that the book is completely anecdotal and it's sometimes hard to generalize from the specific. I skipped parts dealing with issues with which I couldn't identify and sometimes the happy endings seemed to me to be a bit too good to be true.
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Summary: An indispensable book for adults who have lost their parents
Review: I first read this wonderful and touching book when my father died two years ago. My mother died last week, so I picked the book off my shelf and I'm reading it again. This book is invaluable for any adult who has lost a parent to death. I gave a new copy as a gift for my best friend when she lost her mother last year, and it was a great comfort to her. The author, Jane Brooks, brings touching anecdotes from many adult orphans together with her own experiences dealing with her parents' deaths.
I cannot recommended this book highly enough for any adult who is dealing with the loss of one or both parents. It may make you cry at times, which is a normal part of grieving, but it will also give you the strength and courage to deal with being "alone" in the world as an orphaned adult.
Rating:
Summary: most helpful
Review: I lost my parents 15mos apart,this book offers support,it is hard to get people to listen and understand unless you have been though it.
Rating:
Summary: A Label for the Feelings
Review: In the blink of an eye, my world changed and I became a midlife orphan. My healthy mom unexpectedly died ten months ago. I thought it would still be OK because I had my dad, my world would stay the same because he was still with us. But five weeks later he unexpectedly died, I feel of a broken heart. I remember thinking it was now not OK - I was now an orphan. I found this book easy to read and contained many things I thought and felt. There is so little written on this subject, especially if your parents died within a short period of time. I was pleased to read about siblings and what goes on with them as well as the part on inheritance. The book validated my feelings. This sensitve topic could only be approached by someone who has lived it. Thank you Jane Brooks.
Rating:
Summary: A Label for the Feelings
Review: In the blink of an eye, my world changed and I became a midlife orphan. My healthy mom unexpectedly died ten months ago. I thought it would still be OK because I had my dad, my world would stay the same because he was still with us. But five weeks later he unexpectedly died, I feel of a broken heart. I remember thinking it was now not OK - I was now an orphan. I found this book easy to read and contained many things I thought and felt. There is so little written on this subject, especially if your parents died within a short period of time. I was pleased to read about siblings and what goes on with them as well as the part on inheritance. The book validated my feelings. This sensitve topic could only be approached by someone who has lived it. Thank you Jane Brooks.
Rating:
Summary: Identifying With Others
Review: My mother died a year ago and after the first few months, I felt like I had no one to share my grief. I liked the book because many of the people interviewed had feelings like me. It helped me realize that I was pretty normal. It has also helped me work on my relationship with my grown children so that I can help them avoid some of the feelings that I had toward my parents. I have recommended this book to many friends.
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