Out of the Blue

Rating:
Summary: Compellingly true . . .
Review: As a polio survivor, I rarely have read a book that speaks truthfully to the fears and insecurities of surviving with a physical handicap. Although MS is not my story, I could easily identify with the feeling of self-consciousness, the fear of rejection, and the longing to be normal. Yes, the author creates incredibly attractive protagonists, but Sally Mandel does understand emotional suffering and is able to lead the reader to optimistic resolution. The process is not easy, yet with acceptance and humor, life becomes so much more worth living.

Rating:
Summary: Good in parts, not so good in others
Review: I got this book to read because it was relating to MS without being a self-help or instructional book. It was a fictional romance story and I thought it would be good to read. There is something good about this book because there were parts that I couldn't put it down....however, as a MS patient I found the parts where the characters discussed MS or confronted MS to be strained. It is obvious the writer has done some research yet it just didn't seem real.

She did seem to have an idea about possible symptoms and courses of treatment, but not nearly enough about the possibilities. She also didn't represent very well the hope for a lot of patients with MS due to better drugs and research.

Rating:
Summary: Out of the Blue
Review: The only thing I viewed this book as being was a so-so romance novel. Having MS myself I was upset with the fact that Mandel used Multiple Sclerosis as a backdrop for her story. I didn't feel that the story portrayed anything like MS. The author seemed to have used a few stereotypical symptoms to try to convince people that her character actually had MS. It was not convincing at all, and she leads people who do not know anything about Multiple Sclerosis that that it what it is really like. REALLY DISAPPOINTING!