Rating: 
Summary: wrenching novel explores more than ravages of Alzheimer's
Review: M. A. Harper has written a most unusual gem of a novel, one which treats the brutally depressing theme of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's with grace, insight and humor. Not only does "The Worst Day of My Life, So Far" feature a completely believable protagonist; the novel compels the engaged reader to consider its corollary themes of failed marriage, frustrated parenting, ethical decision-making and existential despair. Harper pulls no punches in her narrative, recounted by the ironically anguished/bemused/furious voice of lonely, bewildered and angry Jeanne Buchanan Roth. The author deliberately introduces a high level of discomfort in her work and refuses to back down from requiring her audience to confront the multiple nightmares of caring for a parent whose ability to function is permanently reduced by mental deterioration. Jeanne's deep ambivalence, emotional isolation and individual lack of fulfillment provoke the reader's sympathy. Jeanne's character, tormented by self-doubt and misgivings as to her decisions, maintains its dynamism through her internal monologues and compels our emotional linkage with her by virtue of her onerous circumstances. Jeanne Roth can't have a life any worse than the one she is living. The child of a glamorous, distant mother who literally devotes her life to enshrining her annointed husband, C. Ray, Jeanne spends her youth living in the shadow of an idealized marriage. Unloved and unsure of herself, Jeanne never develops an internal strength necessary for mature adult life. Riddled with questions of her own worth, she vaults into an ill-considered marriage which, not surprisingly, flounders and fails. Her mother's certainties about wifely devotion and motherhood stand as symbolic rebukes and repudiations of Jeanne's attempts at family life. Chilled by her own coldness, Jeanne cannot connect with her husband or her son. Never confident about her appearance (a worry encourged by her mother's incessant belittling of Jeanne) and adrift in a life that yearns to escape her suffocating Louisiana roots, Jeanne is reluctantly convinced to return home to care for her mother, Velma, in order to honor her father's last wishes. "Worst Day" chronicles Jeanne's homecoming and her seemingly-endless obligations to the deteriorating Velma. "I've never had much of a life, and that's pretty much my own fault. I didn't know how to make things work [with my husband]. I've never known how to really connect [with my son]. I don't know exactly just what I have to show for my life. And now, it's over. Dead and buried in Auletta, Louisiana, Official Rectum of The Western World." Yet, there is not a drop of self-pity or self-absorbtion in this gutty novel. Instead, M. A. Harper elects to require the reader to confront every mixed message or panic over a botched decsion we may have experienced ourselves. This invitation to introspection bnds us in an alliance with Jeanne and her turmoil over her life. By so doing, her fears and ambivalences become our own.
Rating:
Summary: wrenching novel explores more than ravages of Alzheimer's
Review: M. A. Harper has written a most unusual gem of a novel, one which treats the brutally depressing theme of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's with grace, insight and humor. Not only does "The Worst Day of My Life, So Far" feature a completely believable protagonist; the novel compels the engaged reader to consider its corollary themes of failed marriage, frustrated parenting, ethical decision-making and existential despair. Harper pulls no punches in her narrative, recounted by the ironically anguished/bemused/furious voice of lonely, bewildered and angry Jeanne Buchanan Roth. The author deliberately introduces a high level of discomfort in her work and refuses to back down from requiring her audience to confront the multiple nightmares of caring for a parent whose ability to function is permanently reduced by mental deterioration. Jeanne's deep ambivalence, emotional isolation and individual lack of fulfillment provoke the reader's sympathy. Jeanne's character, tormented by self-doubt and misgivings as to her decisions, maintains its dynamism through her internal monologues and compels our emotional linkage with her by virtue of her onerous circumstances. Jeanne Roth can't have a life any worse than the one she is living. The child of a glamorous, distant mother who literally devotes her life to enshrining her annointed husband, C. Ray, Jeanne spends her youth living in the shadow of an idealized marriage. Unloved and unsure of herself, Jeanne never develops an internal strength necessary for mature adult life. Riddled with questions of her own worth, she vaults into an ill-considered marriage which, not surprisingly, flounders and fails. Her mother's certainties about wifely devotion and motherhood stand as symbolic rebukes and repudiations of Jeanne's attempts at family life. Chilled by her own coldness, Jeanne cannot connect with her husband or her son. Never confident about her appearance (a worry encourged by her mother's incessant belittling of Jeanne) and adrift in a life that yearns to escape her suffocating Louisiana roots, Jeanne is reluctantly convinced to return home to care for her mother, Velma, in order to honor her father's last wishes. "Worst Day" chronicles Jeanne's homecoming and her seemingly-endless obligations to the deteriorating Velma. "I've never had much of a life, and that's pretty much my own fault. I didn't know how to make things work [with my husband]. I've never known how to really connect [with my son]. I don't know exactly just what I have to show for my life. And now, it's over. Dead and buried in Auletta, Louisiana, Official Rectum of The Western World." Yet, there is not a drop of self-pity or self-absorbtion in this gutty novel. Instead, M. A. Harper elects to require the reader to confront every mixed message or panic over a botched decsion we may have experienced ourselves. This invitation to introspection bnds us in an alliance with Jeanne and her turmoil over her life. By so doing, her fears and ambivalences become our own.
Rating: 
Summary: So far, so good
Review: My grandmother has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I'm already experiencing some of the feelings Harper does such a brilliant job of describing in this story... the guilt, the frustration, the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. From reading other reviews of this book, the author also does a great job of depicting how the disease progresses.
"The Worst Day of My Life, So Far" is about Jeanne, taking care of her mother, Velma who was suffering from Alzheimer. Jeanne promised her beloved father, C. Ray, that she would take care of Velma. Harper does a wonderful job of describing the love between her parents and the relationship she had with her mother. The characters are so well described, the reader can easily connect with them.
There, of course, are subplots in terms of her husband, son and brother and his family. All of the characters are woven well.
Harper's ability to tell with grace and humor the story of Jeanne, her relationship with her mother and the effects of Alheimer's on the once goddess-like Velma is well worth the read.
I didn't like all the Hobbit references. And perhaps I haven't been around my grandmother enough to be as hateful as I at times read Jeanne to be. Perhaps as grandma's disease progresses, I'll understand better.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read for Caretakers
Review: Today people lament the negative effects of the high divorce rate of America's children, but M. A. Harper's protagonist struggles with her parents' legacy of the perfect marriage. As the unattractive (as she sees it) child of a beautiful mother, Jeanne Buchanan is by God's handiwork (as a family friend sees it) conveniently divorced and available when her widowed mother, now in the final phases of Alzheimer's, needs round-the-clock care. So Jeanne returns to a small town in Louisiana and eventually comes to terms with her past. This book deals with an important topic--caretaking of aged parents, and as the baby boomers face this problem with their own parents we will no doubt see more books of this type. And it deals realistically and poignantly, occasionally humorously, with the subject. The book is uneven. It has moments that are genuine and gracefully written, but late in the novel the author awkwardly experiments with changes in the point of view. A must read for people who find themselves in the role of caretaker. But don't expect too much.
Rating:
Summary: A Female Mark Twain
Review: What a ferocious book, what a scathing wit this writer has! Harper dares to speak the unspoken (and frequently funny) thoughts that many care givers have, but are hesitant to share with those of us who might not understand. Chronically sleep-deprived, often suspected by other family members of trying to loot the Alzheimer's patient's bank account (or worse), these unsung heroes or heroines labor in the most thankless of jobs, under the most demoralizing of circumstances. Who can blame them if their worldview is less than rosy? What might have become some drearily maudlin "movie of the week" tale in less sure hands instead is a bracing slap of cold water into the faces of those of us who live ordinary lives and don't have the good sense to be thankful for them. Mark Twain would've loved this woman and loved her book. He, too, derived his wild humor from the darkest of personal circumstances. Just as you don't have to be a riverboat pilot to enjoy his most famous works, neither do you have to know anyone with Alzheimer's disease to laugh at loud at this furious but funny novel.
Rating:
Summary: What It Takes To Appreciate This Book
Review: You have to be a wide reader. You must daily mingle with human beings, perfect, and not so perfect. You need wisdom and forgiveness for people around you who drive you crazy, perhaps elderly relative or teenaged children or spouses. You need honesty in regard to your own private feelings. Above all, you have to have a keen sense of humor and one that is not limited to only what is deemed conventionally funny. I appreciate this book very much and congratulate its honest author for having the courage to write it for those of us who "get it."
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