Rating: 
Summary: A must reading for everyone.
Review: This wonderful fast reading book is a must. It is a warm, witty,informational E-mail correspondence by two people who find they have something very much in common. Breast Cancer. Their emotions and humor when writing to each other and seeing how they will attempt to solve each new problem that arises keeps the readers interest at a high peak. This is not just a book for people who have cancer, it's a book for anyone who knows someone who has cancer.
Rating:
Summary: Almost Excellent
Review: What a long way the epistolary novel has come from the 18th century. I felt Becker handled the genre quite well. The emails Susan and Lara write struck me as very authentic, down to the misunderstandings between the women and emails sent when there were lengthy absences from one of the partners.So why is this excellent exploration of 2 privileged middle-class women's experience of breast cancer only almost excellent? Because of the ending. I grew to care about the characters, to anxiously await each day's emails, only at the end to suddenly have the communications suddenly end with a cheesy, tie-up-all-the-loose-knots Epilogue. It makes me wonder if Becker ran up against a page limit imposed by her publisher. Surely the last days of the women's relationship deserved as much attention as the early and middle phases. Becker redeems herself somewhat with her informative selection of timely resources. I plan to copy these pages before I return the book to the library since having had my oldest sister die of breast cancer a few years ago, I am always aware of my own risk of contracting the disease. I hope to read more from Becker in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Almost Excellent
Review: What a long way the epistolary novel has come from the 18th century. I felt Becker handled the genre quite well. The emails Susan and Lara write struck me as very authentic, down to the misunderstandings between the women and emails sent when there were lengthy absences from one of the partners. So why is this excellent exploration of 2 privileged middle-class women's experience of breast cancer only almost excellent? Because of the ending. I grew to care about the characters, to anxiously await each day's emails, only at the end to suddenly have the communications suddenly end with a cheesy, tie-up-all-the-loose-knots Epilogue. It makes me wonder if Becker ran up against a page limit imposed by her publisher. Surely the last days of the women's relationship deserved as much attention as the early and middle phases. Becker redeems herself somewhat with her informative selection of timely resources. I plan to copy these pages before I return the book to the library since having had my oldest sister die of breast cancer a few years ago, I am always aware of my own risk of contracting the disease. I hope to read more from Becker in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: A Terrific Read!
Review: When a friend first recommended "Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend" I had doubts that I would finish the book ... a story about breast cancer just sounded "too heavy" when I was looking for a good read that would help me escape the stress of work. "Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend" was a true delight! A quick reading, warm hearted story about two women brought together because they each had found a lump in their breast (a bad day for anyone). I found it difficult to put this book down until I read the last page. Perhaps best of all, I found that while truly enjoying this wonderful tale, I was being well educated about diagnosing and treating BC! Will I send this book to a friend? Absolutely not! I want to keep it as a reference guide. It is too good to give up. Instead I purchased copies for my "dearest friends" and have recommended it to all others!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: When I received this book, I didn't know if I would like it! However, it was wonderful. Not only is it a book about building a relationship, it is a must for women to assist in understanding breast cancer. It is a MUST for all women! It is filled with information that can help the cancer patient as well as help the ones who love someone with cancer.
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