Book Review - Cheap Cabernet by Cathie Beck

From Amazon.com:

I didn't know that people come into our lives, and sometimes, if we're terribly lucky, we get the chance to love them, that sometimes they stay, that sometimes you can, truly, depend on them.

Cathie Beck was in her late thirties and finally able to exhale after a lifetime of just trying to get by. A teenage mother harboring vivid memories of her own hardscrabble childhood, Cathie had spent years doing whatever it took to give her children the stability--or at least the illusion of it--that she'd never had. More than that, through sheer will and determination, she had educated them and herself too. With her kids in college, Cathie was at last ready to have some fun. The only problem was that she had no idea how to do it and no friends to do it with. So she put an ad in the paper for a made-up women's group: WOW . . . Women on the Way. Eight women showed up that first night, and out of that group a friendship formed, one of those meteoric, passionate, stand-by-you friendships that come around once in a lifetime and change you forever . . . if you're lucky.

My Thoughts:

This is a beautiful, powerful memoir which I enjoyed from beginning to end. Cathie Beck was lonely for companionship. She put an advertisement in the newspaper, announcing the start up of a womens group called WOW (Women On The Way). She meets Denise, who becomes her best friend, confidante and sister in sorrow. Together, they enjoy hours of girl-talk, movies, yard sales, and drink wine....preferably "Cheap Cabernet". Although they couldn't be more different than night and day, they both desperately need something from each other. Denise is brash, outspoken and assertive. Cathie is quiet, reserved and cautious. They become inseparable. When Denise tells Cathie that she has "the good kind of MS", Cathie's worry for her friend is only slightly minimized. That is, until she begins to witness the physical signs of Denise's heart-wrenching illness. As Denise gets sicker, she begins to push Cathie away, while Cathie fights to remain close to Denise and help her any way that she can. Cheap Cabernet is more than just a memoir about friendship, it is a statement made by the author to live each day to its fullest, enjoy each and every moment and never take anyone or anything in your life for granted~

Outstanding!

Please visit www.cathiebeck.com

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Voice; 1 edition (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401341543
• ISBN-13: 978-1401341541

**Book received from Librarything's Early Reviewers Program**