Thursday, December 10, 2009

~Book Review - Swimming Naked by Stacy Sims~


Product Description:

As an adult, Lucy Greene lives hard and slips the clutches of any emotional commitment. She’s an incredibly appealing young woman who wields a bone-dry sense of humor as a shield and promiscuity as a weapon. But when she arrives in overheated Florida to take care of her cancer- stricken mother, Lucy finds herself in strange new emotional territory that can only be understood by a frank assessment of the past. Lucy unfolds the painful memories of her childhood—including a freak accident that occurred one fateful summer at the family lake house, after which her father seemingly disappeared and her mother moved forward on a very different course. Amid bitterness, self-doubt, and exasperation, it is Lucy’s one treasured memory—a midnight swim with her mother—that reminds her there is grace in her graceless world, a fact that helps her to forgive her mother and, ultimately, let her go.

Uplifting but unsentimental, compelling and remarkably moving, Swimming Naked is an unforgettable debut that will resonate with daughters, mothers, and anyone who’s ever searched her past in the hopes of finding a future.

My Thoughts:

I always seem to enjoy stories about dysfunctional families, and this book was definitely enjoyable.
Lucy Greene grows up with a psychotic sister, an "absent" mother, and a father who disappears when Lucy is just 10 years old.
Lucy's mom devotes all of her attention to Lucy's sister, who has a mental breakdown when she is still in elementary school.
It is when Lucy is 30 years old, that her relationship with her mother and the rest of the family is put to the test. Lucy's mom is dying of cancer. And Lucy is the only one available to be by her side during her last days.
Lucy wants nothing more than to run away from everything. While she sits with her mother, she replays her childhood in her head...and realizes what matters most in her life is right before her eyes. Is it possible for her to make peace with her mother before it is too late?



PhotobucketVERY GOOD!

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Plume (February 22, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0452285607
  • ISBN-13: 978-0452285606




6 comments:

Wall-to-wall books said...

This book sounds really good Missy! Cancer books are really hard to read, I know. Thanks for the great review.

Blodeuedd said...

Hm perhaps not for me, but it does sound good. Nice review

serendipity_viv said...

good review. A little too heartwrenching for me at the moment. I feel surrounded by illness and death, so might skip this one.

Marce said...

I enjoy stories about dysfunctional families or emotional stories about families also. Nice review and I enjoyed the summary, will add to my TBR list.

Stephanie said...

I seem to be drawn to stories about dysfunctional families too. :-) This one does sound really good! Thanks for your excellent review.

Lisa said...

This sounds like a great one for a book club. Lots to talk about.

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