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35th out of 82 books
—
28 voters
Range Of Motion
'I can tell you how it happened. It's easy to say how it happened. He walked past a building, and a huge chunk of ice fell off the roof, and it hit him in the head. This is Chaplinesque, right? People start to laugh when I tell them-'As Jay Berman lingers in a coma, his young wife, Lainey, is the only one who believes he will recover. While he lies motionless, she hopes to...more
Paperback
Published
February 5th 2004
by Arrow
(first published January 1st 1960)
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Range of Motion is a well written book that stands as a testament to the power of love and of female friendship. When Lainey’s husband is the victim of a freak accident that leaves him in a coma, she never wavers in her belief that he will recover. That belief, along with the constant support and devotion of her best friend Alice, carries her through this moving novel. My favorite part of the book was the lovely, stream-of-consciousness voice of her comatose husband. A must read for reader’s of...more
I'm so lucky that I get to narrate. I've always loved acting and writing, and this is the best of both worlds. And every once in a while, I get a chance to narrate a book that resonates in me, like a plucked string.
This is one of those books.
When I was sixteen, I tried to read "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner and I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on, so I went outside, and sitting under a willow tree on a picnic table that sagged, I read that book out loud, using different accents. Sud...more
This is one of those books.
When I was sixteen, I tried to read "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner and I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on, so I went outside, and sitting under a willow tree on a picnic table that sagged, I read that book out loud, using different accents. Sud...more
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I have to say there were certain parts of this book that I really liked and found quite interesting, ie. when jay is trying to communicate while in a coma, the introduction and use of the character of Evie, how the children handled visiting their dad while he was in a coma and then how they handled when he returned home.
Elizabeth Berg has a way of writing that speaks to your soul and has you look at things that you may not have considered. I found it exceptional all the work that Lainey did when...more
Elizabeth Berg has a way of writing that speaks to your soul and has you look at things that you may not have considered. I found it exceptional all the work that Lainey did when...more
Your heart bleeds for Lainey. Her husband was walking down the street and was hit by a chunk of ice falling off a roof. He is now in a coma. After being in the hospital for about 2 months, Lainey is told that there is nothing more that they can do for him and that he needs to be moved to a nursing home. Each day, Lainey goes to visit him and along with his range of motion exercises, she decides to do some of her own attempts at helping to bring him back. One day she brings in spices that will re...more
This is a story about love and a story about friendship. Again, Berg's writing is perfect.
There are always so many quotes and moments from her books that stay with me, but for this book I absolutely love when Lainey is telling Alice about her college roommate who always wore black and was always depressed. She disliked Lainey so much because Lainey was an optimist, and when Lainey admits that every morning when she wakes up she is happy and excited to see what the day is going to bring- she can...more
There are always so many quotes and moments from her books that stay with me, but for this book I absolutely love when Lainey is telling Alice about her college roommate who always wore black and was always depressed. She disliked Lainey so much because Lainey was an optimist, and when Lainey admits that every morning when she wakes up she is happy and excited to see what the day is going to bring- she can...more
This was my first Elizabeth Berg novel to read and I am happy to report that it won't be the last! Her prose is simple, concise yet very descriptive as it accurately details the subtle nuances of everyday life. Her writing conjures up feelings and emotions that we all work hard to repress. We may not always be able to relate to the situations that her characters have experienced, but we very quickly come to care for them and we find ourselves submerged into their respective viewpoints as they de...more
This is the realistic, yet somehow uplifting, story of a wife's grief over her comatose husband. The first few lines of the book reveal Lainey's numb shock over the absurdity of her husband becoming the victim of a large chunk of ice falling off a roof. Lainey puts as much of her life on hold as she can, shelving her job and caring for her two daughters like a not-quite-single mom. Lainey's neighbor Alice proves indispensable, shuffling over in her bathrobe from the other side of the duplex to w...more
Feb 12, 2008
Jan Duncan-O'Neal
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone, especially strong women and men
This poignant story of a woman's struggle to deal with her husband trapped in a coma tugs at our hearts and causes the reader to examine how she or he would handle such a trauma. The characters are well drawn as Berg does so well, and the story moves along at a measured pace to draw in readers. For me, the last page of the book is worth the whole reading: it becomes Berg's paean (praise song) for life itself!
A truly lovely book. This one will have you laughing, crying and wondering at every page. A very real drama with some "soap opera" twists.
The main character's husband goes into a coma and is in one for quite some time. When everyone else gives up, she continues to hope. Life goes on and stops all at the same time.
An example of what everyone would hope they would do given such horrible circumstances.
The main character's husband goes into a coma and is in one for quite some time. When everyone else gives up, she continues to hope. Life goes on and stops all at the same time.
An example of what everyone would hope they would do given such horrible circumstances.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a fairly light read, written very well, with a great story line. Lainey's husband, Jay, is in a coma due to a freak accident. A large chunk of ice fell off of a roof and hit him in the head. Jay has been in a coma for three months when the hospital informs Lainey that with no change in his condition, the time has come to move him to a nursing home. Lainey is not going to give up and begins to bring things from home to hopefully reach him. She and their two youn...more
Elizabeth Berg always impresses me with her writing skills. She is able to put into words the things that we think and dream about in our minds, that we oftentimes fail to find ways to explain. 'Range of Motion' is filled with beautiful writing and truths about life. I fell in love with Alice, the neighbor, just like I loved L.D. in 'Talk Before Sleep'. What a dynamic character! As for Lainey,the main character, there were times when I felt complete compassion for her, and there were times I des...more
"Range of Motion" is the story of Laney, Alice, Sarah and Amy, and how they deal with Jay's coma.
The book is a lesson in the importance of keeping the faith during life's most difficult moments. It is also a testimony of true friendship.
The title is both literal and symbolic. As the book says, "range of motion" means the physical exercises that Jay received while he was in coma. But it also means the emotional exercises Laney puts herself through in order to keep going.
Unfortunately, the story s...more
The book is a lesson in the importance of keeping the faith during life's most difficult moments. It is also a testimony of true friendship.
The title is both literal and symbolic. As the book says, "range of motion" means the physical exercises that Jay received while he was in coma. But it also means the emotional exercises Laney puts herself through in order to keep going.
Unfortunately, the story s...more
Elizabeth Berg has definitely become one of my favourite authors. Range Of Motion was a wonderful love story of faith, committment and hope.
Back cover:
"I can tell you how it happened. It's easy to say how it happened. He walked past a building, and a huge chunk of ice fell off the roof, and it hit him in the head. This is Chaplinesque, right? People start to laugh when I tell them...So begins the exquisite new novel by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg. As Jay Berman lingers in a...more
Back cover:
"I can tell you how it happened. It's easy to say how it happened. He walked past a building, and a huge chunk of ice fell off the roof, and it hit him in the head. This is Chaplinesque, right? People start to laugh when I tell them...So begins the exquisite new novel by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg. As Jay Berman lingers in a...more
Such a wonderful love story. A real joy to read.
Back Cover Blurb:
'I can tell you how it happened. It's easy to say how it happened. He walked past a building, and a huge chunk of ice fell off the roof, and it hit him in the head. This is Chaplinesqe, right? People start to laugh when I tell them.....'
As Jay Berman lingers in a coma, his young wife, Lainey, is the only one who believes he will recover. While he lies motionless, she hopes to reach him by offering reminders of the ordinary life the...more
Back Cover Blurb:
'I can tell you how it happened. It's easy to say how it happened. He walked past a building, and a huge chunk of ice fell off the roof, and it hit him in the head. This is Chaplinesqe, right? People start to laugh when I tell them.....'
As Jay Berman lingers in a coma, his young wife, Lainey, is the only one who believes he will recover. While he lies motionless, she hopes to reach him by offering reminders of the ordinary life the...more
I wonder if I have read this book before???? I seemed able to expect everything that occured, BUT it is a wonderful, fast read if you have a few hours to spare and do not feel like concentrating. And the main character's attempts to bring her husband out of his coma using so many sensory stimuli is a wonderful suggestion of what can be done for a patient.
The woman who used to live in the house ( her ghost), the next door neighbor and her difficulty with her husband, the nursing home residents a...more
The woman who used to live in the house ( her ghost), the next door neighbor and her difficulty with her husband, the nursing home residents a...more
I really enjoyed this little book about a big subject. Lainey's husband Jay goes into a coma following a freak accident, but Lainey never gives up her hope that he will recover & come home to her & their 2 daughters. She visits him daily & brings him things that will remind him of home - and stimulate his senses - a soft, well-loved shirt; spices; flowers from their garden. She is sustained along the way by her good friend Alice, & by the "ghost" of a woman who used to live in he...more
A piece of ice falls and hits you on the head. This that could be funny story unless you end up in a coma. Elizabeth Berg could have made this a depressing, sad story but instead she lets her characters live their lives, using all their resources to continue. Memories, friends, family, strangers and care givers all lend a hand and often a hope but also some negative anxiety and fear.
This is a good story because of the bigger questions that it tries to answer. Not whether you could make it throu...more
This is a good story because of the bigger questions that it tries to answer. Not whether you could make it throu...more
Entertainment Weekly's quote on the cover states that "you will read it straight through" and it was so true! I could not put this one down. Perhaps because it is a book without chapters, so maybe that made it easier haha. But truly, I think it was the reality of the prose - I love books that make the characters come alive simply by how real they sound. Not quite stream-of-consciousness, but written in the natural way conversations usually go - where there are tangents but you always come back t...more
At my suggestion for Park Ward reading group we read any title by Elizabeth Berg whom I have grown to love. I almost didn't chose this one, I touched it on the shelf and moved on, pick up another one and went back to this one, I was drawn to this title not really knowing what it meant, I'm glad I listening to the inner yearning.
Lainey's husband is in a coma and this tells her struggle to believe he will come out of the come. It is a well told story and it made me cry a couple time, It was close...more
Lainey's husband is in a coma and this tells her struggle to believe he will come out of the come. It is a well told story and it made me cry a couple time, It was close...more
I'm beginning to see the pattern of Elizabeth Berg's books, but that's why I will continue to read everything she writes - I guess I like her pattern. She writes about women for women. Women who are struggling but survive on their own. This one is about a woman who's husband is in a coma, and she's trying to survive his absence while raising two daughters.
It's Berg's style that appeals to me. Much of what she writes is almost poetic in nature. She describes the ordinary as being something extra...more
It's Berg's style that appeals to me. Much of what she writes is almost poetic in nature. She describes the ordinary as being something extra...more
The book describes the moment when life derails because of an unexpected accident. A young husband is in a coma; his young wife is trying to maintain her belief that he will recover, while also dealing with the realities of his permanent absence from her life. The book gives nothing away and the reader really does not know until the very end how the story will resolve.
My mother felt a strong response to this book, and rated it as her favorite Berg novel. For some reason, it was one of my least f...more
My mother felt a strong response to this book, and rated it as her favorite Berg novel. For some reason, it was one of my least f...more
I loved this book! It was just beautiful. I cried so hard, almost from the beginning, but oh, what a lovely love story this was. It's really interesting to think about how a huge accident or death affects everything, and our lives are divided by before the Event and after the event. I know I feel that way about my dad's death in 1998. Oddly enough, just a day or so ago, I posted in my blog about something my husband said to me. Unk was just walking out the door to see a movie with his brothers,...more
Oct 21, 2008
Janice
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Jesse, Miriam, Stephanie
Recommended to Janice by:
A patron in the public library.
This was easy reading.
I felt it was great that this woman had such faith that her husband would come out of his coma. She did so many things that were "outside the box" to try and bring him back. I also liked the nostalgia in the book, it brought back many memories - a good place to springboard from in writing my own personal history. I appreciated the friendship from her friend Alice. I think anyone in our Church and community can appreciate all she did and was willing to do for her friend Lain...more
I felt it was great that this woman had such faith that her husband would come out of his coma. She did so many things that were "outside the box" to try and bring him back. I also liked the nostalgia in the book, it brought back many memories - a good place to springboard from in writing my own personal history. I appreciated the friendship from her friend Alice. I think anyone in our Church and community can appreciate all she did and was willing to do for her friend Lain...more
I loved this book! The love story in the book is incredibly sweet and touching. I fell in love with Lainey's best friend and neighbor as soon as I read her description. Elizabeth Berg's books have charm and wit and wisdom. With each sentence I'm carried away by the beautiful way the words describe ordinary life and emotions. I also love Lainey's optimism in everything, "I wake up happy". Don't we all want that? To not wake up and dread the day that is upon us?
While a good story with a great premise that if we love someone enough, a miracle may happen even if they are in a coma, the novel falls short in many areas. First of all, this woman would have thought to sleep next to her husband in the nursing home . . . she would not have to have been given the idea. And, the ending is disappointing not because it's not happy, but it leaves you feeling like Berg just wanted the book to be over.
As a review on the cover said, "The day you open this pook, you will miss all of your appointments", I read it in a day. Ms. Berg wrote this book, from experiences that she had as a nurse. The subject is an interesting one, and one to think about. If your loved one was in a coma, that everyone tells you is irreversable,do you continue to try to do everything to get them to awaken, or give up? I enjoyed the book very much.
This book is true Elizabeth Berg and reminded me why I love her writing so much. Her writing is so visceral, as in this statement early in the book--"It occurs to me that there was ice on the sidewalk the last time I heard Jay's voice, and the thought is like the pinch of skin in zipper". I loved the friendship between Lainey and her physically unattractive neighbor, Alice, who faces trials of her own. Great book!
After reading one Berg book, I immediately search to see if there is another I haven't read. I've been a fan of her novels for the past 30+ years. This story revolves about a young husband who is in a coma, and the faith that his wife sustains in his recovery. It is also the story of how friendship can bolster resolve and get us through periods of doubt. Great characters and a moving storyline. Another good one!
This was a pleasant, easy read. The plot and characters aren't terribly compelling. The best parts are when the character philosophizes about life's ordinary events, like when her mind wanders to why we're meant to love, why we do what we do, why friendship is important, etc. These thoughts are usually a paragraph or two of really nice writing. I think Elizabeth Berg would be a great blogger.
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Elizabeth Berg is the New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including We Are All Welcome Here, The Year of Pleasures, The Art of Mending, Say When, True to Form, Never Change, and Open House, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection in 2000. Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for the ABBY Award in 1996. The w...more
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“Sometimes you know before you know.”
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37 people liked it
“I like to do things in bed. I fold the laundry on the bed. Food tastes better to me when I'm under the covers. Bed is the only place to read, the best place to talk on the phone.”
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