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36th out of 45 books
—
47 voters
Sunshine
by
Norma Klein
A tender true story of what it is be be young, a mother in love and dying. The touching, unforgettable story of Jacquelyn Helton that made a memorable television movie.
Paperback, 223 pages
Published
1974
by Avon
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I can't remember if I saw the movie or not. I read this when I was in high school and I loved it at the time. I cried and cried and that was part of the appeal. It was all the tragic drama that you can't get enough of at that age. I haven't reread it because I haven't wanted to spoil the way I remember it. I think so much has changed both in me and my outlook (as now someone who is in my mid-40's), the world in general, the way we think about and can deal aggressively with cancer and our expecta...more
I remember watching the made-for-television movie about this story.
I was 8. I cannot imagine why I was allowed to watch a movie about a young mother facing a deadly illness but back then I was also allowed to leave in the morning on my bike, with no helmet, with instructions to be back by dinner...so there you have it.
This book was based on the movie which was based on the true story of Jacquelyn Helton and much like Love Story by Erich Segal it is sad and tragic and brave. But like someone impo...more
I just re read this and it is kind of bad. I realized that this book was based on the TV movie that I remember so well, not the other way around. it does not do justice to the real life story at all. The writing is spare and dull. Norma Klein does not give this heartbreaking and special story any more care than one of her lesser teen novels.
It's an interesting and tragic story about a young single mother who develops terminal cancer. The thing that is so profoundly sad about this story is how Ka...more
It's an interesting and tragic story about a young single mother who develops terminal cancer. The thing that is so profoundly sad about this story is how Ka...more
I think those who reacted negatively to this book don't understand osteosarcoma. By the time it is found in the leg, it has most likely metastisized. Meaning she would have gone through the surgery and died just a few months later. And this was back in the 60's and 70's. So she spent quality time with her daughter. I absolutely adored this book when I read it in high school and also remember the movie.
There was also some type of follow up I remember where I saw real pictures of the husband and...more
There was also some type of follow up I remember where I saw real pictures of the husband and...more
“…the tender, fleeting moments of a girl who watches her life ebb away, knowing that she must taste of life, love and happiness for the last time.” – Copy from the back of Sunshine
This is another relic from my girlhood of angst. I spoke to my mom about this book recently and I was surprised to hear what a smash hit the made-for-TV movie was in her college years. She reminisced, recalling John Denver’s Sunshine on my Shoulders and the dreamy love interest Sam. A little online research yielded tha...more
This is another relic from my girlhood of angst. I spoke to my mom about this book recently and I was surprised to hear what a smash hit the made-for-TV movie was in her college years. She reminisced, recalling John Denver’s Sunshine on my Shoulders and the dreamy love interest Sam. A little online research yielded tha...more
I LOVED this book. It's both a snapshot of a time in history( Norma Klein is amazing at that) and a deeply moving story about a specific woman. The protagonist is 19 going on 20, she has a baby and...I won't spoil the rest, I just can't but it's just so full of kindness, goodness and bohemian sensibility and human beings just struggling along being human beings. Try to get a musty copy at a garage sale, this particular copy with the peephole black cover really ads something to the reading experi...more
Jan 19, 2013
Aime
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Parents, teenagers
Recommended to Aime by:
No one just a library book
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Loved this book! I grabbed this book off the shelf at my library in school...I think it was late middle school. It was the first book I remember reading and the first book that ever made me cry. I love this book. I was probably too young to appreciate it at the time, but this book turned me on to reading. I had no clue to was ever a movie until I saw the review. Awesome!!
2 likes · like · see review
It gets an extra star out of nostalgia for how much my teenage self romanticized the movie and loved the John Denver songs in it. I've grown up and had a daughter of my own. Result? I understand why my grade 8 teacher reacted so negatively when she saw the movie on TV. Get your leg amputated and be there while your daughter grows up!
2 likes · like · see review
I read this book a few years after it was published. I think I was probably in eighth grade. And I obviously came away with something totally different from this book than most of the other reviewers did. Maybe I'm heartless but I had (and still have) no sympathy for a mom who would rather die than have her leg amputated. She would rather leave her words behind for her young daughter instead of being around to watch her grow up. Turns out nothing has changed in the past thirty years, except that...more
Oh, I remember reading this and Eric and Love Story and crying and crying. I started with 2 stars (it is okay), but the truth was I liked it. Actually, ala Sally Field, I liked it, I really liked it.
Growing up, I read this book so many times I wouldn't even know where to start. It's a heartwarming story about a young monther dying of cancer. It always made me feel good about life.
Norma Klein was the be all and end all teen author of the 70's, right up there with Judy Blume. I read this until it fell apart. Probably the inspiration for Lurlene McDaniel!
This was a good book, and it's sad. It has to do with a young adult (19) who already has a family, and is sick. It gets really sad, and, overall i think it's a good book.
I read this book when I was about 10 years old. It was soo moving. I just cried and cried. I would try to read it again as an adult, but I think it would be too depressing!
I have read this book SO many times since reading it for the first time in 7th grade. It makes me cry EVERY time. This is my favorite book!
I read this when I so young, I don't remember the details, but reading the summary I do remember some. It seems too sad too reread though.
A sad story. Will say more after I read it again, as now my life has some huge parallels. Will be an emotional re-read.
I read this years ago and remember being deeply moved and upset by it. It made me angry and made me cry at the same time.
Kind of so-so throughout the book...got real sad at the end (of course)..but the wording and the characters seemed more real.
Heartbreaking story of a young mother and her facing death with her husband. Makes you feel lucky to be alive.
I read this book in high school. It gave me some perspective, that as a teenager, was not one of my strong points.
My review is based on having read this book as a teenager. It was just so sad and thought provoking.
This was a big hit in the 70's. All my friends read it and we all seemed to have different views. One thing was true with us all........Life is life, and it's important.
I must have read this book 100 times in high school ... this book made me wanna me a Mom!!!
I've read this book over and over since I was a teenager. One of my all time favorites.
I read this a long time ago, but I remember it being a favorite read.
I read this when I was in Jr. High and the story moved me tremendously.
This book actually made me cry...I've owned the book since I was a teenager.
Oct 24, 2012
Kristal
is currently reading it
This book is about a young girl that has a baby and is in loved but she also is dying. She had bone cancer but she did not know about it until it was spread because the town doctor was not fully experienced and he would always make up things just so she can stay calm. I really loved this book because it shows how a woman can be so strong, have time for her baby and still have fun with her young husband.
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Norma Klein was born in New York City and graduated cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa from Barnard College with a degree in Russian. She later received her master's degree in Slavic languages from Columbia University.
Ms. Klein began publishing short stories while attending Barnard and since then she had written novels for readers of all ages. The author got her ideas from everyday life...more
More about Norma Klein...
Ms. Klein began publishing short stories while attending Barnard and since then she had written novels for readers of all ages. The author got her ideas from everyday life...more
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“Dying is beautiful- even the first time around, at the ripe old age of 20. It’s not easy most of the time, but there is real beauty to be found in knowing that your end is going to catch up with you faster than you had expected, and that you have to get all your loving and laughing and crying done as soon as you can.”
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Aug 14, 2012 07:28am