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The Life You Longed For
When every mother's worst nightmare becomes Grace's reality, she must examine her entire life -- from the wrong choices to the right mistakes.Grace's son Jack is a miracle. At three years old, he's fighting a mysterious, deadly disease that his doctors predicted would kill him as a baby. Even though it was determined to be mitochondrial disease, the little-known illness re...more
Hardcover, 326 pages
Published
March 6th 2007
by Touchstone Books
(first published 2007)
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Coming from the angle of having had a child that passed away from a mitochondrial disease which is still being diagnosed, this book was very touching. Being checked for Munchausen is very commmon for families with these disease/disorders because so little is known about them. This is also the case with families that have children with other rare disorders and those that are undiagnosed. You will do everything possible for your child and all of us doctor shop to find doctors that know the most ab...more
Since Fischer's The Language of Goodbye is one of my all-time favorites, I expected to love this book. I've been waiting for her to write another for years! Though I see her beautiful style shining through, the storyline is upsetting and leaves gaps that cannot be dismissed. I'm disappointed. An inexperienced social worker's opinion that a mother should lose custody of her child simply because she "fits a profile" simply would not happen. The judge didn't even agree until she learned that the mo...more
I really hated this book. It's portrait of the hospital and justice systems in regards to children is so far off base. These are the types of books that people read and then believe this tripe.It makes me very upset. I know it's on the fiction shelf but as someone in my book club said "I always think that the author has done the reserch". Real reserch presents a fair version of reality, not this half baked skewed version. Also the main character is so unlikable and unbelievable. You can tell tha...more
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Was led to this book b/c it's about Manchausen's which I'm familiar with. Part of the story was interesting but I could only give it one star b/c the author's writing is erratic, horrible. It's set in Philly in 2001. Now, I lived there then, and there is no way people emailed their lovers as frequently as she writes, nor did children get their own cell phones, nor did the winters get cold enough to actually skate on the lakes. Also the statistics read like a medical journal or report/ also there...more
One thing I loved about this novel, strange as this may be to say, is the actual information gained from reading. Fischer obviously put much thought and research into this work; she says in an interview in the back of the book that this is the result of five years of reading on the various subjects, and it shows. I learned things I did not know before about birds, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and the Salem Witch Trials. Of course it's all about the story, but as well as a good story, I was glad...more
Just finished this one. Why I keep getting the highly emotional ones lately no one can be sure. Maybe I need a catharsis. Anyway, while I wasn't to please with the infidelity, I did enjoy this book. I felt her grief at the loss of her child and found many strange comparisons with the strange stages of grief she goes through, such as being clumsy and forgetful… It felt real, and I love the Mom's devotion to her son. Another one that got the tears flowing!!!
This story stuck out in my mind for five years. I was in a book club back then and this was a recommended title. I couldn't remember the title when I got this app and went through a lot to find it on google. At the time I had no idea this condition existed and this story was very sad. It's something that sticks with you. I highly recommend this.
I thought it was well-rounded from both points of view. I didn't think that she tried to excuse her affair - she knew it was wrong and I didn't think she thought she had made the wrong choice in life - life sucks and shitty things happen to people even when you are trying to do the best you can.
Generally I rate books based on whether I would read them again and/or liked it enough to want to own it. However, I did not really 'like' this book, but it did make an impact on me. It made me re-evaluate how I judge others and situations. This novel is about a mother who has a child with a rare disease who is accused of Munchausen’s. Naturally it is a very sad story. I liked and disliked how they compared the mother’s grief with the events of 9/11. I generally dislike how often that event is u...more
Jan 30, 2008
Kristen
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommended to Kristen by:
SLC library reader's choice
Shelves:
unfinished
This is one of the very few books I've started that I just have no interest at all in finishing. It was a "reader's choice" nominee from the library, but I was just so bothered by the basic premise (that she married the "wrong" guy, didn't get the life she wanted and so feels justified in having an affair with her "true love") that I couldn't even concentrate on what the story is supposed to be about - her terminally ill son and her being accused of "munchhausen's by proxy" (or whatever it it is...more
It was a slow book but pulled at my heartstrings so much it was worthy of 4 stars. It is not very often I cry in the 2nd chapter and do not stop until 10 minutes after I finished the book. It was emotionally draining but worth it.
This book revolves around a family who is dealing with a very sick baby. Nobody really understands his sickness, so when his mother is accused of Munchausen's Syndrome, it threatens to tear their family apart. Of course, it doesn't help that she's having an affair on the side.
A lot of people don't like this book because of the affair aspect. Well, the author isn't saying it's a good thing. But neither is she saying it's a bad thing. It just is. I read this book in a single sitting. My mother rea...more
A lot of people don't like this book because of the affair aspect. Well, the author isn't saying it's a good thing. But neither is she saying it's a bad thing. It just is. I read this book in a single sitting. My mother rea...more
I read this book in one night. Picked it up shortly before bedtime and couldn't put it down. Went to bed around 4:30 in the morning and was SO tired at work the next day! Tough subject matter though - this one made me cry.
Couldn't get into this book at all, nor could I make myself care about any of the characters.
I love this book. I couldn't put it down once I started it. One of my favorite books!
A mother with a medical background has a young son with a rare disease which she is subsequently accused of causing. This book is about her coping with the false accusations while simulateously coping with the fact that her son's disease might kill him, plus how all the resulting stress is negatively affecting her marriage. The book is very well written, but the main character's insights weren't enough to haunt my thoughts when I was done. Ultimately, by nature of the subject matter, it is one d...more
Read in 2008
This is a book I picked up from the "Reader's Choice" list at the library. It is about a woman who is living a life she wishes were different. At the same time her child becomes sick and through the course of the story she is accused of Munchausen's by Proxy. The resolution of the story is different than I expected. I felt a sadness and an ache for this mom whose life was so turned upside down by choices she had made and events that were beyond her control. It is a lesson on being judgemental......more
As I began to read, I was worried that this book would glamourize adultery and nearly quit reading. I was wrong. It's worth sticking it through to the end.
I enjoyed reading this book and meeting the author. It just shows how a good mother fighting for her child's life can be mis-understood. Quite informative.
As a mother of very young children, this was a hard book for me to read. As a wife with a philandering 1st husband, I also had a hard time with Grace's infidelity and how she rationalized it. That being said, any book that can get me totally and emotionally wrapped up in it gets high marks. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading Fischer's debut novel, The Language of Good-bye.
The Life You Longed For is about a mother who's youngest child has a rare disease and she is accused of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. This accusation threatens to rip her family apart. What I liked about this book was the fact that it focused on the seemingly small decisions that we make every day and how those decisions can sometimes have huge, long-term consequences.
A very touching story about a mother whose child has a terminal illness. She is struggling to cope with being a wife and mother, and is accused of munchausen sydrome by proxy. She takes a look at her life and wonders what it would have been like had she made other choices. Sometimes sad, but shows the love and dedication of a mother. I can't put it down.
A bit of a downer, but made you think of a few issues from another perspective, which I like. It was also very sad, but such is life, and I found the events to be pretty realistic. Wasn't thrilled about the way the book wrapped up and there seemed to be a few unnecessary chapters that I skimmed through. Overall a good book that I think is worth reading.
haunting...a mother's worst fear realized
I enjoyed reading this book, although I was puzzled while reading it because I always thought Munchausen by proxy syndrome occurred when the mother would do things to make a child sick, not when there was a definitive diagnosis by doctors. It just bothered me the whole time I was reading it.
Though I liked the style of the author of this book, I didn't agree with her decision to have an affair during the course of the story. Made me wonder what I would do in a situation with a child in this same situation. Thought provoking, but again, didn't like the affair aspect.
This book was a little boring at times. The story itself was very powerful, but I was a little distracted by all the science trivia.
I also didn't like the author's generalization about how people can be divided into two groups: people who have children and people who don't.
I also didn't like the author's generalization about how people can be divided into two groups: people who have children and people who don't.
I liked this one; an interesting fictional look into the shady areas of medical diagnoses and Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The main character had some fidelity issues, but I had her back on the straight and narrow by book's end. I do what I can.
I really enjoyed this book although I think the title is misleading. I thought it was a self-help book! frankly I've never considered reading about Munchausen's Disease as its a very unpleasant topic. I learner a lot.
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