Repairing Rainbows

Nov 09, 2010 Marcie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have read a few memoirs in my life but this is the first one I've reviewed. I find it hard because how can you review someones life experiences? I decided to review this one because Lynda Fishman's story sounded so compelling, I couldn't help myself. This was a well written, heartbreakingly inspired book. In this book Lynda Fishman lays all her cards on the table and shares the tragic story of the loss of her mother and two younger sisters in a plane crash. I found myself tearing up as she rec...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Geri Ahearn rated it 5 of 5 stars

"A REMARKABLE TRIUMPHANT STORY FULL OF SPIRIT!"

Lynda, Carla, and Wendy grew up in a home that was filled with riches. Their parents were not rich with money, but with love and happiness, which they shared with their family. There was never a dull moment, from smelling the aroma of delicious dinners coming from the kitchen, to hearing the dance steps of little feet as entertainment was performed with joy. The children knew a mother, who had a heart of gold, and a father who loved to giggle at his...more "A REMARKABLE TRIUMPHANT STORY FULL OF SPIRIT!"

Lynda, Carla, and Wendy grew up in a home that was filled with riches. Their parents were not rich with money, but with love and happiness, which they shared with their family. There was never a dull moment, from smelling the aroma of delicious dinners coming from the kitchen, to hearing the dance steps of little feet as entertainment was performed with joy. The children knew a mother, who had a heart of gold, and a father who loved to giggle at his own jokes. Memories with relatives at celebrations was a gift in itself, and a bond of happiness within one family was priceless. The sweet tunes of music echoed through their home, and laughter could be heard miles away. Lynda Fishman knew the perfect family life that many children today can only dream about having, until that horrific phone call was received, and tragedy changed her life forever. Can you imagine at age thirteen, finding out that your mother and siblings were killed in a plane crash? Can you imagine the pain that Lynda and her father endured, not knowing what to do first? A young girl, now distraught over loss of loved ones is forced to deal with many challenges. Will her father ever be the same man she once kbew? Who will make crucial decisions for survival in their shattered lives? Can the agonizing memories of funerals, sorrow, and hardship ever be erased from their lives? Where does one begin as her home transformed from comfort and joy, to despair and silence? Will the terrifying sounds of crying block the laughter that once echoed through the house? I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to be inspired to overcome their own struggles from the most difficult time in their lives. The author created a Masterpiece made for the movie screen from a remarkable true story of family, love, and survival. The reader is taken on an emotional roller-coaster ride through one family that becomes traumatized with terror and filled with anger, while searching for hope. Lynda Fishman begins to focus on determination and strength to fight the obstacles of pity and loss in her own spiritual journey. Is it possible with perseverance, courage and passion to help others, to be able to live life once again? If so, what better role model would there be to follow than Lynda Fishman? The author penned an unforgettable story of courage, strength and hope through a challenging journey of a lost childhood, to a rewarding adulthood. The incredible story is appealing, and compelling. "REPAIRING RAINBOWS: A True Story Of Family, Tragedy and Choices" is as touching as GHOST, as powerfully moving as JACOB the LIAR and as captivating as REMEMBER THE TITANS, with Denzel washington.(less)

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Aug 09, 2010 Sandra Olshaski rated it 3 of 5 stars

Repairing Rainbows: A True Story of Family, Tragedy and Choices
by Lynda Fishman (Rated: PA)
Self-published
ISBN: 978-0-9866074-0-0
Published: June 15, 2010
Paperback, 270 pages

Reviewed by Sandra

Congratulations to Lynda Fishman on her notable memoir. Her recall of so many details of her past is impressive. Throughout the book we are reminded of how precious life is, that it can be snatched away in a moment and our world changed forever.

Despite the tragedies in her youth, Lynda Fishman was determine...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Gigi Ann rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I feel like Lynda is struck in a time warp in 1970. It seems like she just cannot move on with her life. Every little thing causes her to return to her grief from 1970. There was so much detail and rehashing of what happened in 1970. She keeps saying 'we have choices, and she chooses to live.' But, for some reason she just could not let go of the past. No matter how much we rehash it, the past just can not be changed. So we the living have to move on with o...more

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Aug 14, 2011 Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, memoir, non-fiction, read-in-2011

This review originally appeared on my book review blog Feeding My Book Addiction: http://feedingmybookaddiction.blogspo...

Lynda Fishman's memoir, Repairing Rainbows: A True Story of Family, Tragedy, and Choices, is a heartbreaking yet life affirming memoir detailing what happens when you don't let the worst event to ever happen to you define your life.

At the age of 13, Lynda Fishman loses her mother and two younger sisters in an Air Canada plane crash. She must face life without her mother just...more This review originally appeared on my book review blog Feeding My Book Addiction: http://feedingmybookaddiction.blogspo...

Lynda Fishman's memoir, Repairing Rainbows: A True Story of Family, Tragedy, and Choices, is a heartbreaking yet life affirming memoir detailing what happens when you don't let the worst event to ever happen to you define your life.

At the age of 13, Lynda Fishman loses her mother and two younger sisters in an Air Canada plane crash. She must face life without her mother just when she needs her the most. She must also face a life of being an 'only' child to a father who has practically forgotten her existence in his grief. Fishman chose to work through her grief by living her life as her mother would have wanted her to; she stayed close with her large extended family on both her mother's and father's sides and worked hard in school so she could make a future for herself. She never got caught up in the wild teenage party atmosphere of some of her friends. She was a good kid. Too bad her stepmother couldn't see that.

Just before college, Lynda meets Barry Fishman, a soon to be college student just like herself who works at her father's flooring store. They fall in love. Barry's life so far hasn't been the greatest either. He watched both of his parents die of heart problems: his mother passed when he was a toddler and his father when he was 17. His older brother, Mitchell, suffered from developmental disabilities and anger issues. They moved in with family while Barry worked and went to school to save up money for their own place.

The remainder of the memoir focuses on Lynda and Barry's marriage and family. They remain close and devoted to their extended families. They try to maintain some semblance of a relationship with Lynda's father, but he is too devoted (or scared, maybe?) of his second wife to be able to give Lynda and her family much time and attendance. Lynda laments the absence of grandparents in their children's lives. Lynda even places an ad in a local newspaper looking for surrogate grandparents for her children. The effort is futile and only brings out the worst kinds of people, but it shows just how far Lynda will go for her children.

Fishman's memoir is powerful in that it shows the raw emotions and her pent up grief and anger over losing her entire family, father included as he was never the same, in the plane crash. Yet, these emotions do not rule her life or dictate who she becomes. She is all about choices. There is always a choice and it's up to you to make the right one. She strives to do just that and it shows. She has a degree in social work, ran a children's camp for almost 20 years before opening her own, and was there to provide love and support to her family as they had given her when she needed it the most.

This is a powerful and inspiring coming of age and maturity memoir that will pull you in, take out your heart, and put it back inside your body by the time you turn the last page. This book is proof that life is what you make it. So make smart choices. Horrible things happen to everyone, but they do not have to define you or bring you down for life. Kudos to Lynda Fishman for having the courage to pen her tragic, yet uplifting life story and send it out into the world.(less)

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Jan 11, 2011 Gmr rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of a family torn apart by a tragedy that affected hundreds if not thousands of lives and the fallout experienced everyday as a result. This is also the story of how one young girl made a choice to do everything she could to escape the cloud of despair that followed her (at times successfully) and found true friends, true family, and herself along the way.

'Repairing Rainbows' isn't simply a title, it's a belief. It's that visual lesson on a stormy day that things will be bright...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Lenore Webb rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recently finished reading the true story of Repairing Rainbows by Lynda Fishman. It reminded me of how important it is to take control of your life. To grow, heal and love once again, no matter your past. Her journey from losing her mother and two sisters at the young age of thirteen, growing with a father numb from the loss and the effects that carried into her adult life. I can only imagine the silence of a home filled with sadness. And how hard it is to pick up the job of homemaker without...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Laurel-Rain rated it 5 of 5 stars

On July 5, 1970, at the age of thirteen, the author lost her mother and two sisters in an Air Canada plane crash. The devastating loss would follow her forever, resurfacing at crucial moments in her life. But in this first person narration, the author describes not only her loss, but intersperses her tale with snippets of the joyful moments in her family life before the crash.

Thus we see the "before and after," which more fully illustrates the loss.

Her father's retreat into isolation feels like...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Daniela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, autobiography, canadian, mental-health, non-fiction, pychology

Summary:
July 5, 1970. A day that would change 13 year-old Lynda and her family forever. A fatal plane crash kills Lynda’s mother and two younger sisters. What follows is the true story of how Lynda, her father and the rest of Lynda’s family deal with the grief and despair of its aftermath. Consumed with sorrow, Lynda struggles to hold herself together and deal with her distraught father. Healing is a slow process for Lynda and things only get more difficult when her father remarries. Throughout...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read the majority of this book in one day. I could not put it down. The detail in which it was written was unbelievable. Lynda Fishman is truly a remarkable person. Dealing with all of the heart wrenching tragedies that occurred in her life.

I found myself relating to many different feelings she expressed in the book. Bringing back memories of my own issues. It was inspiring to see how she handled the horrible things that happened to her and her family.

I would highly recommend this book to any...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

When you suffer a significant loss as a child - particularly the death of a parent or a sibling - that loss stays with you for your entire life. For people who haven't endured such tragedy, it's hard to explain why and how just thinking about those who are gone can still cause the surviving loved ones to still break down many years, and even decades, later.

Such is the story of Lynda Weinberg Fishman, whose mother and two sisters were killed on July 5, 1970 in an Air Canada plane crash. (The cau...more When you suffer a significant loss as a child - particularly the death of a parent or a sibling - that loss stays with you for your entire life. For people who haven't endured such tragedy, it's hard to explain why and how just thinking about those who are gone can still cause the surviving loved ones to still break down many years, and even decades, later.

Such is the story of Lynda Weinberg Fishman, whose mother and two sisters were killed on July 5, 1970 in an Air Canada plane crash. (The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error.) Lynda was only 13. Up until that point, Lynda and her sisters Carla and Wendy had what is described in her memoir as a very happy, peaceful, almost idyllic childhood.

Repairing Rainbows is, by all accounts, a very heartbreaking and personal story. But it is also a story about hope and choices. After such a devastating loss, it would be easy to give up and not go on with one's life - and that's essentially what Lynda's father did. On the other hand, as difficult as it was, Lynda chose to live and move forward. That spirit moved her forward through her teenage years, through her father's breakdown and remarriage, and to her relationship with her husband Barry who was like a kindred spirit to Lynda, as he had suffered his own losses and family heartbreak. (He was orphaned at age 17 and left to care for a brother with special needs.)

I want to be very careful and clear here in separating Lynda's story and personal losses from the actual writing and construction of the memoir. In no way do I want my criticisms of the actual writing to be interpreted as a criticism on the actual story itself or to be conveyed as anything less than respectful of the tragedy that Lynda and her family have suffered. That being said, I had a little bit of a hard time with the writing because it struck me as very perfunctory. In many parts, it feels like a basic recitation of events (this happened, then this happened, and then this happened.)

There are also a lot of details provided. I mean ... a lot. There's more than one instance of repetition and some details are simply extraneous. The reader doesn't need to know, for example, the details of the fixtures in the office where Lynda's father worked alongside her uncle. ("They shared a metal pencil sharpener that was screwed onto the wall between their two desks. Black phones with extra-long, curly black cords were mounted throughout the store. The phones had dirt-stained buttons that lit up when someone was using one of the three phone lines." pg. 26). Such details are unnecessary to the reader (even though they may hold some part in one's memories) and could have benefited from another round of edits.

By the same token, there are endearing, poignant details about the family that make them so real to the reader. Ketchup was on the table for every meal, regardless of what was served, simply because they loved ketchup. Lynda's mother held to the belief that you never went to bed before cleaning the kitchen - and the image of Lynda scrubbing the kitchen in the days after her mother was killed in the plane crash is a heartbreaking one. Carla, one of Lynda's sisters, had a pet cat named Tiger and she left detailed instructions about caring for Tiger before they left on their ill-fated trip. And you can see a grieving Lynda hiding in the bathroom clutching Tiger and her heartbreak on having to give him away, under her stepmother's orders, is crushing.

I have much admiration for Lynda, for the courage and inner strength it must have taken to tell her story. As someone who also lost a parent as teenager, I could identify with so very much of what she shared in her memoir (everything from the inane comments that people made at the funeral, to the special meaning that extended family takes on when you lose a parent, to the signs that the spirit of our deceased loved ones are still with us.) She's an example of how to move on from what would seem to be an insurmountable tragedy and use one's life to give back to others in need.

FTC disclosure: I was provided a copy of Repairing Rainbows by Tribute Books for the purpose of reading it in exchange for my honest review and for participating in the Repairing Rainbows blog tour. I was not compensated in any way besides a free book and my opinions and thoughts expressed here are solely my own.(less)

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Aug 20, 2011 Kristin (Kritters Ramblings) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kritter-reviewed-2011

A heartbreaking story that from the beginning pulls you in to want to hear from the beginning the full tragedy, which allows you to completely enjoy the extreme hope. I was swept in because she had the ability to easily switch from telling the current events to jumping into the past to share a tidbit which provided depth and back story that was both enjoyable and informative.

Fortunately, I have not experienced such a tragedy, so to hear a story where she can end peacefully with a family and fulf...more

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May 05, 2011 Nicole Langan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that is hard to read. "Repairing Rainbows" by Lynda Fishman is an emotionally gut wrenching story. It is a first person account of a thirteen-year-old tragically losing her mother and two sisters in a plane crash. The Air Canada flight went down on July 5, 1970 and Lynda vividly recounts what it was like to try to pick up the pieces of her young life. Making the situation even more difficult, her father retreats into himself leaving her alone in her grief.

I have to admit this book...more This is a book that is hard to read. "Repairing Rainbows" by Lynda Fishman is an emotionally gut wrenching story. It is a first person account of a thirteen-year-old tragically losing her mother and two sisters in a plane crash. The Air Canada flight went down on July 5, 1970 and Lynda vividly recounts what it was like to try to pick up the pieces of her young life. Making the situation even more difficult, her father retreats into himself leaving her alone in her grief.

I have to admit this book is so powerful I needed to take a break from it after about 100 pages. Lynda's writing elicits such an overwhelming feeling of empathy from the reader that it is like you are right there with her living the nightmare. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit that she was able to move forward. When I picked up the book again after some time away from it, I was in awe of Lynda's indomitable will to focus on the positive.

But what I liked most about the remainder of the narrative was how honest Lynda was about the continuing struggle to cope with the fragility of her mental state. The turmoil she went through will always be a part of her and she openly acknowledges this indisputable fact. It is a continual uphill battle that she will face for the rest of her life. As a reader, you can't help rooting for her.

You root for her when she meets and falls in love with her soul mate, Barry. When the two get married and start a family, they balance each other perfectly. Barry also lost his mother when he was a child and his father when he was a teenager. The shared bond of pain allows them to form a deep, mutual understanding of each other. It is a beautiful union to behold and you feel grateful that the two of them were able to find each other.

Being the one left behind after a loved one dies in a plane crash is a lonely, unique designation. That is why it is quite touching when Lynda feels such a connection with the victims' families of 9-11. When she lost her mother and sisters, support groups did not exist. She was not put in touch with the surviving members of other families who lost loved ones on that Air Canada plane. She could not really relate to other children who lost family to cancer, a car accident, etc. She was unwillingly assigned to a new category of loss. One that not many people will ever experience.

The book concludes with a section regarding the paranormal. Lynda connects with a medium named Sandy who is able to channel her deceased family members on multiple occasions. Whether you believe in communication after death or not, Lynda receives specific, detailed messages from beyond the grave. It is a fitting way to conclude the book by illustrating that while she may not be able to physically see them, her mother and sisters will be beside her for the rest of her life.

Overall, this is a painful story that is worth the struggle to read.(less)

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Feb 15, 2013 Lynda Fishman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feedback From Readers:

I just wanted to let you know that your book affected me as few others have.
**********
Reading your book has been such an inspiration for me. You are so courageous and so strong and the "choices" you have made certainly seems to have lead you to the happiness you so deserve. The book was absolutely incredible and you are so blessed to have had and continue to have so many wonderful people in your life to inspire you as I feel you will do with so many by telling your story. Y...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Eliza Fayle rated it 3 of 5 stars

On July 5, 1970, an Air Canada flight from Montreal to Los Angeles, crashed during stop over in Toronto. All 109 people on board were killed. One was Lynda’s mother, Rita. One was her older sister, Carla. One was her younger sister, Wendy.

On that same day, the soul of Lynda’s dad died. Lynda made a choice.

She chose to live. She chose to grow. She chose school, career, family.

To read the full review visit http://silverandgrace.com/book-review...

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Mar 10, 2011 Shari rated it 5 of 5 stars

i gave this 5 stars for the challange it must have been for linda to write this account. To dredge up photos, memories, stories and the tragic event must have been half cathartic and half incredibly painful. a hard to put down tale of the plane crash which took the lives of her mother and 2 sisters, this book haunted me after i finished it. my one hmmmm were the visits to the psychic who channeled conversations between the author and her late family members.

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Oct 21, 2010 Cheryl Pashlin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought it was great!! To bare one's soul in such a way is an automatic 5 stars for me!! Lynda could be any one of us telling her story....your sister, your friend, your cousin or an acquaintance from down the street. The Montreal connection probably didn't hurt either but near the end I took my time not wanting it to end. A must read...

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Jan 27, 2012 Hollybowen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well, this is a true story. I commend the author on sharing her story with the world as I know she probably had to bring up many hurts to do so. It is consistently depressing until the last few pages. I would not recommend reading this book if you want a pick me up or something that will make you laugh.

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Dec 20, 2010 Pamela Levine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have been wanting to read this book for a while. It is an extraordinary story. Lynda & her husband Barry both had childhoods that were not typical but they perservered & lived their lives as best as they could. I could have lived without the parts when they went to see the medium but other than that I am happy to have read her story. She really had a terrible time in her life when she needed her mother. It is not a happy go lucky story - extremely emotional. I would say this book deser...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Vicky weiss rated it 5 of 5 stars

could not put this book down.

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Sep 02, 2011 Proud Book Nerd rated it 4 of 5 stars

My review can be found on my blog:
http://proudbooknerd.com/2011/08/02/r...

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Apr 13, 2013 Alan Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 05, 2013 Pamelameba marked it as to-read

Feb 10, 2013 Arlene Lowenstein marked it as to-read

Jan 02, 2013 Felicia marked it as to-read

Shelves: physical-owned, physical-tbr

Sep 27, 2012 Lori-anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sep 19, 2012 Rachel marked it as to-read

Sep 14, 2012 Rae marked it as to-read

Shelves: own

Sep 06, 2012 lindsay marked it as to-read

Mar 07, 2012 Sherri rated it 2 of 5 stars

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