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Title details for In Love by Amy Bloom - Available

In Love

A Memoir of Love and Loss

by Amy Bloom
Amy Bloom
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A powerful memoir of a love that leads two people to find a courageous way to part—and a woman’s struggle to go forward in the face of loss—that “enriches the reader’s life with urgency and gratitude” (The Washington Post)
“A pleasure to read . . . Rarely has a memoir about death been so full of life. . . . Bloom has a talent for mixing the prosaic and profound, the slapstick and the serious.”—USA Today
ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Publishers Weekly
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Time, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Today, Real Simple, Prospect (UK), She Reads, Kirkus Reviews
Amy Bloom began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease.
Forced to confront the truth of the diagnosis and its impact on the future he had envisioned, Brian was determined to die on his feet, not live on his knees. Supporting each other in their last journey together, Brian and Amy made the unimaginably difficult and painful decision to go to Dignitas, an organization based in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life with dignity and peace.
In this heartbreaking and surprising memoir, Bloom sheds light on a part of life we so often shy away from discussing—its ending. Written in Bloom’s captivating, insightful voice and with her trademark wit and candor, In Love is an unforgettable portrait of a beautiful marriage, and a boundary-defying love.
Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 8, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593555989
      • File size: 138880 KB
      • Duration: 04:49:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Positive and genuine, writer Amy Bloom's husband, Brian, sounds like someone anyone would love to know. Sadly, in 2019 he received an Alzheimer's diagnosis and eventually called on Bloom's support as he chose to end his own life before the disease could. This memoir moves gently but cohesively between anecdotes of the past and the journey to Switzerland for the couple's final days together. Bloom provides her own narration, speaking of both her great love and devastating loss with equal parts emotional warmth and quiet composure. Bloom's voice is capable and clear, inspiring admiration for the strength it must have taken not only to write these moments down, but to then read them aloud. The memoir is a loving tribute; Bloom's narration of it is remarkable. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2022

      Novelist Bloom (White Houses) had been married to her husband, Brian Ameche, for 12 years when he received a devastating diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. Determined to not suffer from long-term cognitive decline, Brian chooses to end his life peacefully before his condition becomes severe. The lack of options in the United States leads the couple to Dignitas, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where they spend four final days together before Brian dies, peacefully, in what Dignitas calls an "accompanied suicide." This sort of deeply personal story demands to be narrated by the author, and Bloom's narration is a testament to her deep love for and devotion to Brian. Her conversational tone makes the difficult subject matter accessible, and moments of joy, lightness, and wry humor appear throughout the audiobook. Reflective, thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful, Bloom's memoir is a celebration of a life well lived and of a supportive and loving relationship. VERDICT This moving, powerful tribute to love and loss is a must-listen. Suggest to listeners who appreciated Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air and Ann Patchett's Truth and Beauty.--Nanette Donohue

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 8, 2021
      Novelist Bloom (White Houses) looks back on the beauty and turmoil of accompanying her husband through the final days of his life in this deeply moving memoir. When her husband, Brian, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2019, he chose to end his life via assisted suicide at Dignitas in Switzerland. As Bloom writes, she worried “that a better wife, certainly a different wife, would have said no, would have insisted on keeping her husband in this world until his body gave out.” But her love for Brian and his desire for a meaningful end of life drove their mutual agreement to take the steps for him to die on his own terms. With passion and sharp wit, she jumps back and forth between the beginning of their relationship, the Herculean effort it took to secure an agreement with Dignitas, and the painful anticipation of the final trip to Switzerland. Most poignant are the intimate moments they share as they make the most of their last days together. As she writes, “I imagine that Brian feels as alone as I do but I can tell he isn’t as afraid.” The result is a stunning portrayal of how love can reveal itself in life’s most difficult moments. Agent: Claudia Ballard, WME.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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