“Ruth is the woman that Laura has always wanted to be, but never believed she could. Courageous, funny, bold, brutally honest. Seemingly never fazed by other people's opinions of her and never allowing those opinions to influence her choices. She leaves an unhappy marriage and indulges in her self, doing what makes her happy; pours herself into her art and makes a business out of it; having lovers but enjoys creating a home that is all about her and what she loves. Come to think of it, Ruth is the woman that I want to be. Leading a full life that is centred around my happiness.
Ruth also sees in Laura a someone who has what she doesn't have. A stable marriage, the comfort and security that comes with waking up next to the same person everyday.
And so in that way both of them are reminded of what they have to be grateful for, and get to live vicariously through each other.
When Ruth gets cancer and after the usual chemo-remission-chemo cycle, finally makes the decision to die, we meet all these women who have just as close and special a bond with Ruth as Laura does. As they come out of the woodwork, Laura gets to see Ruth in ways she hasn't before, in the unique and very different women Ruth is so close to.
These women form a tight knit of support and love around their closest friend as she dies the way she lived - with courage, beauty, happiness, love and so much style and grace. What I enjoyed about this book while reading it is the appreciation of deep intimacy a woman is capable of with other women, and how it greatly increases our quality of life with it's value.”
Karima wrote this review Saturday, September 15 2007.
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