Island Girl Virtual Book Tour June 2011
Join Lynda Simmons, author of the literary fiction novel, Island Girl (Berkley), as she virtually tours the blogosphere June 6 – 30 2011 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!
About Island Girl
What Would You Do If You Were Told You Had Alzheimer’s? Island Girl is the emotionally riveting story of a 55 year old mother, Ruby Donaldson, fighting to reunite her family as she struggles with the diagnosis of early on-set Alzheimer’s.
Ruby refuses to let the disease control her future, but first she must find a way to convince her older daughter Liz to grow up and come home; to take her place as head of the family thereby securing the future of their home on the Island, and ensuring that Liz’s younger sister, Grace, will be cared for in the only place that is safe for her.
But there are good reasons why Liz and Ruby have been estranged for years, and Liz can only wonder why she should forgive her mother a lifetime of sins just because she’s sick. Does Alzheimer’s grant Ruby instant immunity, a moral get-out-of-jail-free card?
Ruby always thought she’d have a lifetime to make things right, but suddenly time is running out.
Lynda Simmons is a writer by day, college instructor by night and a late sleeper on weekends. She grew up in Toronto reading Greek mythology, bringing home stray cats and making up stories about bodies in the basement. From an early age, her family knew she would either end up as a writer or the old lady with a hundred cats. As luck would have it, she married a man with allergies so writing it was.
With two daughters to raise, Lynda and her husband moved into a lovely two storey mortgage in Burlington, a small city on the water just outside Toronto. While the girls are grown and gone, Lynda and her husband are still there. And yes, there is a cat – a beautiful, if spoiled, Birman.
When she’s not writing or teaching, Lynda gives serious thought to using the treadmill in her basement. Fortunately, she’s found that if she waits long enough, something urgent will pop up and save her – like a phone call or an e-mail or a whistling kettle. Or even that cat just looking for a little more attention!
Her latest book is Island Girl.
My Thoughts:
"Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, and at present irreversible, brain disorder that is characterized by a steady decline in cognitive, behavioral and physical abilities severe enough to interfere with everyday life and necessitate full time care. Symptoms vary from person to person, but all people with Alzheimer's disease have problems with memory loss, disorientation and thinking ability. Individuals with Alzheimer's disease may have trouble finding the right words to use, recognizing objects (such as a pencil), recognizing family and friends, and may become frustrated, irritable, and agitated. As the disease progresses, physical problems may include loss of strength and balance, and diminishing bladder and bowel control. As more and more of the brain is affected, areas that control basic life functions, like swallowing and breathing, become irreversibly damaged, resulting eventually in death"
With that said, as I am sure this is true in most families, Alzheimer's has affected our family first hand. I worked in a nursing home for 24+ years, so I knew how it affected families and caregivers. My husband's aunt suffered from this debilitating illness, thankfully for her she was in her late 80's and lived to be 94 when she died. We had to make the decision to put her in the nursing home that I worked at so she would be close to us and I knew she would get good care. Watching this former teacher, very intelligent and 'proper lady' decline to the point of being in a fetal position and refusing food was so very hard on all of us, to the point that our four children would not want to see her and just remember the aunt that they at times feared and always loved as the time went by.
Island Girl by Lynda Simmons is a story of a woman Ruby Donaldson ,aged 55, who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. At first, because of pride, she does not let anyone in her life know that she has the disease and she tries to continue her life as a hairdresser as if nothing was wrong. She had to write in a journal and use notes to get through her days. As time goes on she finds herself covering up and using excuses so no one knows what is going on with her. She wants to get all her affairs taken care of and she also starts doing research on ways to end her life when she determines that she does not want to end up not knowing who or where she is or forgetting her family.
This novel is also about Ruby's daughters Liz, who she is estranged from and Grace, the daughter Ruby is trying to protect. As in any family Ruby and her daughters have issues with each other and the more Ruby tries to protect them from the truth, the more the issues escalate. Ruby also starts having a relationship with an old flame who has a rebellious 12 year old girl who helps escalate the problems with the Donaldson women. Each person tells their story and the reader gets pulled right in and carried along to the surprising end. There are other characters that add to the richness of this story.
I think that Lynda Simmons either did a lot of research with Alzheimer's or has first hand knowledge of this debilitating disease as she tells this story with no holds barred and also with compassion not only for Ruby but all the characters in the story. I found myself laughing and crying through the book. I loved it and give it 5 stars. A must for the lover of women's fiction. You can read an excerpt at either of the links below.
I received this book from the author for review for Pump Up Your Books and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
Thanks to Dorothy at Pump Up Your Books I am able to giveaway a copy of this great book.
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