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In Love
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss | Amy Bloom
18 posts | 23 read | 17 to read
In this powerful memoir of boundary-defying love, New York Times bestselling author Amy Bloom tells the story of her husbands painful and affirming decision to choose his own ending. In Love is an unforgettable portrait of one couples determination to support each other in their last journey together. Amy Bloom and her husband Brians world was changed forever when an MRI confirmed the truth they could no longer ignore. Bloom reflects back on the loving marriage they shared, and then the sudden cascade of things going wrong: Brians decision to retire, his withdrawal from friends. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and they werent able to talk as they always had. Finally confronted with the diagnosis and the daily frustrations and realities of Alzheimers, Brian became determined to die on his feet, not live on his knees. Together they find their difficult way to Dignitas, an organization based in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life with dignity and peace. Written in Blooms captivating, insightful voice and with her trademark wit and candor, In Love is an illuminating story of two people whose love and shared life experiences inspired them to find a courageous way to partand of a womans determination to find peace in the aftermath of loss.
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fredthemoose
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Not only was this memoir of a woman who helps her husband die after his dementia diagnosis my June pick, I think this was my favorite book of 2023. #12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Sounds an excellent book. 3mo
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Sapphire
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We finally had our “blind date with a book” we purchased on vacation last month.

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fredthemoose
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My first real 5⭐️ read in awhile! I loved this memoir of a woman‘s journey to help her husband end his life after his Alzheimer‘s diagnosis. Specifically I loved the author‘s voice—she wrote with such a great mix of warmth and love and exasperation that now I want to ready any other memoir works she‘s written.

JenniferEgnor I went to a Death Cafe last night and this book was brought up and recommended! 9mo
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Centique
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In this heart breaking audiobook Amy Bloom recounts her husband‘s diagnosis of alzheimers and his decision to research and pursue an assisted end to life. Ultimately this is a celebration of their love but also an insight into early stage alzheimers and the difficulty and grief of being a partner becoming a caregiver, and where and how they found support. Really good as an audiobook and narrated by the author.

TrishB Lovely review ❤️ 11mo
Centique @TrishB thank you Trish! 😘 11mo
Velvetfur That sounds like a lovely book. My cousin is going through similar - her husband is only 60 and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it's very sad because we've always loved Sean, he's great ☹️ 11mo
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Centique @Velvetfur oh that is so hard 😢 best wishes to you and your family. 11mo
Velvetfur @Centique Thank you xxx 11mo
SamAnne I recently listened to this one as well. Very powerful. I support people's wish to go out on their own terms. She also did a 20 minute piece on This American Life awhile back that was really great--excerpts from her book. She is a great narrator. @Velvetfur wishing your family strength. So hard. 11mo
Velvetfur @SamAnne Thank you xx 10mo
CarolynM Lovely review❤️ I have a copy e cause I love Amy Bloom, but I haven‘t been able to bring myself to read it. Too sad💔 10mo
CarolynM @Velvetfur I‘m so sorry to hear this. Such a difficult time for your family 💔 10mo
Velvetfur @CarolynM Thank you xx Everyone's always so kind on here, it's so lovely 💜 10mo
Suet624 My therapist had the same diagnosis and despite the fact that our state allows for assisted suicide, they would not allow her to do so because she did not have a “six month to live” diagnosis. She lived for five years in a terrible state. I still am so mad about what she had to go through. 10mo
Centique @Suet624 our new national law is similar in the “months to live” aspect, which really seems harsh. So many people in pain who won‘t fit into that definition. 😢 I am so sorry to hear your therapist went through that 💔 10mo
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dariazeoli
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This was a beautiful, sad memoir about Bloom‘s journey through the loss of her husband after an Alzheimer‘s diagnosis. I‘ve long been a proponent for assisted suicide and wish more people had the choice when faced with such a fork in the road.

#readingbracket2023 #nonfiction

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SamAnne
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Impulse read after hearing a short piece by Bloom on This American Life. Recommend this short memoir on audio read by the author. Bloom recounts how she and her husband navigated his Alzheimer‘s diagnosis, his decision to end his life on his own terms, which involved them traveling to Switzerland for legal assisted suicide. A beautiful snapshot of a loving marriage with all the complications between complicated people.

SamAnne This one is going to stay with me for awhile. 12mo
CarolynM On my shelf waiting to be read🙂 11mo
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KristiAhlers
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This isn‘t a book “you love” and yet…it‘s a book about the purest of love. I‘ve been trying to process this one for the last few days. It stays with you in a way that‘s hard to describe. It‘s very informative and I understand why it‘s part of #TimeMagazineTop100Readsof2022. Have Kleenex you‘ll need it.

Cinfhen Great review!! I‘ve been meaning to read this one💔 1y
KristiAhlers @Cinfhen thank you. It was so hard to describe this heartbreaking book. I‘m not terribly sure I‘d be as strong as she was. 1y
SamAnne Just finished this one. Oof. Having helped both my parents through their ends of life, and with my own cancer diagnosis (in remission but it will likely take me out one day), I‘ve thought a lot about one own‘s agency over how they leave the world. For those who can‘t put another book on their TBR, Bloom did an excellent piece on This American Life. 12mo
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DocBrown
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I resonate with all the Litsy reviews on this book. More than a memoir about ‘accompanied suicide‘ — in a room like this one, in the suburbs of Zurich, because it‘s illegal everywhere in the US without a terminal diagnosis of 6 months or less — more than an account of a spouse with Alzheimer‘s, this is a depiction of a married couple whose sweet & gentle love for each other is stronger than the death that ultimately separates them ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SamAnne Just finished this one. All the feels. 12mo
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Yahui07
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This book is my last one in 2022.
The information is helpful and the experience is candor. Although this is not a wow book, it‘s still worth your time.

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JackieGreco
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This was a moving story about the writer losing her husband to Alzheimer‘s. Rather than a slow and painful death, her husband chose assisted suicide. This memoir explores the challenges of finding a place where this is possible and what it was like to go through it. 4/5

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chapter_fifty2017
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Although l read this a few weeks ago, this book stays with you. Like a loss of hope it dwells around you. This heartbreaking memoir about a couple that decide once the husband is diagnosed with a debilitating dementia to fly to Switzerland and end his life painlessly with Dignitas. Amy Bloom writes sorrow with great understanding its the story of a couple living while transversely dealing with the fates that come calling.
yet tells it as it is

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akfreeborn
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I found this account of Amy‘s husband and his desire to end his life after his Alzheimer‘s diagnosis so raw and truthful and sad and joyful all at once. This book is nothing short of beautiful.

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rebbyj
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What a beautiful book. And an even better illustration of the intimacies of marriage. ❤️❤️❤️

DocBrown Yes. Agreed. 1y
SamAnne Oh, she captures a complicated loving marriage so perfectly. 12mo
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Jas16
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When Amy‘s husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer‘s he decides he wants to die while he still himself. Amy supports his decision and after much research they find Dignitas an organization in Zurich that can help them. Living with her changing husband and managing the myriad details that need to happen to make Dignitas a possibility, she is also a loving and grieving wife. A raw and candid memoir that hit me hard .

KathyWheeler It makes me cry just reading your review of it! (edited) 2y
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EvieBee
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Will you cry your eyes out? Probably. Is it worth it? Yes.

Bloom writes about the love of her life, and having to say goodbye to him after thirteen years of marriage. Unconventional because she‘s decided to support his decision for assisted suicide in Zurich before Alzheimer‘s claims his ability to choose.

Beautifully written. Thank you, @Amiable for the recommendation!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amiable I‘m so glad you liked it! It was definitely an emotional read. (edited) 2y
EvieBee @Amiable Definitely! Although she made me laugh quite a few times. I did audio and ebook and she read it so well. (edited) 2y
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Lauren.Archer
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I imagine it was very cathartic for Bloom, but also this might just help other families who are facing similar situations. My heart goes out to her for the decisions she had to make, and ultimately supporting the man she loves, to choose to end his life on his own terms and timeline. Ultimately knowing how it will end, gave him strength, but also allowed his family to be part of this process with him.

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BookMaven9
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🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wow! What a deeply profound memoir. Listening to Amy Bloom write about her husbands diagnosis with Alzheimer‘s and then to cope with his decision to assisted suicide is as deeply personal a memoir I‘ve ever read. The humanity, grace and dignity throughout is mind blowing.

EvieBee I thought it was beautifully written. 2y
BookMaven9 It was. It definitely came from the heart 2y
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Amiable
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After Amy Bloom‘s husband Brian was diagnosed with Alzheimer‘s at the age of 66, he made the decision to “die on his feet, not live on his knees.” This is the account of how Amy helped Brian achieve his wish to end his life with dignity and grace through accompanied suicide with Dignitas. It‘s lovely and poignant and sad and also very funny. An excellent read.

#Nonfiction2022
Prompt: I‘m a Lover

BINGO x2

SRWCF Wow. Heavy. 2y
melissajayne She was recently on Just the Right Book talking about the book. 2y
Amiable @melissajayne I‘m not surprised—she lives in Stony Creek, which is about 10 miles from RJ Julia‘s (the bookstore that Roxanne Coady, the host of that podcast) owns. 2y
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CarolynM I love Amy Bloom's books. I hadn't heard about this one. Stacked🙂 2y
Amiable @CarolynM I think it just came out this month? It‘s a slim book, but it packs a big punch to the heart. 2y
kspenmoll This book sounds wonderful- thanks for the review💛 2y
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