The reader is drawn in and shares the author's pain of extraordinary loss. Yet one leaves the book feeling that the pain will pass and that there is still so much more of a joyful life ahead.
The book flows easily, is often lyrical, sometimes humorous --- a rare quality in a book on this topic. In its pages, mourners can learn ways to help them cope, and those who care for them can learn how best to respond to another's loss. The book gives help and hope to people moving through the most difficult of times. Like Tuesdays with Morrie, Common Threads is a book about living life to the fullest and about the victory of the human spirit.
I used the book daily by reading segments or chapters, as the author relived and grieved about her experience and that of the other women. It was very therapeutic for me. Most of the time, I just cried, which was the very thing I knew/know needs to be done.
"Common Threads" met my need right where I was at the time, and for that I am grateful. I am recommending it to others who have lost their mates, and to other therapists who work with the survivors because I know it will be extremely helpful to these people.
Ms Kaimann is a wonderful writer, and her words were very cleansing for me.
The middle-aged women described within the chapters of Common Threads are ordinary yet extraordinary. They have faced one of life's greatest challenges, working day-in and day-out to design new lives for themselves. As readers witness the resilience of the human spirit, they come to a new perspective on their own experiences, recognizing the good still in their lives. Common Threads is a tender and warm embrace, a story of faith and love, of insight, determination, independence and strength. These women's large and small victories are metaphors for hope and continuity.