Customer Reviews

Breathless

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Many say they know how they'll act, or how they'll handle an extreme situation. But to be honest, no one knows. Not really...Because none of us truly knows what we'll do when the circumstances become so overwhelming and complex that we can't even tell right from wrong."

Travis Morrison has the kind of life high school kids can only dream about. He is a champion diver with college prospects heating up. He has managed to snag a high-profile girlfriend in Darla Gibson, and their relationship is one based on trust and actual love. He also has his trusty sidekick Cooper and his little sister Emily, who surprisingly can be quite bearable in most situations. He is driven and knows exactly what he wants. The future seems bright, and nothing looks like it could get in the way.

On a lazy summer afternoon, however, the future turns murky. Travis, Cooper, Darla and Emily are out boating in Travis's favorite diving spot when the unthinkable happens. On a high cliff dive, Travis's leg snaps and he plunges into the water below. Hospital tests reveal a tumor growing on his right leg and the realization of bone cancer. Immediately Travis's leg is amputated along with his planned future. No one is sure how to react. Emily is ready for Darla to abandon Travis. Cooper wishes he could take Travis's place. Darla is scared to lose the only person who actually cares for her. And Travis begins to withdraw, especially from his parents, who seem not to truly understand what has happened.

At first, some minor alterations are made and life goes on as normal. Travis is fitted with a prosthetic and gets back into the normal high school routine. Darla and Cooper faithfully visit even amidst difficult home lives. Emily continues to stay close to her brother despite the circumstances. As the cancer continues to spread, though, Travis witnesses firsthand in the cancer ward the life he does not want for himself. He bravely asks his parents for a Do Not Resuscitate order if it should come to that, but his mother refuses. Instead, Travis turns to the only people he can trust: Darla, Cooper and Emily. He shares his wishes of dying instead of being hooked up to a machine. But is one of them willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?

We've all seen some highly publicized cases concerning assisted suicide in the media. It would be easy to say that BREATHLESS is just another book about the topic of euthanasia, but it is much deeper than that. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, and author Lurlene McDaniel infuses strong emotion and depth into each character that it makes you question your own beliefs. While there are no gory details specifically mentioned in the book, there is an underlying sense of desperation threaded throughout. McDaniel never gets preachy, which I appreciated, and ultimately lets the reader decide what is "right" and "wrong."

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

I've always loved Lurlene McDaniel books, but this one felt different. Yes, McDaniel goes back to her old ways with a story of the main character dealing with cancer.

She also takes on a very delicate subject of end of life and who really has the power to make the decision.

There were three other characters who played important roles in the book as well. Two of them dealing with plenty of other stressful situations at home.

Yet, I felt like this book was rushed and the characters weren't developed as well as they could have been. McDaniel usually finds time to develop the characters a bit more.

The most disappointing part of the book was the ending. It was tied together way too perfectly. I believe that the story could have ended differently.

I'm not going to give away the book, but I think it would have been better if it was determined and came to an end by the person going through the cancer.

I remember back when I was a teenager in the 1990s, everybody was reading Lurlene McDaniel books. I never bothered, because books about death and dying didn't really appeal to me. When I saw this book, I was drawn in by the cover and the short length, and I thought I'd give it a try.

The book is told in alternating points of view, which doesn't work because all the characters sound the same. They're all also tired cliches (a battered woman even uses the standard "I walked into a door" line to excuse her bruises), and I couldn't identify with any of them. Travis's parents (especially his mother) were completely appalling and their attitudes seemed like little more than a way to create conflict. I doubt real nurses are that callous, selfish, and lacking in empathy... even if it's their own children they're dealing with.

There is a bit of a surprise twist at the end, but it's not so much shocking as completely inconsistent with the way the characters had already been established.

This was my first Lurlene McDaniel book. It'll probably be my last. I was not impressed.

Cancer is terrible, but when it strikes a young, active body, it seems especially horrific. That's the case with high school student Travis Morrison. One minute he's a vibrant, healthy teen, and the next he's struck down by the devastating disease.

One sunny afternoon at the lake, Travis, two friends, Cooper and Darla, and sister Emily are enjoying a picnic and a swim. Travis tears up a rocky path beside the lake, thinking he'll show off a bit by making a high dive from a nearby cliff. Since he's a champion platform diver, it should be a breeze.

Just short of the edge he is struck by a sharp pain in his upper thigh, but he's not about to let that stop him. His friends watch as he begins his dive. When he hits the water, he hears his leg crack, and the pain he feels is incredible. Cooper shouts for the girls to call the hospital and bring the car as he carries Travis from the lake.

How does a healthy, in-shape champion diver break his leg doing a simple dive in the local lake? Multiple examinations and medical tests later, doctors announce that Travis has bone cancer, and a tumor in his upper thigh weakened the bone, causing the break.

That announcement changes life for everyone.

Lurlene McDaniel tackles the subject of euthanasia in her latest novel BREATHLESS. Using Travis, his best friend Cooper, girlfriend Darla, and his sister Emily, McDaniel explores the emotional and ethical issues of this sensitive subject from a variety of view points.

To say this novel is a real page-turner is an understatement. I truly could not put it down, and it has been on my mind ever since I finished the final page.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Breathless is an amazing book, but is slightly predictable because someone always dies in lurlene mcdniels books. You want to reach into the book and really just touch the characters and tell them that it is okay and will get better.
When i read this book i couldnt put it down. i litterally got it from my schools library, took it home , started reading it and would not put it down until i finished it later that night. i have read it so many times and still cry. all in all i would recommend it to people who want a good book and a good cry.

The book was in great shape and arrived in a timely manner. I won't hesitate to order from them again.

Travis has his whole life ahead of him, then he doesn't. A broken leg starts a vicious cycle of hospitalisation, out patient treatment, pain, medication, remission, and relapse. Pain changes him. It changes the people around him. It changes everything.

There's a lovely author's note in the beginning to warn those who find the word euthanasia a trigger. I for one would have loved to read this story without knowing the outcome. I would have liked to have been brought to the conclusion silently, surreptitiously. I would have liked to have been convinced despite my reluctance.

I guess that's the problem. I never was reluctant. I can understand wanting pain to end, wanting to choose that moment for themselves, I can understand choosing dignity. I was a convert, before the preaching started.

That just leaves the delivery itself for me judge.

McDaniel chose four alternating first person present voices to tell this story. I can see why she would want to make the voices and feelings of Travis' sister, girlfriend, and best friend as strong as his. His illness doesn't just concern him, it affects everyone around him differently. I can also understand--now that I've read the ending--why the author would want to fade away all differences between those different voices, but it doesn't help when I'm in the middle of the story and have to turn back pages just to see and remember who is talking. Was it Travis or Emily talking to Darla? The girls are talking about Travis but is this his sister or girlfriend? So, yes, I can understand the value of the ambiguity. I just hate when it's used to justify gimmicks.

This also might be part of the preaching to the choir effect, but I didn't find the storytelling particularly poignant. The closest I came to tears was when Coop casually accepted his lot in life, not when Travis was ready call it quits.

I grew up reading Lurlene McDaniel Books when I was in middle school. I have no idea why I liked them someone always died and they were depressing as hell, but I think I read every single one there ever was. I went to get a pedicure and someone had left this novel behind. I eagerly picked it up and was finished with it before my toe nail polish dried, but I'm sure the women at the spa were a little curious why I was trying to hold back tears. Damn Lurlene McDaniel. McDaniel's writing style hasn't changed much from when I use to read her in middle school so I wouldn't suggest she is an author a grown adult should revisit (like Christopher Pike).

Breathless follows Travis Morrison a champion diver who is diagnosed with bone cancer. The novel switched between him, his sister, his best friend and his girlfriend as they all try and come to terms with his diagnosis. There isn't really much else to say. It's a depressing read. If you have ever read one of her books before you know well beforehand there is not going to be a happy ending. The only real difference between this and the other novels I remember reading as a child is McDaniel approaches the controversial questions of when one should stop trying to prolong their life because the quality of life is no longer there. It took me less than an hour to read so if you happen to run across it and want to remember a bit of childhood go for it, but unless you are in the mood to depress yourself you can skip it.

I absolutly lovee this book! Im not much of a reader, but this is deffinately one of the best books I have read! I would reccomend this book to anyone who is in junior high or high school, even some adults.

I took a look at the cover and I didn't really want to read it... but i LOVE Lurlene Mcdaniel's books so I gave it a chance AND IM SO GLAD I DID. I had the hardest time letting go of the book. It is not one of those cliche books where a boy meets a girl...This story is a winding road and I enjoyed every turn it took.