Coming to My Senses [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Pam Rice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

Addie Marsh, a widow in her seventies, faces macular degeneration. Struggling to maintain the home she loves in the mountains above Bear Lake, Addie forms a cautious but necessary friendship with a young runaway named Sybil.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A WWII-generation widow struggles to avoid the dreaded nursing home and befriends a teenage vagrant in Coming to My Senses, a first novel from Pam Rice. Addie Marsh suffers from macular degeneration, an eye disease that will eventually leave her blind, yet she'll do almost anything to persuade her son not to place her in an assisted living facility. She becomes close with the equally vulnerable Sybil, an abused runaway trying to evade her boyfriend, who desperately needs Addie's protection. Woven throughout this affecting tale are Addie's memories of raising her two sons, one of whom died in the Vietnam War.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Addie Marsh, an elderly but vigorous widow, is fighting the restrictions of macular degeneration. Facing impaired vision in a small mountain community, she feels her world shrinking but stoutly denies to her married son that she is ready for a retirement home. She rocks on the porch of her lakeside cottage, withdrawing into her vivid memories as a child, teen, and young woman. Then a couple moves into the closed-up cottage next door, and the young man is unfriendly and gone all day. After several encounters, Addie perceives that Sybil, the rail-thin girl who declares herself to be both pregnant and about to marry, is probably neither. When Addie burns a cake because she can't read her watch or the oven dial, Sybil comes to her rescue and a genuine friendship develops. Meanwhile, Addie is reluctantly drawn into a support group and slowly learns to acknowledge, accept, and cope with her increasing disability. When Sybil's sullen partner accuses her of hoarding money, beats her savagely, and sets out to rob Addie, the old woman escapes across the lake to find help. Addie is the heart of this tale; other characters are less convincing, but teens will be drawn to the unfolding of her character-building life experiences, and will learn much about coping with disability and the lifelong need for companionship.
Molly Connally, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 407 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786260289
• ISBN-13: 978-0786260287
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,010,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful heartwarming story., August 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Coming to My Senses (Five Star Original Women's Fiction) (Five Star Expressions) (Hardcover)

A must read! Pam Rice has captured the modern day dilema of children of elderly parents wanting the best for their aging parents and their parents wanting to continue to live out their own dreams, despite physical limitations. This story cleverly tells a triumpant and suspenseful story, while educating the reader about alternatives available for those facing challenges in their lives.