Customer Reviews

The Long Goodbye (Random House Large Print)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Patti Davis writes beautiful, thoughtful prose. I was struck, though, by how little she revealed of her actual experiences with her father's condition. I found myself desperately trying to read between the lines to eke out a bit of substance.

One of the few telling habits Davis revealed is that both she and her mother stay in hotels whenever they visit the other's home cities, all the while claiming they have grown to be very close.

I also wish there had been an attempt to bridge the gap between 1996 and 2004. It was as if there were some sort of missing-time experience.

On the whole, the book reminded me of my mother-in-law's letters written to me from a distant state. They are largely long descriptive details of the daily weather and her excursions to nearby green nurseries. I would like to have learned more.

While I thought the book was well written, I was disappointed that more about the family's experience with Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's disease wasn't included. The title of the book is somewhat misleading, for that reason, in my opinion. The bulk of the book was more about the author's feelings and experiences than about her father's illness.

This book is not only healing, but beautifully written. Having lost my own father to a terminal illness years ago, I found myself deeply connecting to Ms. Davis' words and heartfelt journey. Reading this book gave me a sense of hope and renewed my own conviction that death ends a life, not a relationship. The pages of this book affirm the best and most inspirational parts of life, love and even, death. It is also a touching testament to Ronald Regan, the beloved man, father and United States President. I would highly recommend it.

How silly for those other reviewers to say this book didn't include "the family's experience with Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's disease." Or that the book didn't say enough about Alzeimer's itself. What do they want, a medical book? There are plenty of those. This is the unique story that only Patti, with her special place in history could tell, of how her father's disease brought her and her family tremendous pain, yet spiritual growth, and actual blessings. In so doing, she points the way to how we can continue to learn, as Americans, and as human beings, from these gifted leaders, the Reagans. I loved another book about Ronald Reagan, "How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life," by Peter Robinson. It told what Mr. Robinson had observed and learned from President Reagan as a speechwriter in his administration. It is a good book, but this one is even better, because of the vantage point, and insights of the person writing it.

Ms. Davis is an unusually gifted writer, as her father was an unusually gifted speaker. I read this book on an airplane, unable to put it down, even though I couldn't help sobbing out loud during parts of it.

I can now understand how Ms. Davis, with her deep intelligence and passionate, poetic nature, felt (and feels) so strongly about her parents. She talks some about why she rebelled so angrily, yet I am still not sure I completely understand her motivations there. She said she was "mad at America," for 1)taking her father into public service and away from her and 2)for sending some of her young friends to be killed in the Vietnam War. She has now come to sorely regret many of her actions spawned by that anger. Now more mature, she still holds to many of her liberal beliefs, yet regrets that she couldn't have done during her father's administration what she did at a celebration for Margaret Thatcher after her father's diagnosis, namely, laugh off differences, and relate to people as human beings, instead of political entities. It is something her father did exceptionally well.

She describes so many other touching moments, though, in this book, and beautiful impressions. She gave small examples of what her father had taught her, such as how to dive into ocean waves, and how to get back on a horse when you have fallen off. The small examples and big ones add up to an exploration into what love really means. It made me happy to know that President Reagan's daughter has reconciled with her mother and takes care of her now. She shared the moment of her father's death, and how love triumphed over the disease, in many small ways throughout it. With God's help, Patti has now achieved a triumph.

I was looking for more information in reference to alzheimer's disease itself, which I was very disappointed to find. They were very private when Mr. Reagan was going through the ordeal with the public and apparently want to keep it that way. My own mother died of alzheimer's this past year, but I could not relate to much of anything in this book, since not much information was given about the disease. I was surprised on how close she spoke of how her mother and her had gotten, yet she stayed in hotels when she went to visit her mother. The book was took place during the very beginning of alzheimer's....then a lapse for several years until the end - no meat at all! It seemed like it was more about Patti's guilt over years of not getting along with her parents, more than anything else. On a more positive side, Patti's writing itself is outstanding, including her descriptions and flow. The title of the book is very true when it comes to alzheimer's, however, the details of the book was ALL ABOUT PATTI, and should be renamed just that.

Thank you Patti Davis for a beautiful and helpful book. I am a caregiver as my husband is midway into Alzheimers. I have read other books on the subject looking for help. This was the best. Pattie, you gave the best information to help one through this long ordeal. I would recommend this heart warming book to every caregiver in the world. Sure wish I could thank Ms. Davis personally. Lorine Rohr

The book was somewhat interesting as a family drama set in the background of national history however I
found it unsatisfying as a family struggling with the loss of a father to Alzheimer's. It was as if Ms Davis got
tired of her subject about 5 years prior to President Reagan's death.

This is a beautiful book. Touching, tragic and full of love. It truly moved me

A must read for everyone who has a parent or loved one who has any kind of dementia. Patti Davis address's the feelings and concerns that one has when watching a loved one go through this. It is not a technical how to book, as in how to deal with dementia, but more of these feelings are normal and the goodbye one must make is bittersweet.

Patti Davis writes of her family's struggle against the flows of Alzheimers Disease as it took over her father, Ronald Reagan. It is not about the disease and what happens to the patient but more what happens to a family that was not together during the good times yet became extremely close during the hardest of times. Ms. Davis writes in beautiful prose throughout the entire book and I found myself copying paragraphs for future reference when I will have to travel that road in letting go of those I love.