Loving Rachel: A Family's Journey from Grief [Paperback]

Jane Bernstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

In 1983, Jane Bernstein had everything she ever wanted: a healthy four-year-old daughter, Charlotte; a happy marriage; a highly praised first novel; and a brand new baby, Rachel. But by the time Rachel was six weeks old,

a neuro-ophthalmologist told Jane and her husband that their baby was blind. Although there was some hope that Rachel might gain partial vision as she grew, her condition was one that often resulted in seizure disorders and intellectual impairment. So began a series of medical and emotional setbacks that were to plague Rachel and her parents and strain their marriage to the breaking point. Spanning the first four years of Rachel’s life, Loving Rachel is a heartbreaking chronicle of a marriage and a compelling story of parental love told with searing honesty and surprising humor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a story of courageous love that rises above misfortune; of parental love, immeasurably patient, hopeful, buoyant; of marital love that is tested, stretched and strengthened through adversity. . . . Parents of disabled children, or any parents for that matter, will find this an inspiring tale."--New York Times Book Review

“Compelling. . . . An absorbing family drama that is real and wrenching. . . . Straightforward and affecting. . . . Bernstein’s writing is intense and evocative.”  --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"...a probing meditation on why we care for our kin."  --Los Angeles Times Book Review

Book Description

In 1983, Jane Bernstein had everything she ever wanted: a healthy four-year-old daughter, Charlotte; a happy marriage; a highly praised first novel; and a brand new baby, Rachel. But by the time Rachel was six weeks old,

a neuro-ophthalmologist told Jane and her husband that their baby was blind. Although there was some hope that Rachel might gain partial vision as she grew, her condition was one that often resulted in seizure disorders and intellectual impairment. So began a series of medical and emotional setbacks that were to plague Rachel and her parents and strain their marriage to the breaking point. Spanning the first four years of Rachel’s life, Loving Rachel is a heartbreaking chronicle of a marriage and a compelling story of parental love told with searing honesty and surprising humor.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252074831
• ISBN-13: 978-0252074837
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a moving, complex memoir, January 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Loving Rachel (Paperback)

I thought this was a wonderful book. It manages to be not only about what it's like to give birth to a disabled child, but about the particular nuances and responses of a family, about a marriage, an older child's attempts to navigate these waters, the narrator's complex, ambivalent but ultimately loving and couragous response to the child she has borne. Nothing is simple in this book--not Rachels' progress, not her family's response to her, not the medical world that sometimes seems to hurt her as much as it helps her, not the waiting and waiting to see what Rachel will become. Nonetheless, this is a story not only about endurance, but also about the complicated, powerful workings of maternal love.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Loving Rachel, March 21, 2008

By 

Elizabeth Evans "Elizabeth Wertz Evans" (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loving Rachel: A Family's Journey from Grief (Paperback)

Jane Bernstein has done an amazing job describing the heartbreak of the initial diagnosis and the ensuing challenges of raising a child with special needs. Having been in this same position with my own daughter, I felt like Jane was sitting in my kitchen watching the struggles we were having and the ones we faced with each passing day. I have recommended this book to colleagues and other families with similar circumstances.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning personal account of the complexities of motherhood, particularly for a child with special needs, February 11, 2011

By 

Kristan Hoffman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Loving Rachel: A Family's Journey from Grief (Paperback)

Jane Bernstein was a professor/mentor of mine, and I still consider her a friend. In nearly 8 years of knowing her, I don't think I've ever had more respect for her than I did while reading this book. First of all, the writing is impeccable. Second, her honesty, about even the ugliest of feelings or thoughts, blew me away. And finally, what she endured, and how, astounded me.

I can't quite explain the complex feelings that this book evoked in me. Hope, disappointment, joy, frustration, fear, gratitude, understanding... All I can say is that I never felt pity, and I never felt like Jane wanted me (the reader) to.

The "sequel," RACHEL IN THE WORLD, is en route to me right now. I'd also love to see RACHEL IS, a documentary by Charlotte Glynn, Jane's other daughter and Rachel's older sister. Unfortunately I'm not sure how to go about doing that, since it had limited screenings a few years ago... The website is [...] for anyone who is interested in seeing the trailer.