March, Before Spring [Paperback]

Stephanie Mendel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Stephanie Mendel’s poetry captures the devastation of losing a spouse, and ultimately offers comfort and hope to widows and widowers of making it through the intense grief of such a loss.  The book has been used in groups dealing with the loss of a spouse at Hospice of Marin and other organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The poems use details of everyday life to make approachable the devastation of loss and the ability to find hope." -- Fred Silverman, grief counselor, 1999

"These artful poems are tracts for the living — praise pieces, prayers of witness and remembrance, quiet, brave and heartbreakingly real." -- Dorianne Laux, poet, 1999

From the Publisher

March, before Spring has touched hundreds of people. Letters have poured in sharing the common feelings that people experience when coping with a terminal illness and the death of a loved one. Anyone who has cared for a loved one in their dying or who has known someone who has, will want to have quiet moments with this book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: O'Brien & Whitaker, Publishers; 3rd edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966843118
• ISBN-13: 978-0966843118
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 4.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,311,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About "March, before Spring", June 12, 2001

By 

Aurelia M. Goldman (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: March, Before Spring (Paperback)

March, before Spring puts into words what I feel. It has the honesty of emotions that make up grief and shock of loss. I couldn't put the book down. Than I read it again. I found the poetry to be both comforting and healing.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poems of love, grief and healing, July 21, 2001

By 

Catharine T. Clark Sayles "clarksayles" (CA ,USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: March, Before Spring (Paperback)

Ms. Mendel's poems are stunning.She balances love and grief on the small details of ordinary life: an old shirt, the crumbs left on the counter, the dent left in a pillow. They speak softly but can tear your heart as the poems recall her husband, their love, his death from cancer and her struggle through grief. My first reading left me in tears; each subsequent reading shows me more of Ms. Mendel's power to give voice to near-overwhelming grief and what it takes to overcome such a loss. I am a physician and I prescribe copies to patients coping with the loss of a beloved. The local Hospice organization keeps copies in their library. The poems carry great healing power as well as beauty.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Book, May 5, 2004

By 

marian (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: March, Before Spring (Paperback)

A second printing for a poetry book is always something to celebrate, and especially this book. March, Before Spring has touched many people since it was first published. The letters sharing the common feelings that people experience upon discovering terminal disease and the death of a loved one, have encouraged the author to make the book available to hospice groups working with individuals to help them through their grieving. When Stephanie Mendel reads from this book, people listen. Anyone who has cared for a loved one in their dying or who has known someone who has, will want to have quiet moments with March, Before Spring. They will hear their hearts speaking deeply.