Customer Reviews

Range of Motion

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't know how many wonderful books I've read by ElizabethBerg, and Range of Motion keeps the same great standard. It is full ofbeautiful prose, moving emotional scenes, and realistic dialogue. Itis the story of a woman whose husband is in a coma. Thoughout thenovel she must deal with the pain it is brining her to see her husbandso far away, and she also must help her two young daughters face the same feelings. The book backtracts to discuss the relationship between the woman and her husband before his accident, and the reader can see it is a rare story of true love. That makes his condition all the more sad, because for the first time in her life since she met him, she must deal with the absence of the love of her life.

An interesting subplot in the novel was that of the main character's best friend and her failing marriage. This relationship was painted in such a way that it drew much sympathy from me, and I felt that the best friend really came to life in the book.

A weird quirk in this novel was the character of a ghost, an old lady who used to own the main character's house. I realize that the ghost helped the woman cope in her lonliness, but I felt it was unrealistic. I guess the main character temporarily went crazy, and this led to hallucinations and talking to the ghost. This part was supposed to be touching, but to me it was fake. And although most of the imagery was fantastic, there were some points at which I felt it was a bit forced. I felt that the images in Berg's other novels were much more natural. These were the only problems I had with the novel, and I loved the plot and the characters.

For those who have never read a Berg novel, I recommend starting with one of her other ones, such as Durable Goods, Joy School, or What We Keep. But for those who are already familiar with Berg, Range of Motion, although in my opinion not her best, will not let you down, for everything she writes is great.

**NOTE: I am only giving this book 4 stars because I am comparing it to other Berg books. However, compared to all books in general I would give it 5 stars. :) END

RANGE OF MOTION by Elizabeth Berg is the story of Lainey, whose husband Jay is in a coma due to an icicle falling on his head and knocking him out. Lainey sees the humor in all this, and at the same time tries to deal with a future that may not include the love of her life. Her emotions are up and down and she prays and hopes that he will awaken one day. She tries all sorts of things to bring him out of his coma, bringing to the hospital things from home that may stir his mind and help bring him out of the coma. She also spends a lot of time reminiscing about time spent with Jay, the romantic things, the every day things.

At the same time, Lainey notices how her two children are dealing with this tragedy. The oldest Sarah does not seem to be coping well at all, and at times refuses to even see Dad.

Lainey struggles with her emotions, and gets support from her neighbor Alice, who is going through some rough times of her own. The book gets into Alice's troubles, where she is worried that her husband is having an affair with someone at work. The conclusion to this subplot was rather interesting, and I was glad that it got resolved! (The reader was not left hanging).

I think this is my 4th book by Elizabeth Berg, and as with the others I enjoyed reading it a lot. However, I don't feel this is my favorite of her books. I was expecting something with more substance. The book was well-written as all her books are, but I felt that she could have delved more into Lainey's past with Jay and maybe got more into detail about the relationship with the two daugthers. Overall, though, this was a good read!

This was the first book I read by Elizabeth Berg. It was one of those happy accidents where you decide to try that book in the bargain pile by an author you don't know, and it turns out to be one of your favorites. I love the tenderness of Lainey's relationship with Jay, how she so deeply misses him, the images of how hard it is to have your partner in the terrible limbo of a coma, and how hard it must be to be the only one who believes he'll ever wake up. Lainey's internal dialogue is very interesting, how her view of the world both evolves and doesn't while she deals with her situation. And as with all of Elizabeth Berg's novels (at least the several I've read), you can't help but find cause for optimism at the end, no matter what happens.

The images that stick with you are the way she uncovers the beauty, the poetry, in the most everyday things. That's a hallmark of her writing. It tends to point out why you should tell your partner and your children why you love them, why you should remember to look at the sunset, stop to catch snowflakes on your tongue, etc.

Just read it. Especially for this book, but to some degree for all of her novels, it's hard to describe the charm of Elizabeth Berg's writing.

Elizabeth Berg has done it again! She's written another brilliant novel that touched this reader on a deeply emotional level. While correctly classified as a family/medical drama and not a romance novel, it was sweetly romantic in its hopeful and life-affirming message. The vividly described details brought the setting and situation to life, making them very real and tangible. I adored Lainey: Her tenderness, her strength, her unwavering belief and faith, her devotion and level of commitment, her coping mechanisms. Evie and Alice were such wonderfully supportive characters. It was fascinating to be able to "listen in" on Jay's thoughts while he was in the coma.

This is one of the few books that have brought me to tears... tears rolling down my face, dripping across my nose and onto my pillow. Elizabeth Berg never handles a situation like you'd think it would (or probably should) be; she handles it in the way in which it would truly happen. What would I really think if my husband were in a coma? No really, what would I be THINKING? It's an incredibly complicated concept, even more heart-wrenching than other books about actual death that I've read. She has a wonderful, intimate way of bringing the same hurt, confusion and intensity of emotions her characters experience into the mind and heart of her readers. It's a very genuine thing that keeps me reading her stories with open ears.

This was without a doubt one of the best books I've read in some time. Elizabeth Berg has made Lainey, the main character, so belivable. You feel like one of your best friends is hurting and there's nothing you can do about it. This book was about such sadness and pain (both for Lainey and her friend Alice), but also about profound joy, and a real appreciation for the little things in life we take for granted. I will definatly read more by this author, and recommend this book to all.

I've read every book by Berg except this one, "Range of Motion."
And every single time Berg manages to move my insides around a bit, tug at my heart, and continually make me laugh, even in the midst of tragedy...
She's that kind of writer.
What I love about Berg the most is her observations about life. It's like, "Yea, man. I know just what you're talking about. I've been there. I've thought the same thing."
This is her greatest strength---Identifying with other women.

"Range of Motion" is about a marriage. It's about Lainey who is so in love with her husband that she is willing to wait for him,love him right out of a coma.
It's about believing in something so despartely that one can make impossible things happen.
And of course Berg adds characters like Alice, the next door neighbor, because she adores and knows we all adore having girlfriends to lean on,confide in, love.

Berg is a writer who does not let the reader down...but gives them a safe place to go, even if that place is falling apart at the seams, a light flickers in the distance as a kind of hand for us to hang on to.

This being the first Elizabeth Berg that I have read, I had some pretty high expectations. My mom got me this book for Christmas last year and I only got around to reading it last week. I have to say that it is one of the most engaging books I have read in a really long time.

Jay Bermann is walking to work one winter day when a huge block of ice falls off a roof and knocks him into a coma. His wife Lainey, the only one who believes that he will recover, tries in every way to revive him with his favorite shirts, spices, etc. Her enormous persistance to get him to recover is aided by the help of two extraordinary women. The wondeful style of this book makes it romantic without being romantic. The reader is in a rush to figure the outcome of the story, while at the same time they are reluctant to see it end. I look foreward to reading other books by Elizabeth Berg.

I've been hearing about Range of Motion for several years now and finally got around to reading it. For no particular reason, I expected a meaty, challenging read - something along the lines of Smiley or Hamilton. What I found was a much more simple book that left me unsatisfied. The writing is correct and the fundamental story is one worth telling. Still, there are lots of loose ends in the story. The most frustrating part is the end where it seems to me the story is just starting. What was life like with Jay back in their lives? What could they resume and what was irrevocably changed?

Bottom line -- an easy read with some thought provoking elements. Still, it is so straight forward that my book group ran out of things to talk about in the book after only 30 minutes.

This was my first novel by Ms. Berg & I found it to be pretty good.It certainly wasn't the type of a novel that you couldn't put down but it was very sentimental & brought on tears. It was once called "the love story of the year" & in a way I agree because it was out of the ordinary--the characters husband was in a coma after they had had 2 children & a majority of the book was her describing the little things he did that made him so special to her & her memories of them together.That made it romantic & touching & not like some where guy meets girl & they have sex that first night! I did enjoy it & would say it was a good choice to read .