Range of Motion: A Novel [Paperback]

Elizabeth Berg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000

From the New York Times bestselling author of Talk Before Sleep and What We Keep comes "the love story of the year" (Detroit Free Press). A woman waiting for her husband to awake from a coma discovers the meaning of love, friendship, and faith.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Readers who thought The Bridges of Madison County was a romantic book should try this story of honest and enduring love from the author of Talk Before Sleep (LJ 3/15/94). The first-person narrative describes an ordinary woman caught up in unusual circumstances. Lainey is a wife/mother/office worker whose life is suddenly changed when her husband is sent into a coma by a freak accident. The only one who believes that he will one day wake up, she visits him daily, bringing him stimulus from everyday life in an attempt to reach him. "I line up the little spice bags all across his chest. All across his University of California T-shirt are requests from the kitchen. Come back, says the curry, the oregano. And me." Lainey is sustained through her ordeal by the support of two special women: Alice, who lives next door, and Evie, the ghost of the woman who lived in Lainey's house in the Forties. A touching and enjoyable read, this novel is romantic without being a romance. Highly recommended for popular fiction collections.?Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati Technical Coll.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Berg's impeccable prose gives voice to that element in our psyche that enables us to cope with the impossible. In her last novel, Talk before Sleep , the impossible was terminal cancer. Here tragedy is tinged with a painful sense of the absurd: the narrator's husband, Jay, is hit on the head by ice falling off a building, an accident that sends him into a coma. Lainey loves Jay with her whole heart and refuses even to consider the possibility that this condition could lead inexorably toward death. Lainey goes to the nursing home every day, bringing Jay flowers, his favorite clothes, and their two confused young daughters. And she talks to him, touches him, tries to draw him back to the world of the living. At home, Lainey tempers her fear with fantasies about an all-knowing "ghost woman" who encourages her to be strong. In less capable hands, this story line would be unbearably mawkish, but Berg writes on a higher plane. We can't control life, Berg tells us, but it sure helps to have faith. Donna Seaman --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042516876X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425168769
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #851,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Berg won the NEBA Award for fiction for her body of work, and was a finalist for the ABBY for Talk Before Steep. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, and the New York Times Magazine. She has also taught a writing workshop at Radcliffe College. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful book from Berg - although not her best, April 19, 2000

By 

"neeterskeeter27" (http://www.neeterskeeter.com/new) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Range of Motion: A Novel (Paperback)

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

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another fast read by Elizabeth Berg., July 7, 2001

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Range of Motion (Paperback)

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!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets under the surface of things, and sticks with you, September 25, 2003

By 

Karen Abraham (Hoboken, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Range of Motion: A Novel (Paperback)

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.