Customer Reviews

Swimming the Channel: A Widow's Journey to Life

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book should have a warning lable on it: "# 1 Tear Jerker." Don't get me wrong, Swimming the Channel, does ultimately include the author's triumph over pain and hardship, however it is not as the title might seem to suggest, a book about a swimmer's triumph over the English Channel. The book takes the reader through an artist's struggle to come to terms with the loss of her husband. It is a deeply personal and passionate account of how Sally used her long-distance swimming talent throughout her struggles and losses. The book is written in a journal-style that is sometimes shockingly honest, but always gripping.

Sally Friedman has written an unflinching account of her
very special relationship with her husband. His death on
the morning of her journey to swim the English Channel
was a heartbreaking tragedy which almost stopped Friedman's
own life in its tracks. Instead, she has expressed her love
and respect for him in this meaningful testament to the
memory of their years together. Forced to face a life that
was irrevocably different than the life she loved so much,
Friedman has found a way to live on without forcing herself
to push Paul out of her mind. At times her honesty brought
me to tears; just as often, it warmed my heart. Friedman
reminds us that we must all be careful not to waste
opportunities for happiness with the ones we love.