I'll Be Seeing You: A Memoir
Oct 2020 · Sold by Random House
5.0star
3 reviews
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224
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About this ebook
The beloved New York Times bestselling author tells the poignant love story of caring for her parents in their final years in this beautifully written memoir.
“I’ll Be Seeing You moved me and broadened my understanding of the human condition.”—Wally Lamb, author of I Know This Much Is True
Elizabeth Berg’s father was an Army veteran who was a tough man in every way but one: He showed a great deal of love and tenderness to his wife. Berg describes her parents’ marriage as a romance that lasted for nearly seventy years; she grew up watching her father kiss her mother upon leaving home, and kiss her again the instant he came back. His idea of when he should spend time away from her was never.
But then Berg’s father developed Alzheimer’s disease, and her parents were forced to leave the home they loved and move into a facility that could offer them help. It was time for the couple’s children to offer, to the best of their abilities, practical advice, emotional support, and direction—to, in effect, parent the people who had for so long parented them. It was a hard transition, mitigated at least by flashes of humor and joy. The mix of emotions on everyone’s part could make every day feel like walking through a minefield. Then came redemption.
I’ll Be Seeing You charts the passage from the anguish of loss to the understanding that even in the most fractious times, love can heal, transform, and lead to graceful—and grateful—acceptance.
“I’ll Be Seeing You moved me and broadened my understanding of the human condition.”—Wally Lamb, author of I Know This Much Is True
Elizabeth Berg’s father was an Army veteran who was a tough man in every way but one: He showed a great deal of love and tenderness to his wife. Berg describes her parents’ marriage as a romance that lasted for nearly seventy years; she grew up watching her father kiss her mother upon leaving home, and kiss her again the instant he came back. His idea of when he should spend time away from her was never.
But then Berg’s father developed Alzheimer’s disease, and her parents were forced to leave the home they loved and move into a facility that could offer them help. It was time for the couple’s children to offer, to the best of their abilities, practical advice, emotional support, and direction—to, in effect, parent the people who had for so long parented them. It was a hard transition, mitigated at least by flashes of humor and joy. The mix of emotions on everyone’s part could make every day feel like walking through a minefield. Then came redemption.
I’ll Be Seeing You charts the passage from the anguish of loss to the understanding that even in the most fractious times, love can heal, transform, and lead to graceful—and grateful—acceptance.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
3 reviews
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October 28, 2020
This exceptional memoir from Elizabeth Berg came to me at the most needed time. over the last few years, my family has lost three members to age, two stricken for years with Alzheimer's before their deaths. I had no idea this internal rage and sense of unfairness was a basically normal response to the death of a dear one. 'Still Alice' helped a lot with understanding the personality changes and angst involved in the lives of Edie and Ann. Mom's death should not have caught me so off-guard - she was 88 with a history of heart problems - but the habit of caring for her and her home, scurrying across the mountains to take her to doctor appointments and lab works, was such an ingrained part of my life that I still feel totally lost a year and a half out. This book helped me so much to put into perspective the letting go necessary to make life once again whole for me. Thank you, Ms. Berg, for your frankness and for sharing with us your troubles, so we can see our own in a better light. I received a free electronic ARC of this memoir on September 29, 2020, from Netgalley, Elizabeth Berg, and Random House Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this work of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of "I'll Be Seeing You". Elizabeth Berg writes from the heart to the heart. Her novels "Talk Before Sleep" and "Range of Motion" are one's I revisit every couple of years. "I'll Be Seeing You" will be added to that short shelf of must-read-again books.
About the author
Elizabeth Berg is the author of many bestselling novels, including The Confession Club, Night of Miracles, The Story of Arthur Truluv, Open House (an Oprah’s Book Club selection), Talk Before Sleep, and The Year of Pleasures, as well as the short story collection The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted. Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year. She adapted The Pull of the Moon into a play that enjoyed sold-out performances in Chicago and Indianapolis. Berg’s work has been published in thirty countries, and three of her novels have been turned into television movies. She is the founder of Writing Matters, a quality reading series dedicated to serving author, audience, and community. She teaches one-day writing workshops and is a popular speaker at venues around the country. Some of her most popular Facebook postings have been collected in Make Someone Happy, Still Happy, and Happy to Be Here. She lives outside Chicago.
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