Jacquelyn Mitchard Books

It can't get any cuter than Baby Bat's Lullaby! A wonderful book with brilliant illustrations and a story to match. This is a great book that introduces children to these curious and intelligent creatures that are so very important to our ecosystem. You will want to buy more than one so you can share it with adults and children alike. I did!

Baby Bat doesn't want to nest down for the day, so Mother Bat must convince him that it's a good idea. To wear him out, she takes him on an exploratory flight, encountering many beautiful and curious sights.

With gorgeous illustrations and sweet verse, Baby Bat's Lullaby will capture young children's imaginations. The soft details open youngsters' eyes to the simple beauty of a misunderstood creature, while the rhythm soothes the day's anxieties away.

Truly a classic-to-be, I recommend this title to all parents with young children.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer, whose daughter adores this book.
6/17/2006

I am a fan of Jacquelyn Mitchard and am surprised and DELIGHTED she is now writing childrens books! In her wonderful wordsmithing way, she takes us on a journey of mother and child...it was sweet, endearing, and coupled with the beautiful illustrations will become a classic, I'm sure.

Baby Bat shines with Jacquelyn Mitchard's lyrical descriptions and Julia Noonan's excellent illustrations. I love Mitchard's writing, but I never expected her to tackle bats! But this paean to Mother Love, with its lovely rhymes and luminous pictures of soaring bats, is going to win over both kids--and their parents.

Outstanding...sweet, lovable, soft and cuddly. Mitchard does it again with her rich mosaic of work and Noonan's illustrations. A MUST for every "trick or treater" this year...and what a treat it is. Keep 'em comin' Jacquelyn!

I finished ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN last night and it's been on my mind all day today. What I find intriguing is that it's been packaged as a YA novel when I think it's a wonderful novel for all ages.

Jacquelyn Mitchard has the innate and rare gift of knowing how to tell a story well. With seamless skill, she introduces readers to two young girls who could easily live in your own neighborhood, then she grabs you by the throat and takes you on an up/down roller coaster ride that will leave you flipping the pages well into the night. I can't see how anyone could read this novel and NOT think about the characters and what they went through for days and months to come.

I have read and reviewed many books over the past two years that have impressed me. I have read only a handful, however, that have touched me as deeply as ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. This is a book that's hard to describe in detail, due mainly to the fact that I don't want to give too much of the story away. Suffice it to say, however, that it's a story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

Two girls, Bridget and Maureen, who are so similar and yet so different at the same time. They have nearly identical body shapes, have the same colored hair and eyes, and even share many of the same mannerisms and characteristics. They've been best friends for several years, and yet there's a part of Maureen that understands that Bridget considers her to be her friend out of convenience, and for what she can provide for her.

Then there is an accident, a deadly one, and the lives of two girls and their families are forever changed. One girl dies, one girl lives. One family buries their daughter, one rejoices and yet fears over the fact that their daughter, now forever changed, lies unconscious and unknowing in a hospitable bed. Yet through it all, interspersed throughout the pages of the story, are the tangled thoughts of a young woman, who is unable to grasp even the simplest words and put them to the images she sees, yet who understands the concept that she's not the girl everyone seems to think she is.

The wrong daughter buried, the wrong family rejoicing. Fear, regret, heartbreak, happiness, hope -- and with it all, through it all, tinged by it all, lies guilt. Guilt that one girl survived, and one didn't. Guilt that one mother once hoped her daughter might die, to spare them all the pain of a long recovery. Guilt that one family's prayers seemed to be answered, and another's joy was cut short.

Guilt that one girl is not the other, could never be the other, and yet seems to be stepping into the life that girl left behind.

Jacquelyn Mitchard can write. She writes so well, in fact, that the reader is unable to step outside of the story of Maureen and Bridget once they've begun reading it. You can feel the pain, the happiness, the sorrow. You understand, and you grieve, and you rejoice, right along with the characters of ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. This is a story you won't soon forget -- nor will you want to.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

from Jacquelyn Mitchard.
I was drawn in by the premise right away and while I was reading I was drawn in by the characters...I'm a former high school teacher and I think this is a great book to recommend to teens and anyone else who wants a gripping story.
I knew I would be in trouble if I started reading a Jacquelyn Mitchard novel in the evening and sure enough I was still reading at 2 in the morning. Her novels are the definition of "unputdownable."

I really loved this story, character name notwithstanding!

I have said in the past, and it holds true in her teen fiction as well, Ms. Mitchard is a consummate storyteller. I love that at the end of any of her stories, I know how the characters are continuing to live their lives, in spite of, or sometimes because of, the adversity they faced.

This is a story of many different types of love, the love of friends, the love of family, the romantic love between two people, and most importantly, the love of self. It was inspired in part by several real life events, but it is truly a work of fiction. The feelings ring true and the characters seem like real friends. You can't help but cheer at times, and jeer at others, sometimes simultaneously.

I was deeply touched by this book and ordered an additional copy for each of the teen girls in my life.

I am reading "The Rest of Us" now and can relate to so many of Ms. Mitchard's essays. She has a gift for immortalizing the precious little moments of motherhood that we tend to forget in the busyiness of our daily lives. She is the "Every Mother" of the '90's and I wish our newspaper carried her column. Some days I could really use her clear vision and wry humor.

I've never read Jacquelyn Mitchard's columns in newspapers, what I did read was her brilliant first novel "The Deep End of the Ocean". Then I opened this book, read "Better Scared Than Scarred" & I couldn't put it down. Jacqelyn Mitchard is a kindred spirit, someone with an ineffably wry, dry, poignant sense of humor. Who sees an outrage & decides to humor it; who has life catch at her throat & writes like her life depended on it, which it does. A must read for anyone who thinks their own life is drab! For my full review please go to: ( )

I found "The Rest of Us" interesting and very easy to get through; even though this book is in fact a compilation of her Sunday columns (for which this book is named) rather than a novel, reading it was not a laborious essay-after-essay task. Mitchard's essays often hold quite a bit of truth, humor, and wisdom in them, as well as emotional power. She also did manage to convince me that she's just an ordinary woman like "the rest of us" despite the fact that she, extraordinarly, was a widow and active journalist--with five children, no less!--when she wrote many of these pieces. The only problem I encountered while reading was that her sentences sometimes seemed a bit convoluted and difficult to follow; her overall points were usually clear, however. I plan to buy this book for my mom, as I have found that Mitchard is, above all, a mother--her maternal side shines through in many of her pieces and could prove to be helpful for any mother.

I love the title of this book, a collection of Jacqueline Mitchard's newspaper columns, which are published every Sunday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

She has had quite a life: adopted a child, then was able to have three children of her own. Her husband died, quite young and very quickly, of cancer. She then adopted another child, the story of which was very moving. She then re-married and adopted yet again. In addition to writing a weekly column, she has also written several best-selling novels.

I think her columns are very well done and usually strike a note that is familiar to my life or the life of someone I know. I actually like them more than her fiction. The columns are alternately nostalgic, funny, wry, sad, bittersweet. She is a very clever observer of family life and the things in our world which affect families.

Here are the titles of some of her columns/articles in this book:

*Loneliness of the Long-Distance Talker
*Dare to say "Underwear" - about ordering from Victoria's Secret catalog when a male order-taker answers the phone
*My Son the Warrior
*When You're Out with the In Crowd
*The Mother of My Child
*Tragedy in a Bottle
*My Best Buds, the Brontes
*The Citadel:Disgrace Under Pressure
*Home Cooking in the Drive-thru Lane
*Tupperware is Life
*The Great Green Garage Sale

I think almost anyone would enjoy reading these columns and highly recommend it.

My second grade daughter loves this book and I like it too. It is well written and funny. Recommended!

As the grandmother of 3 adoptees, I was eager to get this
book an was sorely disappointed. It did not give me any
insights...........a lot of it I just could not relate to.
I made myself read it through to the end, hoping that
I would find some thoughts that would connect me to the
poems, etc. Fortunately, my precious adoptees are all
aware of their beginnings, know that God makes all children and
is the glue that holds all families together.

Susan Ito and Tina Cervin have skillfully compiled a beautiful meditation that challenges our most insidious assumptions of what it means to be a True Family. Required reading for anyone with a beating heart.

You don't need to be an adopted child or adoptive parent to love this collection. You need only to have been a child or a parent. This collection is about the strings that link us to the most important people in our lives. From the stories by Chitra Divakurni and Isabel Allende to the poetry by editors Susan Ito and Tina Cervin - what gems! This is a book that -"after the long drought and the barren silence" (from a poem by Edward Hirsch included in the collection) - embraces families of all ethnicities and walks of life to shine a literary light on what it means to be a parent, to be a child. I feel so lucky to have found it. Highly recommended.

"A Ghost at Heart's Edge" is a rich tapestry of truth, beauty and pain, woven with heartfelt honesty. It offers rarely seen glimpses into all facets of adoption, not just the standard "joyous" reunions that are always more complex in real life than in TV drama. It should be required reading for anyone considering adoption. For those already adopted or who have adopted a child, it will ring with boldly familiar truth. I am pleased to be included in this groundbreaking work.

As as adoptive mom & as a writer, I find it hard to locate books that satisfy my yearning for both literary fulfillment AND insight into the "triad" that is Adotpion. "Ghost at Heart's Edge" is that rare book; It's elevating intellectually, an imaginative opening (lots of them) while giving deep thought to what adoption, at its "heart" entails.

This is not a "reunion" book, good though those are, nor is it a psychological tome, good though theory can be for understanding. Rather, this compendium is literature of a high order and insight with unusual depth. I've carried my copy, literally, from East coast to West, from Canada to Hawaii, hoping to meet one of the editors and get it signed. Along the way, I dip in and out of these poems and stories, and am never anything but fully immersed. Highly recommended, and not just for those who are in Adoptive world, but for us with a hole in our hearts or, better said by the editors, with a Ghost at the Heart's Edge, which includes virtually all of us. Yes? Yes!

While this has none of the depth of Charlotte's Web or Stuart Little,this is fun. Cutesy at times, but fun. Balletomanes will particularly enjoy this story.
Readers who enjoy this tale should discover the "Miss Bianca" stories of Marjorie Sharp--they were dumbed down by Disney, but the real "Rescuers" is a delight, and I'm sure Miss Bianca would have had season tickets for the Ballet Rodente!

Jacquelyn Mitchard's wit and wordsmith shine through in this charming young adult novel about a precocious mouse named Prima who lives with her extended mouse family in the Ballet Jolie in New York City. She is the granddaughter of a world renown ballerina and yearns to perform on the stage herself. But she also is a rascal and imp and accomplishes the forbidden: she befriends a human, a young girl named Kristen. Mouse and girl share adventures filled with friendship and love, as well as that mixture of joy and sorrow known to all humans and to mice. Starring Prima is a delightful tale that will leave you applauding and just possibly dabbing the corner of your eyes.

Mitchard nails it here: this is a fun, funny, magical trip into a special little world that all of us, way back in the recesses of our imaginations, feel really DOES exist. One sparkling peek into the little world-within-a-world behind the scenes and scenery of a ballet company, and you'll never doubt again. What you knew as a kid (and what your kid knows yet) is true: Mice do talk, and love, and care. And oh, how they dance. Share this delightful, thoughtful book with your kids--and thus allow them to share a bit of their world with you, too. In the exchange, you'll win.

This is a great way to teach children the meaning of friendship, love for the differences in people, cultures and to always believe in your dream. Mitchard spins her word magic again and now for the children. It is a must buy for the prima's in your life.

Jacquelyn Mitchard (The Deep End of the Ocean, The Most Wanted) joins the roster of bestselling authors who have turned their golden pens to children's literature. Ms. Mitchard also reads her first venture into young readers books with charm and wit.

Prima, we learn with her first words is destined for greatness. "I as born to dance," she exults. Now, there aren't too many four legged ballerinas around, but that doesn't daunt this wee mouse. She's bent on becoming the lead dancer with the American Ballet Rodente.

While Prima envisions applause, tutus, and accomplished glissades, Meowsky, an alert kitten, envisions Prima as prime rib. Will this little ball of fur thwart Prima's ambitions? Listen and see.

"Starring Prima!" will be a sure hit with all elementary age girls who share the little mouse's desire to dance.

- Gail Cooke

"Jack" as she's called by her husband, is a one woman dynamo exposing her soul in the most private and gut-wrenching of times. Through her writing we see the world from the eyes of the bereaved - even though it was just a "fetus" that was lost - as one of her relatives callously put it. Grieving is grieving and Mitchard exposes the follies of both those who suffer, those who live with them and the industry built up around such people, as well as the heart-ache that is liberally spread around. Heart-ache that may be felt, but not necessarily talked about.

A real eye-opener.

This book kept me riveted from the first page to the last. Jacquelyn Mitchard's true story of infertility and adoption are so personal, that at times I felt guilty reading parts of it. She bares her soul and it makes for a fascinating read. Even if you've never had a problem getting pregnant,she writes about so many other facets of her life, marital trouble, step-daughter, relationships with her father and brother etc. I felt like I was reading someone's private journal. A very interesting journal. It was fascinating reading how Ms Mitchard reacted to events she couldn't control. Since this book was published very early in her career, I wondered if she regretted her candor, years after it was published.

After discovering "Dispatches From the Mother Ship" quite by accident (and loving it) I searched out any book by this author. I didn't expect a memoir that was so emotional and compelling. At times so desparate- but it has a hopeful ending.

I started reading this book because our book club is going to review it. I was disappointed from about page one. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( pretty liberal member ), and I was very offended by the fact that the author did not have one single fact straight regarding the Mormon religion, which is central to this story. Some of her facts about our church are aggregiously inaccurate and knowing that people all over the country are reading these gross misrepresentations about our culture and religion is most frustrating. As for the story, I have never had to grieve over something so heinous as this murder, but I have a friend who has, and it seemed the dysfunctionality of this family went on and on and on. The characters were not fleshed out very well and nothing held me to this book. Once I got online and read over more of the reviews, I could easily figure out the ending, so spared myself the waste of time of finishing the last 1/3 of the book. On to better literature. Mary Silver, Farmington, Utah

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat; the main character has all good qualities and you want her to succeed with the best of her winning - great read!db

This book presents a dilemma that all of us will sometime face,to forgive another individual for the hurt and pain they have caused us and those we love. No matter what others may say about forgiving another, the decision to forgive always comes from an individual's own choice. This book shows the struggle involved in forgiving and presents a good story. However, if you read this book with the idea that you will learn about the Mormon church and its members please note that the author did some research about the Mormons but failed to go to their church and see what really happens at a Mormon Church. She learned that they have temples, but does not understand what really happens there. She learned about the Church officers and organizations but not how they function or what is done by the officers or at the meetings. If you want to know more about "Mormons" please come to our Church meetings and ask us some quesions. We'd love to show you what we really do and what we really believe. It is nice that Ms. Mitchard chose to use the Mormon Church as a group that teaches forgiveness which we do, but there was so much that she did not get right.

I had a hard time with the end of this book. I was seduced by the premise- sheltered religious teen witnesses murders of her younger sisters. Ronnie, our protagonist and narrator, is a belieavble character (at first!!!). I expected her to be a little more precocious than her more worldy peers, so I wasn't bothered by her dialogue (for most of the book!!!). We are watching her struggle with murder, revenge, closure, and faith- it's more effective when she's analytical, deep, etc.

My first problem is with the heavy dose of Mormon apologetics. (I don't know enough about the faith to critique the information.) Her Mormon faith doesn't have THAT much to do with the story. Yes, GOD wants us to forgive- a tenant of all Christian faiths- no need to throw in details about Mormonism. (Also, Mitchard left me hanging. Ronnie talks about having the sunflower as her patron flower- particular to Mormons. But, tell us more. Tell us about the ceremony!!!)

The second problem with Ronnie's move to San Diego. Her parents know the murderer is living there; wouldn't they have caught on to Ronnie's scheme? Ronnie's friendships seemed very contrived. Kevin, Shira, Mrs. Desmond, etc. What would a 16 year old have in common with a 21 year old? And the "resurrection" of one of these friends was also over the top!!! Her scheme to enact revenge on the murderer was also predictable... and the resolution just lame!!!

The conclusion was so sickening that I skimmed most of it. Ronnie's education is hackneyed- her marriage even more!!! (The proposal was sooo ridiculous!!! I didn't think she THAT close to the guy!) And, just when it couldn't get any sillier, the murderer makes one last appearance. I wasn't even interested or surprised, seeing as the book was already coated in sugar.

Cage of Stars is an "after school special" (remember those?) at best. Read, but don't expect too much depth.

The beginning of "Cage of Stars" was a bit dragged out and boring. The ending was tied up too neatly and was anti-climatic. The middle of the book was very good.

Winesburg, Ohio is a collection of 20+ short stories about life in the small town of Winesburt, Ohio (a fictional town). The great thing about these stories is that they overlap and many of the characters make more than one appearance. The book covers life at the turn of the century and deals with everything from: envy, lonliness, wanting a sense of adventure, love, being lost, family and just gettin' by.

It's not a fast paced book by any means, it's a thoughtful composition of every day life, which is exactly why it is so enjoyable!

Winesburg, Ohio was written by Sherwood Anderson about a small town in Ohio. Not the town now known as Winesburg, Ohio, but another smalltown called Clyde, Ohio.
I read this book in 9th grade & I could recognize some of the places in the book. They are still there in my hometown.

Often credited as an inspiration by the renowned literati of the 20th century, Sherwood Anderson exhibited his subtle fineness and simple genius when he penned `Winesburg, Ohio' in 1919. Told as a collection of short stories, the `grotesque' inhabitants of the secluded town of Winesburg begin to relate to a young reporter, George Willard, and open up from the confinements of their society, revealing their inner hopes that will never be fulfilled, and their true sentiments that will remain repressed.

In each story, the reader is invited to observe the attempts by different townsfolk--of all social glass--attempting to seek recognition, respectability and happiness within the community, while all the time internally seeking to justify their own existence in a society that does not seem to befit the effort. Cynicism abounds, as the characters either accept their failed hopes, or are seen to shrilly grasp onto the last motivation for any seemingly purposeful existence. While each character has the potential to be of some significance, all fail in achieving this, remaining inconsequential to the wider world. The opening up to George can be seen as a desperate to attempt to inject solid meaning onto their lives; unintentionally offering George (and the reader) a glimpse into the likely the future for the majority.

A book which explores the emotions behind failed ambition, despair and social cohesion, `Winesburg, Ohio' is a classic cogitation on the American Dream and the place of the individual in the greater world.

Let's just start with the fact that Faulkner, Hemingway, and Wolfe worshiped at this man's feet and that this book is the reason why. There are many reviewers here that just can't figure out what the author is trying to get across. How is that possible? He states it flat out in just about every story, but in the Book of the Grotesque, he's abundantly clear. We each seize upon an obsession that deforms us to the point that we are incommunicable to each other. Anderson then goes on to observe case studies of that dynamic in action.

This book is completely underrated for its impact. If you wonder why you begin to enjoy short stories right around 1920, this is the reason. Anderson created the purely psychological revelatory ending. It took Raymond Carver to knock that out of vogue, but it was vulnerable primarily because it had been done so many times. I will stand fully behind the arguement that the only short story worth your time before this is Joyce's The Dead, and that's because it has an Andersonesque ending. If anyone can provide another example, I'm dying to know.

Anderson created the modern short story with this book. He lost credibility later because he wasn't able to follow this stunning first act. However, he inspired and mentored America's next generation of authors, and his relegation to the literary dung heap is absurd. Granted that he took almost his entire mood and subject matter from Spoon River Anthology, but he certainly delivered a masterpiece in short order.

All of Anderson's short stories are worthwhile, and I wish that you could easily find his later collections in print. Triumph of the Egg, Horses and Men, and Death in the Woods are each spectacular collections, but don't have the cohesion of Winesburg. Individually, however, there are stronger stories in the other collections, so seek them out if you like Winesburg. Anderson finds the mythic in the commonplace and presents it in the language of the common man of the time. It's inspiring, and nobel prize winning careers have been made in the attempt to pull off the same effect. Only Faulkner can claim to have succeeded.

This is one of those books which juxtaposes stereotypes with realities. This is an amazingly well written book delivered in amazingly clever style.

The book is about the good life in the small town of Winesburg, where the good life is not so good for all of the folks. The warm and fuzzy people in Winesburg can be as cold and abrasive as the city folk. Young lovers in Winesburg can grow to become old people who hate one another. A momentary mistake in judgment can become an everlasting scar on one's integrity among peers in Winesburg. Best intentions by grandparents to grandchildren can be received in a worst manner. Winesburg is the All American City where bad things can happen to good people.

Like his peer, Theodore Dreiser ("Sister Carrie" and "An American Tragedy"), Anderson depicts American ideals in less than appealing colors. True stories, or fictional accounts, include failures as well as successes. Most people are donned as ordinary, and the extraordinary worthy of literature are often the happiest 5% and the saddest 5%. Anderson concentrates on the latter.

But, do not believe this is droll or mundane reading about others' hard luck. This book is indicative of its time. Not belabored by overly aggressive use of the English language, it flows easily in its narrative. Like shipyard yarns, you must hear or read more. The stories snare you. And, you seem to want to read the next when you finish what you thought to be your last.

Before I started, I read that this was a group of short stories which all take place in Winesburg. I think one could also describe the book as a novel about George Willard which is delivered in a short-story format. It discusses young journalist Willard's observations of his town and how he, like Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey of "It's a Wonderful Life", is busting to get out of his small town.

And, this book - written a century ago - amazingly reads well today. Anderson really hit a chord with this reader with this book.

While Breakdown Lane was not as good as I was anticipating, especially after really enjoying books like Cage of Stars, The Most Wanted and Deep End of the Ocean, it was still a good read.

This book was a little slow at the beginning for me, I didn't immediately feel drawn to the characters like I normally do in a good book. But, it picked up a little ways in and the storyline kept me reading and wanting to know what was going to happen. At the same time I began to appreciate the characters in this book and their situation. (Even if a few of them I couldn't relate to or to a point makes the reader despise them.)

Over-all, I liked the book and have Now You See Her on my to-read list. I think Mitchard is a unique, creative writer and would recommend her.

I actually picked up this book on the recommendation of--don't laugh!--Stephen King. As one of the ten books he recommended for late summer reads in an issue of Entertainment Weekly Magazine, the premise hooked me.

The book centers around a woman who not only loses her husband to a wacky desire to live a simpler and more-fulfilling life, but has to single-handedly raise two teenagers and a young daughter by herself, all while dealing with her diagnosis of MS.

THE BREAKDOWN LANE is women's fiction at its best. I actually enjoyed the two first-person accounts that make up the book (it's in the form of a journal belonging to the mother and one written by the son). Although it does end up with a rather happily-ever-after ending, this book details life in all its ups and downs--and you'll appreciate being along for the ride.

I wasn't thrilled with the end but it was an entertaining book. It was a little like being a fly on the wall while someone's life was falling apart. One of those irresistable, slow down and look at the wreck, kind of things. I loved the irony of the job of the main character as a Dear Abby type columnist, giving advice to the world while hers disintigrated.

This turned out to be one heck of a deal. I got it for less than four bucks off of Amazon and it was worth every penny and more! The plot was pretty juicy, with a lot of melodrama, perfect for that week when you want to eat a lot of pizza and chocolate-ladies you know what I'm talking about. What's more is the characters are very real, you will easily find yourself relating and asking, "could that ever be me?" Needless to say, it's fiction and Mitchard provides what I like- the fairy tale happy ending. Well as close to fairy tale as this story will allow. Because of this, the book's believability(is that even a word?) rate drops a bit, but hey, it's fiction! A good solid read, perfect for the beach, a rainy weekend, or...that time of the month.

Just as Julieanne Gillis and her three children are beginning to adjust to her husband's sudden departure, things get even worse...Julie's been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Julie's health quickly deteriorates, and there are days on end when she can't muster the strength to get out of bed, let alone attend to her children, home or newspaper job. Fifteen-year-old Gabe quickly takes on the role of surrogate father, taking care of two-year-old Aury and actually writing Julie's advice column responses for her. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Caro begins to act out, taking advantage of the fact that her mother is in no condition to control her.

As the months pass and the family is unable to contact Leo, the two older siblings decide they've got to find him. Surely, they think, their father could not be so unsympathetic as to ignore their ailing mother! So they dig through his old computer, searching for emails that might hint at where Leo has gone.

Hiding their adventure from their mother, Gabe and Caro set off halfway across America. While they succeed in locating Leo rather quickly, they aren't the least bit prepared for what he's been doing since he left the family...

Having a chronic illness myself, I could easily relate to Julieanne's struggles. Mitchard has done an excellent job, depicting the see-saw of illness -- one day where you feel like you can do just about anything, followed by others where you wish you were dead. Julie's moods are also striking in their realism, as she lashes out in fury at her children -- the very people upon whom she depends. It's enough to make you want to cry for a fictitious character, and hope against hope that this family will be able to pull itself together for the future.