|
Gracefully Gone by Alicia Coppola Please read this book. I was fortunate enough to make contact with Alicia Coppola through social media, and it was on mentioning her book to me, that got me really intrigued to read it. I know that most of the time when you see or hear that an accomplished actor has written a book, you just think "Here we go again, autobiography time is it?" This book turns that thought/notion upside down. What Alicia has done is open her heart by combining her journals, and those of her late father's, Matthew. Her father Matthew was diagnosed with brain cancer, he was not even 40. Alicia was 12 years old, and not even a teenager when she had to deal with this! She had to grow up almost overnight and skip teenage years completely. This book is a no-holds barred description of at times, a real loving family enjoying Christmas, enjoying life, it's ups, and it's downs. Alicia (and Matthew) leave nothing out. What they thought at the time, what they were thinking/feeling, it was all written down, in these journals. Please read this book. The book is set around the period of Matthew's initial diagnosis, Alicia's dealing with all of this, and then the time during/after the operations/treatments, and then the slow demise and eventual death of Matthew. It is about a life that we can all hope to never experience like Alicia and her family did. Alicia is an actress. Yes she is. She is also a real person. She is one who had to endure such heartache and growing up. One who hated the school she was at. One who despised the neighbours who, not once, showed compassion when her father was ill. One who eventually fell in love. One who was committed to her acting. One who was and very much is, committed to her loving husband and 3 perfect daughters. She is one who had to be the mother to her mother. She is one who had to be the parent to her brother. Yet through all this tragedy, she was just the one we all knew from the TV. Without knowing though, that she was the one going through all of this, alone. Please read this book. Alicia opens up in this novel like no-one, and I mean no-one I have read a true life story about, has opened up like she has. For any book publisher or agent to not have wanted to have taken this book and released it, it baffles me still. Alicia had to self-publish this. Good for her that she did. This book should be read by everyone and anyone. We all shall experience sadness, heartache, depression, love, good times, bad times. No-one is immune to any of these things. Forget that Alicia Coppola is an actress. See her as just like you and I. She is just like you and I. She may be on the TV more than you and I but… she is, like you and I. Although Alicia has had to endure such difficulties that (hopefully) none of us have or will experience, by losing a parent at such a young age.
Please read this book. It would be criminal if it was not published by a main stream publisher. Absolutely criminal. Please read this book. Alicia Coppola is a talented writer. She really is. Everyone that reads this book will see what a masterpiece it is, and for what it stands for. For me it stands for sadness, loss and wanting to never lose a father, mother, child, sister, brother. It also made me understand that I was/am not the only one who had to experience such a loss. I can connect with this book. I can connect with the message Alicia has put down into words. I can connect with how she dealt with things. I can connect with how she ends the book. I can connect. Please read this book. Her skill as a writer is breathtaking. This is one of those books that should be read by every single person that is born. This book deals with real life. I know as an actress she will portray fictional characters. This book is no fiction. Her expressiveness into words is, so moving, you would think the journals written, were done by you the reader. Alicia puts you in her shoes in this book. I cannot say anymore than that. You really are immersed in this story, albeit a shockingly sad true story. Outstanding! Please read this book. 10 out of 10 |
Review by Carl Marsh
|
More Book Reviews
Custom Search