Its a book both for the loved and the broken.
581849
Who knew a couple lines of words put together could be so emotionally captivating. Its a book everyone can relate to, from new romance to unrequited love. Itll pull you in, tear you up, then wrap you up in warmth.
4144766
This book is heartbreaking and sad, but also uplifting. This is about healing after a loss, forgiveness, and finding a second chance at love. I thought the author did  a nice job of showing the emotions and feelings of the main character, Reny. This is a book that will stay with me for some time.

I received a copy of this book from the author, my review has been voluntarily submitted.
3297072
I bought this on a whim, heavily discounted and read it in bits and pieces as time permitted. It's a sad but beautiful book centering on only a few characters: two humans rediscovering what it means to be human in a failed utopia and one robot making godlike decisions with a flawed suicidal mind.  Do yourself a favor and read this one.
4084663
Everyone is a bit broken and it it all just beside us. This book can sometimes just remind us of those moment at times.
1701241
I worked with the author on an edit and was subsequently asked if I would write a foreword. This is a contemporary book of poetry, dealing with difficult themes such as isolation, trauma and loss. But it is also a work of hope, of seeing through pain and the past to the possibility of a different future. Although this is a book that brings to light issues surrounding PTSD, it also speaks to and for anyone who has known difficulties in their lives and who continues to face up to those challenges.
1950381
It tells up to a point both sides of this terrible decease
One can only go so far in what they can remember the other remembers everything.  The sadness for both. The feelings i had went towards the wife.  She had the burden of it all.  Though their lives had it's up's and downs she loved him and that shone through this sad and unfortunate story of life,  I would recommend it as it puts in perspective that the person with the illness is not the only one suffering. And all to often those left to care are forgotten or not recolonised for the care to those unfortunate souls who have being afflicted with this terrible decease.
1167992
This isn't the happiest book that I have reviewed and in fact at the beginning I was so sad, crying that I almost just put the book down.  But then I thought again that if the book was able to bring about such a catharsis that the author must be doing something right.  So I continued and I am glad I did.  The book circles around to hope and comfort---hope and comfort that only the Lord can bring.  So bring your tissue at the beginning and brace yourself to see human nature and its frailty and ultimately the loving Hand of the Father as He gives healing.
3713006
A journey, some healing, and some hope...three things that all, as some time or another, are on and in the middle of searching for. This book is not the easiest book to read. Oh, the wording and the flow are there...the words are easy to understand. The part that is not easy, is the emotional roller coaster ride you will be taken on. You will experience sheer joy in reading words a mother has penned regarding her beautiful Ramsey. You will lovingly "awwww" at the sweetness of this family. You will laugh at the details of toddler happenings. You will experience utter sadness when you read the words that same mother penned regarding the most tragic event of her life. You will experience anger when you read the ridiculous things people say during that devastating time. Then, once again, you will experience joy and happiness in the ongoing healing of her precious heart, as this mother shares her story for God's glory.
This is a book I can read over and over again, knowing that though there is much pain, there is a greater hope in the end.
4274670
A book for all who have lost a loved one, or endured the cruelty of life.  There is hope out there and always signs
1922262
If I wrote as much about this book as I'd like to, then my review would contain more words than the book.

I bought it on recommendation of a favorite blogger. I lost someone important to me a little over three years ago. It is a book I wish I'd had then when I was in the midst of my grief. That said, I shed some tears when I read it after it arrived, more than three years after my loss.

It is a poignant look at dying and grieving. It will be useful for adults as well as children. It is beautifully written -- simple, elegant. It is beautifully illustrated.

It is one of the books that I will keep forever and then my children will get it. They will keep it forever as well.
4181050
It was a good commentary on the abuse problems that go on every day and the plight of the helpless caught in it's grasp.  It was also a touching story about the loving and caring of people for those they discover are suffering and their willingness to help.  I enjoyed this book very much and it was a compelling read.  It was a chosen read by our small book club.
2531127
All the usual disclaimers apply - I know Megan, she's my friend and we've given each other nicknames and all that stuff. Still, she's not ensorcelled me so I'm incapable of an actual honest opinion on her book although dude, if she had that power it would be so cool, I'd totally make her use it on my behalf. Anyway, I digress...

Broken is a lot of things. It's one of those books that stays with you a really long time after you finish because there are a lot of layers to it. In my opinion, it's the best thing Megan has written and she's a darned good writer so that should say something. Each time Sadie sits next to Joe and we hear a tale of his latest conquest, we're really drawing down another layer of Sadie.

Whatever Broken is about, I can tell you what it's not about - Broken is not about infidelity. I want to make that clear up front. Sadie loves Adam, her husband. But Adam has withdrawn himself emotionally after an accident has left him a quadroplegic. She's lost him in many ways even though he's there physically. Her entire being centers around his care and schedule - it isn't that she hates him or wishes he didn't exist, it isn't that she wants to sleep with Joe behind Adam's back. Her life has made her into a mechanism - she takes care of everyone else and she doesn't get much emotional feedback because her husband has lost himself and she's helpless to help him regain what he's lost. So for that one brief time every month, she's unfettered from all that responsibility and context and she gets to be a woman.

She wants to be held and listened to and those brief times once a month as she sits and listens to Joe tell his stories, she can transport herself elsewhere in her head.

Sadie's loneliness is sharp and painful at times. Her loss throbbed in my gut as I read. Her connection to Joe, his attraction to her, her committment to Adam and her embracing her life no matter what it has become creates a book that sent me reeling over and over.

Broken is not an easy book. It's not lighthearted and romantic. It's an unflinching look into someone's inner life. I cried when I read Broken. It made me furious. It made me laugh and grumble. It drove me to email Megan a few times and give her what for.

Broken is evocative and deep and disturbing and yet, it's uplifting too. Because Sadie can be any of us, you know? And she survives and rises and finds her way in a world that could easily drive her to give up for let go of the things that anchor her - to her life, to her husband, to everything she finds important. She's not a saint, she doesn't take care of Adam because she loves the hairshirt, she takes care of him because he's her husband and she loves him and it's the right thing to do and she believes that. That makes Sadie a character that rises above so many other characters in books. She's flawed, yes, but she's *real*

Broken is erotic, yes. The sex is integral to the story as a vehicle for Sadie's mental escape and also as a glimpse into Joe. The story is in first person but I really felt I knew Joe and his insecurities as he told his stories. In them he's not a sex god, his vision of himself is interesting and pretty unflinching. The moments between Sadie and Adam are heartwrenchingly beautiful and skillfully done and the connection between Joe and Sadie is powerful as well.

I've gone back and forth writing this, it's hard to distill what Broken is because I think everyone will read Sadie with their own filters. And because Broken is a complex book. It's not easy. But it's worth it. Broken is, without question, an amazing book and I truly hope it gets the attention it deserves. Technically, it's mindblowing. As an author, when I read it, I was floored by the skill Megan used as a writer. The story is marvelous but she tells it perfectly.
622574
A story of personal tragedy and loss, loss of faith and finding it again, of broken dreams, and hope, prayer and love. Though there were some typos, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
4778474
It is the story of life and death.  Of love and grief.  Of disappointment and fulfillment.  I cried at some of the tough parts, but I smiled at the good times.  It is more than just a good read.
147305
This book speaks from the heart... and is a fine tool for those suffering or dealing with loss
3510166
I'm willing to bet that whoever wrote the editorial review for Publisher's Weekly (above) has never known the crushing agony of losing someone to death that s/he truly loved; or suffered the kind of pain that still drops you to your knees, years, even decades later, begging for mercy. The kind of anguish where you'd gladly give your own life just to make it stop. The kind you bear when you know they are never coming back and there is nothing you can do. I'm very happy for that reviewer. I hope he or she will never know it. But Heart of Grief must be read by those who understand all too well the overwhelming tidal wave of hopelessness that accompanies the loss of a loved one. Where Publisher's Weekly found this book simplistic, I found beauty in its quiet simplicity.

Being of a metaphysical sort, I've read just about all the reincarnation / life after death / love never dies / hypnotic regression / soul mates for eternity / communicating with the dead / type books. I've been spellbound by all of them and will probably continue to read them as they are published because it's a fascinating subject. Besides helping us to understand the process of dying and what comes after, these books pledge that we will someday be reunited. They all assure us that the deceased are still very much alive and well and with us daily, so there is no need to grieve. But they also often come with the stipulation that we must let go so that our loved ones can move forward, and because we want what is best for those we love, we attempt to suppress our grief, no matter how much it hurts us. While the theory seems reasonable, by trying to ignore our suffering, we compound it. We cannot stop the hurt just because we want to. It's not an electrical switch. It's not a water faucet. And it's just not that easy. Grief is complex, binding us with ropes so twisted we cannot seem to find the end that will untangle us.

Heart of Grief shows us that we do not have to let go, and in fact, encourages us not to. With compassion and a comforting voice, Thomas Attig sets forth practical ways to keep and strengthen the bonds of love with those who have died. I found it to be a very spiritually healing and uplifting book that has made a dent in my grief and a difference in my life.
4635999
Utterly heartbreaking and humorous at the same time.