 |
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Memoirs
Title: My Life with Laura: A Love Story Author: Chad Moutray Rating:  Excellent!
Publisher: Lulu Web Page: http://www.lulu.com/content/1828195 Reviewed by: John Lehman | View Bio |
 
|
|
||
|
Any chance of writing a critical review of this book goes out the window with these words in the dedication: “This book is dedicated to the loving memory of my wife Laura O’Neil Moutray, who died from breast cancer at the young age of 36.” There are several good reasons for writing this memorial. First, for the author’s two year old daughter, Charlotte, who he worries “might not remember her Mom, and if she did, it might only be the ‘sick’ Laura.” Second, it provides her husband with closure after having gone through a difficult time with his wife’s cancer and death. But there is also a good reason for those of us who never knew the woman to read this book. The author’s memories are fresh and detailed. We—more fortunate—gloss over our lives and in the process lose those bits and pieces that make it special. This book got me thinking about my own life. How I also met my wife through “the personals,” our first date, our wedding, the joys and challenges we have faced. By any standards Chad Moutray does a good job. The narrative is clear, honest and, because we know tragically where this is leading, very moving. The author is an economist and that probably helps explain the excellent organization of the material and attention to detail. He also has the advantage of many pictures, e-mails, journal entries and letters from his wife, plus the help of friends and relatives (whom he generously acknowledges)—don’t miss the “Letters to Charlotte” section in the back. When they receive the diagnosis a year after the birth of their daughter, the news is heartbreaking. Laura began experiencing some pain in her left breast at the end of 2005, which they assumed was nursing related. “Laura was lying in her recovery hospital bed, and she smiled as Dr. Hutchins and I approached her. The doctor took Laura’s hand and explained to her that she had breast cancer. To my surprise, Laura kept smiling. She thanked Dr. Hutchins for being persistent and for telling us finally what the problem was. ‘I finally know what I am dealing with,’ she said. ‘I can deal with cancer…can’t I?’”
Laura was a beautiful, spirited woman, capable of surprising her husband. (Turns out she was a smoker trying to quit, not a nonsmoker as she told Chad on their first date. He catches a glimpse of her taking a drag on a cigarette in her car after they say goodnight.) We also find out that this guy with a PhD never had lived with a roommate (male or female) before Laura. In an odd twist of fate, Laura posed for the cover of “Nursing Spectrum” magazine doing a special issue on breast cancer long before she discovered she had the disease. Three years later her husband would e-mail: “My beautiful wife Laura passed away at 3:57 a.m. this morning after a long battle with breast cancer. Details on the funeral to follow. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. Laura is now in a better place. – Chad”
This is not the kind of book a major publisher would produce. What a shame, but how wonderful that advances in technology now make it possible for real people to write real books for other real people. The story of their love is heartwarming. Thanks, Chad. And thank you, Laura.
Go Back read another review, or choose a different category. | ||||