Survival Lessons

April 15, 2013
A how-to guide to facing death and living life by the popular novelist and cancer survivor. When Hoffman (The Dovekeepers, 2011, etc.) received the diagnosis about her lump, her immediate response was denial: "I was busy after all, the mother of two young sons, caring for my ill mother, involved in my writing. My most recent novel, Here on Earth, had been chosen as an Oprah Book Club Choice; an earlier novel, Practical Magic, was being filmed in California with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. I didn't have time to be ill." Once she came to terms with the fact that disease doesn't necessarily strike at our convenience, she was able to deal directly with her situation, put her life in perspective and get her priorities in order. She was one of the lucky ones--15 years later, she remains very much alive and productive, capable of writing the book that might have helped her when the shock of cancer blindsided her. "In many ways I wrote Survival Lessons for myself to remind myself of the beauty of life, something that's all too easy to overlook during the crisis of illness or loss," she writes. Though Hoffman has earned renown as a talented writer, this isn't really a writerly book, but more like conversational advice from a close friend. Most of the advice is common sense, yet the element of choice is crucial when faced with a fate that seems beyond your control. You can choose how to respond and put your crisis in perspective: "Good fortune and bad luck are always tied together with invisible, unbreakable thread." Hoffman ends with words of wisdom from her oncologist, who advised that, "cancer didn't have to be my entire novel. It was just a chapter." In other words, this too shall pass. A lightweight but heartening book.

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2013

Prolific author Hoffman (The Dovekeepers; The Red Garden) took 15 years to write the book she wishes she had had upon her diagnosis. The book is not about her breast cancer per se but about making choices (each chapter is titled "Choose...") that will improve readers' lives and relationships and remind them "of the beauty of life." More than cancer sufferers will be glad they picked up this tiny gem.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2013
Her own longing for a guidebook when she was confronted by loss and cancer inspired Hoffman, the best-selling author of 21 imaginative and compassionate novels, to write her first nonfiction title. While under stress, she needed to know how people survived trauma and to be reminded of the beauty of life. Writing with sparkling directness, warmth, humor, and long-steeped wisdom, Hoffman has created a companionable and genuinely useful book for times of crisis. Small, intimate, and lovely, Survival Lessons is illustrated by Hoffman's photographs and sweetened with recipes to support one of her key guidelines, savor life. Opening her harrowing experiences to readers, Hoffman also remembers her mentors, from Anne Frank to her grandmother ( the person I could always depend on, as funny as she was tough ) to the writing teacher who helped her become a published writer. Hoffman offers hilarious advice for coping with difficult people, recommends watching old movies and reading the greats, and sings out, Don't hold back! Live right now! Hoffman's storytelling artistry enlivens each intimate, thoughtfully distilled, charming, and nurturing lesson in living. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-selling Hoffman's candid, upbeat, and graceful guide to coping with trauma will attract loyal fans and all readers looking for sustaining advice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)