“An inspiring, intimate memoir about faith, resilience and the tenacity of love.”—People“In this emotional tale, a young couple see their lives changed in the blink of an eye—and learn to find love again.”—US Weekly Five months pregnant, on a flight to their “babymoon,” Allison Pataki turned to her husband when he asked if his eye looked strange and watched him suddenly lose consciousness. After … watched him suddenly lose consciousness. After an emergency landing, she discovered that Dave—a healthy thirty-year-old athlete and surgical resident—had suffered a rare and life-threatening stroke. Next thing Allison knew, she was sitting alone in the ER in Fargo, North Dakota, waiting to hear if her husband would survive the night.
When Dave woke up, he could not carry memories from hour to hour, much less from one day to the next. Allison had lost the Dave she knew and loved when he lost consciousness on the plane. Within a few months, she found herself caring for both a newborn and a sick husband, struggling with the fear of what was to come.
As a way to make sense of the pain and chaos of their new reality, Allison started to write daily letters to Dave. Not only would she work to make sense of the unfathomable experiences unfolding around her, but her letters would provide Dave with the memories he could not make on his own. She was writing to preserve their past, protect their present, and fight for their future. Those letters became the foundation of this beautiful, intimate memoir. And in the process, she fell in love with her husband all over again.
This is a manifesto for living, an ultimately uplifting story about the transformative power of faith and resilience. It’s a tale of a man’s turbulent road to recovery, the shifting nature of marriage, and the struggle of loving through pain and finding joy in the broken places.
Praise for Beauty in the Broken Places
“Bold and commendable . . . A strength of this memoir is [Allison Pataki’s] scrupulous honesty.”—USA Today
“A memoir about . . . determination and gratitude, and the value of putting one foot in front of another during a crisis.”—The Washington Post
“Heart-wrenching.”—Women’s Health
“Powerful and immersive . . . Pataki delivers an insightful look at how two people faced a life-altering test as a team ‘fighting to make the dreams of our future possible.’”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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This memoir deals with both the love and the resilience to go through the unthinkable. The author and her husband were on a flight and on their way to a baby-moon in Hawaii, when all of a sudden her husband suffered a life threatening and rare stroke, that had the plane making an emergency landing in Fargo, North Dakota, Dave was rushed to an emergency room for treatment, unconscious. When finally waking he had issues with his memory. Here the couples life changes for ever, as they fight to try and get Dave back to normal or at least the best he could become, everything was uncertain.
Dave himself a surgical resident in Chicago, was flown back there to be overseen by the hospital he knew.
Allison, his wife had a hard road ahead of her as well as she dealt with the uncertainties, of what their lives would be like. She had just lost the Dave she new and had to learn to accept and work with what he was like at this time. Pregnant with their first child, a move from one apartment to another, taking care of their dog and being there in the hospital day after day, going through therapy with him, became overwhelming at times and she just had to concentrate on the future and what it might hold. Luckily they both had the support of good friends and family that were their for them when needed, and kept them sane.
This story was really well written and it was interesting to see the results of the ongoing care and therapies that Dave was going through, and how everyone for that matter was able to deal with the circumstances of what had happened.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House
I received an ARC of “BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES” from NetGalley for an honest review.
So touching and so well written..and so un-put-downable!! No kidding..blurry eyed and nodding I managed to finish this beautiful memoir in one night. I had to!
Allison Pataki skillfully alternates chapters between her husband’s stroke and recovery and their romance and courtship. Her writing is raw and honest and so beautifully done and you can feel the love for her husband leap off the pages.
A very strong 5 stars, but I am sad I can’t give it more. Our this on you need to read list…might need a hanky!
Five stars to author Allison Pataki for opening up a window into the life of her family after a devastating and unexpected stroke befell her young husband. I know from experience that things we think we might have to face when we’re older come as a great surprise when they happen many decades earlier. I was moved by her faith and the strength of her family, but also her honesty about the times she felt like giving up. A sure winner, Pataki’s book will resonate with anyone who has struggled – that is, anyone who is human.
Excellent insight into some of the challenges of some types of mental illness. Never becomes maudlin.
A beautiful memoir and example of love and reliance on our faith
when “Bad Things Happen to Good People”.
A very touching story with many ups and downs
I enjoyed this book. It was a story of love and determination.
Not what I expected. Anticipated a journey into the recovery of a stroke victim. Mostly about the author and a bit of self pity.
This is a wonderful memoir of a young couple coping with life and recovery after the husband has a stroke while on an airplane when they were on their way to Hawaii. Pataki is an excellent writer and I have enjoyed her fiction, but I think this memoir is even better.
Well written account of a very unexpected health crisis and dealing with the new normal afterwards.
Incredible. Imagine a young couple, looking forward to the birth of their first child, flying west to enjoy a “baby moon”, when inexplicably the husband passes out on the airplane, thousands of feet in the air. The story of this journey opens with, “Is there a doctor on board?”
From there, the journey becomes one full of anxious unknowns and small joys. Allison Pataki pens this loving tribute to the man who holds her heart for all time. She does so openly and poignantly, sharing her shock, fears, anxiety, confusion, and incredible sadness.
Writing is more than a career for Allison Pataki, but a way of expression and catharsis. Throughout the book, Allison shares from the journal she kept while her husband was so very sick; a place she went on a daily basis.
Such a great love is shared by this couple it is inspiring.
Alli and Dave had it all, she a writer and he a resident. They were 6 mos pregnant and headed to a well deserved vacation. Then the unthinkable happened, Dave suffered a stroke in mid flight.
This book is beautifully written by Alli about their journey. She uses letters she wrote to her husband as they were battling thru the emergency landing and devastating diagnosis to rehab and birth and navigating their new normal.
Ms. Pataki’s writing is fluid and her emotions are raw, so honestly written. I have never read her writings before, but I look forward to reading her previous books. This book is about love and loving, faith without preaching, family and friends. This book should be a must read for couples contemplating marriage to see marriage vows at work.
Thanks to NetGalley for this book. All opinions are my own.
Allison Pataki’s Beauty in the Broken Places is a memoir of love, faith and resilience. A beautifully written memoir of the strength of the human spirit and a loving relationship. 5 stars all the way. Put this one on your #TBR list. It will inspire you and move you to tears.
A very raw, honest and engaging read. I love the title, I love the honesty and I admire the strength of their story. Bravo Alli and thank you for sharing a very vulnerable and intimate insight to your journey.
This is a wonderful book. Allison Pataki has written a touching memoir about her husband’s unexpected stroke as a young adult. The beauty in the broken places is a trip through love, laughter, anxiety, fear, medical unknowns, friendship, and faith in God.
You will travel an amazing road as Allison walks you through the nightmare of David’s stroke and recovery. The way she blends the present experience with their past history of meeting and falling in love is seamless. You will grow to appreciate their individuality as well as their relationship as a couple.
There are days when dealing with the future is almost overwhelming. But faith, family, and friends help them navigate this difficult voyage. I am in awe of the story Allison has shared with the reader. Hopefully awareness of traumatic brain injury will increase and both the individual who has suffered such a devastating medical diagnosis and their families will know they are not alone.
Thank you to the author, Allison Pataki, for a free copy of this book for my unbiased opinion.
It is refreshing to read this beautiful story in a world where so many people walk away from relationships at the first sign of hardship. Allison Pataki has written a beautiful memoir detailing the difficult road that she and her husband, Dave, have traveled following his disabling stroke on June 9, 2015.
Who expects your 30-year-old husband, seemingly in good health, to lose consciousness on a flight en route to your babymoon? Yes, Allison and Dave were expecting their first child, and had planned a vacation to celebrate their eagerly anticipated family member. Their flight had to make an emergency landing so that he could receive immediate medical attention.
Allison learns that Dave has suffered a stroke, one from which many do not significantly recover – if they even survive. However, Dave’s doctors offer encouragement and tell her that they expect him to make a full recovery. Allison decides to write about their journey in a daily journal so that Dave can go back later and see how far he has come since that terrible day.
Allison does not hold back from admitting how hard it was for her at times and gives her friends and family credit for helping her along the way. But it is her faith and commitment to their marriage and child that is the real glue that keeps their marriage from crumbling.
Thank you to Allison Pataki for sharing your journey. I hope that others going down a similar path will read this and find inspiration and hope to fight the good fight.
I received an ARC from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and any opinion here is strictly my own.
Allison Pataki’s newest book, Beauty in the Broken Places, is an amazing story of the tragedy that overcame her husband while they were on their way to a vacation in Hawaii. Allison was 5 months pregnant and this was a time to relax for her and her husband, Dave, who had a break in a grueling schedule while studying to be a doctor. As fate would have it, they never made it to Hawaii, but instead began another type of journey. Dave had a stroke on the airplane and they were forced to change not only their destination, but their lives.
This book is the compilation of the events that happened as Allison wrote daily to her husband, who now had no memory of past events. A loving memoir written that she hoped she would be able to reveal to him when and if he survived this devastating series of events.
Allison’s words flow as if she were having a conversation with a friend. She expresses her emotions, fears and hopes. This is a moving story of real life as it happened. It is also a testament to family and friends who helped a young woman keep her hopes and faith that good things would come out of bad events.
Allison has become a force in the literary field with her ability to present past and present in a truthful and compelling way. I definitely recommend this book.
(I was given this book for an honest review and am part of the Launch Team.).
May we always remember…
I cannot put into words how beautiful this memoir is. It is heartbreakingly wonderful. The love between Allison and Dave is so pure, so easy to see. I could never imagine how I would be in this situation, but I would hope I would be as strong as Allison. Her words are true. They are moving and descriptive and they invite you in. She gives you a window into Dave’s stroke, their long lasting relationship, and how it all intertwines. I could not recommend this memoir enough.
I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
Memoir of how author (Allison) and her husband (Dave) survived his stroke at age 30.
Utilizing the letters and notes written during her husband Dave’s recovery, the author of this beautiful memoir provided an intimate look at how she and Dave overcame his incapacitating stroke at age 30. Despite being a healthy, athletic doctor, Dave suffered a massive stroke while he and Allison were in a plane flying to their babymoon. Five months pregnant, what followed was Allison’s account of their struggle to heal after being utterly broken. Was Dave able to participate in the birth of his first child? What was the recovery process like for him, and for Allison? How is he doing today? Find out in this breathtaking and inspirational look at surviving a tragedy with faith and resilience.
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” – Ernest Hemingway
I would highly recommend this for anyone who loves someone suffering from debilitating health issues, and I look forward to reading more from this author!
Thank you to the author and the publisher for an advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Location: New York City, New York and Chicago, Illinois
Stunning, raw, beautiful, inspiring. These are all words that describe Allison Pataki’s memoir, Beauty in the Broken Places. Taking a detour from her fiction writing, Allison has gifted us with an intimate look into her journey in dealing with the tragic stroke of her young husband. Pataki gives her readers an exquisite glimpse into this unexpected disaster, providing a poignant and achingly sincere account of the day to day flood of emotions and gut wrenching struggle to hold onto her marriage. I read spellbound, feeling the depth of Pataki’s pain and cheering her on in her determination to thrive. This book is brutally honest, yet absolutely uplifting. Truly, this is a story that must be shared.
I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.