As Joyce Novak’s daughter, Marnie, completes medical school and looks ahead to a surgical internship, her wedding, and a future filled with promise, a breast cancer diagnosis throws Joyce’s own future into doubt. Always the caregiver, Joyce feels uncomfortable in the patient role, especially with her husband and daughter. As she progresses through a daunting treatment regimen including a biopsy, … biopsy, lumpectomy, and radiation, she distracts herself by planning Marnie’s wedding.
When the sudden death of a young heroin addict in Marnie’s care forces Marnie to come face-to-face with mortality and her professional inadequacies, she also realizes she must strike a new balance between her identity as a doctor and her role as a supportive daughter. At the same time, she struggles with the stark differences between her fiancé’s family background and her own and comes to understand the importance of being with someone who shares her values and experiences.
Amid this profound soul-searching, both Joyce and Marnie’s futures change in ways they never would have expected.
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After reading Beside Manners I can’t help but feel I know the Novak family. This novel presents an unfortunately common real life situation that is a challenge, not only for the individual, but the whole family. The Novak family dynamics, religion, and values all surface in this wonderful novel.
Bedside Manner is a beautiful and emotional mother daughter story about life and its delicate moments. Just when things are moving along well, the unexpected happens in the most unlikely time and situation.
Marnie is completing her medical school and have a bright future to look forward to – a surgical internship, a wonderful fiancée, and her mother Joyce takes time off work to help with the wedding plans. Just when you think everything is going as planned on the surface, underneath are the realities of the human struggles we all have to contend with. Marnie soon realizes her inadequacies and her role as a doctor when her young patient dies. She is faced with the reality that as a doctor, she cannot save every patient and sometimes her patients do not want to be saved. As the wedding plans are finalized, she sees that her relationship with her fiancée and his family may not be as perfect as she once thought. Then her mother discovering a lump in her breast throws everything off balance.
The best parts of the book for me was seeing how Joyce navigates the healthcare system as she goes through what happens when you discover a lump in your breast. There is just the right amount of medical and funny moments. Joyce’s point of view as a non-medical person is brilliantly written by Frimmer. She got it right! From the emotions to the support groups and the doctors. It had me turning the pages and enjoying this heartfelt and emotional read.
Bedside Manner is from a debut author and physician, Heather Frimmer. This book’s release is timely in that October is Breast Cancer awareness month and this story will truly touch your heart, especially if you or someone you know has gone through breast cancer or any cancer diagnosis. This is a brilliant read for me and one that I highly recommend.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are mine.
I found it realistic and a good read. As a parent as well as a breast cancer survivor I could really relate to it.
Very realistic, great depth of characters. I really enjoyed reading this book.
I was given an opportunity to listen to this on Audible and really enjoyed it. Joyce is a hero! I highly recommend to people who enjoy mother/daughter stories and definitely to breast cancer survivors who will relate to Joyce. The book reads as real people in real life. I thought the narrator did an excellent job.
There is something particularly satisfying to me about novels written by physicians, and Heather Frimmer’s, Bedside Manners, is no exception. The story unfolds through the viewpoints of mother, Joyce and her daughter, Marnie. Marnie is training to be a surgeon and along with medical skills, she must learn to navigate the contrasting emotions of deep concern for her patients while remaining stoic enough to effectively provide treatment. Unbeknown to Marnie, Joyce receives a diagnosis of breast cancer which she does not immediately reveal out of concern for her daughter’s busy schedule which includes her imminent wedding.
Award-winning Bedside Manners is perfect for the reader who craves the nuance and intimacy of mother-daughter as well as patient-physician relationships. It is a story about the struggles of finding pathways through new life circumstances both joyful and frightening. Frimmer has a delicate touch and her characters are handled with the finesse and care of a polished surgeon. Bravo to her on her debut, I look forward to reading her future books!
Through her real life patient experiences as a radiologist, the author brilliantly shapes a fictional world to illuminate the reactions to and effects of a cancer diagnosis. Grounded by an engaging mother-daughter pair – a daughter who is becoming a doctor as her mother discovers she has breast cancer – the story weaves a hard-to-put-down tale of love, fear, and the choices we make.
Heather Frimmer’s debut novel, BEDSIDE MANNERS, explores the family dynamic when a mother is faced with a breast cancer diagnosis and how each family member handles it. Joyce struggles to come to grips with her breast cancer and therapy treatment while remaining as her daughter’s wedding planner. Marnie is getting married while going through medical school studying to become a surgeon. Needless to say, her life and schedule are extremely hectic, but she remains steadfast in her loving supportive role to her mother as she battles her disease. The mother-daughter interaction is one that is easily relatable, and I felt like I went through the same relationship with my own mother when she experienced the same diagnosis.
This novel is very well written and is an extremely inspirational story. Frimmer holds the reader’s interest as she takes you through Joyce’s surgery, treatment and recovery as well as up to the day Marnie gets married. It’s a very emotional story, yet very warm. I truly enjoyed the way this novel was written, I look forward to more work from this author, and I highly recommend this book.
Heather Frimmer weaves two engrossing POV stories into one. The first is Marnie, a 4th year medical student who is on the verge of graduation and planning her wedding. The second is Joyce, Marnie’s mother who’s chosen to focus on everyone in her family but herself, until she’s diagnosed with breast cancer and she’s forced to seek support and care. Marnie and Joyce both felt like women I already know—such realistic depictions drew me in and wouldn’t let go. I’m looking forward to Frimmer’s next book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Heather Frimmer’s characters are so believable and their issues so real that it’s hard to remember sometimes that Bedside Manners is a novel and not a memoir. Frimmer tells this story from two points of view: that of Marnie, a 4th-year medical student, specializing in surgery, who is finishing up her last rotation, and that of Joyce, Marnie’s mother, who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. The chapters alternate perspective, every other one giving the reader a deep look into the experiences and emotions of one of these two women. Through the telling, the reader comes to understand the complex mother-daughter relationship while feeling like they truly get to know this family.
What could make a mother-daughter cancer story more complicated, infusing humor into the tension? Marnie’s impending wedding. Joyce has taken a leave from her job as business manager of her husband’s dental practice to plan the wedding because Marnie is too busy with her medical training. Joyce uses the wedding planning as a distraction, but it also serves as a turning point in the story with a surprise twist at the end.
Frimmer excels at vivid scenes. The reader can see the patients that Marnie treats and feel her struggle with clinical distance and human connection. When Joyce, who is clearly accustomed to being in control, learns about her cancer diagnosis the reader can feel her slowly and methodically battle back the shock, disbelief, and fear by deliberately returning to florist consultations and wedding dress shopping.
This is a novel that addresses deeply personal struggles while revealing important insights about how health care is delivered and how doctors are trained. It’s beautifully rendered and lovingly told. I look forward to what Frimmer writes next.
Bedside Manner is a story of courage and faith, of loving and losing, and of family coming together when it’s most needed. Breast cancer is something that we all, as women, can relate to. The author was able to beautifully, and heartbreakingly, capture the journey that so many women sadly have to deal with today. She also took us on an emotional ride of what it means to be mother and daughter, and how that plays into the process of self-discovery. I highly recommend this read!
Marnie Novak is a medical school student in New York City and is in her last rotation before graduation. She is looking forward to her impending nuptials this summer to her fiance, Carson. At the same time, her mother, Joyce, is concerned with her recent breast cancer diagnosis and the implications that it will have on her family and the upcoming wedding.
Joyce struggles with finding the ”right” time to tell her daughter about her health and seems intent on handling her therapy alone. She doesn’t want her husband’s dental practice to suffer and she also wants her daughter unburdened on her special day. At the same time, Marnie is struggling to earn her future in-law’s acceptance which starts to drive a wedge into her relationship with Carson.
Bedside Manners takes the reader on a journey of complications that often arise in relationships during a period of stress. Heather Frimmer’s debut novel draws on her insights from the medical field and weaves together a story showcasing the unique bond between mother and daughter.
MY REVIEW :
I loved reading Heather Frimmer’s debut novel Bedside Manners. It was a entertaining , encouraging , and very emotional read. I was drawn into it from page one and could not put it down. This author takes you into the medical field world. This book not only gives a large amount of information about breast cancer but weaves in story of a family, a mother who fights breast cancer . This keeps you from getting bogged down with just facts . It gives you the human picture too. It is an easy to read book and the information is explained in such a way that individuals who don’t have a medical background can understand. You will experence relationships between the doctor (Marnie) and patient (her mom Joyce).Being a doctor herself, Heather was able to tell her story in a very real way. I really enjoyed getting to know the Novak’s and following their journey . I feel like i am part of their family now. They are others in this story but they take a back seat to this mother and daughter. I found myself crying more than once reading this book. The characters are so very real and likeable. The author describes her characters as regular people who could be any of us or our neighbors. She does such an amazing job with describing everything that i had no problem Picturing it. This book covers Mother-Daughter Relationships, Breast Cancer,treatment options, family , friends , support and so much more. This is a really great emotional family drama read and i look foward to reading more by this author. I highly recommend it .
** I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.**
Bedside Manners is a beautifully written story of courage, family and surviving. Having lost my grandma to breast cancer, Joyce’s story resonated with me. Heather Frimmer has penned a wonderful debut novel. I can’t wait to read her next novel!
Facing issues wasn’t something Joyce was used to, but since she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she needed to realize it needed to be something to address.
The major issue for Joyce besides the breast cancer was how would this affect her daughter’s wedding.
BEDSIDE MANNERS has the reader following Joyce as she goes through the wedding preparations and her breast cancer treatments.
The characters were genuine and heartfelt. I enjoyed Marnie and Joyce. They were both strong women.
Reliving my breast cancer journey had me being thankful that it has been 18 years, and I celebrated along with the survivors in the book.
The subject matter is very appropriate for October’s Breast Cancer month, and Ms. Frimmer’s writing flows well.
If you enjoy family situations and learning some medical information, you will enjoy BEDSIDE MANNERS. 4/5
This book was given to me as ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Kudos to Heather Frimmer for her engaging, entertaining, emotional and riveting, debut novel, “Bedside Manners” The Genres for this novel are Fiction and Women’s Fiction. The timeline for this story takes place in the present, and only goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in this novel. The author describes her characters as regular people who could live next door to you or me. They each have their problems and challenges.
The Novak Family resides in Westport Connecticut, and the author describes the community vividly. I can see the dresses in the dress shop and view Dr. Novak’s office. Dr. Novak, is a Dentist and immersed in his successful practice.Joyce, his wife, has been running the practice and taking care of everything. The Novaks are so proud that their daughter Marnie is in Medical school, and they are hoping for a surgical residency. Marnie feels that she has met her once in a lifetime love, that is almost perfect, just not the same religion. Joyce now finds herself taking time off from the office to plan a wedding. What Joyce does not plan for is finding a lump in her breast. The author discusses these issues with a professional understanding and dignity.
I appreciate the significant issues that Heather Frimmer discusses in her novel; Mother-Daughter Relationships, Breast Cancer, and researching one’s options, and discovering the goals that one wants to pursue. The author also mentions the importance of family, friends, emotional support, communication, love, and hope. I would highly recommend this novel for those readers that enjoy a family drama. I look forward to reading other books by Heather Frimmer. This was heartwarming, and I found this comforting and enjoyable.
This is a debut novel from Heather Frimmer and as good as this book is, I predict that she’ll have some fantastic books in the future. Her descriptions of the Novak family were spot on – we saw not only the love between the family members but also those little things that drive people crazy about the members of their family.
This novel is told from the perspective of the mom, Joyce, and the daughter, Marnie. There is also a husband and a son but they take the back seat to the two women in the family. Joyce has just quit her job in her husband’s dental practice to plan her daughter’s upcoming wedding when she finds a lump in her breast. She has spent her whole life taking care of the rest of her family and she’s ignored having yearly mammograms. She doesn’t want to burden them so she goes to her first appointments alone and it isn’t until she finds out that she has breast cancer that she involves the rest of her family. Marnie is in her last year of medical school with plans to become a surgeon. She is so stressed over her work at the hospital and her upcoming wedding that she doesn’t talk to her mom as much as she should and feels guilty when she finds out about her moms diagnosis. As Joyce struggles with her need to be more than a wife and mother and Marnie struggles with her identity as a doctor and a daughter, they realize that they need the support of each other to be a better person.
This is a wonderful story about a mother and daughter. Even though it’s about breast cancer and all of the treatments associated with it, I found this novel to be full of love not only within a family but also to others who need our support.
Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Told from the dual points of view of a mother Joyce and her daughter Marnie, Bedside Manners explores the lives of these two women. Joyce gave up art school years before to work in her husband’s dental office. Marnie is finishing medical school and about to embark on a marriage and an internship. Joyce finds a lump in her breast just after she volunteered to be her daughter’s wedding planner. She lets weeks go by trying to find the “right time” to be the news to her family. Marnie faces mortality for the first time with her mother’s news as well as the death of one of Marnie’s patients, a drug addict. A nice look at two women coming to terms with their lives.
I liked Joyce’s story but her daughter, Marnie was spoiled and thought too much of herself! Also, at end of book, too rushed-didn’t tell how things “unfolded” as they did! I would not recommend!