A 2018 NAACP Image Award nominee and an NPR Best Book of 2017, a moving African-American family drama of love, devotion, and Alzheimer’s disease. Diane Tate never expected to slowly lose her talented husband to the debilitating effects of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. As a respected family court judge, she’s spent her life making tough calls, but when her sixty-eight-year-old husband’s health … husband’s health worsens and Diane is forced to move him into an assisted living facility, it seems her world is spinning out of control.
As Gregory’s memory wavers and fades, Diane and her children must reexamine their connection to the man he once was—and learn to love the man he has become. For Diane’ daughter Lauren, it means honoring her father by following in his footsteps as a successful architect. For her son Sean, it means finding a way to repair the strained relationship with his father before it’s too late. Supporting her children in a changing landscape, Diane remains resolute in her goal to keep her family together—until her husband finds love with another resident of the facility. Suddenly faced with an uncertain future, Diane must choose a new path—and discover her own capacity for love.
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A very powerful and profound story about the effect of Alzheimer’s disease on a family, on a marriage. I was deeply impressed with the characters and the writing, thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
Almost all of us have had to deal with Alzheimer’s will relate to the story in this book depicting a family struggling with this disease.
A very good read. Kept my interest throughout. Left me feeling nostalgic yet comforted.
This is a marvelous read for anyone dealing with the tragedy of watching a loved one struggle with any if the forms of dementia.
More and more families are affected by dementia or Alzheimer’s. The author showed that this is a family disease and not one member of the family is immune from its impact.
Forgettable
I’m Adopted and had an adopted father with Alzheimer’s so it touched my life
A warm, wonderful story of how one family dealt with the heartbreak of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis – wonderfully written!
The writing was good. I’m sure most other people would give it a higher rating. It is all about family relationships. I just don’t feel like I learned anything new or got to really love any of the characters.
SPOILER ALERT – it was difficult for me to believe Gregory would remember Mercer but not his wife. It implies that Alzheimer’s patients go back to a certain date or period and forget everything after that -because his relationship with Mercer predated that with his wife. I’m not sure that’s true.
Thought provoking and so realistic.
I really enjoyed Wide Circimference of Love. I like reading from the different perseptive of the characters and how dealing with Alzheimers was effecting everyone individually.
Would be a great book club pick as would generate a lot of discussion. A good demonstration what love really is.
Realistic depiction of one of life”s challenges many people face.
Wonderfully rendered portrait of a family facing the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s. Real and gritty. It’s a depressing topic but cathartic to read if you have dealt with this disease.
Great book! I could hardly put of down.
Educational re Alzheimers.
As always Marita Golden did not
disappoint! Read it in 1 day!!
Started with a good insight to being a caregiver. Didn’t like the ending.
Centered around a tragedy many families are facing (Alzheimer’s), this story deals with the real emotions and problems involved. But it also is a story about ideal my with life as it’s given and moving on.
Real life, you work hard all your life thinking about what you want to do when retirement rolls around, but what you’ve planned might not be what you get. This is a story about the strong bonds of love, as a family faces Alzheimer.