Set sail for murder

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Signs of Life: a Memoir

Signs of Life is the story of a widow who has lost her young husband to a terrible accident. Natalie Taylor's book about her year of grieving the loss of her husband when she was twenty four has captivated me. I especially like her description of the students in her English Class. Because Gatsby is so special to me, I liked hearing her voice when she is speaking about her students discussing the book. Knowing she is pregnant now without a husband, her students are more compassionate to her. It is interesting to her what her students are saying. Each step of this new life is detailed with amazing clarity. She manages to capture the reader's attention without overwhelming sentimentality. She is grasping at her new life with amazing courage, but the grieving process is always there. She has trouble at first coping with her new young son, but you know in the end it is the joy of this new life that is bringing her to her next step in this journey of life.