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Mar 17, 2017DorisWaggoner rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The book's very title gives away the ending. It's ironic that the author's mother always reads the end first. But she doesn't convert her son to her method of book reading, or even try. Much as he loves her and applauds what she's accomplished with her life, he recognizes that she's a controlling person and not a saint. For him, that's part of what he admires about her--she's the hub of the family. The family takes turns sitting with her through appointments and treatments, and the book club evolves for the two of them. What are two readers going to do while sitting in doctors' waiting rooms and though hours of chemo? They start talking about the characters, which leads them in multiple directions, sometimes not very relevant to the book. They choose books because they apply to her situation, or their family, or the refugee work she's done, or because one of them has loved it before. The book list at the end is an added bonus.