Resilience

Elizabeth Edwards presents a revealing autobiography and useful book of advice. She's been through more than her share of difficulties, so her words are wise and worth heeding. Even better, she narrates her story herself. Her voice is fragile and delicate but also intimate and intelligent, qualities that subtly enhance the reading. She moves back and forth in time, sharing how she coped with her cancer, her mother's Alzheimer's, and her son's death at age 16. Only at the end of the book does she reveal that there will be no details about her husband's affair. She movingly never names his paramour, instead calling her "that woman." Throughout, Edwards sounds like she's sharing her thoughts with a treasured friend. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine