REVIEWS OF 'WAITING IN THE WINGS':
5 stars
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Intelligent and witty, December 14, 2016
By
This review is from: Waiting in the Wings (Kindle Edition)
I have come to expect a well-constructed, intelligently-written book from this accomplished author, and Waiting in the Wings ticks all the right boxes. The story of the author’s rollercoaster relationship with her mother is told with honesty. She regrets that she cannot say the words, ‘I love you,’ to a mother who has been exasperating and difficult to deal with, even in her vulnerability and defiance as she clings to her independence and refuses professional care help. Although the author can’t say the words, we see through her daily actions and patience, the love and compassion that lie beneath.
I applaud the author’s courage in writing so openly about her family, laying bare her thoughts about them – it takes guts to do that and it takes excellent writing to put across a tale that is absorbing, funny and poignant. Waiting in the Wings achieves all that. I felt as if I knew the characters as much as my own family, which is due to the power of the dialogue, the narration and descriptive passages. I became the fly on the wall, observing events as the author explored the past and the present, combining her life story with that of her mother. The flashbacks are never confusing. The book drew me in, held my attention and had me laughing aloud at some the characters’ antics. Highly recommended on so many levels, not least for the portrayals of heartache, comedy and a willingness to allow love and wit to prevail.
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4.0 out of 5 starsPoignant. By Eileen on 9 Dec. 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
A heartwarming, but poignant account of the author's time with her mother, Dot, from her love / hate relationship during Stevie's younger life ( and who hasn't, at some time been through similar ), to the slow demise of her mother with the distressing condition of Dementia.
I hope this gives some comfort to others who may be going through similar experiences.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Stevie Turner via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
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5 out of 5 stars"Waiting in the Wings" a humorous description on a complicated mother-daughter relationship
By Amazon Customer on 10 February 2017
I greatly enjoyed this biography as we are invited to have a look into the childhood of Dot Stevie's mother and soon after also following Stevie's childhood in a part of Eastern London that now is changing due to a total makeover. Dot doesn't seem to have much understanding for her only child which causes lots of tension through out Stevie's childhood and youth. The key to understand this lies in Dot's early childhood where she was put away in a hospital without being allowed to have visits from her mother. Her father had totally forsaken family and as we get glimpses of Dot's early life she is more understood by the reader to have had difficulties in relationships.
I enjoyed the way the book is built up so that you change between the childhood of Stevie and background of Dot and the presence describing the frailty of Dot's health and her stubbornness she shares with many old people. It seems that love and acceptance is growing between mother and daughter as Dot starts to articulate her gratitude to Stevie for her faithful help.
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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Waiting in the Wings by Stevie Turner
Name: Waiting in the Wings Author: Stevie Turner Print Length: 199 pages Publisher: KDP (November 30, 2016) Publication Date: November 30, 2016 Sold By: Amazon Digital Services LLC Language: English ASIN: B01M3MOEPV *I received this book as a gift from the author*
This book is close to my heart in more ways than one. To start, my mother happens to be sick at the moment. In Waiting in the Wings, Stevie’s mother Dot is also very sick and is getting worse as time moves on. The mother of Dorothy Eliza Wilkins (or Dot) had a breech birth. My twin sister was breech as well. It means that she was born feet first instead of head first. Sadly, Dot suffered a dislocated hip and osteomyelitis due to being pulled from the womb by her left leg. This would play a great role in her adult life, especially she ages, her body deteriorates and her mobility becomes limited.
As not to spoil it for you, let’s just say that the relationship between Dot and Stevie is one in which Dot has become the child and Stevie the adult. As mother and daughter both struggle to endure this transition, which understandably takes its toll on them both, Stevie helps her mom through her depression by reliving old memories. We are invited into Stevie and Dot’s past and watch how it effects Stevie in real time. We watch her examine her relationship with Dot while enduring the trials of caring for a sick parent while balancing her own illness.
This is not an easy thing to do and as I look at my sisters (who are in Chicago with my mother and experiencing it first hand), I can sympathize intimately with Stevie’s trials. As for Dot, the woman is hilarious! To find the courage and the will power to still be funny in regard to her situation is a testament to her strength. Again, I am reminded of my own mother (who I think is pretty funny). Though I do think Dot is funny without the intent, I fell in love with her personality and thought Stevie to be quite courageous to share such a personal story.
I’d like to write my own memoir one day and this book gives me the push I need. Again, I think Stevie is very brave. She lays it all out for us.
Ratings: Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5 Entertainment Factor: 4/5 Characterization: 5/5 Authenticity / Believable: 5/5 Thought Provoking: 5/5 Overall Rating: 5 / 5
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5.0 out of 5 starsA stimulating read
ByAmazon Customeron 25 October 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
From the description on Amazon, I was expecting an account of a middle-aged woman looking after a mother with developing dementia and was slightly worried this would be a 'dutiful' read. But I like the author's writing and like reading memoirs, so I persevered.
In fact, it is about the author's complex relationship with her mother throughout her mother's long life (she lived into her 90s), told in a lively and engaging fashion. Her mother, Dot, was clearly a difficult woman to handle from beginning to end. We all know mothers can be annoying when you are a growing child, not to mention as they grow older and more frail, but this covers the whole range. Imagine, for example, having your mother invite herself along on holidays when you are in your late teens. On the other hand, the author doesn't flinch from the idea that she, too, was not always easy to manage.
Like all good memoirs, it makes you contemplate your own history of family relationships. A stimulating read.
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