Geralyn LucasBesprekingen

Some really interesting stories and insights.

I received this for free from Early's Reviewers. I lasted for 50 pages and I'll explain why. I always enjoy reading memoirs about beating battles in life. However, the author is completely all about herself and I couldn't read the rest of the book finding out where else she shopped and the high end name brands she bought, etc. The kicker that made me end at page 50 was the fact that she thought her son was not normal because when he was going to different nursery schools to find the best one, she wished he acted normal instead of the rambunctious kid that would normally do things at that age.
For the rest of the review, visit my blog at: http://angelofmine1974.livejournal.com/91047.html

A touching book about Breast Cancer, relationships, and recovery.

Mein Leben mit Brustkrebs

I wanted to love this book but found it really hard to finish. The beginning of it was still interesting but then the story just dragged on and got boring. There just wasn't enough "meat" to the story to keep me engaged. Sorry to say, but I would not recommend this book.

I had difficulty at first relating to this author, and getting into her story. In the early chapters the author's honesty leaves her open to accusations of being too shallow, focused on her appearance, and of being self-absorbed. But as the book went on I appreciated this honesty, and began to question if many women dealing with breast cancer don't deal with exactly these same issues. In the latter half of the book, the author deals with the deeper issues, of concern for her mortality, and with her intimate relationships with her husband, mother, and two children. I have had several very close family members who have had cancer, and have thought a lot about what their inner most thoughts and feelings must be, but this book brought insights I had never considered. It is well worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing First Reviewers.

this book revealed so much spirit and vitality and God bless this woman for writing this book and telling us readers how she really felt. what a heartwarming and spiritual book I loved it and thanks .

Then Came Life is a sequel to the author's first book Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy. In this memoir, she talks about the aftermath of cancer, her continual worry that it will return, and her role as a supporter and speaker for cancer research, encouraging other women. Meanwhile, life does go on, and the author recounts the births of her children, the every-woman dilemma of balancing family and career, not to mention finding time to exercise and eat right. Even though she recounts the losing cancer battle of one of her close relatives, the book is uplifting, humorous and sincere. As a cancer “survivor” (I really dislike that word) myself, I enjoyed reading the author's perspective.

The journey from cancer diagnosis to treatment to survival is different for each patient. Geralyn Lucas has lived under the shadow of cancer for nearly two decades. With lipstick as her shield, she has endured it all to come out on the other side with two miracle babies, a supportive husband, and a “normal” everyday life. Lucas writes with brutal honesty and humor as she describes everything from preschool interviewing and potty training to interacting with her mean tween daughter and couples counseling. Meanwhile, she must face her fears as people important to her face their own battles with cancer. As the years go by, Lucas learns to move beyond the fear of a cancer recurrence and really embrace life.

The Bottom Line: This is a very quick read. Nonetheless, it is repetitive in several spots. For example, there were several references to the challenges of putting on Spanx and the quest for Botox. Each chapter is an essay from a different point in her life, and it is the last few chapters of this book that make it a worthwhile read. Readers will laugh and cry along with the author. Fans of the author's first book, Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy, will want to pick up a copy. Also, recommended for anyone who has survived an illness and is struggling to move forward. Readers interested in mother-daughter relationships would enjoy this book as well.½

This positive look back after surviving breast cancer will touch your heart. Geralyn Lucas faces life after cancer with grace and humor and faith that she survived for a reason. Her emotional outlook as she continues to raise her children, work and then not work, and face cancer again in the lives of those she loves is more than inspiring. It makes you want to be just like her if you are ever in that position in your own life. Great read.

Fast paced, funny and touching. I Loved this book!

I didn't have a chance to read Geralyn Lucas's first book, but I am familiar with her story. This book is a continuation of her story as a young breast cancer survivor, told in a series of snippets or essays. She now has two children and is struggling with what it means to be a survivor. She's in therapy with her husband. Her daughter is now a teenager. Her cousin is dying of breast cancer. The stories are heartwarming and heartbreaking. I think this book would be great for anyone who has beat cancer... or just needs some inspiration!½

I have to admit even though I selected this book when it came I was at first a bit disappointed thinking ugh another breast cancer book. Being a 2 year survivor I wasn't in the mood. BUT I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. Obviously its is set around her life with and after breast cancer but she tells so much more and the stories of her life are so interesting. I especially loved when they went on preschool interviews, having small children myself I could relate and was cracking up at the stories! I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to others!

I have not read Geralyn Lucas' previous book, Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy, but I am now eager to get my copy to compliment her newest memoir, Then Came Life. Then Came Life is wonderfully written, dealing with everyday life with the spectre of cancer always lingering in the background (will it return? How will it affect my children?). At times, I felt that she was going through "survivor's guilt," but she seemed to try to find the positive in everything, given her "second chance." Some funny moments, but be sure to have some kleenex handy as well.

This memoir documents the journey away from fear and towards life. While Ms. Lucas has survived breast cancer and taken some leaps of faith towards living her life, she is still battling with fear. If she loves life too much, will it be taken from her? but if she doesn't love it, what has she gained with her survival? Watching the author fully claim her life, discarding fear, is both funny and touching.

I received this book as an early reviewer.
I read the last half of the book on a plane and couldn't stop crying. I'm sure the lady across the aisle from me thought I was unhinged. I've given myself a week to calm down and feel ready to review this amazing book.
The book is a series of essays with a theme and storyline running through.
The early chapters focus on her past (breast cancer fight, survival, a determination to appreciate life, her miracle babies, her amazing husband).
Then we enter the present (wrinkles, sagging body parts, weight gain, adolescent and slightly mean daughter, strangled and non-romantic marriage, loss of identity after job loss). Many of the struggles are familiar. Ms. Lucas writes very honestly without fear. This connects her and her stories in a very visceral way. By this point in the book I felt a bond with her.
The final third of the book is the star. Her chapters flow so beautifully and convey strong emotion and experiences as if I were talking to a friend. I don't want to reveal story points here but I can say that the author faces a crises. Through this crises she learns that even though she has been struggling to appreciate life (after battling cancer) she was really holding back from life - protecting herself from hurt. She needed to embrace her life (be prepared for pain and disappointment) to find joy.
Buy this book so you can read it again and again when all the drudgeries of life get you down. Always live your life with joy. Finally, wear an amazing "look at me" red lipstick.

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. I enjoyed the book and had laughed and cried before I finished the first chapter. Geralyn Lucas, who survived breast cancer at the age of twenty-seven, describes how she deals with her everyday life.
The book was easy to read but at times felt a little, "choppy". A lot of the book dealt with the author's cousin's battle with cancer, almost to the point that I felt like I was reading what could have been part of another book.½

I'm an Early Reviewer and was sent this title. This is an uplifting description of the author's life after a mastectomy at age 27. She has become the mother of a lovely daughter named Skye and she shares stories of their wonderful times together and of her attitude. So far, so good. But she repeats every point she makes two or three times before moving on, and the book is overly long. For example, she spends two pages describing the pulling on of her Spanks. I'm sorry, Geralyn, but there are so many books and so little time.

I was fortunate enough to be able to read an advance copy of Then Came Life, and I wish I could give it 5 stars. That being said I think that anyone who read Why I Wore Lipstick to Mastectomy will probably enjoy this book a lot more than I have. This book is formatted in such a way that we get to see snapshots from Geralyn’s perspective on relationships with those in her family, people who she has worked with, fellow breast cancer survivors and her husband. Each essay has (at least I think) a different audience and I, myself as a reader audience didn’t connect with Geralyn until page 60. There were times that the writing almost seemed forced, while other essays later in the book seemed to flow off the page. The ‘I’ chapters were the most difficult for me to feel a kinship with the writer. I should also say that as someone who also feels like their body is a ticking bomb (fibromyalgia), the chapters discussing her insecurities were hit and miss for me, good days are treasured and not everyone feels that their value is based on having the flashiest consumables or a killer butt. That being said I did feel that the second half of Then Came Life, Geralyn hit her stride and had me hooked. I wish that the chapters could be in a different order perhaps bringing the chapter about her relationship with her mother and daughter up to the front and making the start be more positive. All around, this was a good, but not great book, I appreciated the positive stories, but the negatives made me feel like I was reading about a ‘consumer’ rather than someone who was sharing their life in an inspirational way. To be frank I might be willing to read something else by the author, but I won’t necessarily go out of my way to do so.

I hadn't read Geralyn Lucas' first book, but I'm not sure that would have been beneficial anyway. A touching book on dealing the insecurities of being a cancer survivor, as well as mom to "miracle" children, friend, wife, daughter. Geralyn explores what it means to be a survivor now, many years after her diagnosis and treatment. In a way she struggles with a lot of the same things the rest of us do (teenagers, weight, etc.) but in her case the added weight of whether the cancer would return led to some deep soul-searching toward the end of the book.

As a wife of a cancer survivor I can relate to a lot of the anxiety Geralyn feels. Overall, a quick, enjoyable read.

The book is a breezy read, like a diary. Except that each chapter is about breast cancer, even - and especially - when it's the topic isn't cancer. Lucas hits the heavy topics at full speed - including details I'd rather not know about her kids, relationship with her husband, and tattoo placement.

The book highlighted the fact that every aspect of the author's life is impacted by the way she views herself - as a survivor. It was so true that I kept reading - even when I didn't care for the actual topic she was writing about. The style - moving back and forth in time, lacked clarity. The attitude Lucas so admires - brave and sassy - isn't one I would hold to. But the writing kept the book moving and hearing a survivor relate was worth the read.

This book was a very inspirational story. It is easier to work on my trivial worries and be thankful for being healthy. The book was tastefully done, Intertwining humor and the enduring power of the human spirit.

A funny book about a very unfunny subject, breast cancer. I read this when my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and I found it helpful to read about someone else who has gone through the same thing she was (having a mastectomy).

Interesting look at Breast Cancer and what it means to have a breast in the western world. Her decisions were brave and interesting.

Her fears about recurrance hit close to the bone while I'm waiting to see my oncologist later this month!