Susan Schoenberger

Vivian contracted polio when she was 6. Her sister died of the disease, but she lives in an iron lung. The story is told via several podcasts, taped by Vivian, and by Holly, one of the locals who volunteers 2 hour increments to care for Vivian, as do all the other townspeople in the dying New York town of Bertram Corners. Holly, a widow with 2 teen sons, is struggling to meet her bills, her mother has a stroke and is living a vegetable existence. Vivian invests in a cash-for-gold shop and sets Holly up as the overseer of her investment, where Holly meets Racine, the new bachelor store manager. Vivian likes Holly because she's willing to accept her dark periodic moods, and allow her to wallow in self pity - after all, what kind of life is it stuck in an iron lung, unable to do anything except think and ask the volunteers to bring her a book, change the TV channel, set her up to surf the web, etc, etc. I can't even imagine that kind of life.… (meer)

As I began reading this novel, I was immediately pulled into the story about Lucy and her best friend Harlan, not just by the moving story of Harlan's battle with cancer and Lucy's pending adoption of a 4 year old Russian orphan, but more so by the wonderful prose. I usually read the first chapter of any new Kindle fiction release. Very few grab me like this one did. Halfway through the story I sent a message to the author telling her that her work reminded me somewhat of Anne Tyler, particularly AN ACCIDENTAL TOURIST. But it also reminds me of great nineteenth century novels, when writing seemed to be more alive and beautiful, more caringly crafted. This book won a 5 star rating from Midwest Book Review. Susan Schoenberger also won the gold medal in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for this book. In reading A WATERSHED YEAR, I am left with much more confidence and enthusiasm than I had before about the future of Amercian Literature. I eagerly look forward to her next work.… (meer)

When I was offered the chance to review this book, I almost passed on it. To be honest, I tend to judge a book, at least initially, by its cover, and this one does nothing for me! But luckily I went on to read the synopsis and decided to read the book. I’m so glad I did!

This is a story of a friendship. Vivian contracted polio as a young girl and was left paralyzed to the point that she can not breathe without the assistance of the iron lung, a chamber which encloses her entire body from the neck down. She requires 24/7 care to be sure she does not choke and to make sure the generator comes on if she loses electricity. Many of her caregivers are volunteers from her community, one of whom is Holly, a widow with two teenage boys, who is on the brink of bankruptcy. Her husband died when the boys were very young, and she has lived paycheck to paycheck since. She has had no time for romance or entertainment or anything outside the day to day routine of earning a living and caring for her children and Vivian. She has been able to pay her mortgage each month, just barely, with a little help from her mother, but when her mother suffers a stroke, things come to a crisis.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the way the community pulled together to support Vivian. It was also interesting to see the different reactions people had to Holly’s financial status, and how Holly perceived others felt about her due to her financial difficulties. I also enjoyed reading Vivian’s back-story, told in unaired podcasts spread throughout the book.

I grew up hearing horror stories of polio and iron lungs as the justification for getting shots at the doctor. I’m not sure I ever really took it seriously or realized just how devastating polio can be, and I certainly did not realize that iron lungs are NOT things of the distant past. I’ve seen one in the local science center, but I thought they were relics, so it really surprised me to read this contemporary story of a woman who lives life in an iron lung. The author explains her inspiration for Vivian came from a newspaper article she’d read about a polio survivor named Martha Mason, who also lived life in an iron lung. After I finished the book, I googled Martha Mason to learn more about her, and recognized that many of the details in the book came from her story.

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I was provided a review copy and have written an honest review which appears above.… (meer)