This book is meant to be read more than once.
I started reading this book on Friday night and finished it on Sunday morning. I couldn't put it down. It is a short, sweet story of a family dealing with the sudden death of a young daughter who left behind three small children. The book is equally heartbreaking and heartwarming. The reader will laugh out loud and cry at the same time. This is a book that I will recommend to all my friends and will buy for my own daughter -- I'm keeping this copy. I was not familiar with this author, but will now search out and read his other books.
Rated of 5
by Mary G. (River Forest, IL)
No answers - I love it!
Finally - a self help book that doesn't offer answers. No preaching, yoga, religious practices, emotional dietary props, no deep breathing. Rosenblatt tells it like it is - and is helpful in spite of himself.
Having lost a daughter, survived by a daughter of her own in mid-teens, I have empathy for the author's sudden transformation from grandparent to parent in the midst of untold grief. And his message is one it took me longer to discover, but which I've found to be true. His book is deeply personal, telling the day after day meaningful moments (like "making toast!") that make surviving grief possible. My daily circumstances - and yours - are different from his, but it doesn't matter. His own "moments" somehow blend with my own, and they make me smile.
Having read "Making Toast," I feel better about death - and I can still eat chocolate and don't have to go to the gym to do it!
Rated of 5
by Marissa P. (Tarrytown, NY)
Heartbreaking & Endearing
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The author who lost his daughter to a rare heart disorder chronicles his and his wife's journey with their late daughter's children and her husband. The grandparents move in with Harris, Amy's husband and James, Sammy and Jessica, their children. Although Amy is gone in a physical sense she never leaves their lives and her parent's thoughts. They struggle with helping to raise the children and find comfort and joy in the process. It is a bittersweet tale that leaves you laughing and crying. Although happiness abounds in this book you are always bought back to the reality of the profound loss and it's meaning to each of the characters.
Rated of 5
by Leslie W. (Burlingame, CA)
Making Toast
Wonderfully written story of how a family deals with the untimely loss of a loved one. Making Toast shares all of the emotions and difficulties that a family must go through in order to go on with life after the tragedy of death.
This book is a must read for all. It will inspire you to look at life differently.
Rated of 5
by Beatrice D. (Floral Park, New York)
Death out of Order
One of life's greatest tragedies occurs when parents have to stand at the graveside of a child, no matter her age. This is what happened to Roger Rosenblatt and his wife Ginny whose daughter's sudden death at the age of 38, forced them to transition into the role of surrogate parents to three children under the age of seven simultaneous with their natural roles as grandparents. By no means treacly with sentiment, the book takes us through the ordinary along with the extra-ordinary events in the life of this family as they struggle to regain their center and go on with their lives. Not a memoir in the usual sense, rather a series of journal-like entries that make us a part of the day to day struggles and triumphs the family experiences
Rated of 5
by Patricia S. (New Canaan, CT)
A love letter to a daughter and her family
This book should be published on Feb 14th, not the 16th as it is truly a testament to love within the Rosenblatt family. I did shed a few tears reading this book from cover to cover in one sitting. As a grandmother of 3 boys, ages 1,3 and 5 and having just finished babysitting for them for 5 days, I was totally exhausted by dinnertime and raised a glass of wine to Ginny (and to Roger) for being able to step into the shoes of the children's mother without collapsing, either physically or mentally.. The writing is such that the reader feels they are a part of the family, not an outsider. Truly a masterful piece dealing with the loss of a daughter, yet preserving her memory through everyday tasks. I'll look forward to recommending this for our bookclub in Maine.
Rated of 5
by Nancy S. (Independence, MO)
Making Toast
A lovely memoir about a family that must deal with the sudden death of a beloved daughter. I loved this book from beginning to end. It gave me a clearer understanding of what is important in life. Thank you Mr. Rosenblatt for writing this heartwarming book.
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of 5
by Susan S. (Lakeville, MA)
