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The Virtues of Oxygen
From the award-winning author of A Watershed Year comes a heartrending story of unlikely bonds made under dire straits. Holly is a young widow with two kids living in a ramshackle house in the same small town where she grew up wealthy. Now barely able to make ends meet editing the town’s struggling newspaper, she manages to stay afloat with help from her family. Then her mother suffers a stroke, and Holly’s world begins to completely fall apart.
Vivian has lived an extraordinary life, despite the fact that she has been confined to an iron lung since contracting polio as a child. Her condition means she requires constant monitoring, and the close-knit community joins together to give her care and help keep her alive. As their town buckles under the weight of the Great Recession, Holly and Vivian, two very different women both touched by pain, forge an unlikely alliance that may just offer each an unexpected salvation.
Vivian has lived an extraordinary life, despite the fact that she has been confined to an iron lung since contracting polio as a child. Her condition means she requires constant monitoring, and the close-knit community joins together to give her care and help keep her alive. As their town buckles under the weight of the Great Recession, Holly and Vivian, two very different women both touched by pain, forge an unlikely alliance that may just offer each an unexpected salvation.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2014
311 people are currently reading
1555 people want to read
About the author
Susan Schoenberger
8 books68 followersSusan Schoenberger is the award-winning author of A Watershed Year and The Virtues of Oxygen. With a linotype operator as a grandfather, she has ink in her blood.
Susan worked as a journalist and copyeditor for many years, including for The Hartford Courant and The Baltimore Sun, and currently serves as Director of Communications at Hartford Seminary, a graduate school with a focus on interfaith dialogue. She lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, with her husband, Kevin. They have three grown children and a small dog named Leo.
Susan loves hearing from readers, so feel free to ask a question.
Susan worked as a journalist and copyeditor for many years, including for The Hartford Courant and The Baltimore Sun, and currently serves as Director of Communications at Hartford Seminary, a graduate school with a focus on interfaith dialogue. She lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, with her husband, Kevin. They have three grown children and a small dog named Leo.
Susan loves hearing from readers, so feel free to ask a question.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews
October 23, 2015
This is the story of two women. One of them, Holly, is a 42-year-old widow with two teenage sons. She works at the local newspaper in Bertram Corners, a two-hour drive from New York City. She struggles with finances, trying to keep up mortgage payments on her home and survives only with the assistance of her wealthy mother. Holly volunteers as one of the assistants to Vivian, the other main character. Vivian is a 63-year-old quadriplegic; she contracted polio and has spent the last 57 years in an iron lung and is totally dependent on others for 24-hour care. The two have become good friends over the years.
Part of the novel is narrated using the third person limited omniscient point of view, focusing on Holly. Periodically, Vivian’s first person narration is included in the form of her unaired podcasts. It is these podcasts which I found most interesting. Providing the viewpoint of a woman who describes herself as “someone alive but trapped like a fly in tree sap” is original. Vivian tells her life story in these podcasts, explaining how she coped and made a life for herself despite her extreme circumstances. I found myself wishing her story were more developed.
Holly’s story I found much less interesting. Her situation, trying to provide for her sons and to make ends meet, is one with which many people could identify. It is sometimes difficult to have sympathy for her, however, because, though her financial situation worsens, she has not done much to help herself and her family, relying on her wealthy mother to help her pay the mortgage. It is only when her mother can no longer help that Holly seems to realize the severity of her financial straits. Only then does she fear losing the house and not having the money for her sons’ college tuition? Even then, she only panics and does little constructive to help the situation. She is the damsel in distress awaiting a knight in shining armour to rescue her.
A stranger does come riding into town. Vivian decides to invest in a cash-for-gold store and Holly serves as her assistant, meeting with Racine, the man who has set up a number of these stores. As expected, a relationship develops between Holly and Racine, but it consists primarily of Holly running away after dates and Racine mysteriously leaving town. Since little information is given about Racine, the relationship hardly seems grounded.
The plot is weak. Some events are totally predictable; for example, when Holly’s mother’s engagement ring goes missing, we know exactly where it will show up. There are a lot of convenient coincidences; for example, everyone in Holly’s family suffers financial setbacks at the same time. Inclement weather always seems to cause a power outage? And then there are the unbelievable events. Vivian studied the stock market and built a financial portfolio, going from penny stocks to blue chips, and is described by her broker as having the Midas touch so she is able to invest $120,000 in a business. But then this same woman learns that “’most of my investments are basically worthless right now’”?
The novel examines society’s relationship with money. The author makes a parallel between oxygen and money: “If money were oxygen, [Holly] was the one flopping around like a fish outside the iron lung. Society expected people to have money. It really didn’t know what to do with people who found themselves outside the norms of earning and spending and paying taxes.” Unfortunately, the resolution to Holly’s financial problems weakens the realism of the novel’s thematic development.
This book is a quick read. I just wish that the focus had been more on Vivian’s story rather than on Holly’s.
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Part of the novel is narrated using the third person limited omniscient point of view, focusing on Holly. Periodically, Vivian’s first person narration is included in the form of her unaired podcasts. It is these podcasts which I found most interesting. Providing the viewpoint of a woman who describes herself as “someone alive but trapped like a fly in tree sap” is original. Vivian tells her life story in these podcasts, explaining how she coped and made a life for herself despite her extreme circumstances. I found myself wishing her story were more developed.
Holly’s story I found much less interesting. Her situation, trying to provide for her sons and to make ends meet, is one with which many people could identify. It is sometimes difficult to have sympathy for her, however, because, though her financial situation worsens, she has not done much to help herself and her family, relying on her wealthy mother to help her pay the mortgage. It is only when her mother can no longer help that Holly seems to realize the severity of her financial straits. Only then does she fear losing the house and not having the money for her sons’ college tuition? Even then, she only panics and does little constructive to help the situation. She is the damsel in distress awaiting a knight in shining armour to rescue her.
A stranger does come riding into town. Vivian decides to invest in a cash-for-gold store and Holly serves as her assistant, meeting with Racine, the man who has set up a number of these stores. As expected, a relationship develops between Holly and Racine, but it consists primarily of Holly running away after dates and Racine mysteriously leaving town. Since little information is given about Racine, the relationship hardly seems grounded.
The plot is weak. Some events are totally predictable; for example, when Holly’s mother’s engagement ring goes missing, we know exactly where it will show up. There are a lot of convenient coincidences; for example, everyone in Holly’s family suffers financial setbacks at the same time. Inclement weather always seems to cause a power outage? And then there are the unbelievable events. Vivian studied the stock market and built a financial portfolio, going from penny stocks to blue chips, and is described by her broker as having the Midas touch so she is able to invest $120,000 in a business. But then this same woman learns that “’most of my investments are basically worthless right now’”?
The novel examines society’s relationship with money. The author makes a parallel between oxygen and money: “If money were oxygen, [Holly] was the one flopping around like a fish outside the iron lung. Society expected people to have money. It really didn’t know what to do with people who found themselves outside the norms of earning and spending and paying taxes.” Unfortunately, the resolution to Holly’s financial problems weakens the realism of the novel’s thematic development.
This book is a quick read. I just wish that the focus had been more on Vivian’s story rather than on Holly’s.
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
August 21, 2014
I could not put this book down. The friendship between Vivian and Holly was so touching and extraordinary. Funny how close they both were really never knew each others struggles until almost the very end.Holly was a widow raising two boys and trying to keep things afloat with house payments and struggling. Her mother had helped her keep her house and when the unthinkable happens her mother suffers a heart attack and never really recovers. Her siblings decide to place her in a nursing home where all her savings will be drained. Thats when the siblings find out she has been helping Holly all along. They were angry because they were having their own problems. And could of used some help also.
Vivian living in the iron lung was my hero. She fought her battles with her conditions from contracting polio at an early age. She fought every step of the way to make a livable life for herself but in the end she just could not do it anymore. What these two friends do for one another is what real friendship and loyalty and love is about. This a must read . I cried a few times.I will definitely be reading more of Susan Schoenberger's books.
Vivian living in the iron lung was my hero. She fought her battles with her conditions from contracting polio at an early age. She fought every step of the way to make a livable life for herself but in the end she just could not do it anymore. What these two friends do for one another is what real friendship and loyalty and love is about. This a must read . I cried a few times.I will definitely be reading more of Susan Schoenberger's books.
April 1, 2015
There are lots of good reviews of this book so I won't say much. Just an "okay" read for me. The story of two women whose lives intertwine but I was only interested in one story - Vivian's, a polio survivor living in an iron lung. Holly's story, a widow with two children trying to make ends meet, didn't resonate that much with me even though I was sympathetic to her plight. The book does have some glimmers of touching moments and insight into the value of a life lived in an iron lung - hence, "The Virtues of Oxygen". It is an aptly titled book!
August 3, 2014
Originally published at Reading Reality
The Virtues of Oxygen is the story of two women (and a town) who are all having difficulty with something that is critical to survival.
It’s not that Holly started out life somewhere in the upper-middle class and feels deprived because her standard of living has steadily fallen throughout her adult life--it’s that she’s 42, widowed young, with two sons and a job in a dying industry (journalism) in a small town that has been losing economic ground for decades.
She works hard and she does her best, but she’s going to lose her house. And her little weekly newspaper is about to fold, taking her job with it.
Then her mother has a severe stroke and she and her siblings have to face even more bitter truths. Their mother survived, but she will never get better. The woman they knew is gone.
And everything that their parents saved in their life together will have to go to taking care of the body that no longer houses their mother.
Holly says that money is like oxygen, and she just doesn’t have enough. but Holly’s friend Vivian really doesn’t have enough actual oxygen. Ever.
230px-Iron_lung_CDCVivian is 65, and she contracted polio when she was 6--three years before the Salk vaccine. For the past 59 years, Vivian has lived her entire life in an iron lung. She can’t breathe without it’s constant assistance.
She has managed to make a life for herself. Computers and the internet opened up a vast array of outside contacts for her. She invested her money wisely, (she’s very good at it) and has mostly done ok by financial standards.
But she is tired of everything. As her series of podcasts reveals, she has lived her life as best as she could, but she has reached enough. The problem is that someone is, of necessity, always taking care of her, and ensuring that her life-giving machines never lose power.
When Holly finally runs out of choices, Vivian takes her and her boys into her home. Holly’s family gives Vivian one last chance to experience life in a busy and happy household. Holly’s family gives her purpose.
They also give her one last chance to pass the benefits of her life, hopefully without the disadvantages, to a friend she cares for, and the town that has cared for her.
Escape Rating B+: The Virtues of Oxygen is a story that builds slowly, but involves the reader with all the aspects of both of its protagonists lives. This is not a story where dramatic action would be appropriate, instead it weaves its spell by deepening the reader’s understanding of the difficulties faced by all the characters.
Vivian is simply an awesome character. From the first of her “unaired podcasts” Vivian’s personality roars off the page. Her experience is so much broader than the horizons of her iron-lung bound life might have been. For someone who starts out extraordinarily unlucky, she makes the absolute most of what she has. Until she exhausts herself in a way that is as understandable as possible in circumstances that none of us can compare to.
Vivian has managed to make herself the personal and economic center of little Bertram Corners, binding the town together in caring for her in a way that helps the town as much as it assists her. It’s obvious from the story that it took Vivian a while, but she finally figured out how to give back to her caregivers and her community in a really big way.
Holly’s life keeps going from bad to worse, and she keeps on putting one foot in front of the other, but she’s just not able to dig out of the hole she’s in. Because she doesn’t have any reserves, she can’t manage to help herself make money. Everything that comes in is eaten up by daily life; the mortgage, utilities, keeping both sons clothed and fed, trying to keep their lives from being a complete drag as the house gets more dilapidated.
Her life has never recovered from the absurdly young death of her husband. No one expects to die in their early 30’s, with so much of their promise unfulfilled.
The town is slowly dying, and into this economic bust Vivian brings a storefront cash-for-gold store. The presence of the store, and it’s city-wise manager Racine brings a boost to the downtown area, and possibly even a boost to Holly’s life. She just can’t figure out what his game is or whether he has one.
For a character who changes so much from the beginning of the story to the end, we don’t see as much of Racine’s perspective as might have been helpful. The Virtues of Oxygen is totally Vivian’s and Holly’s stories.
The Virtues of Oxygen is the story of two women (and a town) who are all having difficulty with something that is critical to survival.
It’s not that Holly started out life somewhere in the upper-middle class and feels deprived because her standard of living has steadily fallen throughout her adult life--it’s that she’s 42, widowed young, with two sons and a job in a dying industry (journalism) in a small town that has been losing economic ground for decades.
She works hard and she does her best, but she’s going to lose her house. And her little weekly newspaper is about to fold, taking her job with it.
Then her mother has a severe stroke and she and her siblings have to face even more bitter truths. Their mother survived, but she will never get better. The woman they knew is gone.
And everything that their parents saved in their life together will have to go to taking care of the body that no longer houses their mother.
Holly says that money is like oxygen, and she just doesn’t have enough. but Holly’s friend Vivian really doesn’t have enough actual oxygen. Ever.
230px-Iron_lung_CDCVivian is 65, and she contracted polio when she was 6--three years before the Salk vaccine. For the past 59 years, Vivian has lived her entire life in an iron lung. She can’t breathe without it’s constant assistance.
She has managed to make a life for herself. Computers and the internet opened up a vast array of outside contacts for her. She invested her money wisely, (she’s very good at it) and has mostly done ok by financial standards.
But she is tired of everything. As her series of podcasts reveals, she has lived her life as best as she could, but she has reached enough. The problem is that someone is, of necessity, always taking care of her, and ensuring that her life-giving machines never lose power.
When Holly finally runs out of choices, Vivian takes her and her boys into her home. Holly’s family gives Vivian one last chance to experience life in a busy and happy household. Holly’s family gives her purpose.
They also give her one last chance to pass the benefits of her life, hopefully without the disadvantages, to a friend she cares for, and the town that has cared for her.
Escape Rating B+: The Virtues of Oxygen is a story that builds slowly, but involves the reader with all the aspects of both of its protagonists lives. This is not a story where dramatic action would be appropriate, instead it weaves its spell by deepening the reader’s understanding of the difficulties faced by all the characters.
Vivian is simply an awesome character. From the first of her “unaired podcasts” Vivian’s personality roars off the page. Her experience is so much broader than the horizons of her iron-lung bound life might have been. For someone who starts out extraordinarily unlucky, she makes the absolute most of what she has. Until she exhausts herself in a way that is as understandable as possible in circumstances that none of us can compare to.
Vivian has managed to make herself the personal and economic center of little Bertram Corners, binding the town together in caring for her in a way that helps the town as much as it assists her. It’s obvious from the story that it took Vivian a while, but she finally figured out how to give back to her caregivers and her community in a really big way.
Holly’s life keeps going from bad to worse, and she keeps on putting one foot in front of the other, but she’s just not able to dig out of the hole she’s in. Because she doesn’t have any reserves, she can’t manage to help herself make money. Everything that comes in is eaten up by daily life; the mortgage, utilities, keeping both sons clothed and fed, trying to keep their lives from being a complete drag as the house gets more dilapidated.
Her life has never recovered from the absurdly young death of her husband. No one expects to die in their early 30’s, with so much of their promise unfulfilled.
The town is slowly dying, and into this economic bust Vivian brings a storefront cash-for-gold store. The presence of the store, and it’s city-wise manager Racine brings a boost to the downtown area, and possibly even a boost to Holly’s life. She just can’t figure out what his game is or whether he has one.
For a character who changes so much from the beginning of the story to the end, we don’t see as much of Racine’s perspective as might have been helpful. The Virtues of Oxygen is totally Vivian’s and Holly’s stories.
August 25, 2014
I would have most certainly given this book 5 stars 2/3 of the way through. I was loving every moment. But then it kind of fell apart at the end. Holly's financial was resolved too quickly and easily, her challenges just kind of disappeared, but the most disappointing part was how Vivian chose to handle her situation. I won't give it away but I was very surprised, and not in a good way, by how it all ended. Nonetheless, I enjoyed everything else about the book so much I only knock off one star for a weak ending.
Reading a few of the reviews for it, I have to take issue with those who say Holly's economic troubles did not ring true. They were so right on, it was like they were written right out of my journal when we went through a similar situation, even up to shopping for our kids' Christmas in a used bookstore, giving meaningful books we loved from childhood instead of the electronic gadgets we couldn't afford. And like Holly's boys, our kids thought those were the best presents ever and they have valued those books through the years. Either the author has been through it, or she researched it carefully with those who have, because she perfectly portrayed what it's like to be living middle-class in America with an income below the poverty line.
Reading a few of the reviews for it, I have to take issue with those who say Holly's economic troubles did not ring true. They were so right on, it was like they were written right out of my journal when we went through a similar situation, even up to shopping for our kids' Christmas in a used bookstore, giving meaningful books we loved from childhood instead of the electronic gadgets we couldn't afford. And like Holly's boys, our kids thought those were the best presents ever and they have valued those books through the years. Either the author has been through it, or she researched it carefully with those who have, because she perfectly portrayed what it's like to be living middle-class in America with an income below the poverty line.
Read
March 18, 2014A really sweet story about every day struggles to live...and just breathe. I co-narrated this with Laural Merlington. She voices Vivian, a women in an iron lung; I play Holly, a single-mom trying to take care of her kids and herself during the financial crisis. There's some heavy subject matter, but the characters are very human and lovely. A story with a lot of heart.
February 6, 2015
The title comes from Vivian, a woman who has survived her whole like in an iron lung from the crippling effects of polio. She has forged a life in her small community. She is friends with Holly, a young mother struggling to keep the community newspaper alive and feed her family. They create a friendship, loyalty and understanding.
September 15, 2014
Very good book that weaves together two different stories and explores the idea of feeling trapped (by circumstances, by health, by financial issues) as well as human resilience.
May 22, 2025
THE VIRTUES OF OXYGEN was published a few years ago and has been in my home for just as long; I forgot to read it until now. I would be angry with myself if I liked the book more. But, sorry to say, it wasn't for me. I think I would have liked it more when I was in high school. So I don't mean to say that it's a bad book; others may like it.
Susan Schoenberger tells the story of two women. Vivian contracted polio as a child right before they came up with the vaccine for it. She has been living in an iron lung set up in her living room ever since. Holly is a widow with two teenage boys. Money is very tight since her husband died.
Vivian describes her life in unaired podcasts. Her parents gave up much in their lives to take care of her. But she never had friends. Now both are dead, but the people in her small New York town have come together to care for her. Holly is one of those people.
The old home that Holly lives in needs so much maintenance that she can't afford. Her mother is in a nursing home so cannot loan her money. She can't make her house payments and is losing her home.
There's some romance in this book if you like that sort of thing, which I did when I was in high school. There isn't a lot of it, so I didn't really mind.
This is a pretty simple story, and everything is predictable. It would make a good Lifetime movie.
Susan Schoenberger tells the story of two women. Vivian contracted polio as a child right before they came up with the vaccine for it. She has been living in an iron lung set up in her living room ever since. Holly is a widow with two teenage boys. Money is very tight since her husband died.
Vivian describes her life in unaired podcasts. Her parents gave up much in their lives to take care of her. But she never had friends. Now both are dead, but the people in her small New York town have come together to care for her. Holly is one of those people.
The old home that Holly lives in needs so much maintenance that she can't afford. Her mother is in a nursing home so cannot loan her money. She can't make her house payments and is losing her home.
There's some romance in this book if you like that sort of thing, which I did when I was in high school. There isn't a lot of it, so I didn't really mind.
This is a pretty simple story, and everything is predictable. It would make a good Lifetime movie.
November 7, 2014
A Contemporary Tale of Traditional Values
I didn't know this book was based on a real life story until after I'd read it. I thought the character Vivian was a fictitious symbol of man's ability to rise above suffering and transcend physical limits. By contrast I found the character Holly entirely realistic. Her struggles amid Great Recession-induced economic disintegration were vividly easy to relate to, even if Vivian's life in an iron lung wasn't. When I realized Vivian was real and Holly was fiction, I admired the author's skill in creating such interesting portrayals. I also loved the faith and can-do values permeating their small town's culture. Doing the right thing for others is what this story celebrates in touching, affirmative fashion.
I didn't know this book was based on a real life story until after I'd read it. I thought the character Vivian was a fictitious symbol of man's ability to rise above suffering and transcend physical limits. By contrast I found the character Holly entirely realistic. Her struggles amid Great Recession-induced economic disintegration were vividly easy to relate to, even if Vivian's life in an iron lung wasn't. When I realized Vivian was real and Holly was fiction, I admired the author's skill in creating such interesting portrayals. I also loved the faith and can-do values permeating their small town's culture. Doing the right thing for others is what this story celebrates in touching, affirmative fashion.
August 5, 2015
I really enjoyed the time with this book.
t was an enjoyable read wondering the fate of a few characters . It was relaxing and with suspense . I kept going back for more. I was trying to figure our Racine's motives the entire time.
t was an enjoyable read wondering the fate of a few characters . It was relaxing and with suspense . I kept going back for more. I was trying to figure our Racine's motives the entire time.
August 9, 2015
An amazing book! Thank you Susan.
April 29, 2021
I read this as a Kindle novel. The novel is set during the Great Depression. The plot revolves around two women ---Holly and Vivian. Vivian was paralyzed by polio when she was 6 years old and has lived in an iron lung ever since then. At the time of the novel, she is in her 60's. Although her parents cared for her until they died, she has a network of volunteers in the community who provide care around the clock for her. In spite of her limitations, Vivian is very bright and has become both a computer whiz and a very wise financial investor.
Holly is one of the volunteers who provides care for Vivian and the two of them have a special bond. However, Holly is struggling to make ends meet financially after the premature death of her husband. She is a single mother raising 2 boys in a run-down house and working at a weekly newspaper that is also struggling to stay afloat. As her situation worsens, she faces losing her house.
Another subplot within the novel is the story of the relationship between Racine and Holly. Racine has come to town to manage a store in which people bring their gold items of jewelry to sell them for cash. Vivian has set this up as an investment for herself.
I won't go any further to avoid spoiling the plot for others. I did find this a very heart-warming story of people coming together to help each other. It also portrayed Holly's financial struggles vividly as so many people in the country were losing everything. I also felt the author's portrayal of Vivian's struggles with her permanent confinement was well done.
I would definitely recommend the book to others and will look for more of Susan Schoenberger's writing.
Holly is one of the volunteers who provides care for Vivian and the two of them have a special bond. However, Holly is struggling to make ends meet financially after the premature death of her husband. She is a single mother raising 2 boys in a run-down house and working at a weekly newspaper that is also struggling to stay afloat. As her situation worsens, she faces losing her house.
Another subplot within the novel is the story of the relationship between Racine and Holly. Racine has come to town to manage a store in which people bring their gold items of jewelry to sell them for cash. Vivian has set this up as an investment for herself.
I won't go any further to avoid spoiling the plot for others. I did find this a very heart-warming story of people coming together to help each other. It also portrayed Holly's financial struggles vividly as so many people in the country were losing everything. I also felt the author's portrayal of Vivian's struggles with her permanent confinement was well done.
I would definitely recommend the book to others and will look for more of Susan Schoenberger's writing.
July 6, 2018
This is a story about two women, Holly, a widow and mother of two teenage boys and the woman she volunteers to take care of. Vivian, a 60+ year old woman who was stricken with polio at the age of 6 and who lives her life in an iron lung. For those of you with little knowledge as to what that is I'll give you a moment to Google it..... see, not something you want to live your whole life bound to. The points of view switch between chapters, Holly and what is going on in her life and the podcasts Vivian creates about growing up the way she had. While it would seem that Vivian is the one who needs taking care of it is the other way around. She takes care of those around her in the small town of Bertam Corners just by listening to their stories. This was a sweet and fascinating book (although I wish I liked Holly as much as Vivian I didn't. It felt as though her character sometimes fell flat). The ending was touching if not neatly rushed into a nicely wrapped package. It was interesting to read in the acknowledgements that this was based loosely on the life of Martha Mason, a woman who legitimately spent her days living in an iron lung. After finding out she has written an autobiography I definitely plan on adding that to my To Read list.
October 2, 2018
Reality in America
The books time is around the 2008 crash. The 2 women protagonists are a widowed mother with 2 teenage boys and a woman 61 years old who has lived her life since age 5 in an iron lung. I am of the age where I was part of the generation when polio was conquered. About 10 years ago the LA Times had an article about survivors who were still living in iron lungs. I remember being shocked that there were survivors still alive.
Money becomes a metaphor for oxygen. The immediacy of trying to survive without out, struggling for breathing room for the widowed mom is contrasted by the woman in the iron lung who has money but needs a machine to supply her oxygen.
An interesting read I gave it 4 stars because of the trite ending. The mother is saved by a new man in her life.
The books time is around the 2008 crash. The 2 women protagonists are a widowed mother with 2 teenage boys and a woman 61 years old who has lived her life since age 5 in an iron lung. I am of the age where I was part of the generation when polio was conquered. About 10 years ago the LA Times had an article about survivors who were still living in iron lungs. I remember being shocked that there were survivors still alive.
Money becomes a metaphor for oxygen. The immediacy of trying to survive without out, struggling for breathing room for the widowed mom is contrasted by the woman in the iron lung who has money but needs a machine to supply her oxygen.
An interesting read I gave it 4 stars because of the trite ending. The mother is saved by a new man in her life.
October 31, 2018
A story about LIFE
This book reminds me to LIVE. Whatever the situation of our life, we are required to live it to the fullest. This is a story about the things we take for granted, the things we lose, the things we worry about, the unexpected things that change us, it's about firsthand life and love. It reminds us that we usually spend our time dying instead of living and it took two special women to open our eyes.
I laughed and cried with Vivian. Her life was a bitter sweet one that made her a person of influence because and in spite of her inability.
I identified with Holly who was continually slapped down by life and could not seem to find her way out of her downward spiral. But for the friendship of an unlikely woman and the love of an unlikely man.
Wonderfully compelling, totally engrossing and painfully real.
This book reminds me to LIVE. Whatever the situation of our life, we are required to live it to the fullest. This is a story about the things we take for granted, the things we lose, the things we worry about, the unexpected things that change us, it's about firsthand life and love. It reminds us that we usually spend our time dying instead of living and it took two special women to open our eyes.
I laughed and cried with Vivian. Her life was a bitter sweet one that made her a person of influence because and in spite of her inability.
I identified with Holly who was continually slapped down by life and could not seem to find her way out of her downward spiral. But for the friendship of an unlikely woman and the love of an unlikely man.
Wonderfully compelling, totally engrossing and painfully real.
November 10, 2017
Wow! I️ was surprised by how much I️ loved this book. It’s a story about friendship, hardship, loss, community and resilience. There are two main characters: Vivian and Holly. Vivian had polio as a child, almost died and lives in an iron lung. She goes on to be a fairly accomplished individual despite her very tragic story. Holly is a single mom of two boys, who loses her husband early in their marriage. Holly struggles financially to keep things afloat. This all takes place during the recession in the early 2000’s. The small community they live in comes together to help each other. I️ couldn’t recommend this book more. It’s uplifting, yet real. It restores my faith in humanity. I️ think there needs to be more stories like this!
May 3, 2020
An extraordinary tale about the lives of two women who faced huge obstacles to try to be happy in a fast paced world of uncertainty. Vivian was in an iron lung ,but had finished college with an associate degree. She is in her 60's now and Holly volunteers to sit with her a few hours each day. Holly' s life begins to spiral downward with financial loss, trying to help an invalid mother, a job about to go out the window while raising two sons alone. The author is able to intertwine this relationship so slowly you are on the edge of your seat to figure out how these problems get solved. A very good read for anyone who enjoys a good twist.
You learn a lot about people who seem to have more than their share of bad luck and emotional sadness, but can rise above it all.
You learn a lot about people who seem to have more than their share of bad luck and emotional sadness, but can rise above it all.
February 26, 2018
I found this book to be well crafted. Two women bound by compassion and mutual respect. But there is a commonality that is far more basic and visceral.
Both are locked up in prisons not of their own making.
I also liked very much how facts of our world were present and significant to the course of the novel.
I think it could be argued that the ending is too neatly wrapped, but the conditions that set it in motion are moving and momentous.
One of the ways we can "rate" a book is how much we miss the characters when close the back cover. I sure would like to find out how they are all doing since I "left town."
Both are locked up in prisons not of their own making.
I also liked very much how facts of our world were present and significant to the course of the novel.
I think it could be argued that the ending is too neatly wrapped, but the conditions that set it in motion are moving and momentous.
One of the ways we can "rate" a book is how much we miss the characters when close the back cover. I sure would like to find out how they are all doing since I "left town."
October 1, 2018
How would you handle this life?
I went to grade school with a boy who had polio, but was able to walk with crutches. I ate lunch with him nearly every day in our classroom, as he couldn't go out to play with the other boys. This book reminded me of him. Vivian handled a very difficult life with much dignity. I cheered each time she made it outside, how hard it would be to do seldom feel any kind of air/ breeze on your face, and to not have many real friends who would spend time with you. I loved these characters and the premise of the story, even though I pretty much had an idea how it would end! A very worthwhile read!
I went to grade school with a boy who had polio, but was able to walk with crutches. I ate lunch with him nearly every day in our classroom, as he couldn't go out to play with the other boys. This book reminded me of him. Vivian handled a very difficult life with much dignity. I cheered each time she made it outside, how hard it would be to do seldom feel any kind of air/ breeze on your face, and to not have many real friends who would spend time with you. I loved these characters and the premise of the story, even though I pretty much had an idea how it would end! A very worthwhile read!
December 24, 2019
Holly, 42-year-old single mother, struggles with finances and volunteers with Vivian, who has lived in an iron lung since childhood.
I read this book because I wanted to know more about what it would be like to live in an iron lung. Polio, thankfully, is no longer the childhood killer it used to be. Vivian was a very believable character - she struggled to stay positive and wanted to be of worth somehow, not just a victim. Holly made some minorly dumb decisions, but they seemed realistic to the story. I would have liked it more if Vivian were more of the focus rather than Holly.
Overall, a solid book that I'm glad I read.
I read this book because I wanted to know more about what it would be like to live in an iron lung. Polio, thankfully, is no longer the childhood killer it used to be. Vivian was a very believable character - she struggled to stay positive and wanted to be of worth somehow, not just a victim. Holly made some minorly dumb decisions, but they seemed realistic to the story. I would have liked it more if Vivian were more of the focus rather than Holly.
Overall, a solid book that I'm glad I read.
July 19, 2022
Unexpected theme
Until I began reading this book I didn't realize that the main character would be aged 63 and dependant on living in an iron lung since contracting polio as a child. The book cleverly tells Vivian's life story through unpublished podcasts. She has a team of carers from the small town community, but Vivian forms a special bond with Holly, a young widow, who is struggling to keep her head above water. The two women assist each other in several interesting ways.
A well written book with two amazing women as the main characters.
Until I began reading this book I didn't realize that the main character would be aged 63 and dependant on living in an iron lung since contracting polio as a child. The book cleverly tells Vivian's life story through unpublished podcasts. She has a team of carers from the small town community, but Vivian forms a special bond with Holly, a young widow, who is struggling to keep her head above water. The two women assist each other in several interesting ways.
A well written book with two amazing women as the main characters.
December 27, 2017
A very good read. It was not a quick read that really drew me in but it did fill me with gratitude. Vivian led a life lived with a machine keeping her alive and breathing every day. I cannot imagine not being able to go outside at a moments notice. Taking the simple things in life for granted, like the very air we breathe. This book spoke of friendship, courage, empathy, perseverance and much more. I highly recommend it.
June 11, 2018
A very (unexpectedly, having read no reviews prior) enjoyable and profound read.... right up until the ending. Honestly, I felt like I was learning some meaningful life lessons and variable perspectives woven together beautifully. But, it wrapped up in a bow much too warmly for the *real life* I felt was pouring from the majority of the book.... so much so it bumped down from what was a certain 5star-couldn't-recommend-more-highly, to .... a good read I very much enjoyed, but probably would never read again. :/
November 8, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Being born in the 1960's, I was not terribly familiar with the horrors of polio. To me, this was a story about challenges - Vivian's obvious challenge to live a meaningful life despite being stricken with polio, and Holly's challenge to support her boys on her own as a widow with a career in a contracting industry (journalism) in a recession-stricken town. The romance seemed secondary, although it did help to tie things up in the end, and gave hope to Holly's story. I found the town's cooperative care of Vivian very touching, and also loved the character development of Holly's sons.
February 27, 2022
Utterly Capivating … not to be missed
If I could give this book 10 Stars I would in a heartbeat. It is moving, enlightening, courageous, humourous in equal measure … and humbling to the enth degree. A salve for a world weary soul. A wonderful read. Brilliantly written. I don’t want to give anything away about Vivian’s story by even the slightest description here. It must be a totally personal read as I’m sure the author intended, and I highly recommend this book to everyone.
If I could give this book 10 Stars I would in a heartbeat. It is moving, enlightening, courageous, humourous in equal measure … and humbling to the enth degree. A salve for a world weary soul. A wonderful read. Brilliantly written. I don’t want to give anything away about Vivian’s story by even the slightest description here. It must be a totally personal read as I’m sure the author intended, and I highly recommend this book to everyone.
November 10, 2017
Inspiration for this story came from Martha Mason who lived in an iron lung for 60 years! Want to read her autobiography next...This book helped me appreciate all the little things in my life I take for granted...like walking and breathing and going outside...Loved how the town came to Vivian's aid and how Vivian came to their aid!
July 17, 2018
I had read the true story of the woman who survived in an iron lung for fifty years and used that factoid ironically as an expression at work whenever things were difficult and we would say: Remember the iron lung! To remind us the outcome could be ever so much worse. Guess what? It's not the worst, as long as you lived a life of value. Good story!
December 30, 2018
This is the story of two women living in a small town in upper New York state. Vivian contracted polio as a child and has been in an iron lung since. Holly is a widow raising two teenage boys, struggling to make ends meet. When Holly moved back to her hometown, she became one of the volunteers taking care of Vivian. Along the way they become family.
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