I loved this book. I like books about "illnesses" and found this one so interesting as the stroke victim was only 30. Having cared for a husband who was quite ill, I really identified with Allison's comment about the frustrations she felt caring for her husband and trying to take care of herself and then their baby. Such an interesting, well written book.

A beautifully wrought true story by a historical fiction author. This memoir has its genesis in the daily letters she wrote her husband following his ischemic stroke at age 30. It is very powerful and poignant. She voices her sadness, her fears and her frustrations but mostly her love of their family and her faith in God. We read a lot in the media these days about being grateful, but this memoir drives the thought home that we should not take our lives for granted and to enjoy every day to the fullest.

What an inspiring book!!! I was riveted reading about Allison and her husband, Dave. Five months pregnant, her husband suffered an extremely rare stroke on the plane on the way to their babymoon. What follows is their heart wrenching, yet full of hope story. I literally just couldn't put it down. I loved how it alternated between past and present, telling their story from the day they met up till today. Allison's faith was encouraging and heartwarming, and I pray that Dave continues to recover and makes a full 100% recovery.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Five stars to author Allison Pataki for opening up a window into the life of her family after a devastating and unexpected stroke befell her young husband. I know from experience that things we think we might have to face when we're older come as a great surprise when they happen many decades earlier. I was moved by her faith and the strength of her family, but also her honesty about the times she felt like giving up. A sure winner, Pataki's book will resonate with anyone who has struggled - that is, anyone who is human.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review

I wish that I could give this book more than five stars because from beginning to end you are completely invested in their story. You want to wrap your arms around them and comfort as much as you can. Keep the Kleenex handy because you will absolutely need them. Don't read this book in public because you will be sniffling at certain times and people are going to ask you what's wrong. Definitely pre order this gem of a book and have it waiting for you on release day. Happy reading!

It's scary to think that every single person on this planet could suffer a traumatic brain injury that will irreparably alter their plans for the future. Most of us get lucky and never have to face this conundrum, but Allison and her husband Dave are not so fortunate. Dave suffers a terrible stroke deep in his brain and must re-learn how to be a person again and at the same time, Allison gives birth to their first child while raising her husband from his own infancy.

Pataki writes with so much emotion--I could feel her agonies, her frustrations, her joys. This book was an incredible work. Even though I am not religious, I honestly sat back and thought about Pataki's deep faith in God and what I would do in such a situation. I realized that I would pray to every deity out there. No sense in not stacking the deck in our favor. I love a book that makes me re-evaluate my own beliefs and goals in life. Pataki's Beauty in Broken Places did just that. Fantastic!

Beauty in the Broken Places A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience by Allison Pataki
is a beautifully written piece of literature. While this is the first novel by Ms. Pataki that I have read, I can assure you it won’t be my last. Ms. Pataki has a wonderful command of the English Language and her words are thoughtful, remarkable and heartfelt.

Having lived in New York State, I was familiar with the Governor and his family. I had heard that his daughter had written a few novels but I never got around to reading them. Off the cuff one might think: “Oh this is the Governor’s daughter” and assume she had a leg up on the rest of the writers who were trying to be published. Let me assure you now that line of thinking is wrong. Ms. Pataki was an English Major in college. She was not published because she was some politicians daughter. She was published because she is an extraordinary writer.

While I do not give spoilers, I will say that this memoir had to be heartbreaking to write. To recount the worst time in your life is not an easy thing to do. To be pregnant with your first child while you are going through the worst time in your life is not an easy thing to do. To wonder whether you will be a widow and single parent during the worst time in your life is horrendous.

Ms. Pataki shares with her readers, the depth of family love not only in her immediate family but to her wider family and friends. I will say having understood that depth of love is amazing. Ms. Pataki makes you understand what her family means to her in the good and horrific times.

The book is about Faith. Her faithfulness that her belief in God would see her and her loved ones through their darkest days. Naturally faith is never constant and Ms. Pataki shows her faith waivering when things get bad. She shares her immense effort to hold on to her present, left go of her past and look forward to an uncertain future. The future she had not written for herself.

Resilience is a reoccuring theme throughout the book. From her husband’s, to hers, to her family’s the resilience is remarkable. As I neared the end of the book I was wondering if she would tell us how her family is now. Ms. Pataki gave us a glorious resolve to the ending. I wasn’t expecting it but I am grateful for how it summed up the memoir.

This is a must read for anyone who has taken care of a loved one. It is also a must read for those whose path was not what they had written. This book affirms that you are not alone in this journey and your journey will change course. The book is joyful and sad, terrifying and ecstatic, boundless and loving.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Ms. Pataki and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beauty in the Broken Places tells the story of Allison Pataki and her husband, Dave Levy, as they navigate the shocking place they find themselves in after Dave suffers a life-threatening stroke. This is a powerful, moving, and personal memoir, yet it was filled with the universal truths of love, faith and perseverance. Pataki is not afraid to be honest, to write with raw emotion. Fortunately, not many of us will find ourselves in the position that Pataki or her husband were in, but all of us will benefit from reading this work and heeding the message to be grateful for each day that we are given.

What a beautiful story with so many wonderful bits of wisdom. While I was reading this book, I felt like I was sitting down with a friend talking. Pataki does a splendid job of laying out the story of Dave and her courtship and early years in marriage mixed with the heartbreaking yet beautiful story of Dave's recovery.

Pataki does an amazing job balancing out the story of Dave's recovery. It would have been so easy for her as the wife and author to not look at his side of the story and only focus on her feelings in the midst of this trial.

I appreciate her inclusion of faith and her dependance on God during this time. Pataki's blunt statements on faith are so spot on that I wanted to weep in agreement. For someone that experience a traumatic unexpected loss of her dad the tender age of 25, I could not agree more. I had to decide that my faith had to mean the same when life was good and when life was hard and bitter.

Pataki makes the statement throughout the book: "May we always remember". Just one of the many nuggets of wisdom in the book.

I received an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There is a process in Japan called Kintsugi, which is the art of filling in broken cracks of pottery with gold. Rather than forsaking a broken item, Kintsugi embraces any imperfections and, at times, even emphasizes faults to show the history and strength of the weathered item.

This memoir is Kintsugi where Allison Pataki filled in the cracks and fractures of her life and weaved her pain into a beautiful testimony to the power of courage, love, and faith. A profoundly moving work where a vast symphony of emotions reaches the mind and heart. By the end, readers can clearly see the true beauty in all the broken places.

Alex from TheReadingCornerforAll.com

When the worst thing you can imagine happens, you better have the strength and resilience to make it through. Alison was pregnant when her husband was felled by a ischemic stroke out of the blue. He recovered, but the recovery was long and difficult. Alison survived the ordeal with the help of her family and faith.

Allison and her husband were on their babymoon when he had a debilitating stroke. Throughout the trauma and afterwards, Allison writes her husband letter full of love and hope. This story is one of extreme resiliency and unrelenting love. It’s a heart warming story.

So many feelings for this amazing memoir! Allison wrote daily letters to her husband Dave after he suffered a rare and life-threatening stroke! Sharing her journey of trials and tribulations! And how she fell in love with her husband all over again! This book moved me in such a way that there are no worlds to describe! I shed some major tears! I would absolutely recommend this book, to anyone and everyone!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Fabulous book on a family dealing with a brain injury. Heartbreaking but powerful.

Thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it