Unique, interesting and enthralling. Absolutely fantastic and entirely different. I highly recommend if you’re thinking about reading. It’s such a great story!

My thanks to Random House and Net Galley for the ARC of THE UNDWINDING OF THE MIRACLE. An eloquently told memoir of a young woman who had a difficult beginning and a sad, frightening end. The title is a brave one to choose bearing in mind what is contained within. I'm not sure if I was uplifted by it but it is certainly a courageous telling, although not for the faint-hearted.

Julie Yip-Williams, by her own account, should not have survived to write this book. She was born blind into a poor Vietnamese family and her grandmother, unbelievably, decided to have her humanely killed. Fortunately the herbalist refused to agree to provide the medication and so she was taken home again. The troubles in Vietnam meant the family had to flee the country and, amazingly, considering the journey was undertaken on a vastly overloaded and rickety boat, made it to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong and subsequently America Julie had her sight partially restored. Her determination to succeed in life led to her qualifying and working as a human rights lawyer. It is in this law firm that she meets her husband-to-be and, in due course gives birth to 2 little girls. All the hardship she had endured up to this point would be enough for anyone but there was worse to come. She is diagnosed with terminal metastatic cancer. However her determination is as strong as ever and she sets out live life as fully as possible for thee sake of her 2 girls. The blog she writes ,for the 4 years she survives, is incredibly honest. In turn it is humorous, inspiring and heart-breaking . Her message to us all is to live every moment and leave your children with as many wonderful and warm memories as you can. Julie, who died aged only 37 certainly did that.

This heartbreaking memoir of life, death and everything that comes after shows author Julie Yip-Williams reveal a triumphant tale of a blind immigrant, a remarkable philosophical treatise and a call to arms to pay attention to the limited time we have on this earth.

Regardless of culture or place or resources, we die. The only difference is that Julie, as a terminal cancer patient, could mark it on a calendar. The result is an almanac of sorts for her family’s future, a biographical journey punctuated with insight, emotion and the frank honesty and reflection that come with the acceptance of death. A stunning, and heartfelt read.

This book tackles many very emotional topics that leave an imprint on your heart. A memoir collection of blog like posts regarding the suffering on a terminal illness, and how our writer copes with not only her own illness, but the fear of her family letting her go. Very good

This book is based on a blog and it reads like it. It's highly repetitive so is difficult to read which is a shame because the story's rather inspirational and Yip-Williams had a lovely way with words but it desperately needs a better editor.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam Press, and the author, Julie Yip Williams.
I found this book to be very hard work, and in truth, boring. If I hadn’t received it in return for a review I would have abandoned it much, much earlier.
As other readers have mentioned, this is a beautiful legacy for the author to have left behind for her family, and I’m sure it will bring them much joy, but I’m afraid it didn’t offer enough of anything else for people who aren’t emotionally involved. It was very repetitive, full of cliches, and had no sense of timeline and no clear story arc or progression.
I think Williams was aiming for the style of ‘A Man’s Search for Meaning’, where her experiences would lead to greater understanding of life and it’s trials, but this unfortunately fell short of the mark. 2 stars.

Thank you Random House UK for this ARC.

I highly recommend this book, but saying that it is not for everyone. It is brutally honest and an often hard read about illness and how this shapes lives.

I am glad that I have had the opportunity to read this special memoir and am especially grateful for my health and circumstances.

If you are looking for a book that will stay with you long after the last page, and can deal with a heavy, confronting book this could be it.

You know that when you choose to read a book like this that more often than not it’s not going to end well, so no surprises here then. Julie discovered she had colon cancer at a shockingly young age and from that moment her happy life comes to an end, instead there’s treatment after treatment, scans, checkups etc. The book isn’t just about cancer, but biographical as we read of her early life in Vietnam, her family fleeing to end up in the
USA, her travels around the world. Of course it is devastatingly sad, but Julie didn’t represent herself very well with so many vitriolic remarks and her controlling ways. I don’t know how she found the stamina to not only take on a puppy but renovations of their apartment in the midst of everything else that was going on. I hope Julie’s spirit is now resting in peace.

An incredible story of an amazing woman who accomplished so much in her life and through her dying has shown us how to live.

I found this book so moving which starts with Julie being born riddled with cataracts and her parents pressurised by the grandmother to take her to a herbalist to give her something to end her life.

Thankfully the herbalist didn't agree and Julie went onto to become so successful but more important than that, lived her life to the full.

Despite being registered blind, she travelled all over the world solo, got her law degree, spoke many languages, married and had two children.

I have never taken so many notes in a book but deep within the pages there were so many suggest of wisdom. Her husband Josh said "For the little girl who was born blind, she saw more clearly than any of us"

"She turned her life into a lesson for all of us in how to live fully, vividly and honestly"

"Many people are more afraid of death than they are in love with life"

"Live while you live, my friends"

This honest and courageous book was difficult for me to read. It left me feeling overwhelmed by the misfortune that some people have to endure, and how random life can be. All things considered, the author had an incredible life and tells a story that deserves to be recorded. Altogether, very sad though.

It's hard to write about this book articulately - but it will linger with me for a very long time. I found it hard to read at times, and had to take a few breaks - once it actually made me feel woozy - in that respect it's perhaps not for the weak hearted or squeamish, which I fear I am.

The author, Julie, led an amazing life and her views and reconciliation of her life up to and beyond cancer are insightful and interesting. At times the prose is slightly repetitive and the timeline occasionally hard to follow. But this is all easy to forgive because the whole is so much more.

The title is perfect, and this book is an important and timely reminder to make the most of our days, in the moment, because, of course, none of us know what tomorrow might hold. But we've all heard that many times before. What made this different for me is that the author is so brutally honest, at times in a way that she admits is ugly, but I could relate to that and I applaud her and her family for publishing this in all its many shades. There is much to discuss here - as Julie's life unwinds the reader closely follows all her treatments, stages of cancer and anger, frustration, acceptance - and so much love - until the final note by her husband, beautifully judged, brings the book to its inevitable and devastating conclusion.

This is a difficult book to write a review about as it is the story of a young mother dying of cancer... and yet there is beauty in this book. Beauty, honesty, anguish, humour and poetry. Julie isn’t perfect and the book isn’t perfect but there is a lot to applaud here and it certainly makes you question your own life and whether you are actually living it.

The backstory of her childhood in Vietnam is fascinating and her efforts to prepare herself and her family for her death are well written.

Not a book to read in one sitting. I needed to take breaks and clear the angst before going back to it. An excellent book if you’ve become jaundiced with life and need a reason to be thankful.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book tells the story of Julie Yip, a chinese girl born blind due to cataracts whose family escaped to America. Once there, she underwent surgery that partially improved her sight. She set about making the most of her life by learning to speak her native language, travelling the world and obtaining qualifications to reach the top of her profession - and met the man of her dreams. In her early 30's Julie was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and she decides to write this book so that her two young daughters can learn what she managed to overcome in her life.

The book is quite repetitive and goes into the specifics of her treatment which can be difficult to understand/follow. It was hard reading but only because of the repeating and drug specifics rather than the topic but the courage that she showed in the few years she fought against this disease was outstanding.

This book is about the complex life of a Vietnamese woman who may not have lived beyond her first year of life, but despite those early challenges survived to become a successful woman with a family living in the USA.
Having faced huge adversity to achieve these successes, she is then faced with the ultimate challenge of a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The story is told through a consolidation of 5 years of blog postings made in the final stages of her life. With this knowledge in mind, I found it useful to read each chapter of the book as I would have read the blog entries at the time of writing.
At times, the book feels disjointed and without the smooth flow of a traditional story it was sometimes very difficult to fully empathise with a woman who was strong in character and whose story deserves recognition. We have glimpses of her emotions and strong family bonds, but in a matter of fact style that keeps the reader at arms length.
I recommend this book for others to judge and learn from an incredible person who has shown that we can all live a full life despite the hand of cards that we are dealt at birth.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Julie was a mother of two young daughters and a lawyer. This book is about her life and death.
Julie’s short life had faced many challenges, yet it seems a positive story, that feels very honest. It ends with her death from colon cancer in her early forties.

This book is one I didn’t want to read but I knew I must. What Julie faced are the fears many of us have, perhaps the biggest one is leaving young children. or loved ones behind.
After reading this book there are many questions left unanswered. Did Julie have a happy life and was she able to come to terms with her illness as it seems. I am not sure if the book was well written, it is difficult to imagine how it was planned when so much was at stake. Sometimes I thought the honesty of Julie should remain unspoken but would the book then have the same impact, if it was not written like this. The emotional pull to finish this book is very strong.
Perhaps it is not the cancer but also Julie’s early life that make this book such an amazing story. The impact of the book may also depend on the readers own life experiences.
It is a book that made a big impact on me and will remain in my memory.

This is a true story. Julie was diagnosed with terminal cancer in her late thirties. This book is the result of a blog she wrote, in which she talks about coping with her disease and how she tries to prepare her husband and 2 young daughters for her death. It is a heart breaking but ultimately uplifting read. Thanks to Netgalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A lawyer facing late-stage cancer reflects on the happy life she had despite a disability and an inauspicious start, and bids farewell to her family. It was miracle enough to have survived her first few years (blindness, a euthanasia attempt, and fleeing Vietnam by boat), but she eventually graduated from Harvard Law School and joined a Wall Street law firm. The author dubs herself “a somewhat ruthless realist.” Early on she vowed she would do nothing desperate or bizarre in her quest for healing, in contravention of what she calls the American “hope industrial complex.” Yet she also left room for spirituality to surprise her. The book resembles a set of journal entries or thematic essays, written at various times over her five years with colon cancer. Some stories are told more than once; an editor might have combined or cut some passages to avoid repetitiveness. Still, this posthumous memoir stands as a testament to a remarkable life of overcoming adversity, asking questions, and appreciating beauty wherever it’s found.

This book moved me. This lady showed such determination to fight her battle with cancer. All through her story, she put her family above herself and worried about how they would cope without her and who would love her children, as a mother.
Her story brought tears to my eyes. The human spirit is an amazing thing at times of trouble and will fight to the bitter end for what it needs. There is no doubt she fought bravely and I kept hoping for a miracle cure for her. Isn’t that also part of our human make-up? Tender and touching

Absolutely heart-breaking book - I found this very difficult to read. It is a very dark subject matter (love, life, family and death) which some people will find hard to read.