Author Elizabeth Berg delved into her personal life by writing about her parents and their struggles when her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Forced to leave their home and move into a facility that could address their changing needs, Berg's parents had very different reactions to their new surroundings.

As an adult trying to help her parents, Berg explored the complications of being the child while trying to assert authority. I can only imagine how difficult it was to both chronicle their collective experiences and to write this book. The memories must have been painful and bittersweet for the author to have recollected, but her experiences could help others in similar situations. I watched my grandfather as he struggled to help my grandmother, long after she should have been handed over to more specialized care. Although it was many years ago, I'll Be Seeing You brought up feelings and memories of that time.

Though this book is not designed to be a guide to navigating the unfamiliar waters of helping parents with their changing needs, readers can gain some good, first hand knowledge from the author's experiences.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of I'll Be Seeing You: A Memoir by NetGalley and the publisher, Random House. The choice to review this book was entirely my own.

Growing old is hard. It can be made worse when one of the loving spouses is dealing with dementia.  Beth, her sister and brother are siblings trying to help their parents transition to a safer and easier environment.  It is made harder when one or both of the parents wants to move and the other one doesn’t.  They are leaving their beloved home and neighborhood.  
Confusion and anger are making dealing with their parents difficult.
This a real and heartbreaking account of what a lot of people are facing everyday.  Elizabeth Berg  treats this situation with love and compassion. A must read for anyone I with older parents.

I loved this memoir and could relate to it as my dad also has Alzheimer’s. I think this is a must read for anyone with aging parents. Beautifully done.

A beautiful book Elizabeth Berg has written ban ode to her parents.She shares the issues of aging of life changing she shares her feelings and emotions.A wonderful moving book, #netgalley#randomhouse

This author always seems to write from her heart.  This book is also from the heart but far more personal.  Ms. Berg shares with all the joys and heartbreak of when the tables of life switch. This beautiful novel shares how things change when the roles reverse and the child becomes the caretaker.   
A beautiful novel written as only Elizabeth can.

This is a lovely tribute to Ms Berg's parents.  The description of her parents 70 years of marriage is beautiful.  The journey with an alzheimer family member is often bittersweet and sad to watch.  This book is a guidebook to others that are traveling this journey or could be one day.  It is difficult to one day have to parent the parents but her description of this time in her life and that of her parents is beautifully  written.  It is written with the love of a child for her parents and their love for each other.

Beautiful testament to her parents. Easy reading filled with love.    Thank you to the publisher and netgalley!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC  of this title.
A sweet, short read about the family dynamics of aging, the impact of Alzheimer's, and how love persists for 70 years

3.5 stars

This is not your typical Elizabeth Berg book. This one is personal. Her parents are aging and there are decisions  and adjustments to make to make life more comfortable for all of them. It becomes a time to reflect over her parents relationship, and her relationship with them as parents.

I don't usually read memoirs but my dad had Alzheimers and was in Assisted Living and Memory Care before he passed so I knew this would be emotional for me (and I love Elizabeth Berg's books)! And it certainly was. When she realizes her parents need more help than she can give them, she knows it's the right decision to put them in a facility. It really is the hardest thing an adult can do, to recognize that you have become the caregiver to your parents who raised and cared for you. The hardest part is, of course, watching the decline because you instinctively know there is no getting "better." Berg writes with poignant details and lovely, albeit heartbreaking scenes, about how it feels to watch your parents grow old.

This lovely book really tugged at my heart. I adore Elizabeth Berg's writing and reading this was like sitting next to her with tea and cookies. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read it. I've already shared my opinion on social media.

RATING: 4 STARS
2020; Random House

I will read anything by Elizabeth Berg, and have loved her since I read Durable Goods. Katie is one of my favourite characters in literature. Berg is a wonderful writer that has such endearing and realistic characters and stories. No matter the age of the characters or gender, you can really feel their emotions and are invested from the first page. I'll Be Seeing You, is Berg's memoir on her parents aging. Berg is in her 70s at this point, and her parents in their 90s. Her father is suffering memory loss and relying too heavily on his wife. Berg's mother is finding it hard to be his caretaker, and cannot get a moment to herself. She is stressed, and that also effects her father's moods. They still live in the home they bought as their forever home, and the thought of leaving it for am assisted care facility adds more pressure to the couple. Berg's sister lives closer to their parents, but has a job and her own family. Berg's brother is far away, and Berg, herself tries to come out there as much as she can. 

I feel for Berg, and her siblings, and her parents, but even more so as my own parents are requiring more help. In the last year and so, I have been attending more medical appointment with my parents, and I've started to think about the "what happens when...". I am an only child so many of the decisions will fall on me. I am close to my parents and know what they would want, yet the thought of them getting older is scary. When my late grandmother had dementia it was more difficult trying to get through it emotionally than anything physical. Berg weaves stories from the past, growing up and what her parents were like. 

As I listened to the author tell her story, I shared some of it with my parents. It brought up good conversations. I would recommend I'll Be Seeing You to everyone. At some point, most of us will be going through this as children or aging parents, and aging parents ourself (or however your family works). It makes you feel less alone, and makes the situation (at least for me) seem more doable. You can only take one chunk at a time. It is a book I will revisit a few more times in my life. As the book ended, I knew this was going to save my sanity in the future, and have notes in it to remind myself of certain passages.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Elizabeth Berg’s father was an Army veteran who was a tough man in every way but one: He showed a great deal of love and tenderness to his wife. Berg describes her parents’ marriage as a romance that lasted for nearly seventy years; she grew up watching her father kiss her mother upon leaving home, and kiss her again the instant he came back. His idea of when he should spend time away from her was never.

But then Berg’s father developed Alzheimer’s disease, and her parents were forced to leave the home they loved and move into a facility that could offer them help. As the time came for many decisions to be made, Berg and her sister stepped in to help. The parents were close to 90 years old, had lived in their present home for 45 years. How does one give up the life he or she has created and start over in some other place?  Her father believed himself to be the same capable, tough guy he had always been. Her mother realized changes had to be made.

The parents needed access to transportation and socialization with others their own ages. Berg documents the struggle of making those final decisions, cleaning out a lifetime of possessions, selling the house, and all the other details. And through it all, her parents continued to live their wedding vows, "For better or worse, in sickness and health."

Endurance, trusting even when the going gets hard, and still being able to forgive and keep on loving. The parents had to make many changes, as well as the daughters. This seemed to come as a surprise to Berg, and one she had to get her head around. This is a lovely memoir of family and love.

I've read a number of Elizabeth Berg's novels over the years. They are always a bit of a comfort read. I'll Be Seeing You is her new memoir about her experiences with her aging parents who experience declining health in their 80s. Berg's father develops Alzheimer's disease and the family needs to make the decision of what their lives will be like now. How can the couple live where they can be independent yet he can still get the care he needs? Berg reflects on how her parents had a strong marriage of over 60 years and how her father who was an Army veteran was very fond of his wife. There is love and sadness. Berg shares her frustration with her mother over what she perceives as her mother not being nice to her dad in his current state. This was a tough read, especially as myself and many of my friends now have parents who are senior citizens. But, throughout the book, we see the love that this family has for each other. Even through the turmoil of dealing with dementia and memory loss the family stays close. This book is a beautiful tribute by Berg to her parents.

What to listen to while reading...
Kathy's Song by Simon & Garfunkel
Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
Mercy by Duffy
On and On and On by Wilco
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens

I’ll Be Seeing You by Elizabeth Berg is a wonderful, heartwarming novel about an elderly couple in their eighties and how their life becomes effected by their age and the many losses that they begin to face.  These losses effect not only them but all members of their immediate family.   How do you cope with a father who is developing dementia and how do you let your parents know that you think it his time to sell their house?   How do you approach your elderly mother who has become resentful and angry in her old age?   There are so many instances where the reader becomes aware of the many difficult life moments that are faced as one ages.   The fact that this is non-fiction makes this work even more remarkable.   If only more authors were courageous enough to really explore the family issues surrounding caring for elderly   I would like to thank Elizabeth Berg, Random House Publishing, and netgalley for the privilege of being able to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have been a fan of Elizabeth Berg's for a few years. So I was excited when I was granted an ARC of this book by NetGalley.

This is a story of Berg's parents and the challenges they faced as they aged and had to confront hard life decisions. Berg writes about these challenges with beauty and compassion. 

There are three statements that Berg made in the book that I have mulled over since finishing the book and wanted to share.

"Grief is the most private of negotiations between longing and reconciliation. It's awful what you have to give up for the sake of equilibrium."

"Life is like licking honey off of a thorn. Well, yes. And what a thorn. But, oh, what honey."

And finally, "Yes, life is a minefield at any age. Sometimes we feel pretty certain we know what's coming. But really, we never do. We just talk on. We have to. If we're smart, we count our blessings between the darker surprises. And hope for a fair balance."

This book feels like sitting down and talk with a good friend Sharing the pain, the joys, the challenges of the later years.

Elizabeth Berg has written a lovely memoir about her parent’s lasting love for each other and their struggles dealing with the aging process.  The author, in her wonderful writing style, writes about the role reversal of once being a child who was once cared for by her parents,  and now she sees her parents entering the final stages in life.  She and her siblings must now become  the caregivers.  I was moved and saddened by their story but I was also comforted to see that this is a process that every family must go through.  I recommend this book to everyone because at some point we will all face our own mortality, or that of our aging loved ones.

I just love anything Elizabeth Berg writes.  This was a different book for her.  A memoir.  I wanted to be part of her family.  This was sweet and touching.  If you are an Elizabeth Berg fan, I highly recommend!

I have enjoyed Elizabeth Berg’s books for years and I love this memoir.  She has written an honest account of her family history with much love.  She addressed her parents relationship and their decline.  I loved reading this. 
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have always been a fan of Elizabeth Berg so I was very excited to see a memoir. This book was just as good as any of her others. It was sad, funny, and realistic. Taking care of aging parents is such an important topic that isn’t discussed enough. This book really shows that families need to start having the conversation about long term care and living situations well before moving becomes necessary. It is a complicated journey to care for your parents because that role reversal is difficult to navigate. I thank Elizabeth for starting that conversation. 

Thank you to Elizabeth Berg, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.