Release date - 28th June 2018
Book length - 224 pages Publisher - Vintage Books Book Depository - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Anne from randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.com for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour and for providing me with a copy of this book for review. ABOUT THE BOOK Ruth’s tribe are her lively children and her filmmaker husband, Simon, who has Motor Neurone Disease and can only communicate with his eyes. Ruth’s other ‘tribe’ are the friends who gather at the cove in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, and regularly throw themselves into the freezing cold water, just for kicks. ‘The Tragic Wives’ Swimming Club’, as they jokingly call themselves, meet to cope with the extreme challenges life puts in their way, not to mention the monster waves rolling over the horizon. Swimming is just one of the daily coping strategies as Ruth fights to preserve the strong but now silent connection with her husband. As she tells the story of their marriage, via diagnosis to their current precarious situation, Ruth also charts her passion for sea swimming – culminating in a midnight swim under the full moon on her wedding anniversary. An invocation to all of us to love as hard as we can, and live even harder, I Found My Tribe is an urgent and uplifting letter to a husband, family, friends, the natural world and the brightness of life. MY REVIEW Usually, when I read an emotional and heartbreaking story, I turn the last page, recognise how good the book was and let the emotions go because after all, it is fiction, not real life. But with this haunting story, forgetting about what I read simply wasn't possible as not only is I FOUND MY TRIBE a true story but it is so honest, so raw, and so powerful in its narrative that one cannot simply turn the cover and forget. Ruth loves her hectic family life but when her husband is diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease it changes their lives forever. As her home is invaded by nurses, carers, and medical equipment, Ruth needs them desperately while resenting their presence and struggles to find some semblance of normality. The sea has always called to her and when she becomes one of the 'The Tragic Wives' Swimming Club', Ruth finds another family, outside of her own, which will help her try to cope with what was happening. Ruth details the devastation of this horrific disease, the depth of despair that she and her family live with, and the absolute necessity to find something, anything, that helps you to breathe through it all, in her case swimming in the sea. Ruth is strong even when she is broken, inspiring through it all, and has inner depths of courage which will take your breath away. The power of nature to soothe and help you cope is excellently portrayed, as is the importance of friendship and family, but the main message I took from this book is love. Love hard, love deeply, and love every minute of every day for none of us know what tomorrow will bring. I FOUND MY TRIBE by Ruth Fitzmaurice is a book that personifies the strength of the human spirit and embodies love on every page, and is a book that everyone should read. AUTHOR BIO Ruth Fitzmaurice was born in 1976 and grew up in Co. Louth, Ireland. She was a radio researcher and producer when she married film director and writer, Simon, in 2004 and had three children. In 2008, Simon was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and given three years to live. Simon went into respiratory failure in 2010 and was accidentally placed on a ventilator during an emergency procedure. He decided, against medical advice, to keep the ventilator; Ruth and Simon went on to have twins in 2012. In January 2016, Ruth wrote her first piece for the Irish Times about family life and a new passion, sea swimming. She lives in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, with her five children Jack, Raife, Arden, Sadie, Hunter, a dog and a cat. Simon passed away in October 2017. For more information: Twitter - twitter.com/RuthONeillFitz DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER STOPS ALONG THE WAY!!!
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WelcomeHi fellow bookworms. My name is Linda and I'm a reviewer & blogger, wife & mother who loves all things books! Currently ReadingUPCOMING BLOG TOURS
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