(click on the picture to go to Goodreads) | Title: How to Climb the Eiffel Tower Author: Elizabeth Hein Source: Goodreads, NetGalley Publication Date: October 1 2014 Genre: Contemporary, Women's Fiction Author's Website Stand-alone Pre-order a copy: Amazon |
A moving, surprisingly humorous, sometimes snarky novel about life, friendship... and cancer
Lara Blaine believes that she can hide from her past by clinging to a rigid routine of work and exercise. She endures her self-imposed isolation until a cancer diagnosis cracks her hard exterior. Lara’s journey through cancer treatment should be the worst year of her life. Instead, it is the year that she learns how to live. She befriends Jane, another cancer patient who teaches her how to be powerful even in the face of death. Accepting help from the people around her allows Lara to confront the past and discover that she is not alone in the world. With the support of her new friends, Lara gains the courage to love and embrace life. Like climbing the Eiffel Tower, the year Lara meets Jane is tough, painful, and totally worth it. -Goodreads
Lara Blaine believes that she can hide from her past by clinging to a rigid routine of work and exercise. She endures her self-imposed isolation until a cancer diagnosis cracks her hard exterior. Lara’s journey through cancer treatment should be the worst year of her life. Instead, it is the year that she learns how to live. She befriends Jane, another cancer patient who teaches her how to be powerful even in the face of death. Accepting help from the people around her allows Lara to confront the past and discover that she is not alone in the world. With the support of her new friends, Lara gains the courage to love and embrace life. Like climbing the Eiffel Tower, the year Lara meets Jane is tough, painful, and totally worth it. -Goodreads
How to Climb the Eiffel Tower follows the motivational story of a young woman, Lara Blaine who has -wait for it- cancer. Diagnosed with cervical cancer, Lara Blaine slowly learns how to accept it and carry on with her life. Lara went from being a woman who is only living on the sidelines because of her dark past that she desperately fled from to transform into someone who she wouldn't have become had she not gotten cancer. Instead of being taken down by cancer, Lara finds herself going through a transformation that makes her have a better view on life. Throughout her cancer treatment, Lara learns a lot about friendship and getting a better grip on her own life.
The pace of this book was slow but steady. Although I wouldn't go so far as to say that this book was gripping and intriguing, I felt compelled to finish it because I wanted to see how it all worked out for Lara. Elizabeth Hein writes in a way that isn't fast-paced yet you will want to keep cheering on for Lara.
The characters in this story are enjoyable and fun. The character development in this story is not flimsily thrown around. The characters have standard character traits but are significant as the story plays out. I did shed a few precious tears at the end of the story as the characters had sort of grown on me.
The characters in this story are enjoyable and fun. The character development in this story is not flimsily thrown around. The characters have standard character traits but are significant as the story plays out. I did shed a few precious tears at the end of the story as the characters had sort of grown on me.
Although this story is not one that would stand out, I don't think that any elements of the book should change. It is a story that wraps up well. I like how the story wraps up and I enjoyed Lara's journey as she undergoes treatment for her cancer. This is a book that stands its own ground.
All in all, I can say that it was a heartfelt and motivational book. I would recommend it for readers who want to have a better take at life and would like some inspiration or motivation. For an interview with Elizabeth Hein, the author of this book, you can go here.
My rating for this book: 3.5 - 4 stars / 91%
My rating for this book: 3.5 - 4 stars / 91%
A galley of How to Climb the Eiffel Tower was kindly provided by the author via NetGalley at my request to review her book. This review is written in my honest opinion and it is uninfluenced by anyone.