What if the person who knew you best and loved you most forgot your face, and couldn't remember your name?
The Promise
Memory care is everyone's solution for what to do about Sara, but her husband, Jack, can't bear to live without her. He's committed to saving his marriage, his wife, and their life together from the devastation of Alzheimer's disease. They retired years ago to the house of their dreams and operated it as a Cape Cod bed and breakfast named Blue Hydrangeas. Jack has made an impossible promise: They will stay together in their beautiful home no matter what the disease brings.
A Heartbreaking Choice
However, after nine years of selfless caregiving, complicated by her progressing Alzheimer's and his own failing heart, Jack finally admits he can no longer care for his wife at home. With reluctance, he arranges to admit her to an assisted living facility. But on the morning of admission, Sara is having one of her few good days, and he's unable to follow through. Instead, he takes them on an impulsive journey to confront their past and reclaim their future.
Readers say:
"So beautifully written, so tender, so real."
"It hardly seems possible that beautiful and Alzheimer's could be used in the same sentence, but the author paints a picture of this insidious disease and the beauty of a love too deep to succumb."
"For a quick read that will give a clear picture of Alzheimer's, I highly recommend this book!"
"Thank you for an excellent read on an important topic."
Autorentext
Marianne Sciucco is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse, using her skills and experience to create stories that bear witness to the humanity in all of us. She writes contemporary, women's and young adult fiction.
A lover of words and books, she studied the craft of writing as an English major at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and worked for a time as a newspaper reporter in New England. She eventually became a registered nurse to avoid poverty.
With more than 20-years' experience as a staff nurse and case manager, she's worked with countless families dealing with issues related to aging, elder care, Alzheimer's, and nursing home placement. In 2002, she put the two together and began writing about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues. She published her debut novel, Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's love story, in 2013 to glowing reviews.
This book led her to become a founder and director of AlzAuthors, the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. She is podcast producer and host for Untangling Alzheimer's and Dementia, an AlzAuthors Podcast. Visit AlzAuthors.com.
Marianne has written an award-winning prequel to Blue Hydrangeas called Christmas at Blue Hydrangeas and a second prequel, A Wedding at Blue Hydrangeas. She is the author of Swim Season, a young adult novel based on her 11-years' experience as a Swim Mom in club, high school, and collegiate swimming.
She has also written several short stories, including Ino's Love, Collection, and Birthday Party.
Her work is available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback.
When not writing she works as a campus nurse at a community college in New York's Hudson Valley.
Follow Marianne on her blog MarianneSciucco.com, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.