"A moving, insightful, and beautifully crafted story of losing one great love and finding another."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"Mandell stuns with a riveting debut memoir chronicling her grief at the death of her husband, Herb-and her eventual rebirth into "a whole tree again inside and out, standing tall, for now." Mandell writes....in intimate, hushed tones....Heart-wrenching, life-affirming memoir of love, grief, and regeneration."
- BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick)
"A poignant and moving exploration of grief, love, and self-discovery....beautifully crafted prose....captivating....What truly shines in this memoir are Mandell's quiet resilience and openness to love....all of her stories are woven with grace and vulnerability....charm and humor....[H]eart-wrenching and heartwarming, .... a testament to the power of perseverance, love, and the beauty that can be found in life's most challenging moments."
Tess McCumstie for IndieReader (4.5 Star IndieReader Rating)
Every year, more than a million women find themselves grappling with the devastating loss of a life partner-a loss that shatters their present and leaves their future in doubt. At 65, Margaret Mandell faces this heart-wrenching reality when she loses her husband of 45 years to a fast-moving disease. The bed is now half-empty, her body betrays her, and laughter seems elusive.
In the depths of longing and haunted by memories, Mandell embarks on a journey of healing through the written word. She begins to write letters to the man she loved in a poignant process of retracing their shared history. But when a tender-hearted college professor steps quietly into her life and listens attentively as Mandell reads her accumulating stack of letters out loud, her world is transformed in profound and unexpected ways.
And Always One More Time is a story that delves deep into the human experience, reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's A Grief Observed in its wisdom and Joyce Carol Oates's A Widow's Story in its suspense. It offers universal truths about love, loss, and resilience, much like Steve Leder's The Beauty of What Remains. With potent and swift-moving words, this book can be devoured in a single sitting. It is a beacon of hope for those navigating the aftermath of the greatest loss.
