Dianna's Way, by John Catenacci

John knew his life was forever changed when he met Dianna.  Even though she was in her 20s and he in his 40s, they quickly built a strong relationship rooted deeply in love and respect.  They marry, and have a life full of light and peace.  Suddenly, their lives drastically change when Dianna is diagnosed with breast cancer.  The next 17 years will be filled with highs and lows, joys and sorrows, and a battle they never expected to have to fight.

This is an extremely emotional book to read.  It is so clear, from the way this book was written, that John deeply loved Dianna, and loves her still.  But beyond love, his words are full of respect, pride, and amazement for the woman he married.  Cancer is never an easy subject to read about, and John certainly does not pull any punches.  This is a really honest view of what cancer can do to a person, and how it affects the relationships in that person's life.  As the book progresses, it becomes more and more difficult to read, but John never writes in a way that makes Dianna lose her dignity.

John and Dianna had a really unique relationship, of that I am certain.  I think that, for some people, the relationship may not translate to paper in a way that makes sense, because both John and Dianna have quirky senses of humor and unusual aspects of their relationship.  But the reader must remember that this book tells the stories of both Dianna and John, and strives to do so in a way that accurately honors Dianna's memory.  The only thing I was not terribly interested in was the self help new age pop psychology that John studies.  But it certainly seemed to help him cope, and played a part in his story.

I received a review copy courtesy of Tribute Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  See the rest of the tour here.

 

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