A review by Elizabeth Burns

The official publisher’s ‘blurb’ for this book describes it as

“an autobiographical compilation of tales written in humorous vein about a middle-aged woman’s life with Multiple Sclerosis”

This is not, in my opinion, entirely accurate. The book is autobiographical, it does contain humorous tales, the author is a middle-aged woman; but this book is not about her life with MS. It is about her life. It could just as easily be my life or your life.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the Master of Surprises, does crop up regularly throughout the book. Not in any maudlin, self-pitying “look at what I have had to cope with” way. Not even in a “this is how I have overcome this awful condition” way. MS is just there; part of the author’s life.

The book begins with Eiona’s wedding to Huw and covers a period of nearly 30 years of family life. Thirty years of stories that I recognised. Thirty years of those funny, embarrassing things that happen to us all; those things that make us say “I could write a book about this”. Eiona has written our book.

The publisher’s ‘blurb’ calls the book humorous. I laughed out loud when Eiona was half way down the aisle on page two, and was still laughing as I reached the last page.

As another middle-aged woman with MS I found myself immersed in this book. I enjoyed reading it; possibly because I could relate to so many of the scenarios.

This is not a self-help book. It is not a dictionary of symptoms and treatments. It is not a book written after a sudden ‘St. Paul on the road to Damascus’ type revelation.

It is a good read.