Joyce Dyer is a masterful writer, and In A Tangled Wood is some of her very best work. Though many find the subject of Alzheimer's Disease to be taboo or distasteful, Ms. Dyer presents her family's journey through her mother's AD years in such loving and personal terms it is impossible to feel anything but tremendous respect for everyone involved.

Dyer uses cunningly descriptive metaphors throughout the book, as well as well-placed bits of comic relief in what could have easily become a much too depressing story. She reveals enough of herself personally to allow the reader to understand how she and her mother developed the relationship they had. While this is a story about a woman who has AD, it's also a story about a daughter's relationship with her mother - regardless of any illness. It reveals what we children can and will do for our parents when the tables (ultimately) turn.

It is a tale of courage and faith, of patience and hope, of acceptance and love.

Ms. Dyer's account of her own mother's illness is really what made the difference for me in this book. I am not touched by alzheimer's disease yet, so I have no basis of engagement or interest. But something about this book told me I'd enjoy it, and I was right.

Ms. Dyer's MO is to simply present her story about her mother intertwined with the stories of other people in the home with her mother. She reflects on her mother's past, on their shared pasts, on her own past. She doesn't ever get overly weepy, but Dyer does present her feelings as her mother decays further and further away from her true self. Overall, though, you feel that Dyer was happy to be able to experience this trying time with her mother, and you get a glimpse of the strength that it must have taken to come back to the home each day.

It's clear that writing about her experiences is therapy. But reading about them is therapy, too; it forces you to think about "something else," something more grave than whether you should handwash that plate and whether the lawn needs another cut. In reality, Dyer reveals many issues of the basic human condition that are grounds for thoughtful discussion and planning.

I enjoyed every bit of the book. The personal account format really drew me in, and the reality and emotion kept me reading.

I've read them all and this is the best. Don't be afraid to read it thinking it will be "depressing". This book is uplifting, funny and very human.

Scholars should give this book an A+ for breadth of coverage and depth of analysis . . . but as a lay person in the field of academe, I celebrate its honesty and passion. While the chapters are uneven, each portrays a working writer who, for one reason or another, claims her Appalachian heritage as foundational in her life. By connecting with the rootedness of these widely-varying women, my own life --and spirit-- are immensely enriched. This book adds a unique perspective to the "spirituality of place" genre that includes such popular writers as Kathleen Norris and Thomas Berry. Take a chance -- read it! If it touches you as it did me, it may change your life.

It's amazing how much work the women in this collection have done, with so little national recognition. Dyer points out that none of them is represented in the new revision of "The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women," for example. Prejudices about Appalachia have prevented many readers from realizing what a gold mine (coal mine?) of literature the region offers. Hats off to Joyce Dyer for helping to bring this literature to the prominence it deserves. P.S. Also a very valuable read for anyone interested in writers and where writing comes from.

Every English 102 professor seems to require a paper on "The Awakening." This book was invaluable when doing my research paper. Not only does it contain various opinions, it has great quotes for citing. It also makes comparisons between "The Awakening" and other books of the late 1800's and early 1900's, discusses how it was received, etc.... worth it if you do critical reading.