The Wide Circumference of Love
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The Wide Circumference of Love Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Marita Golden (Author), Patricia R. Floyd (Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,216 ratings
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From acclaimed author Marita Golden comes a moving African-American family drama of love and devotion in the face of Alzheimer's disease.

You just can't plan for this kind of thing.

Diane Tate certainly hasn't. She never expected to slowly lose her talented husband to the debilitating effects of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. As a respected family court judge, she's spent her life making tough calls, but when her 68-year-old husband's health worsens and Diane is forced to move him into an assisted living facility, it seems her world is spinning out of control.

As Gregory's memory wavers and fades, Diane and her children must reexamine their connection to the man he once was - and learn to love the man he has become. For Diane' daughter Lauren, it means honoring her father by following in his footsteps as a successful architect. For her son Sean, it means finding a way to repair the strained relationship with his father before it's too late.

Supporting her children in a changing landscape, Diane remains resolute in her goal to keep her family together - until her husband finds love with another resident of the facility. Suddenly faced with an uncertain future, Diane must choose a new path - and discover her own capacity for love.

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  1. Listening Length
    10 hours and 24 minutes
  2. Author
    Marita Golden
  3. Narrator
    Patricia R. Floyd
  4. Audible release date
    February 1, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B078WZ58L7
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 10 hours and 24 minutes
Author Marita Golden
Narrator Patricia R. Floyd
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date February 01, 2018
Publisher Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B078WZ58L7
Best Sellers Rank #63,203 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#419 in Medical Fiction (Books)
#886 in African American Literature
#1,341 in Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,216 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ruth Stevens
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and relatable
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2023
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I first read this book around four years ago and decided to re-read it last week. During the years in between, I published my own novel, Stage Seven, dealing with the same subject (i.e., caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s); I joined a worthy group called AlzAuthors (of which Marita Golden is also a member); and I read many more novels and memoirs on dementia. I have not found a single book that deals with this topic more poignantly than The Wide Circumference of Love.

The writing is gorgeous, the characters sympathetic and relatable, the plot compelling. Though it’s not always easy on the reader, the story is ultimately uplifting as we see how caregivers and patients alike seek comfort and find ways to tolerate the intolerable as they navigate their way through this difficult disease. Highly recommended!
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Dollyreads
4.0 out of 5 stars Sad but real
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2021
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The description of the impact of Alzheimer’s on the individual was particularly well done and heartbreaking. The other themes of family relationships, loss, survival and race were explored as outcomes of the diagnosis. Long term Illness forces everyone to take stock - even the reader.
One person found this helpful
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Luv to read
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching - Compelling - Thought Provoking
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017
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Very well written. Seeing how the horrible events of Alzheimers can turn a world upside down. Without being given any hope of a better days to come. But also it is written in a way that you get to know each person personally and understand their pain and difficulty of having to make decisions that no one wants to have to make. Especially when that person is the love of your life.
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499Lake
5.0 out of 5 stars A compassionate, revealing and accurate portrayal of Alzheimer's Disease and its impact on families.
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017
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I must admit that most memoirs and nonfiction about Alzheimer's leave me cold. All too often they are outpourings of grief and do little to educate families about coping with this disease. This book is a rare exception.This book tore at my heart and I found tears on my cheeks.
This is the story of every family work forced to endure this progressive, incurable disease. Don't let your feelings about African Americans get in your way of grasping the impact of Alzheimer's Disease on families.
The author has written accurately and compassionately about the stages of Alzheimer's Disease. I can attest to its universality because my business provides respite care to those with Alzheimer's and memory loss. I have witnessed too many lives run off the road by this disease. This book gives readers a true glimpse into that unpredictable journey.
Don't let your feelings about Washington DC and the nation's top 20% get in your way of reading this book. This book is truly about despair and coping with this disease. The sections about the earliest stages of Alzheimer's and the wife's anguish about placing her husband in a memory care facility rang truest for me.
My only small criticism is the amount of space devoted to the daughter and her pregnancy. It caused a detour while not adding much to the story told.
6 people found this helpful
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scn
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2022
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An excellent example of a story of a family, well put together, with obvious competency and skill. I did not find the work "riveting", but then, I never lost interest in reading it to the end. I am pleased to have chosen this book, but then, could not tell you exactly what I gained from it. Perhaps my ambivalence about its value derives from my own situation in life at this moment.
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UBizz
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2019
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I purchased this book for 1.99 in 2018 when I saw it on a reduced price book alert. I did not know the author but the story sounded intriguing so I got it. I read about 30% in this book and stopped because it was difficult to read about a vibrant and intelligent man being reduced to being treated like a child because of Alzheimer's disease. I recently picked the book up again and finished it and ultimately the book gives you some insight into what happens when a person suffers with the disease, but more insight about what happens to the people that love that person. Loving someone enough to make hard decisions about when they need to be admitted to a facility to receive proper care. Loving someone enough to accept things they do that feel like betrayal (even when you know it can't be betrayal because the person is not themselves anymore). What it means to love someone in sickness and in health and what it means to love someone until death do you part. There is also insight about making a new life for yourself (as the spouse and caretaker) in the midst of Alzheimer's. It is a compelling and touching story and I would recommend to others.
11 people found this helpful
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ML
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2017
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I loved this book so, I now officially know what a "book hangover" is since it took me (a notoriously fast, often sieve-like reader) several weeks to both read and get over it. Part of the time issue was that the story of a mature, successful, longtime happily-married couple facing the dreaded inevitability of Alzheimer's disease and the beautifully understated way it was written managed to have so many upending and sophisticated emotional triggers for me. It wistfully evoked both the memories of its main characters and my own as well as the obvious contemplation of what would be worse -- to lose those experiences forever or to lose the person you can still see, touch, or talk to that you had them with, because they don't know you at all?
To put it another way, this is not a new story not even because its main characters are African-American, but because of the fact it was so strongly written, made it feel brand new to me.
There were many characters in this book that were wonderfully expounded on particularly the immediate family: Lauren, Sean (a standout I wanted more of), & of course Gregory. But to my mind this is Diane's story and she was such an easily identifiable character for me. Her losses, her grief, her anger, her acceptance and her reinvention were all written in a way that didn't feel forced or contrived just consistently nuanced, poignant, and visceral.
Lastly, the resolutions in this book left me sated and gratified too, which is rare in a book with a story that is often sad. Yet, I can happily say I felt uplifted afterwards. Highly recommend.
47 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Debbie Knight
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2022
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A difficult read at times, but a really beautiful story all the same
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 9, 2018
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Awesome read
One person found this helpful
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Patricia Filby
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a gem! A must read!
Reviewed in Australia on April 9, 2021
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My grateful thanks to this amazing author for writing this moving story that is so true to the name of the book. Those beautiful words, The Wide Circumference of Love, say it all for me. It was such a joy to find an author who understands the incredible ups and downs of life with Alzheimer’s and writes with such empathy and compassion. I will be giving copies of this book as a gift to some of my family and friends.
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yva law
4.0 out of 5 stars Okay
Reviewed in Canada on March 18, 2018
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Okay, however, obviously not written by someone who has really lived through this experience. Seemed anecdotal, and sanitized. Well written.
3 people found this helpful
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S. Graham
4.0 out of 5 stars Life situations are not your life
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2019
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A good read for any one with alzheimers in their family. Has a good handle on the impact of this disease on family relationships. Sad and emotive yet full of hope in one's ability to live a new life
One person found this helpful
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