I was recently asked if I would be interested in reading a non fiction book to review on Equus Education. A memoir, Ann Campanella’s Motherhood: Lost and Found focuses on fertility struggles, writing as an outlet, dealing with a parent battling Alzheimer’s and how horses can be a constant through all of life’s changes.
This book is an enlightening read that focuses greatly on family dynamics and individual relationships. As Ann battled with her desire to be a mother and the inability to carry a baby full term, she also found life throwing many other struggles her way. A father’s ailing health with prostate cancer, a mother’s gradual decline with dementia and the growing need to care for a mentally challenged brother.
Add to this a husband who is eagerly stepping into a new work role that takes up a lot of his time – and has him travelling all around the globe – and one would question where there may be time to raise a family. And yet, as Ann moves into her mid and late thirties, she can’t help but feel the void of not being able to have a child.
Her passion for writing – and her skill at it – helps to fill the void. Or at least, to address the negative feelings she is consumed by at times. Her horse riding students and her own horse also bring joy to her life. However, at times these too become overwhelming. This is through the daily need to clean boxes, feed and also water the horses.
As the reader journeys through the at times chaotic events of her life, they learn a lot about Alzheimer’s as a disease. They also discover the need for family members to pull together. They have to support each other and give each other grace in trying times. Horses are woven throughout the book. This includes daily chores, the joy of competitions, sitting dressage tests and dealing with colic. All explained through the eyes of someone who obviously knows and loves horses.
An added bonus for me toward the end of the book was Ann’s invitation to a local church. It was lovely to see the way her family soon became part of a larger church family. In spite of the many negative events that ran through this memoir, the poetic way she described things and just kept on pushing through gave a sense of hope for the future. All was not lost.
Motherhood: Lost and Found is an apt name for this book. It descriptively explores the loss of a motherhood figure for Ann and her desire to be a mother herself. Highly recommended reading.
Author – Ann Campanella
Non Fiction – memoir
In my library – as an eBook it is.
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.
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