Land Of Last Chances: A Novel by Joan Cohen

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book: (from Goodreads)

Jeanne Bridgeton, an unmarried executive in her late forties, discovers life doesn’t begin and end on a spreadsheet when her expected menopause instead becomes an unexpected pregnancy. Though accomplished at managing risk professionally, Jeanne realizes her skills don’t extend to her personal life, where she has allowed the professional and the personal to become intertwined. She’s not even sure which of two men in her life is the father. Worse yet, a previously undisclosed family secret reveals that she may carry a rare hereditary gene for early-onset Alzheimer’s―and it’s too late to get genetic tests. This leaves Jeanne to cope with her intense fear of risk without the aid of the mountain of data she’s accustomed to relying upon. Wrestling with the question of whether her own needs, or those of her child, should prevail takes Jeanne on an intensely emotional journey―one that ultimately leads to growth and enlightenment.

my thoughts:

What a story! I absolutely LOVED Joan Cohen's novel, Land Of Last Chances. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster!

This is the story of Jeanne, a career-minded woman in her late forties. She's just found out she's pregnant. She isn't sure who the father of the baby is. And, she has just been told that her family carries the gene for early-onset Alzheimer's. Yep, she is overwhelmed, stressed out, and scared. Talk about life throwing lemons at you.  What's a gal to do? Figure it out...and fast!

Cohen has written a riveting and emotional story about a woman struggling to come to grips with the direction her life has taken her in.  A woman who contemplates whose needs come first - hers or the baby's?  A woman who has until recently always chosen her career as her main priority must now think about a baby? Say what?! Talk about foreign concept.  And through Cohen's writing, we get to learn and gain a sense of understanding about Jeanne's priorities. We get to see her struggle with tough choices and figure out how to handle these complicated questions that swirl around in her head - my career or a baby? shouldn't my needs come first? what if Alzheimer's hits me now, what then?   So many things to consider and the clock is ticking faster and faster. This is one story that you can't help but get caught up in.  I know that I enjoyed reading it slowly over the weekend and thinking about Jeanne. Such a great book! I LOVED it!!

Land Of Last Chances is a terrific story that you won't be able to put down. I would most definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone looking for their next read - you will fall in LOVE this book!!




Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!