Patience by Victoria Scott – Book Review

Patience by Victoria Scott – Book Review

Patience by Victoria Scott

Patience

Author – Victoria Scott
Publisher – Head of Zeus
Pages – 432
Released – 5th August 2021
ISBN-13 – 978-1800240889
Format – ebook, paperback, harcover, audio
Rating – 5 Stars
I received a free copy of this book.
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Synopsis

If you were offered a chance to cure your child’s disease, would you take it?

The Willows have been through a lot. Louise has devoted her life to caring for her disabled youngest daughter. Pete works abroad, almost never seeing his loved ones. And their eldest, Eliza, is burdened by all the secrets she’s trying to keep from her overloaded family.

Meanwhile, Patience observes the world while trapped in her own body. She laughs, she cries, she has opinions and knows what she wants. But those who love her most – and make every decision about her life – will never know.

Or will they? When the Willows are offered the opportunity for Patience to take part in a new gene therapy trial to cure her Rett syndrome, they face an impossible dilemma. Are the very real risks worth the chance of the reward, no matter how small?

Review by Stacey

Patience is a book that will question your ethics and your desire to help a loved one. Out title character, Patience is a young woman in her thirties who has Rett syndrome. She can’t speak, she is confined to a wheelchair and needs constant care and help.

Her mother, who is an ex-nurse, applies for a job working for a doctor who is testing gene therapy to cure the disease. She is offered the job and offered the chance to have her daughter take part in the trials which haven’t been tested on humans but have seen positive results in animals.

This is a book that was very close to reality for me. Without trying to make this review about me, my youngest son has a rare, genetic, incurable illness and around two years ago we (his father and I) were asked about him taking part in a new treatment that could cure him, though it came with lots of risks – including death. My son although gets sick a lot and will have to have medication for the rest of his life leads a normal-ish life, so we refused. I’m not sure had his illness been as severe as Patience’s if I could have refused, just like her mother.

It is a very touching and poignant book that hits you straight in the heart. I love that the book is told from various points of view including Patience herself who is really funny and is a very big Take That fan.

Victoria Scott is an author who has certainly done lots of revision on Rett syndrome, I presume she has some personal connection to the disease given how well she understands it. It also felt like she managed to get inside the heads of the various characters perfectly and their lives and experiences certainly felt authentic.

Patience is a book that is not only thought-provoking, engrossing, engaging, and heart-warming, it is also a book that makes you feel happy and content throughout. Seeing the world from Patience’s point of view really opens your eyes to not only how disabled people are treated but how they view the world around them and appreciated even the smallest things in life.

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Author Info

Victoria Scott patience

Victoria Scott has been a journalist for almost two decades, working for a wide variety of outlets including the BBC, Al Jazeera, Time Out, Doha News and the Telegraph. Alongside her love of telling real-life stories, she has also always written fiction, penning plays, stories and poems ever since she first worked out how to use her parents’ electric typewriter.

Victoria is a Faber Academy graduate. She has a degree in English from King’s College, London and a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from City University, London. She lives near London with her husband and two children, and works as a freelance journalist, media trainer and journalism tutor.

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What did you think of ‘Patience’? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!


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10 Responses

  1. DJ Sakata says:

    I have this on my cloud and your excellent review has me wanting to get to it pronto

  2. Nicole Pyles says:

    This seems like such a powerful book! I’m glad you reviewed it.

  3. Nadene says:

    Patience sounds emotional. Glad you enjoyed it.

  4. This sounds like an emotional read. Thank you for your review!

  5. Great review, and I appreciate you sharing how this book relates to your life. Patience sounds like an emotional read for sure.

  6. Thank you DJ, I hope you enjoy it too, it is a wonderful book.

  7. It most certainly is Nicole. Thanks for your comment.

  8. Thank you Nadene, It certainly is an emotional book.

  9. Thank you Bianca. It really is an emotional read.

  10. Thank you Kate. It was good to find a book that relates.