Only with the Heart

By Alexandria Constantinova Szeman

Book Overview

When Claudia Sloane is arrested for the murder of her mother-in-law, everyone is stunned, especially her husband Sam. Claudia loved Eleanor as if she were her own mother and would never have hurt her.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559705957
• ISBN13: 9781559705950
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Length: 323 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Three Points of View

The story in "Only with the Heart" is told from three points of view by three different characters: Eleanor, an elderly woman with Alzheimer's, her son Sam, and her daughter in law Claudia. The mystery here is we don't know how Eleanor died (not for sure.) Claudia's and Sam's accounts of the events from past to present contradict one another in many ways, which makes both of them suspicious. Either of them could have killed Eleanor, whose medical bills and deteriorating memory was bankrupting the family and causing stress in Sam's and Claudia's marriage. A sad and beautiful story. The part of the book that is written from Eleanor's point of view is especially poignant and sad as she loses her memory and skips back and forth, forgetting the words for things, not understanding.

Not for Everyone

This book was definitely not written for the mass market, so if you are looking for a traditional style novel, think twice before you read this one.Like the Kommandant's Mistress, the writing style is troubling, for it is much like our minds probably are, with just a little editing. The book is divided into three sections - one is from the view of a woman (Claudia) who ends up on trial for the murder (assisted suicide) of her mother-in-law (Eleanor), who had Alzheimer's. The second section is from Eleanor's viewpoint. The final section is told from the viewpoint of the Sam, son of the dead woman, as Claudia stands trial.Szeman gives us the story from different perspectives, something not unusual at all. However, as in her first novel (The Kommandant's Mistress), the thoughts shared by each person are from minds left somewhat unattended. In the same paragraph, one sentence or thought will lead to something else from different moments in the past, then back again to the present. You cannot read this book without paying attention, or you will become lost.In addition, each person has a different view of people and events. Each strongly believes their own story to be the correct one. Of course, nothing in real life (unlike most movies and novels) is clear, cluttered (unencumbered by sanity, as the old saying goes). No renditions of an event, by more than one person, is ever definite, in absolute agreement, untainted by egos or one-sided perceptions. In this book, events and memories are misty, conflicting, unsettling. Most disturbing to me was Eleanor's section, as it shifted from the muddled murmuring of an Alzheimer sufferer, gradually moving back in time until she is the wonderful woman she once was, with a close relationship with her daughter-in-law.You will never know for sure if there was an assisted suicide, and if so, who was the helper. Szeman said in a recent interview that readers are split down the middle. If you like a straight-forward who-dun-it, smooth and clear and easy to read, you may not enjoy this book. It truly has an unconventional style, and the read is not relaxing.On the day the book officially went into the bookstores, it was already in its second printing - obviously it is speaking to many, so if you are a reader of fine literature, and a supporter of new and emerging authors, you might want to give this one a read!