Read the Reviews
“… a personal and tender treatise on empathy and devotion….”
“… candid and offbeat….”
— Kirkus Book Reviews
“In this exquisite book, ‘Well Spouse,’ author JoAnn Wingfield reveals the secrets of how love can grow like an unfolding lotus, watered by tears of caring for a husband with Alzheimer's. Anyone with a dementia-beset beloved should read this book.”
--Julie Schwartz Gottman, Ph.D., co-Founder and President of The Gottman Institute; co-author of Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love and The Science of Couples and Family Therapy: Behind the Scenes at the "Love Lab".
“This is an elegant, tender, moving love story, told with gentle humor and the deep understanding that can only come from someone who obviously fully embraces life in a consciously balanced, selfless, loyal, expansive and unique way. Ms. Wingfield is a masterful writer and storyteller.”
--Gar LaSalle, MD, author of the award-winning historical novels The Widow Walk Saga, and a filmmaker, physician, sculptor, and a creator.
The Well Spouse is an exquisite, lyrical memoir of a spouse whose brilliant husband receives the devastating diagnosis of Alzheimer's. The Well Spouse, though, is not about Alzheimer's but about caretaking. It is engaging, sad, funny, and always full of love. A deeply satisfying read.
—Priscilla Long, author of Fire and Stone: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
“…highly recommended reading for caregivers, friends and family members of people with Alzheimer’s or other chronicle illness, and adults and seniors in general.… an intimate, whimsical, and yet powerful story of the author's 9 years of progressively challenging care for a husband diagnosed with Alzheimer's.”
“JoAnn Wingfield's Chinese heritage injects perceptions of solutions and problems that are different from Western thinking. These descriptions offer thought-provoking insights into methods of problem-solving that are influenced by culture and perspective…. These elements expand the approach and theme of the Alzheimer's patient, spouse, and social and cultural encounters beyond most caregiving books.… The philosophical and ethical considerations of this process are particularly striking.
— Diane Donovan, Senior Editor, Midwest Book Review