What readers think of Happiness, plus links to write your own review.

Happiness (The Crooked Little Road to Semi-ever After) is the best book I have read this year. I was a little hesitant when I received the book to review because of the subject matter - I didn't want to read a "downer". It was a "happy" memoir and I was quickly immersed in the story and could not put it down. Heather Harpham is an outstanding journalist and her story should be read by all who have a perilously ill child, new parents, people contemplating having children, people who have raised children, etc. Heather, Brian, Gracie and Gabe's story was an eye-opener as to what is involved in the care of desperately sick children. It brought out a wealth of emotions in me that I won't soon forget.

An intimate and insightful view of life through the eyes of a mother whose child has a life threatening disease. Heather Harpham allows us to see this world from many different angles...all very personal....from the relationship between Gracie's parents, their friends, the grandparents, and the caretakers, and, of course, Gracie. Hard book to put down, but once finished left me, and I'm sure many others, with a desire to do my part and look into being a donor. The hard decisions they made as parents were explained in such a way that I often had to stop reading and consider what I would do in such a situation. Thank you for this candid story.

Heather Harpham "s new book, "Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi Ever After" is a compassionate, intelligent story of a family's story of parenting a sick child.

Heather's writing voice is full of charm and profoundly moving as the story begins with a delightful courtship between her, a worldly California girl, and Brian, an intellectual homebody writer who doesn't want to leave his New York lifestyle. Their magical interlude ends when she becomes pregnant and her newly acquired lover doesn't want kids, even though he says he loves her. With the help of her family and friends, she returns to California to deliver their daughter alone. Within hours of her delivery she is told her baby is perilously ill. As the child's condition continues to grow dismal, the father
reappears and together they must decide what they will risk to ensure the child will reach adulthood.

Intensely moving and intelligently written, this book covers a multitude of subjects: romance, friendships, parental passion, and abiding friendships. However, ultimately it is a story about her family search for love and happiness.

This well written memoir gives a glimpse into the hard decisions parents of medically fragile children must make. The effects of such adversities on the parental relationships was depicted with humor and pathos. How fortunate that this family had such support from their family and friends and medical, financial means to provide their child the very best treatment.

What a beautiful story, well told! It's been a while since I've read a book that I just couldn't wait to get back to. I read it on a trip to Paris and even after full days of sight-seeing in record breaking heat, I couldn't go to sleep until I had my fill of Gracie and Gabriel, Heather and Brian. I think what makes it special is the tone of the book, the generosity of the author to her family and friends. I wanted to know them, to spend time with them. At the same time, she is so honest about life, love, family and the unexpected turns that make it both terrifying and the thing that keeps you going. For me, the author hit just the right balance of medical information, descriptions of the effects of the disease and the family dynamics. The depth of character development was especially well done. I'd love to discuss this one with my book group.

When I started this book, I thought it might be a non-fiction slightly different version of Jodi Picoult's novel, My Sister's Keeper—but after 40-50 pages, I was disabused of that notion. This, too, is a tale about a sick child and a donor sibling, but it is a tale of truth and love and honesty. It is a story of feelings, positive and negative, offered so starkly and expressed so beautifully that the lump in my throat was not one born of despair but of hope that this family would come out the other side of illness more intact than when they embarked upon a cure for their daughter. I was grateful that the author kept notes, day by day, of the family's endurance during their child's treatment. This book will enrich the life of all readers whether they have experienced the tragedy of having a very sick (and ultimately incurable) child as I did or experienced the joy of healthy children or even are childless.

The fact this book is a real life experience with parents facing the challenges of a seriously ill baby soon to be toddler truly holds your interest from the beginning. All the "bumps in the road" along with the triumphs certainly made you anxious to continue reading to find out what was going to happen next. The humor along with the sadness adds to the story.
This is a book you could not put down. Don't start it until you have the time to read non-stop.
So many decisions to be made and so many prayers to be answered. I appreciated the fact the author did not sugar coat the feelings of each of the parents at various point along the journey.
It was also good to know how the years passing have worked out for the family both from the standpoint of the transplant and the relationships.

At first I wasn't sure I would like the book Happiness because the author, Heather Harpham and her boyfriend at the time, Brian, were not very mature. She gets pregnant but he doesn't help so she moves across the country to live with her mother. When Gracie is born with a serious illness he starts taking his father/partner role seriously. Reading about what happens to Gracie and how her parents take care of her and each other is a very absorbing story. I don't know how I would handle it if one of my loved ones had a serious illness. Heather was very brave and gave an honest account, the good and bad. I learned a lot about living with someone who is seriously ill. There will be a lot to discuss at our book club meeting.