Reviews
Five-Star Reviews from Readers’ Favorite
Reviewed by Bryone Peters
I loved reading this book! It was sad, riveting, amusing at times, and inspirational. The dialogue is charismatic, realistic, and seamless with each character… The book is a page-turner that was hard to put down. Almost Family is my new favorite book. I will highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
Almost Family by Ann Bancroft is a remarkable exploration of the power of support groups, and a woman’s ability to find meaning in unexpected connections at the darkest moment of her life…
…Bancroft is a wonderful storyteller whose ability to create engaging and lovely characters shines through this narrative… I loved the motivation in these characters and how well it is conveyed. Their journey tells the reader one important lesson: It is never over until it is over.
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo
There’s no time like the present to make amends, as Ann Bancroft’s novel shows. The characters are crafted exquisitely, with Bancroft going the extra mile to ensure they are as relatable as any individual you come across each day… Almost Family is a well-written, thought-provoking story from a gifted writer.
“I loved Almost Family. All the characters, especially Liz, Dave, and Rhonda, are fully-dimensional and have stories that are so engaging. I truly got caught up in their lives, and I felt like I knew these people. And by the time Almost Family reaches its conclusion, I found myself a bit teary-eyed-have some tissues on hand.
Almost Family is a tremendous tale on how friendship and share experiences can help us manage the darkest times and come to grips with the inevitable.”
— The Bookself Blog, by Bookish Jen
Almost Family is a book that comes right at the hard stuff with a whole lot of truth and even more humor. Ann Bancroft writes a beautiful story about love, and the power of friendship to heal what the doctors can’t. In as much as my heart was broken, it was made new again, and all I can say is, long live the “Oakland Mets”!
— Jodi Angel, author of You Only Get Letters from Jail and Biggest Little Girl
“It’s a story that follows a remarkable trajectory from loneliness and heartbreak to lasting love. An often-resonant narrative of adversity and friendship.”
—Kirkus Reviews
I’m as squeamish about death as the next reader. But I found Ann Bancroft’s bracingly honest novel about three ordinary people wrestling with the end of life impossible to put down. Who would have guessed that dancing on the edge could be so much fun?
— Hugh Delehanty, coauthor with Phil Jackson of #1 New York Times bestseller, Eleven Rings
Ann Bancroft writes with brave honesty about some of the more difficult human experiences. In her excellent novel Almost Family, she takes on the complicated struggles of a woman fighting cancer, along with the consequences of some of her recent life choices. Bancroft takes us into Liz’s world and holds us close as Liz finds comfort and healing from some unlikely sources. It’s a beautifully crafted story, well told.
—Russell Rowland, author of Cold Country and Fifty-Six Counties: A Montana Journey
“Ann Bancroft gives voice to thoughts most of us don’t dare say out loud, writing as only someone who has ‘been there done that’ could. There are so many poignant truths in this book. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is facing a metastatic cancer diagnosis, or anyone close to somebody with cancer. Almost Family is rich with humor and wisdom, with deep themes of fractured relationships and how to go about healing them. It was very hard for me to put it down.”
—Cass Brown Capel, PhD, cofounder of Save Ourselves Breast Cancer Organization
Gritty and absorbing, Ann Bancroft’s “Almost Family” introduces us to three Bay Area residents struggling with terminal cancer. The author portrays her characters’ hopes and dreams, as well as their frustrations and fears, in spare but fast-moving prose. This remarkable debut novel will enrich your life!
— Lee E. Dirks, former newspaper executive and author of Religion in Action
Ann Bancroft has empathy and great understanding of the human condition. Almost Family captures the rawness and richness of illness through tears and laughter. This book is a generous gift to all of us.
— Gail Braverman, LMFT and Amherst Writers and Artists writing group facilitator
If I ever get cancer, I want to be like Liz and the Oakland Mets. Funny. Smart. Practical. Loving. Almost Family is a guide to living to the end and leaving gracefully.
— Mary Ellen Shay, Past President, Sacramento Literacy Foundation
Bancroft’s Almost Family offers a raw and touching story-guide to life’s journey. Drawing on main character Liz’s sardonic humor, the story portrays a world where three strangers bond over metastatic cancer diagnoses and become unlikely friends, supporting each other and taking on the big questions in life.
— Linda Moore, author of the award-winning novel Attribution