She Unlimited magazine says that GETTING HIP is detailed and reader friendly

The Review Diaries

Getting Hip: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement by Sigrid Macdonald

She Unlimited Magazine Review by Veronica Marie Kettler

Getting Hip by Sigrid Macdonald is a delicate story of one woman, Sigrid Macdonald ,and her beginning to end on a road to preparations and recovery from a total hip replacement. This book is a source of beneficial information for anyone who is searching for the facts about hip surgery. The information in this book can help to answer questions about total hip replacement, revisions, hip resurfacing, and preparations. It is an astounding book on hip replacements and how it transformed one women’s life.

If you are in need to have hip surgery you can view this book in the and see as the author's life was transformed by a hip replacement, you will read a disconcerting biographical story with hints of uncompromised choices, empathy, and compassions with an underlying candor to dowse the phobia. Unbelievably there is a diversity of women out there suffering from arthritic deterioration that are in need of a total hip replacement before the age of 50, not something most of us as women expect.

With a user, reader friendly book and a full detailed outline and journey to recovery her story proffers comic like candor and understanding for those facing a possible hip replacement. It offers such useful tips that deal with more than the physical aspects but also psychologically tips for coping through hip surgery. The book is so detailed from consulting with the first surgeon to waiting for surgery. The books touches on such diversity with each interview Ms. MacDonald conducted and each individual has a unique situation that brought them to the final decisions of having to have a hip replacement.

The book is written so well that it leaves you with a sense of relief and somehow the phobia subsides. Ms. Macdonald gives it that personal touch that many need when awaiting such decision making when we are dealing with our own bodies. The book is a must read for those in similar situations, the writing is done with compassion, significance, and humor.

Nepean This Week -- The mystery of D'Amour Road

Nepean This Week
Friday June 10, 2005

Mystery simulates Baseline Road, murder of Louise Ellis by Christie Mailey

"We often read about New York City and other high profile locations in the world of fiction. Alternately, we read about simple American towns and the interesting characters that reside there. But Sigrid Macdonald, author of D'Amour Road, is a resident of Nepean and she wanted to write about what she knew.

"How often do you pick up a book and read about Baseline Road?" asked Macdonald. "Reading about Ottawa is new information to readers."

In addition to Baseline, Macdonald also mentions downtown locations such as the ByTowne Theatre and Nate's Deli, and also Le Skratch Billiard Hall on Merivale Road.

D'Amour Road is Macdonald's first novel, but second book. Her first book entitled Getting Hip: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement came out in November 2004 and has sold over 350 copies in just six short months.

"It was really great to write a novel. I loved it," said Macdonald of her transition from non-fiction to fiction.

"I found that I had to become a real observer. I had to really pay attention to things that had been in front of my nose all the time like people's accents and inflections. And how each person is different from one to the next whether it's a teenager, an elderly person, a Christian, or a fundamentalist."

D'Amour Road is the story of two female friends about to turn 40, Lisa and Tara.

Lisa goes missing and Tara is on a mission to find her. Lisa's boyfriend has a history of battery and Tara fingers him as the prime suspect.

The story is loosely based on Louise Ellis' murder, an Ottawa area writer who was murdered by her boyfriend who had previously served time for manslaughter, but Macdonald's novel and characters are completely fictional.

"I knew Louise Ellis and I was involved in the search for her. I met her murderer and had coffee with him because he was involved in the search too," said Macdonald.

"When women go missing it's not usually a happy outcome and I found it so hard not to blame Louise for picking someone with a criminal past."

Macdonald is a part of the Milgaard group against wrongful convictions and somewhat of an advocate for women.

"Women can sometimes choose unsavory characters and the subject matter of the book sends the message to be careful," said Macdonald.

Macdonald finds pieces of herself in the characters in D'Amour Road. Tara is a frumpy, straight and narrow-minded woman who has fallen for a younger man and is very insecure because of her age.

"The main character is much straighter than I am, but I dealt with her same issues of growing older," said Macdonald. "There's a panic reaction to turning 40. Before 40 it feels like there is so much left for you and after 40 is something else."

Because Macdonald's books were published so close together she has spent much of her time marketing the first book, which can be found in Chapters, Coles and online at Amazon.com.

D'Amour Road is currently available as an online download from Lulu.com."

***Please note that D. Road is available in print at www.lulu.com