--- product_id: 52923016 title: "The Sweet By and By: Five Women in a Nursing Home Find Friendship, Courage, and Humor in Life and Death – A Novel" brand: "todd johnson" price: "761472₫" currency: VND in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.vn/products/52923016-the-sweet-by-and-by-five-women-in-a-nursing store_origin: VN region: Vietnam --- # The Sweet By and By: Five Women in a Nursing Home Find Friendship, Courage, and Humor in Life and Death – A Novel **Brand:** todd johnson **Price:** 761472₫ **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Sweet By and By: Five Women in a Nursing Home Find Friendship, Courage, and Humor in Life and Death – A Novel by todd johnson - **How much does it cost?** 761472₫ with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vn](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/52923016-the-sweet-by-and-by-five-women-in-a-nursing) ## Best For - todd johnson enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted todd johnson brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![The Sweet By and By: Five Women in a Nursing Home Find Friendship, Courage, and Humor in Life and Death – A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61e9L3vo8GL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful *by P***S on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2022* I wasn't sure about this at first but it turned out to be one of the loveliest and poignant books I have read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The best novel I've read so far this year... *by C***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 20, 2009* It is only July but I believe that I have just finished what could be the best novel that I will read this year. This book is The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson. The Sweet By and By is one of those rare books that will touch your heart and leave you thinking about it long after you're done.The primary locale of Johnson's book is the Ridgecrest Nursing Home in eastern North Carolina. Each chapter is written through the eyes of one of four women--Lorraine, Margaret, Rhonda and April. These four, along with Bernice (who does not have a voice as she suffers from dementia--although she sometimes makes the most sense), forge a fast friendship that transcends race, age, fortune, and past experiences. All have scars from their past and Rhonda, especially, has been taught that she is not worthy of love or happiness. But they all bring joy to each other, and as Bernice says, "Life is choosing whom and what you love. Everything else follows."In The Sweet By and By, Todd Johnson does everything well. You will laugh at the antics of sassy Margaret and sweet Bernice, two residents who aren't afraid to challenge the status quo. You will delight in the sage wisdom of LPN Lorraine, who seems wise beyond her years. And your heart will melt when Rhonda (a hair-stylist) learns to believe in herself. But where Johnson truly excels is in his beautiful prose that often reads like poetry. When I read a book, I keep a list of quotes that touch me in some way. After reading The Sweet By and By, I had pages of them. I am hard pressed to give just a few examples. When Lorraine is describing her parents' separation, she says "That day I would learn that you don't always leave people because you hate them, but instead because you cannot bear the burden of them. The agony of my daddy's living was my mother's slow dying, and she was not ready to die." Or when Margaret describes her marriage, "My husband was a good man. I did not love him, but he was good. I reckon I was waiting for a real valentine, and what I found was Charles Clayton...My heart never changed, but it did soften, with time, and I found some room for him in it that I didn't know I had." Lorraine's daughter April, watches her mother and her son together and thinks "Watching them, I could believe in life, and God, seeing in them that age could be fashioned into a gold crown in the hands of love. And I could be assured that my mother's wonder had rooted itself in me, so deeply that I would feel her presence always, in the dignity she bestowed as carelessly as rainwater or falling stars."One of Johnson's gifts to us in The Sweet By and By is his writing about aging and the elderly with such compassion and dignity. In fact, I understand that groups that deal with the aged are using this book as a teaching tool. For whatever your reason for reading, I can't recommend it enough. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank You For This Book! *by E***H on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 30, 2009* Thanks to former "critics", and to the author for a life-changing look into aging, nursing homes, and life beyond youth. My 100 year old grandmother recently landed in a care home with a broken back, a kidney infection, advanced arthritis, and is now legally blind. She has, as she puts it, "all her marbles", and after nearly half her life independant (and having lived in Africa as a dorm mother for 6 years), this has been a terrible adjustment. She's moving to a better care home in our town this week. I ordered the book because it's where I'm living right now. In the moment. As I type, her clothes are in the wash for the move.It has been a troubling, heart-wrenching journey. This past weekend we visited her former apartment, where she'd lived for more than three decades, to gather the clothes and things for her new life in the care home in my town. What does this have to do with the book?I have a new understanding of what some of her feelings might be. Through Margaret and Lorraine, I have an idea of how to "be" when I am with her, which can be more frequently now that she'll be close. I understand the importance of dignity, and the indignities of growing old. I have already spoon fed her at times, but now will be more mindful and thankful when doing so. And I'm shopping for some new clothes for her. Looking good still matters to many women, regardless of age.Many of us didn't have a Lorraine in our lives. We may have known a few Margarets or Bernices. Some of us are Anns, and some are Aprils, and a few are Rhondas of the world. Some may even be Connie's or Atheas. Some might be Clayton's wife... or Alvin, or Clayton, or Mike or whomever. What this book taught me is whether or not your're one of the above, there is a process.As I read, I smiled, laughed, and--yes--cried. That's the mark of a powerful novel in my experience. One that you read into the wee hours of the morning, until your eyes burn and will no longer cooperate. A novel you then dream about and finish reading when you wake up.My favorite line in the book (I won't hint or tell, find it!): "If you ever want to feel full in this life, you're gon have to ask if you might be made for somethin bigger than yourself. And when you can answer that, the only other question is what are you gon do about it."I'm buying more copies of this novel to leave with staff at the care center my grandmother is moving to in town. I'm not parting with my own copy. And I hope to always carry this particular story with me. Thank you again to Mr. Johnson, to former reviewers, and to Amazon. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vn/products/52923016-the-sweet-by-and-by-five-women-in-a-nursing](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/52923016-the-sweet-by-and-by-five-women-in-a-nursing) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vietnam* *Store origin: VN* *Last updated: 2026-04-26*