Rosemary's Way

Finding Light in Life's Darkest Seasons

Non-Fiction - Memoir
407 Pages
Reviewed on 09/22/2026
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

In Rosemary’s Way, Spring Courtright recounts the years in which changes in her mother Rosemary’s memory begin reshaping their close relationship. Repeated questions about an upcoming honeymoon first raise concern, leading to medical appointments as Rosemary thought about the future as she watched her own mother experience dementia. An Alzheimer’s diagnosis leads Rosemary to tell her daughter she wants to choose VSED, a method of hastening death by voluntarily ending oral intake at a point when she can still make that decision for herself. Her daughter begins learning what the process involves, helping Rosemary document her wishes before they determine the signs that will tell them the time has come. Their preparation moves through life in her Bainbridge Island co-housing community as the two spend more time together, always returning to the independence Rosemary values so strongly.

Spring Courtright’s Rosemary’s Way is an exceptional memoir, and she writes about Rosemary with such affection that I soon felt I knew the woman behind the red rain jacket. I loved how naturally their playfulness comes through at a lake, where Rosemary lets her daughter carry her through the water like a child before returning the favor, leaving them both laughing. The humor is wonderful during an outing with Rosemary’s friend Patsy, who takes them to Bainbridge Island’s Wacky Nut Community Garden. Rosemary sees a sign advertising rosemary plants for five dollars, then jokes, “What a deal! You can get me cheap today!” So much of the memoir is helpful to families considering end-of-life decisions, and every explanation remains grounded in Rosemary’s own wishes. Well written and inspiring, readers who appreciate mother-daughter memoirs will adore this, as I did.