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Search - Good Grief
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Good Grief Author: |
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Book Information
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Other Versions of this Book: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio CD (Abridged)
Book Description:
"The funny thing about rock bottom is there's stuff underneath it. you think, this is it: I'm at rock bottom now. It's all uphill from here. Then you discover the escalator goes down one more floor to another level of bargain basement junk."
In an age in which women are expected to be high achievers, thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow -- a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, Sophie is more of a Jack Daniels kind. Self-medicating with cartons of ice cream for breakfast, breaking down in the produce section a the supermarket, showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers -- soon she's not only lost her husband, but her job, her house, and her waistline.
Desperate to reinvent her life, Sophie moves to Ashland, Oregon. But instead of the way women starting over are depicted in the movies --with heroines instantly being swept off their feet by Sam Shepard kinds of guys -- Sophie finds herself in the middle of Lucy-And-Ethel madcap adventures with a darkly comic edge involving a thirteen-year-old with a fascination with fire and an alarmingly handsome actor who inspires a range of feelings she can't cope with -- yet!
Filled with laugh-out-loud humor, struggles, triumphs, and plenty of midnight trips to the fridge, Good Grief is a funny, wise, and heartbreakingly poignant novel from on of fictions freshest and most exciting new voices.
In an age in which women are expected to be high achievers, thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow -- a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, Sophie is more of a Jack Daniels kind. Self-medicating with cartons of ice cream for breakfast, breaking down in the produce section a the supermarket, showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers -- soon she's not only lost her husband, but her job, her house, and her waistline.
Desperate to reinvent her life, Sophie moves to Ashland, Oregon. But instead of the way women starting over are depicted in the movies --with heroines instantly being swept off their feet by Sam Shepard kinds of guys -- Sophie finds herself in the middle of Lucy-And-Ethel madcap adventures with a darkly comic edge involving a thirteen-year-old with a fascination with fire and an alarmingly handsome actor who inspires a range of feelings she can't cope with -- yet!
Filled with laugh-out-loud humor, struggles, triumphs, and plenty of midnight trips to the fridge, Good Grief is a funny, wise, and heartbreakingly poignant novel from on of fictions freshest and most exciting new voices.
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Top Member Book Reviews
Geneve M. (
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a long book. Not in page number, though it has delightful heft, but the density was amazing. I would read a few pages, put it down to digest -laughing or sniffling, and sometimes in equal measure at the same time- and come back an hour later for another hit.
Sophie is so real, and crystal perhaps even more so in her own abrasive, slightly damaged way. I loved Ethan's progression in Sophie's mind, from the personification of loss, to a saint, and then gradually toward the end, back to a real person who she still loves.
I'd be very interesting to reread it in a decade or so, and see if I have the same impressions. I get the feeling it'll be a bit different.
Enjoy!
Michelle L. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Delightful! A very real look at the life of a young widow seeking a sense of peace (and self) following the death of her husband. How Sophie deals with the grief process is at turns heartbreaking and hilarious as she tries to make a new life for herself, diving headlong into a new hometown, a new career, and a new love life.
Whitney B. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
I'm torn - on one hand, this book made me cry and hug my husband a lot. He is still trying to figure that one out LOL. On the other, I did find the last few chapters kind of rushed and almost too 'easy' compared to the rest of the story. It seemed like one person wrote the first half (great) and the second half (ehh).
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really loved this book. Lolly Winston has successfully captured the emotions of a young widow in her 30's. Sophie is an endearing character and she not only makes you want her to find happiness, she also makes you wish you could become her friend. As much as she loved and missed her deceased husband, I kept feeling that he really wasn't good enough for her because of his distracted workaholic personality. On the other hand, it was easy to see she was a match for the actor she began dating when she discovered he kept books in his dishwasher. Now that is a man who could identify with a woman who went to work in her pajamas and bunny slippers shortly after her husband died. Read this book and I promise you will love Sophie's story.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really liked this book; it's about a woman coping with the death of her husband and going through the stages of grief (tells of how she went to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers) - not a sad or tear jerker book, has moments of hilarity.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
I thought this was a lovely story of handling grief and starting over. It's amazing how we find healing in the most unlikely places with the most unlikely people. At times Sophie's life seemed a comedy of errors but I thought that her story was compelling and ultimately very touching. I thought the ending was full of possibilities.
Elle S. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a story about a women's whose husband dies, and how she comes back to "life" herself.
It is not depressing at all! It is excellent!
Ellen
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was an easy read (read itg in 2 days). There are a few characters to sympathize with ()mine was Crystal). It's a good story and flows well. I think she left room for a sequel if she wants at the end though. Overall, worth a read.
Sue E. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
An excellent book about a woman whose husband dies. She goes through alot of grief and depression. It took awhile, but she finally relocates, friends some new friends, another job and love. A funny look at being a widow.
Colleen R.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book, but sad. If you don't feel like crying, pick up another book. It made me appreciate everyone in my life a bit more.
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Please Rate these Book Reviews
This was a good easy read. It really touched on the emotions one goes through when dealing with death of a loved one.
I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Even though the novel is about being widowed and dealing with that grief, it is humorous. Each of the characters were well developed. I hated for it to end.
I loved this book! Lolly Winston really has a knack for writing like real-life. i laughted out loud many times. don't miss the chance to read this.
Melissa P. (
Lori O. (follow the lead characters life as she recovers from her husbands death
An excellent easy read ( I read it in a night). Deals with the grief a woman faceswhenshe is widowed at thirty six. Very nice story
I haven't read this book yet; this is an extra copy I received by accident
Read All Book Reviews of "Good Grief"
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