Book Reviews of Good Grief

This book was an up and down read. A read that was very real, and hard to look at with some of the issues it addresses, but it has its happy moments to. This book is very real. You can see the emotions, feel them, think that it could happen to you. A very good read, a fast read despite the feelings it evokes. Because you want to flip to the next page and see what happens next. I really did over all enjoy this book.I think its probably the best one I have read so far this year. Emotional, Funny, Sad, but most of all a heart warming tale of life. And how to live after loss.

great,great read.felt like crying and laughing at the same time.this book gave me insights to help a friend currently dealing with grief

A wondeful first novel...funny, touching, poignant. A look at how one woman deals with her grief following the death of her husband. Fantastic!

Even though it's a depressing subject - a woman's grief after the death of her husband - it's a very funny book with a lovable heroine. I loved all the comments about having curly hair!

I did not care for this book, I have no experience with death of a husband but I did read it with an open mind and still didn't care for it.

A surprisingly funny yet touching first novel about a 36-year-old widow who struggles to cope with the death of her husband.

A witty book about a thirty-something widow starting over in life.

My book club read this - enjoyed a lot - fun girls discussion about friendship.

There are thousands of books about looking for love, but not many about living through tradegy. This witty, big-hearted novel about a smart, funny young woman rebuilding her life and re-creating a family after her husband's untimely death fills that gap beautifully. (Jennifer Weiner)

I really like this book. It had more depth to it then the usual chick lit books I read. I liked how each chapter was a different emotion in the grieving process. The author really draws you in and makes you feel each emotion. I'm looking forward to reading more Lolly Winston books.

When Sophie, the lead character in Good Grief, loses her husband to cancer, one would think the book would be a tear jerker. Well, the tears may come--but it's not what you think! Lolly Winston imbued her character with enough spunk that, while we lament her plight--we also cheer her climb back to sanity and the 2nd chance she gets at 'happily ever after'.

Winston does an amazing job of capturing the struggles of a young widow trying to come to terms with her grief and to shape a life worth living.

This book is incredibly easy to get lost in. I found myself almost "smacked in the face" with the detailed descriptions of the characters depression over the tragic loss of her young husband, and some of it was deeply upsetting. I am glad for having read it though. This book is one I will not soon forget.

This book is a humorous, compassionate, insightful look into a woman's grief after losing her husband to cancer. From wearing her bathrobe and bunny slippers into her office one morning to finding new love and opening her own business - this woman goes through all the stages. In her own way, in her own time - Sophie works herself into your heart.

A great book for anyone who has lost a spouse or occasionally even lost themselves.

This book is one of the best books I've read in years! Be prepared to cry, because there are quite a few heart-wrenching moments. But overall, I found the book incredibly touching and heartwarming. It's just a beautiful and at times, amusing, portrayal of grief and the struggle to recover from such a massive loss. I very highly recommend this book.

This wonderfuly written book illustrates the range of emotions one experiences following the death of a loved one. Winston puts the main character, Sophie, in everday situations that teach the reader lessons we should all learn. A must read book!

Another great book by Lolly Winston. Very well written. I had a hard time putting it down.

Witty, big-hearted novel about a smart young woman. A book that can deliver laughs as well as tears.

Loved, Loved, Loved this book. It was funny, sad and makes you hope for the future of its main character

Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow-a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, she is more of the Jack Daniels kind. Self-medicating with ice cream for breakfast, breaking down at the supermarket, and showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers-soon she's not only lost her husband her job, house... and waistline.

With humor and chutzpah Sophie leaves town, determined to reinvent her life. But starting over has its hurdles; soon she's involved with a thirteen-year-old who has a fascination with fire, and a handsome actor who inspires a range of feeling she can't cope with-yet.

amazingly "light" while depicting the reality of grief.....

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I am not a fan of sadness so I was a bit hesitant because it's about a woman who's grieving for her deceased husband, but as I read each page I couldn't wait to read the next and the next and the next. The author has a gift for describing the worst circumstances with humor and she sucks you right in from the get-go.

I wish there were a dozen books by this author! Though not a fine literary work, this was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. I loved the main character- and grew to love the secondary characters as well. The writing style had me laughing out loud, and I identified with the end. Thanks, Lolly Winston!

I loved this book.!I am looking forward to the sequel. This book isn't depressing, it is true. This is a comical, relistic, and heartwaroming book. The author goes into detail about some great friendships established between the charactors. It is wonderfully written and describes a transformation in the main charactor "Sophie" . She finds herself at a cross-roads in life. She must rediscover herself, which we all do at sometime or another.
It doesn't take death to push us into a different direction. I found this story to actually be uplifting. Don't be afraid that this book is a "downer", it isn't. This book is a great read for people who are honest with themselves about thier own feelings about life in general. You don't have to be a widow to appreciate this book. You don't even need to be female, (though it is "chick-lit") you just need to be "real". Great book in my opinion.

I was a bit hesitant to read this book; it sounded like it might be too morose for my taste, considering the topic. I was wrong! - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are wonderful, the situations Sophie finds herelf in are described in such good detail that the reader can genuinely picture the whole scene, and the humor interspersed throughout is laugh out loud funny at times.

A great read, and one of my favorites. I laughed as much as I wanted to cry for her loss, and I felt like I was experiencing everything with Sophie.

Up-Lifting

Very cute book. You would not think that a book about a newly widowed woman could qualify as "chick lit", but it does.

this is the perfect escape of a read....i LOVED it.

I could not get into this book. I read the first four chapters and decided I couldn't read anymore.

Very good 1st novel telling the tale of a woman who was widowed at a young age.

Touching and sweet. Great book.

36 year old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow-a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, she is more of the Jack Daniels kind.

Backcover of Good Grief


I enjoyed the book, although it dealt with death, it was an easy read.

Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow- a graceful, composted, Jackie Kennedy kinds of widow. Alas, she is more of the Jack Daniels kind. Self-medicating with ice cream for breakfast, breaking down at the supermarket, and showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers- soon she's not only lost her husbnad, but her job, house... and waistline. With humor and chutzpah Sophie leaves town, determined to reinvent her life. But starting over has its own hurdles... (from back of book)

I LOVED this book. Highly recommended.

This book is about a woman who loses her husband at an early age and learns to deal with her grief and how to live through her tragedy.

I thought the book was good. Not a best-seller, but worth a read.

I loved this book! Very witty. I can't wait to read her next novel, hope it's as good as this one was.

I absolutely loved this book. It's going to be hard to part with, but I don't see myself reading it again.

Great book!

Great story about a woman dealing with the loss of her husband. The author is able to write with humor about this difficult subject.

Quirky, funny, touching and pain driven. This novel goes through all the emotions of loss of a loved one, starting over, making mistakes and becoming your own woman. Lolly Winston weaves an extrordinary story of love and survival.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mostly because I have a lot in common with the main character. The author did a great job of telling a story of a young widow even though she herself is not one.

I almost can't part with this one, but you can't keep them all! A thirty-somethingish widow reinvents herself through grief and a change of scenery. Very witty yet poignant writing, similar to Jenniger Weiner's writing - you will thoroughly enjoy!

This book had me hooked from the start! I loved it!

I loved this book - it was funny and heartwarming and stayed with me long after I was through reading it. Friends have been recommending this one to me for awhile now and I'm so glad I finally had a chance to read it!

A fabulous read... it's hard to imagine that a book about a young widow working through her grief could be enjoyable and funny - but it is!

This is a great book. Touching and funny.

The book was really good however I was slightly disappointed with the way it ended.

Great read!

Good book. I enjoyed it.

very good!

Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants ot be a good widow--a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, she is more of the Jack Daniels kind. Self-medicating with ice cream for breakfast, breaking down at the supermarket, and showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers--soon she's not only lost her husband, but her job, house...and waistline. Funny and poignant.

Enjoyable read...

I really enjoyed this book.

Sophie Stanton want to be a good widow-calm, cool, and collected, like Jackie Kennedy. But she can't quite live up to that! With humor and chutzpah, Sophie leaves town, determined to reinvent her life. But starting over has its hurdles...

Loved this book, funny, sad, poignant, and very entertaining.

An excellent read. You'll enjoy this book. Funny and tender - I can really relate.

really enjoying this book a quick read and a good author

Some widows face their loss with denial. Sophie Stanton's reaction is one of pure bafflement. "How can I be a widow?" Sophie asks at the opening of Lolly Winston's sweet debut novel, Good Grief. "I'm only thirty-six. I just got used to the idea of being married." Sophie's young widowhood forces her to do all kinds of crazy things--drive her car through her garage door, for instance. That's on one of the rare occasions when she bothers to get out of bed. The Christmas season especially terrifies her: "I must write a memo to the Minister of Happier Days requesting that the holidays be cancelled this year." But widowhood also forces her to do something very sane. After the death of her computer programmer husband, she reexamines her life as a public relations agent in money-obsessed Silicon Valley. Sophie decides to ease her grief, or at least her loneliness, by moving in with her best friend Ruth in Ashland, Oregon. But it's her difficult relationship with psycho teen punker Crystal, to whom she becomes a Big Sister, that mysteriously brings her at least a few steps out of her grief. Winston allows Sophie life after widowhood: The novel almost indiscernibly turns into a gentle romantic comedy and a quirky portrait of life in an artsy small town. At all stops on her journey from widow to survivor, Sophie is a lively, crabby, delightfully imperfect character. --Claire Dederer

This was a good, easy read. The characters are engaging and the plot believable.

This is a beautifully written book about the range of emotions one experiences following the death of a loved one. Winston finds humor in everyday occurances and Sophie, the main character, has many lessons to teach us all. You must read this book! If you like Jennifer Weiner, you will love Lolly Winston!

I loved this book. It is humorous, compassionate, yet poignant about the loss of someone you love. Poor Sophie manages to live through all her "Good Grief"!

Story of a 36 year old widow's first year without her husband.
Sad and humorous in spots as she learns to deal with dating again and rebuilding her life. 3 stars

My father is currently fighting cancer, and I could completely identify with some of the stages of grief that the main character went through. I enjoyed reading it, and felt a little bit less like I too was losing my mind!

The first part of this book is slow, but if you can get past page 50 or so, it turns out to be a great read.

Though I am not a widow, I found this book really appealed to me. Anyone who has experienced depression can relate to Sophie's inability to get out of bed, going to work in her pajamas, etc. I also like the fact that Sophie was able to move on with her life without sacrificing the memory of her husband.

This book started very slowly but once the main character started to move forward with her life as opposed to wallowing in her grief, the book became more interesting and the grief did indeed become "good" grief.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
A brilliantly funny and heartwarming debut about a young woman who stumbles, then fights to build a new life after the death of her husband.
When 36-year-old Sophie Stanton's husband dies of cancer, she desperately wants to be 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, showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers, soon she's lost not only her husband, but her job and her waistline. In an attempt to reinvent her life, Sophie moves to Ashland, Oregon, where she finds an embittered 13-year-old girl with a fascination for fire, a job as Salad Girl at the local French restaurant, and an alarmingly cute actor whom Sophie wishes she didn't like quite so much. Readers will laugh and cry along with Sophie as she proves to the world and herself that she can recover from something this devastating with darkly comic humor and her own type of class. GOOD GRIEF is the perfect book for anyone who has ever been heartbroken, lost someone they loved, or eaten too many Oreos.

It was a good book.

Very good read.

I cannot give a rating at this time, as i only began reading.

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