Rating: 
Summary: Great reading in this one!
Review: As an avid reader, I'm always looking for some new, fresh material. This book fit the bill perfectly. Sophie leaves her town after the death of her husband and encounters some new, fresh faces. Crystal was my favorite in this book..and with Sophie's help, she turns out pretty decent.
Rating:
Summary: Great book - a nice break from the norm!
Review: At first I was a little concerned that it might be depressing reading about a woman who lost her husband when they were both young. But as I kept reading, I found this to be a great and very endearing story. It is a bit of a break from the normal "chick lit" that is out there, if you even want to characterize it as such. It is a quick read that you will find hard to put down. I truly enjoyed this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just for Ladies
Review: Although some might be tempted to classify this as "Chick Lit", be advised that while it will appeal to fans of "chick lit" its appeal is far grander. There is a real and viable story here, brought about through real and viable characters. The pages breath with the same ferociouis appetite for life that you find in The Wedding, My Fractured Life, or Middlesex. It is beautiful and by no means relegated to one audience.
Rating:
Summary: Three Cheers for Lolly!
Review: What a beautiful story of love, loss, and finding enough strength to live life again! Grieving for the one you love is not a walk in the park. Lolly Winston has done a fantastic job of tip-toeing through the life of a young woman who was handed a pretty tough blow ~ the loss of her husband. This story will take you along as you ride the emotional waves that Sophie, the widower, must ride along throughout a year inorder to find that you can learn to love life again even after you thought your world had crashed all around you. Thank you, Lolly, for showing us that even after a deep loss, you really CAN start a new friendship, a new relationship, and better yet a new life while still keeping close to your heart, the love you had before.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, Powerful, and Great!
Review: An amazing story about the re-examination of ones life after the loss of a loved one. Much like Rikki Lee Travolta's beautifully poignant "My Fractured Life" does, Lolly Winston's "Good Grief" creates a reality that is both sad and inspiration, both real and captivating. Fans of Travolta's novel will be wise to give "Good Grief" a chance. They are similar enough to be mutually appealing and different enough to not be redundant. Fans of one should love the other.
Rating:
Summary: Sure to be a Best Seller
Review: I LOATH the term "Chick Lit" because I'm afraid it's being used as a pejorative. Instead, I'll call "Good Grief" an "extrodinary work of contemporary literature that happens to have a female protagonist"! "Good Grief" is a delight from start to finish and with luck, Ms. Lolly has a lot more where this came from. Brava!
Rating: 
Summary: Really "Good"
Review: GOOD GRIEF is not only an amazing book for a debut author, but an amazing book, period. The novel begins with Sophie already a widow and only in her mid-thirties. We, as readers, never see Ethan alive, and yet we do. He lives on in his wife's memories, her heart and her vivid dreams. Sophie thinks she is coping just fine - until she shows up to work in her pajamas and bunny slippers, causing her to lose her job (albeit it a cordial leave of absence rather than being abruptly fired). This, then, is the jumping point of the novel. This is the catalyst for Sophie, making her get out of bed, get out of town and get on with her life. Such things seem impossible, even overwhelming at first, and she holds fast to Ethan's ring and striped ski sweater. She learns that others need her as much as she needs them. She gets closer to her best friend, both figuratively and literally, as she moves to Oregon. Sophie thinks signing up for the Big Brother/Big Sister program will get her a cute little girl to babysit; she instead gets a smart-mouthed smoker teenager named Crystal, whose tough exterior is slowly worn down by Sophie's gentle reassurances. Sophie may even learn how to get along with her mother-in-law -- and start dating again. All the while, Sophie never, ever forgets the love she had for Ethan. The book is sweet, but never false. It kept my attention from start to finish. The realistic characters won my heart with their quirks, strengths and weaknesses. GOOD GRIEF is a fabulous testament to life, love and loss which can be appreciated by a wide range of adults.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps You Interested and Reading...
Review: After reading a couple books only half way through before losing interest and skimming the second half of each, I found this breakout novel kept my interest throughout. The character is appealing and funny, even in the throes of her early despair.
You grow with her as she works through her grief. Inspiring.
Rating:
Summary: a true gem to savor with every page
Review: Sophie's husband, Ethan, of three years dies of cancer. She is coming to turns with her life as it is now without him. The reader is overcome with emotions right along with Sophie as she goes about daily responsiblities while still whirling in such grief. Sophie ends up selling her home and leaves town for surroundings that are familiar but also new and lasting. She attends a grief group that enables her to realize she is not alone in her sorrow. The story is woven with wonderful characters like Ruth, her friend, and Crystal, the young teenage girl whome Sophie mentors. If you are a reader of good woman's fiction, then you will surely enjoy this one. It will make you whimper and smile, leaving you with a fresh love for life and the here and now.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: Good grief is about loss, pain, laughter and finally the road to healing. I am in the second year of being widowed and I felt as though Lolly Winston had read my diary. I laughed, cried and felt hope as I was reading this book.An excellent novel about a subject that most authors can't relate to. Thank you Lolly Winston for the gift of this book.
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