Good Grief : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Getting On With Your Life
Review: Sophie Stanton, thirty-six year old public relations specialist in San Jose, has just lost her husband to cancer. She wants to portray herself as a stoic, dignified, quietly suffering widow, but can't quite pull that off. She eats ice cream and Oreos obsessively, gains weight, gives away her nearly-new living room furniture to Goodwill instead of parting with her husbands belongings, breaks all her dishes and shows up to work in her bathrobe and slippers because she can't find anything that fits.

She decides to re-invent herself, because her old self seems to be lost. She moves to Ashland to be near an old college friend and starts to rebuild her life. But she's not over the grieving process yet, and has setbacks and bad days. She takes a job as a waitress because that's all there is in Ashland, starts dating an actor, and befriends a troubled 13-year old girl through the Big Sister program.

Sophie's despair and growth through the grieving process are heartwarming and a little frightening, because I couldn't help wondering how I would fare in a similar situation. The chapter names in the book describe her journey to renewed mental health: Denial, Oreos, Anger, Depression, Escrow, Ashes, Lust, Bargaining, Waitressing, Mentoring, Dating, Baking, Acceptance, Goodwill, Thanksgiving. She seems to take in others who are flawed or needy in some way, and in helping them to mend themselves, gets her life back on an even keel.

The novel veered from sad, heartbreaking situations, to hilariously funny incidents, to joyous occasions, and from the outset I was cheering for Sophie to navigate the obstacles in her life's journey and return to happiness.


Rating:
Summary: Read this Book!
Review: I was changed after reading Good Grief. Lolly Winston has an amazing way with words. This book is funny and heartbreaking, and a true pleasure to read.

If you want a well-written book about a character you actually care about, this is the one for you.


Rating:
Summary: Good grief indeed
Review: I had a hard time really getting into this book at first; I sort of got off on the wrong foot with it and it seemed amateurish and, I don't know, untouchable is a word that came to mind. I definitely felt like I was on the outside of the book looking in. I can't put my finger on the point at which that changed, but it did, and I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first. Winston's handling of the loss of a husband seems so skillful (from my position of inexperience, at least) that I found myself wanting to look her up and find out if she's a widow herself. As far as style, that was where my main problem was with the book early on; it seemed like something I could have written. Then I started to notice some phrases that sang out at me in an almost Elizabeth-Bergish sort of way, and then there were more and more of them, and before I knew it, whether it had been my mood at the beginning of the book causing the problem, or whether the style really improved so much for the second half, I found myself fully enthralled by the end, rooting for Sophie like she were my best friend.

Rating:
Summary: Great female characters, great story
Review: Sophie, Ruth and Crystal are great characters in this funny yet moving novel by Lolly Winston. Of the books my book club friends and I have read, we enjoyed this one like we did Paddock's A SECRET WORD and Cline's WHAT TO KEEP. Like these, GOOD GRIEF will make you feel better about yourself, give you courage to face the day and even to face your sadest memories of yesterday. I'd give it more than five stars if I could, and my friends agree.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful writing, stupid plot
Review: GOOD GRIEF is an anomoly: a beautifully written book with a completely implausible plot.

Author Lolly Winston has created the story of a young woman widowed at age 36.

Ms. Winston is a wonderful writer, and a woman who's amazingly insightful. In consequence, most of her observations on loss are piercing and touching.

One result of her creative skill is that the reader can lose oneself in the prose, not focusing on how stupid the story actually is.

Some of the problems: Woman's husband dies of cancer... woman has a little nervous breakdown immediately following... woman loses excellent public relations job in Silicon Valley... woman moves to a town in Oregon so small that it considers Medford the nearest city... because she knows one person in this town... woman rents wonderful old house... gets job as waitress... is so terrible as waitress that she's transferred to a scut job in the kitchen... realizes there that she's a gifted chef... sets up her own food business... to overwhelming praise... and oh, yes, has the most sought-after man in her little town fall in love with her.

All in seven months? Oh, please!

There's much more to GOOD GRIEF but all of it, too, is equally implausible, especially considering the time frame in which it's placed.

Still, no one who finishes this novel will come away with anything less than admiration for Ms. Winston, as well as a new understanding of the pain of widowhood.

Rating:
Summary: A Humorous, Heartwarming Tale
Review: Lolly Winston's debut novel is a beautifully written story about a woman named Sophie who loses her husband to cancer and her battle to go on alone.

Sophie suffers through denial, depression and the long process of healing after her loss. Readers will be hooked immediately as Sophie leaves her house and her job in Silicon Valley to move to Oregon to start anew. Sophie signs up to be a "Big Sister" to a troubled teen, Crystal. Their gradual bond and heartwarming friendship encourages both of them to heal as they find comfort in each others company. Together they rediscover the world around them. The world they both felt has let them down.

Sophie's grief counseling group is full of quirky characters. Her shrink tries to help her by assigning various "healing exercises" and drugs. Her "little sister" is a pyromaniac but the possibility of having her house burn down is the least of Sophie's worries. Crystal has many problems that Sophie is desperate to help with. Sophie is determined to get her life and Crystal's back on track. Readers will cheer as Sophie picks herself up, dusts herself off and heads out into the world at full force to find a new job, regain her sense of self and dip a toe into the dating pool.





Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: I enjoyed this book. You really fall for the main charecter. I felt so much like her. Her thoughts felt like so many of mine. This book is about a woman in her early thirties and her husband has just died. She has a complete nervous breakdown but is able to pick her self up and move on with her life. It is a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A great Read!
Review: As I am walking through Reagan National Airport in Washington DC
I glance at the books staring at me as I pass by heading to retrieve my luggage. I am in Washington for my husbands memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery. As I walk by I see the slippers! I have the same ones. I stopped and picked up the book. My husband had just passed away of cancer
and I knew just where this woman was coming from.
I enjoyed this book so much and I look forward to future writings!