Rating: 
Summary: A glimpse at grief and love
Review: A good little book that is well-written and beautifully crafted into a story with resonance for anyone who has lost a love to death. Provides a peak into a woman's day-to-day grief and into a life lived well together by two people. Sometimes sad, always poignant, Evenings At Five moves the reader to feel the void death leaves and to hear the voices that remain. It leaves you asking how much time is ever enough with your life's love.
Rating:
Summary: maybe too young to fully appreciate
Review: As I began this read I was intriqued by the two characters that were being presented to me. Two artists, one gifted with music and one gifted with words, merging together as one. Within the creases of the words that I read, I could feel the unity and the respect these two souls had one for another.
As I continued on, I could feel the absence as the one soul is taken on to their eternal destiny leaving the other to exist alone, or is she?
"Evenings At Five" is a look at continuing love after death. It is the heart of a soul that clings to not just the memory but the lingering essence of a love that will never die.
It is a reminder to cherish the moments we have with those we love and to know within ourselves that despite the physical absence the joining of hearts can never be separated. A deep meaningful read, well worth your time.
Shirley Johnson/Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review
Denise's Pieces
Rating: 
Summary: MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Review: As I began this read I was intriqued by the two characters that were being presented to me. Two artists, one gifted with music and one gifted with words, merging together as one. Within the creases of the words that I read, I could feel the unity and the respect these two souls had one for another.
As I continued on, I could feel the absence as the one soul is taken on to their eternal destiny leaving the other to exist alone, or is she?
"Evenings At Five" is a look at continuing love after death. It is the heart of a soul that clings to not just the memory but the lingering essence of a love that will never die.
It is a reminder to cherish the moments we have with those we love and to know within ourselves that despite the physical absence the joining of hearts can never be separated. A deep meaningful read, well worth your time.
Shirley Johnson/Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review
Denise's Pieces
Rating:
Summary: Surrounded by daily reminders of a life that is ¿Nevermore¿.
Review: Because life is rarely without loss and grief, this slim novel may have wide appeal. However, this reader feels that the persons most attracted to and affected by "Evenings at Five" would have to be spouses for whom grief is still new, raw and ever present.It is amazing how so few words can so richly convey Christina's aching feelings. The simplicity of the book lies in the scarcity of words and the simple and stark pen drawings of the very articles that serve as constant reminders and reinforce the piercing emptiness and grief. A favorite tumbler; a metronome that is an integral tool to Rudy's composing skills; a richly-grained wooden chair with a beautiful, tapestried pillow; an answering machine with Rudy's voice that Christina cannot bring herself to erase. The chair keeps cropping up because Rudy, as his disease progressed, required sitting in an upright position and was probably all the more visible because of his forced confinement. Drawings, too, of the living room and descriptions of how they sat in proximity to one another, emphasize their closeness. They were woven together as a couple, as best friends, as collaborators in the co-creation of their home and individual work spaces...she an author...he a composer. Christina chronicles her pain without being mawkish. No matter where she turns, the memories are present and what makes the agony still worse is that on the night of Rudy's death, she had unsuspectingly left to return home and was reading as Rudy was dying. Sadly, she recalls that she will never be able to read that author again. No matter how many moments were spent together, from their grand passion when they first met, to the quieter times, the intimacy that grew over the years, there was never enough because it's now all gone...forever! It cannot be re-created. Religion is of some comfort to Christina, as are some friends, one of whom zeroes in on her drinking but it is in the seeking and in the finding of her own way that Christina can continue. And there are no easy answers, no and "she lived happily ever after". The final passage contains comforting words from Rudy, one of many things Christina recalls that he said. Memories are blissful, funny, poignant and pierce like a weapon! This is undoubtedly one of the most intimate books I have read on grief and loss. There are many on how to deal with grief; how to become financially capable; how to resume dating; how to tell children about the death of their parent but this one is truly unique in its ability to deal with the simple, pure aching that occurs when a loved one with whom one has shared so much is removed from one's life. It is like major surgery with no anesthesia during the surgery or painkillers to dull the agony following the procedure!
Rating:
Summary: maybe too young to fully appreciate
Review: First off, the drawings reminded me strongly of the illustrator of the "Al" children's books. Since I loved those books, I was already well disposed toward "Evenings at Five." But this book though it expressed the stages of grief beautifully just did not go deep enough. I may have been spoiled by Godwin's previous books which are meaty and filled to bursting with provocative ideas and fascinating characters. Perhaps if I were reading it through the lens of grieving, I would have come away more impressed.
Rating:
Summary: A Beatiful Tribue to Love
Review: Gail Godwin, one of my all-time favorite authors, lost her long-time companion, composer Robert Starer, before writing this book as a tribute to him and their relationship. It is, in a word: Perfect.
For anyone who has ever felt unbearable grief, or for anyone who has felt the same measure of real love, this book is a tribute to the best of the human spirit. I was lucky enough to have listened to the Audio version, which is read by the author herself, and her lightly southern-tinged pleasant voice adds a measure of poignancy she may or may not have intended.
The fictional characters, Rudi and Christine, an author and a composer, live a life rich in every way, from their afternoon cocktail hour (preceded by a phone call from "Cope Paul," Rudi's fictional pontiff who urges them to have a drink) to their wide and wonderful collection of shared jokes, memories, people and most of all words...rich tapestries of words. Rudi is multi-lingual, and Christine is her willing foil.
It sounds like it was the perfect relationship we all want and need, and its loss it made all the more so by the way Christine's reaction to her unspeakable loss.
A truly beautiful book; I only wish I had seen the drawings that accompany the text, and will make sure I buy the book as well as the recording.
Rating:
Summary: like falling in love all over again
Review: Heart-breaking yet comforting -- exquisitely written, perfectly structured, emotionally precise. The illustrations poignantly echo the writing. I am buying extra copies for friends and family.
Rating: 
Summary: Wish it had been longer
Review: I listened to this book on tape while driving across the country, tears streaming down my cheeks. When I reached my destination, I read it in an evening. Godwin addresses some big issues in a short book, and makes one think. She does a heckuva job stringing words together. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Gail Godwin writes with comforting precision.
Review: I love Gail Godwin's clean, specific prose, and her thinly disguised (according to what I've read elsewhere) story of loss touched me. Her literate examination of (always imperfect) love is a joy, and I was surprised by how much I also embraced the collection of "Christina" stories in the latter half of this collection.
Rating:
Summary: Still waters run deep
Review: I loved "Evensong", "The Good Husband" and Godwin's "Father Melancholy's Daughter" but before I bought this book I read the introduction just to be sure I'd enjoy the topic. I was drawn in immediately by her initial descriptions of her mindset for the book because she almost desribes it as autobiographical fiction. Robert Starer, the author's companion of nearly 30 years passed away not long ago so the tone of this book is a reflective, fictional celebration of their cocktail hour "Evenings at Five". (The title and tenor is almost too reminiscent of "Tuesdays with Morrie" but inspiration is inpiration.) The characters, Christina and Rudy, are both creative minds who debrief their days together between themselves and among those they loved in their life together. Rudy becomes ill and their lives are altered but they continue to enjoy moments of humor and company. Christina's reflections of grief afterward are so dignified and genuine. Godwin's use of sentence structure is appealing to me and her books are always a gentle read. Given the topic of the book you might think it melancholy but it isn't really to me. I would call it poignantly reflective. Her books are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it too.
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