She just didn't care anymore, wore her robe and slippers to work. The story is engaging, the author has a light touch, but it seemed almost too trivial in places,or perhaps contrived would be a better description, like the author is making sure all of the "steps of grieving" are included in the book. A quick read; funny, likable protagonist but the plot is a little too pat. Good Grief marks the arrival of an exciting and ambitious new voice. She broke things, took too many tranquilizers, etc. But I'm so glad I read it because it was just wonderful. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. Heartbreaking. Good Grief was on a bookshelf at my job last winter and I picked it up, read the first few chapters, and loved it. His fiction has appeared in many wonderful publications, and Maudlin House has released two of his books: This Distance (2018), and Good Grief, a novel (2017). He’d prefer to keep us guessing. I often tell him if he dies before me, I'll kill him. I read this book in what basically turned out to be a sick day, lolling on my couch. Read more IBR book reviews, scroll our blog, or see how Independent Book Review can help writers today. That alone brings it up a star in my opinion. ', God divinely appointed our meeting, no doubt. I think I just liked the title. This grief is good. Read this one on audiobook, and found it totally charming. I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be such a good story. This book looks at how she moves through the stages of grief. Trust him, even as he’s talking to his imaginary six-year-old self. GOOD GRIEF is a story about love, loss, friendship, courage, and most of all, renewal. I chose it mainly because it was one of the few audiobooks in the sorry rural Arkansas library collection that I hadn't read, and my expectations were low. Hope everyone is han, “In SHE IS A BEAST, we see our favorite childhoo, It’s been a stressful few weeks over here, b, 20 Gifts for Writers (That They Actually Need), 10 Great Bookstores in Brooklyn, New York, 10 Free Literary Magazines Publishing Outstanding Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction, 10 Awesome Indie Presses You Should Know About. Worthy read. If she were a real-life person, I'd want to meet her for coffee. I am currently reading this book. It was hard to begin it because of Our Stevie but I finished it and am so glad I did. Once. Sophie Stanton is a widow at age 36. While he appears solely because of Tony’s psychological instabilities, we still really never want him to leave. Just when the reader believes that nothing will happen, that everything is safe, a change occurs. I loved how realistic the characters seemed, and I particularly loved Sophie's relationship with the young girl. Readers can easily walk beside Tony, smelling his smoke, wanting to lend a hand on the steering wheel when he might be a bit (or a lot) too drunk. For trying to describe grief and all its insanity, the author does an amazing job, but it's obvious that she is NOT a widow and is simply imagining what a "happy" ending might be like. The book review is an underrated art form, and we publish as much beautiful writing about books as humanly possible. If it was a movie, it would most likely be rated PG-13. But...that being said, I loved the book, up to a point. In the end, Jackie Kennedy or Jack Daniels, Sophie realizes it doesn't matter. On the basis of the writing, it deserves a 4. And I found the ending offensive, especially as a widow. But because of the topic of grief, I thought to give it a try. It chronicles Sophie's mental breakdown after she loses her husband to a cancer. BOOK REVIEW: Good Grief Author Nick Gregorio blends fiction with incredible in this powerful novel about grief, pain, and learning to get over it. My mother then tossed the book to me and said I should give it a try. Desperate to stay above water she decides to take up a friends offer and to move in with her and her daughter in Ashland, Oregon. As I read this book I found myself alternately giggling or holding back tears, and nodding my head in agreement; uh huh, I've done that myself (wearing Kelly's clothes, being angry because he's not here, wanting to pull the covers over my head, etc.) Normally, books about widowhood make me very nervous, because it is one of my biggest fears to think about life without javaczuk. I just don't want to contemplate it at all. In an age where women are expected to be high-achievers, Sophie desperately wants to be a good widow but things don't turn out that way as she is not the sterotypical type. Loved, loved, loved this book! I loved this book! The main character just reminded me of me, and her breakdown would be something I would do if my husband ever died. You know that time when you're too young to know better about books? To see what your friends thought of this book, [loved this story, funny and sad, a wonderful ending, I read this about a month after my husband died, and I remember thinking at the time how amazing it was that someone absolutely GOT so many of the crazy things that were going through my head. Enter your email address to subscribe to IBR and receive notifications of new posts by email. Sounds very Lifetime-movie-of-the-week, I admit, but Winston managed to write something serious and make it tender and funny at the same time. Irritating as it was, the old bag was right. I know I hated the cover graphic of a pair of bunny slippers. In an age where women are expected to be high-achievers, Sophie desperately wants to be a good widow but things don't turn out that way as she is not the sterotypical type. Alas, she is more of the Jack Daniels kind. Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow-a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. But he’ll get there. when I checked it out. I thought this was beautifully written. Some of the descriptions of grief and the crazy things you think, feel, and do are absolutely spot on...but after about halfway through the book it just traipses off into la-la, fantasy land. Once she shows up for work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers which is pretty much the end of her job and the rest of what she had from the so to say stable life she had. Book Reviews; Book Review: Good Grief by Granger Westberg; By Jessica A. Kmetty. I picked this book up years ago for a dollar and I'm not sure why. 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 waistl. Read this one on audiobook, and found it totally charming. Instead she puts away gallons of ice-cream and has major breakdowns which in turn cause her to lose her job, to say the least. Alone. I just don't want to contemplate it at all. At 2 years now after my husband died, and having met a great number of young widows in those two years, it's absolutely idiotic that the protagonist would be doing so cluelessly well within a year of her husband's death. Such a strange experience, a topic that is a total heart-break, why do you find yourself giggling??? Some of the descriptions of grief and the crazy things you think, feel, and do are absolutely spot on...but after about halfway through the book it just traipses off into la-la, fantasy land. Praying you learn from and enjoy the book as much as I did. This book is about the first year of a young woman's widowhood, and by necessity the first half is about her agony, grief and depression. Despite Tony’s claims at strength and confidence, the reader sees a damaged man, drinking, smoking, hallucinating his younger self dressed in a Ninja Turtle costume. Lolly Winston has a wonderful way of developing characters. Sells house, moves to Oregon, opens a bakery, joins the Big Sister organization and finds that by helping others she helps herself - Amen. Nick Gregorio blends fiction with incredible in this powerful novel about grief, pain, and learning to get over it. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Good Grief! Instead she puts away gallons of ice-cream and has major breakdowns which in turn cause her to lose her job, to say the least. This is an amazingly well-written book for a first novel.