[.ca] Good Grief (ISBN 0446694843)

Sometimes Laughter can be a Pretty Good Bandage:
Sophie Stanton is thirty-six years old, has a steady, but unrewarding PR job in Silicon Valley and she is grieving. Married just four years when her husband Ethan died of Hodgkin's disease, she is not handling grief well. She devours Oreos like they're going out of style, can't seem to get enough of Cops on TV, goes without showering and then one day shows up at work in her bunny slippers and bathrobe. On top of that she has to deal with her mother-in-law, who is a perfectionist and wants to clean out Ethan's closest. She just can't keep it together. So she lets her college friend Ruth convince her to come up to Ashland, Oregon, and she winds up staying, getting a job as a waitress. After a year she has embarked on a new carer, has a new house and has made a whole new group of friends, people who love her, people she loves back. This is one of those happy and sad books that you just have to love, can't help but love. You know, sometimes when you are so sad, don't think life can get any worse, a little laughter may just be the cure, if not the cure, a pretty good temporary bandage. Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

So Touching:
When I read Good Grief it really made me appreciate my family and my boyfriend of 3 1/2 years. I want to live everyday to the fullest, as when you loose that someone your life is never the same! Lolly Winston is a wonderful author and I look forward to more books!

Loved It !!!!!!!!!!!!!:
I nearly didn't buy this book because of the "cute" cover but so glad I did.All of the characters were wonderful, funny, sad, everything that makes a good read. I can hardly wait to read her next book.

Its' not about Charlie Brown:
Frankly, I wasn't prepared for this novel. I don't know why, but I went into it completely blind and therein may be the reason for its great success in my mind. Bascially it's the story of a woman who becomes a widow at a very early age, after only three years of marriage. The way she chooses (or doesn't) to deal with the tragedy and its aftermath are at the same time humorous and sad. Her downward spiral is notated and eventually she has to come to terms with the fiasco which as become her life. I'm sorry, I don't mean to make this sound pedestrian--it's not. It's probably the most original look at loss that I've ever come across, and I've been privy to more than a few. But this is not just a book that those who have lost a loved one can relate to; indeed everyone, especially those who HAVEN'T lost someone should read this, for eventually you will, and while this certainly isn't meant to be a self-help book, you'll at least know you're not crazy when it happens--at least not as crazy as the main character in GOOD GRIEF is. This is one of the best books I've read in months. \o...\c(shocking, funny, violent, and moving).

Excellent, seamless writing & a beautiful story:
Winston understands the human mind. Not only this, she brings readers into a world that perhaps many dont know about - the world of grief/loss- and she makes it accessible to everyone. Whether or not you've lost a husband, wife, friend or parent or grandparent, you cant help but feel sympathetic and sensitive to the main character's plight. Her issues with food are delicately handled and you can help but find yourself laughing and rooting for her at the same time. I was concerned this book would be too heavy for me to handle in light of losing my father several years earlier. It helped me better understand what my mother went through and how whatever age or stage of life you're at, grieving doesnt have a definitive cure and it is managed day by day. The characters are interesting, and they dance around the main character and help ease her back into life, gradually. I found it especially touching how she helps her mother in law and her detailed insights about her personality. I would recommend this book highly to anyone and I think they will see that in pain and loss, there lies beauty and resilience, too. I've already ordered her other book, "Happiness Sold Separately," and I will let you all know how it goes. I'm looking forward to reading it soon over the holidays!