[.ca] After Anne (ISBN 0736909672)

What an inspiring story!:
I don't know how I got this copy of After Anne ~~ but however I got it, I am so glad I read it! This is one of my all-time favorite read ~~ much to my surprise! I didn't realize this is an inspirational book ~~ normally, I don't read those because of poor writing but this book has exceeded all expectations. It is a story of two women who became friends in an unlikely way. It is a discovery of truths on one woman's part and the facing of uncertain future on the other woman's part. It is an exploration of friendship and love that only two women can experience ~~ they became closer friends than sisters. This story is rich in details ~~ Olivia is a mom and a banker's wife. She endures trouble with her teenage son and pretween daughter when she meets Anne. Anne is a soon-to-be mom in her late 20s who discovers a lump on her breast. Together, they share their lives. Their friendship is the one that every woman secretly dreams of having ~~ and while it strengthens Anne's walk with God, it introduces God and his word to Olivia. However, that is done in a beautifully-written way, not a preachy way. Anne lived her faith. Olivia learns about it just from watching Anne. I just love this book ~~ I relate to Olivia so well though my babies aren't grown yet. I relate to Anne and her fears and uncertainities of the future ~~ and it's just a beautiful, heart-warming story. It is definitely one of the best-written stories on friendship that I have ever read. It makes me think of my best friend and our friendship over the years. It also makes me look at my children differently ~~ they too will grow up like Olivia's children did. I also appreciate the little things in life more ~~ you just never know what to expect ~~ and how fast time is. This is a definite book to buy for your best friend or wife or daughter. It's not emotionally mushy though in some places you will need a kleenex. It is just beautifully-written ~~ and so true. It makes you stop and think. It is one of the must-reads for the coming year if not tomorrow. 11-11-03

In AWE!:
I tell you---I am not a very religious person. If someone would have told me that I had to read a book labeled "spiritual", I'd have laughed in his face. But this book is AMAZING. I was drawn to the book by it's cover - something I normally tell my 4th graders NOT to do. When I started reading about Olivia and Anne, I couldn't put it down. I felt as if I was "meant" to read this book. This book has opened my eyes to the many ways God expects me - you - to be a better person within personal and casual friendships and the events with which we have no control over. I feel Roxanne Henke is a very talented writer. Her books are inspirational in every sense of the word!

Beautiful first novel:
After Anne is a beautiful first novel, a story told with heart and compassion. I finished with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. This would be an excellent book for women's study groups and discussion questions are provided in the back of the book. Deborah Raney, author of A Scarlet Cord and Playing by Heart

A must-read for every woman:
I just finished reading After Anne. It is one of my favorite books of all time, and I am always reading, usually 3 or 4 books at once! This is one book that you will find yourself returning to even when you are finished reading, to examine it more closely through different angles. After Anne is about an unlikely friendship between two women, Anne and Libby. Roxanne Henke explores their friendship through the eyes of each woman, and their self discovery and personal growth as they face different issues in their lives. I hate giving away the plot, because I think it takes away from the journey of reading the book yourself. But as you read, you will find yourself exploring your own relationships, and examining your place in the lives of those you love. I see myself in both Libby and Anne. I feel like I know them, as if they are sisters. I didn't just read the book, I lived it. Even though I checked it out of the library to read it, I am purchasing my own copy for my library. It is a book I will read again, and pass along to my friends. What a beautifully written, lovely story.

A Close Friendship Well Told:
My sweet wife read After Anne and told me about it. The story describes the friendship of Olivia and Anne, both in their thirties, who meet during a high school football game. Olivia instantly dislikes Anne, but Anne is attracted to Olivia, whom she calls Libby despite Olivia's attempts to dissuade her. Because Anne's husband travels and they are new to the town, Anne prays for a friend. She hopes she has found that friend in Libby. Opportunity for building acquaintance comes when Olivia's daughter Emily wants to learn the piano and Anne is the only piano teacher in Brewster, North Dakota. Olivia gives Anne as much distance as she can, but Anne's friendliness and generosity eventually win her over, and they become friends as close as sisters. My wife says the book is set up in a weird way, jumping first person viewpoints between the two main characters; but that doesn't disrupt the story. Henke writes well, keeping my wife's interest more than she thought she would. Sarah was with me in having a low opinion of Christian fiction. After Anne depicts that kind of friendship every woman craves. Henke reveals her character's deep emotions without caricature. "The emotion doesn't seem fake," my wife said. It rings true and penetrates emotional calluses a reader may have raised through suspicion of the genre (that being contemporary Christian). But "it's a woman's book. A man would not appreciate or enjoy it." Well, we'll see about that when I get around to reading it myself.