After Annie
- Downloads：3242
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2024-02-29 04:22:32
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna Quindlen
- ISBN：B0C7TXZ8ZL
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jean
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I read this novel very slowly because， as with all Anna Quindlin’s books， I did not want it to end。 Annie dies in the first sentence。 This novel chronicles the next year in the life of her husband， best friend， and 13 year old daughter。 （I was 14 when my father died。 Anna Quindlin’s was 19 when her mother died。） Anna Quindlin understands grief！ At least 3 times， I gasped out loud because she put into words what I had been feeling deeply。 I am unapologetically a fan！
Maxine
，
After Annie by Anna Quindlen is a beautifully written story of loss， love， grief， and learning to move on after death of a loved one。 When Annie Brown dies suddenly， she leaves behind a loving husband， four young children， and her best friend who had depended on Annie to keep her from returning to her addiction。 The story is divided by seasons and is told in the third person， revolving through the reactions of Bill， her husband who had married her because she was pregnant but had truly loved her After Annie by Anna Quindlen is a beautifully written story of loss， love， grief， and learning to move on after death of a loved one。 When Annie Brown dies suddenly， she leaves behind a loving husband， four young children， and her best friend who had depended on Annie to keep her from returning to her addiction。 The story is divided by seasons and is told in the third person， revolving through the reactions of Bill， her husband who had married her because she was pregnant but had truly loved her and struggles to imagine life without her， thirteen year-old Ali， already mature beyond her years but now forced to take on responsibilities for her siblings， and Annemarie， the best friend， who has always been dependent on Annie for support and is unsure how to continue sober without her。 These characters are three dimensional and it is easy to empathize with them。 The story is poignant and heartbreaking but never sinks into melodrama or manipulation。 It allows the characters to work through their grief and ends on a hopeful note。 A beautiful story， almost impossible to put down。I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Fay
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Thank you Random House Publishing Group and PRH Audio for my #gifted copies of After Annie！ #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟕， 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Beautiful。 Raw。 Emotional。 Profound。 THIS BOOK！ Oh how I loved this book。 I can’t stop thinking about this book。 This book is simple， yet at the same time， is complex。 You fall in love with each and every character and their grief journey after Annie dies。 You watch them grow Thank you Random House Publishing Group and PRH Audio for my #gifted copies of After Annie！ #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟕， 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Beautiful。 Raw。 Emotional。 Profound。 THIS BOOK！ Oh how I loved this book。 I can’t stop thinking about this book。 This book is simple， yet at the same time， is complex。 You fall in love with each and every character and their grief journey after Annie dies。 You watch them grow and change despite the fact that a big piece of them is missing。 It is so hard to put into words how much of a connection I felt with this book。 This book is for anyone， but I feel like those who have lost someone very close to them will resonate with this one the most。 This is a book I will certainly read again and will probably get more out of it each and every time I read it。 You will not want to miss this beautiful story about hope。 You will be hugging your loved ones a little tighter once you are finished。 🎧I alternated between the physical text， and the audiobook， which is narrated by Gilli Messer。 Messer continues to be one of my favorite narrators， and I admire how dynamic she can be in such an emotional role。 I really enjoyed my time listening to Messer and cannot think of another narrator more fitting for this one。 。。。more
Erin W Jacobson
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After Annie is a simple， profound story about loss and love， and what it means to be family。 When Annie Brown suddenly dies， a family is thrown into turmoil。 How will Bill deal？ Can Annemarie， her closest friend， maintain her sobriety and the life she built without her biggest champion？ How can Ali， a 13 year old， find time to comprehend what has happened and raise her siblings？Though simple in narrative， what each character deals with changes them and challenges them to draw upon strengths they After Annie is a simple， profound story about loss and love， and what it means to be family。 When Annie Brown suddenly dies， a family is thrown into turmoil。 How will Bill deal？ Can Annemarie， her closest friend， maintain her sobriety and the life she built without her biggest champion？ How can Ali， a 13 year old， find time to comprehend what has happened and raise her siblings？Though simple in narrative， what each character deals with changes them and challenges them to draw upon strengths they didn’t know they possessed。 When your rock suddenly vanishes， how do you grieve and care for those you love when you aren’t sure you can take care of yourself？ 。。。more
Sarah
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A beautiful story of love and loss， grief and finding a way to go on without the person you love most。 It broke my heart， made me cry， and the mended it back together again。 A great read。 Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the egalley。
Kami Boley
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Well-written and poignant。 This beautiful story chronicles the seemingly ordinary life that Annie Brown built 。 。 。 her work， her family， and her best friend Annemarie。 Through these flawed characters， we see that life is a crafted landscape of many colors and a tightly woven thread holds our compartmentalized quilt together。 In death the thread snaps， that precious connection is lost， and it all becomes so loose and fragile for the ones left behind。 I'm always appreciative when a novel like thi Well-written and poignant。 This beautiful story chronicles the seemingly ordinary life that Annie Brown built 。 。 。 her work， her family， and her best friend Annemarie。 Through these flawed characters， we see that life is a crafted landscape of many colors and a tightly woven thread holds our compartmentalized quilt together。 In death the thread snaps， that precious connection is lost， and it all becomes so loose and fragile for the ones left behind。 I'm always appreciative when a novel like this comes along to remind us to cultivate empathy， to live fully， and love each other well while we still can。I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of After Annie for my unbiased evaluation。 5 stars 。。。more
Pamela
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This was my first time reading a book by Anna Quindlen！ I've heard of her but had never read her work。 She's a fantastic author and I look forward to reading more of her work。 "After Annie" was a surprisingly quick read for this slow reader。 I really enjoyed the way she tells the story of Annie using Annie's husband， best friend and oldest child。 The juxtaposition of a mother who truly cares for her family and community vs one who does not is shown in the side stories that she weaves。 I also rea This was my first time reading a book by Anna Quindlen！ I've heard of her but had never read her work。 She's a fantastic author and I look forward to reading more of her work。 "After Annie" was a surprisingly quick read for this slow reader。 I really enjoyed the way she tells the story of Annie using Annie's husband， best friend and oldest child。 The juxtaposition of a mother who truly cares for her family and community vs one who does not is shown in the side stories that she weaves。 I also really enjoyed the way she shows the impact one woman can have on so many and that society truly relies on the hidden work women do for both their families and their friends。 #AfterAnnie #NetGalley 。。。more
Donna
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I loved this book！ This is a beautifully written story of life， loss and the love that sustains us all。 Annie is a young wife and mother whose sudden death at home from an aneurysm has devastated her family。 Alternately narrated by Annie's husband Bill， her daughter Ali， and her best friend Annemarie， it is a book that is just so moving and profound！ It follows the family and friends for the year after Annie's death as they deal with their loss and begin to move forward slowly。 Through the memor I loved this book！ This is a beautifully written story of life， loss and the love that sustains us all。 Annie is a young wife and mother whose sudden death at home from an aneurysm has devastated her family。 Alternately narrated by Annie's husband Bill， her daughter Ali， and her best friend Annemarie， it is a book that is just so moving and profound！ It follows the family and friends for the year after Annie's death as they deal with their loss and begin to move forward slowly。 Through the memories of all those she touched， Annie emerges as the wonderful， ordinary， loving， woman with unrealized dreams of her own， who held them all together。 As the family moves forward， their own stories of growth as they come to terms with their loss， are full of hope， and new beginnings。 Anna Quindlen has created a heartfelt story full of memorable， realistic characters that I will long remember。 I found the book very hard to put down！ Thank you to the author， publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy。 The opinions of this review are my own。 。。。more
Jennifer Hicks
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I’d recommend any piece of writing that Anna Quindlen has ever shared， but this beautiful novel about how one woman’s death affects her best friend， her husband and her teenage daughter in the year after her passing is near the top of Quindlen’s impressive body of work。
Jenni Reichen
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This book wasn’t quite what I expected。 I loved all of the different perspectives from those who had lost Annie （children， best friend， husband）， and the book had beautiful， descriptive language in it。 But I found several areas extremely dry while people relived their past with Annie。 Some sections felt like they dragged on and on。 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest feedback。
Amy
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After Annie is a beautifully told story of about a young mother who dies of a brain aneurysm at the very beginning of the book。 We see how her husband Bill， her four children， her best friend Annemarie， and other family members cope with her death。 We get glimpses of Annie told through the memories from each of them and how great a loss it is for all of them。 This is a book about family， loss， friendship， addiction， growing up， and moving on all expertly woven together。 I read this book in just After Annie is a beautifully told story of about a young mother who dies of a brain aneurysm at the very beginning of the book。 We see how her husband Bill， her four children， her best friend Annemarie， and other family members cope with her death。 We get glimpses of Annie told through the memories from each of them and how great a loss it is for all of them。 This is a book about family， loss， friendship， addiction， growing up， and moving on all expertly woven together。 I read this book in just a couple of sittings as it was hard to put down。 Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Louise Foerster
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With AFTER ANNIE， Anna Quindlen tells the story of what happens after a beloved wife， mother， friend， and accomplished woman dies， leaving her hapless and good guy husband with four children under the age of fourteen。 Multiple points of view propel the story of what comes next， including those of widower Bill Brown， adrift without his powerful anchor， Annie's oldest child Ali who is exceptionally aware， intelligent， and wonderfully perceptive in her struggles to take on child care and running a With AFTER ANNIE， Anna Quindlen tells the story of what happens after a beloved wife， mother， friend， and accomplished woman dies， leaving her hapless and good guy husband with four children under the age of fourteen。 Multiple points of view propel the story of what comes next， including those of widower Bill Brown， adrift without his powerful anchor， Annie's oldest child Ali who is exceptionally aware， intelligent， and wonderfully perceptive in her struggles to take on child care and running a house， and Annie's best friend Annemarie。 With Annie's voice in their heads guiding their thoughts and actions， her beloveds flounder their ways to a new way of life without her。 I was overwhelmed by the gentle touch and compassionate voice of this extraordinary story about ordinary people bowled over by tragedy。 I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own， unbiased opinions。 。。。more
Deby
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I sat with tears streaming down my face as I read the last few pages of After Annie by Anna Quindlen。 The ending was a culmination of moving through a year of life following the unexpected death of Annie， a woman who was a hero to many， including her husband， 4 children， and best friend。 Anyone who has experienced a profound loss knows that there are many stages in grieving and I loved being along for the journey of this story。 We see true love， friendship， heartache， intense pain， and emotional I sat with tears streaming down my face as I read the last few pages of After Annie by Anna Quindlen。 The ending was a culmination of moving through a year of life following the unexpected death of Annie， a woman who was a hero to many， including her husband， 4 children， and best friend。 Anyone who has experienced a profound loss knows that there are many stages in grieving and I loved being along for the journey of this story。 We see true love， friendship， heartache， intense pain， and emotional baggage through the eyes of both children and adults。 In the end， while grief and the pain of loss doesn't truly ever go away， we see healing and hope and growth。 After Annie was difficult to read because it explores such a difficult loss。 But in the end， like with losing someone， I feel better having had the experience than having not had it at all。 。。。more
Libriar
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3。5 stars。 A young family struggles after the sudden death of the mother。 As a reader I wanted to hug the daughter and yell at the dad。 The storyline of the mother's best friend was distracting at times。 Overall a well-written， sad book about dealing with grief。 ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley。 3。5 stars。 A young family struggles after the sudden death of the mother。 As a reader I wanted to hug the daughter and yell at the dad。 The storyline of the mother's best friend was distracting at times。 Overall a well-written， sad book about dealing with grief。 ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley。 。。。more
Suzi （Lil Bit Reads）
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After Annie is a moving portrait of a family navigating grief and loss。 Annie Brown is a wife， a friend， and a mother to four children ages 13 and under when she dies suddenly of an aneurysm。 This raw， powerful story is told over four seasons from the perspectives of her husband， her best friend， and her oldest daughter Ali as they struggle to cope with the loss of the woman at the center of their lives。Simultaneously heart-rending and hopeful， this is an immersive read that paints of a vivid pi After Annie is a moving portrait of a family navigating grief and loss。 Annie Brown is a wife， a friend， and a mother to four children ages 13 and under when she dies suddenly of an aneurysm。 This raw， powerful story is told over four seasons from the perspectives of her husband， her best friend， and her oldest daughter Ali as they struggle to cope with the loss of the woman at the center of their lives。Simultaneously heart-rending and hopeful， this is an immersive read that paints of a vivid picture of Annie and those who loved her most。 Anna Quindlen’s prose is beautiful and profound， and her ability to capture and distill human emotions to their essence has never been better than it is here。 A deceptively ordinary story made extraordinary through its quiet but visceral depiction of love and loss， I was moved to tears over and over again by its insights。Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Tracey
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This is my first book by Quindlen， and I can see why she's popular。 The sudden death of a young mother leaving three children and a husband behind to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives is deftly explored as they traverse the first year without her。 There is also her best friend， who feels like part of the family even if she isn't seen that way， whose loss is no less intense than the others。 At times I felt a bit lost in the story， almost as if I was experiencing the grief along with the This is my first book by Quindlen， and I can see why she's popular。 The sudden death of a young mother leaving three children and a husband behind to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives is deftly explored as they traverse the first year without her。 There is also her best friend， who feels like part of the family even if she isn't seen that way， whose loss is no less intense than the others。 At times I felt a bit lost in the story， almost as if I was experiencing the grief along with the characters， and the rudderlessness that often comes with the loss of the anchor。 Disturbing， but effective if it was meant， and serendipitous if not。 A well done portrait of a family struggling to survive trauma。My thanks to Random House Publishing Group， the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion。 。。。more
☮Karen
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I try to read everything Anna Quindlen writes。 Her stories are so affecting， so real， so relevant。 She knows relationships， families and friendships。 Her characters are genuine。 Their situations are ones many of us have experienced: the loss of a loved one， formulating a path through hardship or grief， maybe with some stumbles， but always with hope。 Annie's story is a sad one - gone too young and without warning。 The people she leaves behind - a husband， three little boys， a thirteen year old da I try to read everything Anna Quindlen writes。 Her stories are so affecting， so real， so relevant。 She knows relationships， families and friendships。 Her characters are genuine。 Their situations are ones many of us have experienced: the loss of a loved one， formulating a path through hardship or grief， maybe with some stumbles， but always with hope。 Annie's story is a sad one - gone too young and without warning。 The people she leaves behind - a husband， three little boys， a thirteen year old daughter， and a best friend who is now friendless - are at first at a loss how to go on。 But gradually they will all come to see that a by-product of having Annie's love is that they now have inside of them the tools needed to move forward and how to help each other。 One of Quindlen's best。 。。。more
Kim Lockhart
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From the very first sentence， we know that this is a story about loss and grief， universal experiences which are completely unique when they happen to you。 As a reflection of this， the author adds little details which help paint a picture of the Brown family， an anything but ordinary unit， with an otherwise ordinary surname。 I haven't read this popular author before， and I really like her writing style。 She makes the reader feel like they're there， in the scene。 Quindlen employs a light deft tou From the very first sentence， we know that this is a story about loss and grief， universal experiences which are completely unique when they happen to you。 As a reflection of this， the author adds little details which help paint a picture of the Brown family， an anything but ordinary unit， with an otherwise ordinary surname。 I haven't read this popular author before， and I really like her writing style。 She makes the reader feel like they're there， in the scene。 Quindlen employs a light deft touch in presenting how a sudden change can feel in a room， in the silence that both feels too heavy and like an absence。 She digs a little into how it all feels and what it all means， how it seems both too real and unreal。 Each member of the family， but especially the oldest child and the dad， struggle with competing emotions， both racing through worries and memories， and thinking about nothing at all。 Everything in this story， so far， seems very realistic， even down to the last words， which in real life are neither poetic nor reassuring。 For this family， Annie's last sentence sounds almost like an accusation， ringing over and over again in their ears。 The author really seems to understand exactly what happens in these situations。 How some people shut down in their grief， and others cope by getting things done， is spot-on。 In addition to our early understanding of the setting， the circumstances， and the characters， we also know that there are at least two major unexplained unspoken problems roiling beneath our narrative。 I really didn't want to guess at why， but it's human nature to try to fill in the blanks。 And it was worse than I'd guessed。 Nowhere do personalities pop up more clearly than in a crisis。 I found it fascinating， a little like people-watching， only with slightly more backstory。 Unconsciously， we all see a little of ourselves in other people， which may be the main driver of why we do it。 Reading this story feels a bit like being a voyeur， eavesdropping not only on conversations， but people's entire lives。 The book is separated into Winter， Spring， Summer and Fall （and Winter again， but that's a short epilogue）。 I don't believe the author meant to reflect the seasons of life， but rather the seasons of grief， because as anyone knows who has been through it， grief can really change with the passing of time， ebbing and flowing。 Loss is something of a chameleon， taking on the appearance of surroundings， but also like riding a roller coaster blindfolded。 You have no idea how many ups and downs there will be， nor how rattlly and bumpy it will get。 Of course， it's not as if loss of any kind overcomes one's other problems; if anything， it exacerbates them。 While the stress of Annie's death has strained her best friend Annemarie's delicate equilibrium， it has simultaneously sharpened Annie's oldest child Ali's observational skills。 Ali is aware of what is not right all around her， even if she can't always identify the source。 Ali is increasingly worried about her own best friend， Jenny。 When her worry makes her stomach hurt， it makes mine hurt， too。 The worry about Annemarie is palpable， too， though I found part of the resolution to be surprising。 I don't want to give anything away in this review， so in a general way， I would allude to the fact that we are not particularly good， as a society， at dealing with difficult situations。 We do and say the wrong things。 We make terrible choices。 This book addresses a lot of those situations， and also shows a better path。 Healing is work。 Recovery is work。 Grieving is work。 Being alive is work。The Autumn section of the book gave me a big lump in my throat， but also something like hope。 I couldn't imagine what the last （and shortest section） would be about， except maybe to tie up a couple of loose ends。 I understood why it was titled Winter （again） rather than "Epilogue" and the author did a good job of wrapping up the story and helping the characters move forward。 It is amazing how much can change in a single year。 This is a lot of story packed into that space。 I will definitely read this author again。 The story is solid， the characters are intriguing and believable， and there are some very good points about helping each other， looking out for yourself as well as each other， and our general responsibility to approach the future with clear eyes。 Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for providing an early copy of this book for review。 。。。more
Angelo Drakontaidis
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This novel explores the aftermath of a heartbreaking aneurism and death of Annie。 Annie is a mother of 4。 The book follows the impact her death has on her family members。Quindlen explores themes of grief， acceptance， depression， sexual abuse and denial。 There are many good scenes in this book with regard to these themes。 There were other scenes that I felt distracted from the focal point of the book。 I would have liked the book to focus on the children and maybe the days POV。 Ali’s POV was the m This novel explores the aftermath of a heartbreaking aneurism and death of Annie。 Annie is a mother of 4。 The book follows the impact her death has on her family members。Quindlen explores themes of grief， acceptance， depression， sexual abuse and denial。 There are many good scenes in this book with regard to these themes。 There were other scenes that I felt distracted from the focal point of the book。 I would have liked the book to focus on the children and maybe the days POV。 Ali’s POV was the most interesting。Overall， an interesting exploration of grief but one that could have been more fleshed out。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher but the arc 。。。more
L。A。
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This is a tough emotional read。 At times I thought I just couldn't bear another minute reading about the loss of a mother， wife and friend。 It does get better and where there is loss there is always hope。 Annie is the heart of the family keeping everyone together and on task。 When she dies of an aneurysm， her husband is left to raise their four children alone。 Such a heartbreaking reality for so many people。 The book shows not only the effect on their family but her best friend， Annemarie。 She i This is a tough emotional read。 At times I thought I just couldn't bear another minute reading about the loss of a mother， wife and friend。 It does get better and where there is loss there is always hope。 Annie is the heart of the family keeping everyone together and on task。 When she dies of an aneurysm， her husband is left to raise their four children alone。 Such a heartbreaking reality for so many people。 The book shows not only the effect on their family but her best friend， Annemarie。 She is a recovering addict and Annie was her support team without her she began to falter。 The character Ali is so relatable at the age of 13， she is responsible for her three small brothers。 Her loss wasn't any greater than the others， but stressed with each day of her memories and how close she was to her mother。 Her guidance counselor was a listening ear and needed since so much of the burden affects her。 Her mom was her best friend。 With every page， it did get easier as we saw the seasons of life change and also saw the seasons of grief change。 The family dynamics of hope， love， and loss makes for a tough emotional read。 Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Leah DeCesare
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Sweet and tender， real and thoughtful in a way that is so very Anna Quindlen。 Though Annie dies in the opening line， the reader knows her deeply through the points of view of three characters who are mourning her。 I always love Anna Quindlen's writing and this story is quiet， but touching。 Sweet and tender， real and thoughtful in a way that is so very Anna Quindlen。 Though Annie dies in the opening line， the reader knows her deeply through the points of view of three characters who are mourning her。 I always love Anna Quindlen's writing and this story is quiet， but touching。 。。。more
Susan
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I've been in a pretty bad reading rut lately because all the books I read seem to be depressing， so I didn't really expect a book that opened with the death of a 30something mother of four to be the page-turning， emotionally fulfilling book it turned out to be。 At his wife's funeral， Bill Brown tells his children that she will live on through them， and the novel bears that out， as the three primary characters--Bill， eldest daughter Ali， and Annie's best friend Annemarie--negotiate their grief wh I've been in a pretty bad reading rut lately because all the books I read seem to be depressing， so I didn't really expect a book that opened with the death of a 30something mother of four to be the page-turning， emotionally fulfilling book it turned out to be。 At his wife's funeral， Bill Brown tells his children that she will live on through them， and the novel bears that out， as the three primary characters--Bill， eldest daughter Ali， and Annie's best friend Annemarie--negotiate their grief while trying to carry on。 Bill is lost， trying to run his business while being the sole parent to four young children。 Ali， already mature， grows up quickly as her father relies on her to oversee her three younger brothers while also trying to understand her best friend's occasional odd behavior。 And Annemarie struggles to maintain her fragile sobriety when she has lost her soulmate。 I loved everything about this book， even the fictional Pennsylvania setting （especially the fictional Pennsylvania setting） which made me homesick for my native Pittsburgh， even it was more likely an eastern Pennsylvania town。 #AfterAnnie #NetGalley 。。。more
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
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This book was beautiful and horrible。 A woman， far too young to be even thinking about death， suddenly dies。 Right there in the first few pages。 Then everyone in her life has to figure out how to deal with Annie's death。 You learn so much about each person by the memories they have of Annie and the times they need her voice to help them cope with their lives without her。 Anyone who has had a sudden death of someone close to them， unexpected and quick， will feel all of it over again while reading This book was beautiful and horrible。 A woman， far too young to be even thinking about death， suddenly dies。 Right there in the first few pages。 Then everyone in her life has to figure out how to deal with Annie's death。 You learn so much about each person by the memories they have of Annie and the times they need her voice to help them cope with their lives without her。 Anyone who has had a sudden death of someone close to them， unexpected and quick， will feel all of it over again while reading。 How many times have I heard my own father's voice in my head？ This book hurt to read。 Anna Quindlen handles all of it so beautifully， though。 How does a husband go on with his four children？ How does a best friend move on without the person who kept her strong？ How does the oldest girl handle having to pick up where her father is letting things drop？ Does she have to become her mother。 The most touching part of all of it was Quindlen's refusal to make Annie into a saint after her death。 She couldn't help those she left behind in some sort of airbrushed version of herself。 We need to remember people for who they were to us。 After Annie will probably make you cry。 t will make you think。 。。。more
Lori Boyd
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Review to follow！
Jackie
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This novel by Anne Quindlen continues her storied writing career。 Quinlan deftly brings to life Anne Brown and her family。 Anne is only briefly alive: she collapses and dies in the first few pages， leaving her family and us to continue without her。One feels as though we know and love Anne， her daughter Ali， husband Bill， best friend Annemarie and the rest of Quindlen's vivid characters。 This is a wonderful story of how a family survives the loss of their anchor。 This novel by Anne Quindlen continues her storied writing career。 Quinlan deftly brings to life Anne Brown and her family。 Anne is only briefly alive: she collapses and dies in the first few pages， leaving her family and us to continue without her。One feels as though we know and love Anne， her daughter Ali， husband Bill， best friend Annemarie and the rest of Quindlen's vivid characters。 This is a wonderful story of how a family survives the loss of their anchor。 。。。more
Astrid Galactic
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Admittedly， it took me a good while to take to this book。 Mostly because I was being expected to have empathy for a fictional character whom， obviously， I did not know， from page one。 Now I can get all teary eyed and caring about fictional characters， but I need a little investment before they take root within my heart。 If these were real people， that's a whole different story， but fictionalized ones need to gel in my mind in order to form those bonds。 Others will get hooked from the first parag Admittedly， it took me a good while to take to this book。 Mostly because I was being expected to have empathy for a fictional character whom， obviously， I did not know， from page one。 Now I can get all teary eyed and caring about fictional characters， but I need a little investment before they take root within my heart。 If these were real people， that's a whole different story， but fictionalized ones need to gel in my mind in order to form those bonds。 Others will get hooked from the first paragraph。 I don't think that makes either of us better or worse people。 Just that some might be a bit more aware of what's real and what's not and need time and investment to allow for the sell before we buy into the deeper aspects of the story。 But when it comes to books， I do have persistence and kept on reading。 I know that there's often a pay off by doing so。 This one will pay off if you stick with it， providing that you appreciate a family and friend story that explores the dynamics of each character's emotional and psychological place withing the plot。 The writing style is somewhat of a stream of consciousness method， but consistent and very easy to follow。 It winds through in a manner that allows us to get to know the entire family Annie's unexpected death centers around， as well as several others within the family's realm。 We not only get to know Annie， but also an array of other characters within this storyline。 Nothing unexpected here， short of Annie's death， but even that is not because， after all， that's the premise of the book。 Most of it is quite predictable。 It's just allowing yourself to get involved and observe this family's connection and experiences with Annie， as well as finally getting to know whom this character is that this story is based on。 Thanks so much to NetGalley for a free copy of the eBook in leu of a review。 。。。more
Deb
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Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this beautiful story。 I have always connected with Anna Quindlen's novels。 This novel did as well and hits right at the heart。 What happens to each family member and friends when a person dies suddenly？ Annie， who is the center and the rock to her husband， 4 children and her best friend Annemarie。 When she dies suddenly each of their lives is sent into a tail spin。 This novel is so different from others which deal with death。 Anna Quindlen digs deep in Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this beautiful story。 I have always connected with Anna Quindlen's novels。 This novel did as well and hits right at the heart。 What happens to each family member and friends when a person dies suddenly？ Annie， who is the center and the rock to her husband， 4 children and her best friend Annemarie。 When she dies suddenly each of their lives is sent into a tail spin。 This novel is so different from others which deal with death。 Anna Quindlen digs deep into each of these characters to show their grief， their fright and their mother， wife， friend through each eyes。 This is so beautifully written and so vividly true to life。 。。。more
Bam cooks the books ;-）
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Loved this one！ At first I thought this story about a young mother's sudden death and the aftermath was going to be too unbearably sad to read but it was so beautifully written that I didn't want to stop。 How can her family， her best friend， even the patients she took care of at the local nursing home， bear such a shocking loss， learn to carry on？ This is a terrific look at how grief affects different people in different ways。 And ultimately， how love carries on in each heart。 I received an arc Loved this one！ At first I thought this story about a young mother's sudden death and the aftermath was going to be too unbearably sad to read but it was so beautifully written that I didn't want to stop。 How can her family， her best friend， even the patients she took care of at the local nursing home， bear such a shocking loss， learn to carry on？ This is a terrific look at how grief affects different people in different ways。 And ultimately， how love carries on in each heart。 I received an arc of this new novel from the author and publisher via NetGalley。 My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Kelli Roberts
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This is a quiet novel about life， love， loss and grief。 Family， friends， and those who aren't quite either but make all the difference in someone's life。 In this description of one family's life after the death of the person who holds everything together， we see how the ordinary holds so much， and can become so extraordinary， based on what everyone is looking at。 Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advance digital copy。 This is a quiet novel about life， love， loss and grief。 Family， friends， and those who aren't quite either but make all the difference in someone's life。 In this description of one family's life after the death of the person who holds everything together， we see how the ordinary holds so much， and can become so extraordinary， based on what everyone is looking at。 Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advance digital copy。 。。。more
Don
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