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Summary
Summary
A brilliantly funny and heartwarming debut about a young woman who stumbles, then fights to build a new life after the death of her husband. The perfect book for anyone who has ever been heartbroken, lost someone they loved, or eaten too many Oreos.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
"The grief is up already. It is an early riser, waiting with its gummy arms wrapped around my neck, its hot, sour breath in my ear." Sophie Stanton feels far too young to be a widow, but after just three years of marriage, her wonderful husband, Ethan, succumbs to cancer. With the world rolling on, unaware of her pain, Sophie does the only sensible thing: she locks herself in her house and lives on what she can buy at the convenience store in furtive midnight shopping sprees. Everything hurts-the telemarketers asking to speak to Ethan, mail with his name on it, his shirts, which still smell like him. At first Sophie is a "good" widow, gracious and melancholy, but after she drives her car through the garage door, something snaps; she starts showing up at work in her bathrobe and hiding under displays in stores. Her boss suggests she take a break, so she sells her house and moves to Ashland, Ore., to live with her best friend, Ruth, and start over. Grief comes along, too-but with a troubled, pyromaniac teen assigned to her by a volunteer agency, a charming actor dogging her and a new job prepping desserts at a local restaurant, Sophie is forced to explore the misery that has consumed her. Throughout this heartbreaking, gorgeous look at loss, Winston imbues her heroine and her narrative with the kind of grace, bitter humor and rapier-sharp realness that will dig deep into a reader's heart and refuse to let go. Sophie is wounded terribly, but she's also funny, fresh and utterly believable. There's nary a moment of triteness in this outstanding debut. Agent, Laurie Fox. (Apr.) Forecast: With a 100,000-copy printing, a low price point, a huge publicity push and blurbs from Jennifer Weiner and Billie Letts, this should hit the lists. Book Sense pick for March/April. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A Silicon Valley widow finds the healing power of befriending people worse off than she is. At 36, Sophie Stanton, recent widow of cancer-victim Ethan, finds her situation unbearable: she is lonely, depressed, prone to overeating, obsessed with wearing Ethan's ski sweater, and unable to function as p.r. manager for a California firm that manufactures a "scrotum patch." When Sophie arrives at work in her robe and slippers, she's granted a leave and moves near her separated friend Ruth, in Ashland, Oregon, which has an alternative Shakespeare Festival and available men. Like Bridget Jones, Sophie is made endearing by her many faults: her "hurricane hair," her weight-gaining tendency, her compassion for losers--like the men who try to pick her up--and her unconquerable hopefulness. In her new digs, demoted from waitress to "salad girl" at her bistro job, she finds a touching redemption in mentoring sassy-mouthed Crystal, a 13-year-old who's failing algebra, periodically cuts herself to relieve frustration, and is dismissed by her own mother as a freak. Yet a much-needed friendship sparks between the two, as well as between Sophie and a handsome local actor, Drew, as she comes into her own--invariably over the theme of food!--by opening a cheesecake shop and gaining a heroic autonomy. If all this sounds perfectly familiar, it is, as "women's fiction" assumes an increasingly hackneyed formula, led by the self-deprecating fat girl and packed with ebullient cheerleading and nary a truly dark or original moment. The characters are frothy, the dialogue chipper, the introspection restricted. Death becomes just another hurdle on the way to self-betterment--along with weight-management and resumÉ-padding. Are women this desperate? Effervescent, silly debut: so eager to please that it reads like the speech of the candidate who won't open his mouth before the polls are consulted. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Sophie Stanton goes from newlywed to widow in just three short years of marriage, her competent and confident persona replaced by an Oreo-munching, robe-and-slipper-clad zombie. Overwhelmed by grief and despair, out of a job, home, and clothes that fit, Sophie leaves her high-pressure, memory-laden Silicon Valley lifestyle for a laid-back Oregon village. In her metamorphosis from bereft widow to beguiling woman, Sophie is aided by an unlikely ally: Crystal, a street-smart but emotionally damaged teenager she befriends as part of a Big Sisters program. If there are stages to the mourning process, Winston gets them all down perfectly, communicating Sophie's misery with a poignant empathy. Those who have experienced such loss will surely recognize themselves in some part of Sophie's transformative journey; those who haven't will hope to demonstrate as much grit, wit, and charm as Winston's lovable heroine. Tackling a difficult subject in a debut novel is a gutsy move, and Winston pulls it off with just the right blend of heartfelt humor and heartwarming humanity. --Carol Haggas Copyright 2004 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton loses her husband, Ethan, to cancer just three years into their marriage. She can't quite function and goes to work in her bathrobe. It seems it's time for a change of scene, so Sophie moves to Oregon to be with her friend Ruth. Will that help her get a grip? Per our original review, "Sophie is self-deprecating, smart-alecky, insecure, and so lost in grief.that we become instantly involved." A truly remarkable first novel.-Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
Part 1 Denial | p. 3 |
Oreos | p. 23 |
Anger | p. 43 |
Depression | p. 57 |
Escrow | p. 79 |
Ashes | p. 85 |
Part 2 Lust | p. 93 |
Bargaining | p. 111 |
Waitressing | p. 131 |
Mentoring | p. 153 |
Dating | p. 183 |
Baking | p. 243 |
Part 3 Acceptance | p. 289 |
Goodwill | p. 303 |
Thanksgiving | p. 321 |