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Lolly Winston
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Good Grief Kindle Edition

by Lolly Winston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 463 ratings
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.

Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton wants to be a good widow—a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, she’s been drowning her sorrows in ice cream and showing up to work in her bunny slippers and bathrobe. Determined to start over, she moves to Ashland, Oregon, where she finds herself in the middle of a darkly madcap adventure involving a 13-year-old pyromaniac and an alarmingly handsome actor who inspires a range of feelings she can’t cope with—yet.
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  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2004
  5. File size
    3.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Some widows face their loss with denial. Sophie Stanton's reaction is one of pure bafflement. "How can I be a widow?" Sophie asks at the opening of Lolly Winston's sweet debut novel, Good Grief. "I'm only thirty-six. I just got used to the idea of being married." Sophie's young widowhood forces her to do all kinds of crazy things--drive her car through her garage door, for instance. That's on one of the rare occasions when she bothers to get out of bed. The Christmas season especially terrifies her: "I must write a memo to the Minister of Happier Days requesting that the holidays be cancelled this year." But widowhood also forces her to do something very sane. After the death of her computer programmer husband, she reexamines her life as a public relations agent in money-obsessed Silicon Valley. Sophie decides to ease her grief, or at least her loneliness, by moving in with her best friend Ruth in Ashland, Oregon. But it's her difficult relationship with psycho teen punker Crystal, to whom she becomes a Big Sister, that mysteriously brings her at least a few steps out of her grief. Winston allows Sophie life after widowhood: The novel almost indiscernibly turns into a gentle romantic comedy and a quirky portrait of life in an artsy small town. At all stops on her journey from widow to survivor, Sophie is a lively, crabby, delightfully imperfect character. --Claire Dederer

From Publishers Weekly

"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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000FC1LL0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 2004)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2004
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0446694843
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 463 ratings

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Lolly Winston

Lolly Winston

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
463 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book helps process grief while maintaining a balanced tone that's not overly sad. They appreciate the author's sense of humor and wonderful way with words, making it a fun and engaging read. Customers praise the rich character development, fascinating plot, and insightful approach to the subject matter. Customers find the book easy to read and hard to put down.

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47 customers mention "Sadness"42 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate how the book handles grief, describing its overwhelming depths without being overly harsh or sad, and helps readers process their emotions.

"...Each chapter is filled with fresh dialog and truthful, heartfelt observations. I highly recommend reading this book...." Read more

"...Life is unpredictable, raw, scary, but fun, exciting, joyful and adventurous too...." Read more

"...In consequence, most of her observations on loss are piercing and touching...." Read more

"...It was neither too sappy, nor to harsh or too sad. It's hard to believe that it is a first novel for this author...." Read more

30 customers mention "Humor"30 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, appreciating the author's wonderful way with words and finding it both witty and believable.

"...Each chapter is filled with fresh dialog and truthful, heartfelt observations. I highly recommend reading this book...." Read more

"...for any woman who has just suffered a broken heart and needs some witty girlfriend humor and to remember what it is like to love life again...." Read more

"GOOD GRIEF is an anomoly: a beautifully written book with a completely implausible plot...." Read more

"...She is a very strong woman and she became very real for me from the very beginning...." Read more

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to read, with one mentioning it makes a great summer poolside companion, while another notes it serves well as a night reading companion for short trips.

"...Life is unpredictable, raw, scary, but fun, exciting, joyful and adventurous too...." Read more

"...One result of her creative skill is that the reader can lose oneself in the prose, not focusing on how stupid the story actually is...." Read more

"...It was fun for me to visit Ashland in a book as I am there every summer for the play festival." Read more

"...This was the best book for a rainy day off - I didn't put it down until I was finished, and didn't want it to end." Read more

12 customers mention "Character development"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them rich and well-developed, with one customer noting they are written with vulnerability.

"This book is so well written, with such likeable characters, it was hard to put down...." Read more

"...I liked the book, the characters were believable and plot was entertaining. I agree with one reviewer, it was two stories...." Read more

"...However, all in all, the characters were rich, and the plot kept me turning the pages." Read more

"This is a wonderful book. I love the characters; witty, caring, and at times crazy. The author is wonderful at describing the scene or event...." Read more

11 customers mention "Plot"8 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as fascinating, with one customer noting it is endearingly flawed.

"Lolly Winston has written my favorite kind of book. The endearingly flawed, really funny characters find themselves in awkward situations, at their..." Read more

"...I liked the book, the characters were believable and plot was entertaining. I agree with one reviewer, it was two stories...." Read more

"...has achieved something found in few first novels - natural flow, fascinating plot, characters you love and dialogue that's real...." Read more

"Really great story - starts a little slow for some of us, but worth finishing!" Read more

4 customers mention "Insight"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, with one review highlighting its honest portrayal of eccentricity.

"...Ms. Winston is a wonderful writer, and a woman who's amazingly insightful...." Read more

"...Sophie is well done and I think her grieving process is sincere and insightful...." Read more

"...over time -- I was also chuckling at the very human, very honest eccentricity in this story, and feeling in tow with the main character, in all her..." Read more

"Wonder perspective of the real situation. Rings true to anyone that has lost a spouse. Comforting." Read more

3 customers mention "Ease of use"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to use, with one mentioning it's hard to put down.

"...this is the most important message contained within the pages of this quick and witty read. And I do mean witty...." Read more

"Light-hearted but true. I enjoyed this book immensely. Easy, up-beat read....evolving through sadness to making a life made the main character..." Read more

"...A very easy and relatable read." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Michelaneous by Michele
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Grief Gold Star. In fact, Five Gold Stars.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    This book is so well written, with such likeable characters, it was hard to put down. Lolly Winston takes a serious topic, the death of a loved one, and actually makes it humorous. As we grieve with the sympathetic main character, a bumbling Lucille Ball-type comedienne, she helps us understand how such a difficult loss can really turn one's world upside down.

    Using the grief process as an outline for the chapters of this book, denial, anger, depression, bargaining and finally, acceptance, we experience the life of Sophie Stanton in the year immediately following her husband's death. She spends some time in grief groups and is not afraid to take advice and try to move forward, never letting you forget the weight of her loss. And while attending a group session, she learns from the counselor: "It's a myth that people experience grief for a certain amount of time and then they're over it." I think this is the most important message contained within the pages of this quick and witty read.

    And I do mean witty. Winston has a wonderful way with words. For example, through the first person narrative of her main character she deduces that "tears are to a grief counselor what straight teeth are to an orthodontist." Each chapter is filled with fresh dialog and truthful, heartfelt observations. I highly recommend reading this book.

    Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars On time
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Used book, ok price, ok condition arrived on time.
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  • Jessica K.
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful book! My mom gave it to me when ...
    Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a wonderful book! My mom gave it to me when I was going through my divorce, then when I broke up with my second long term relationship, who left me pregnant after 5 years and moved to Europe, I bought it again for myself. This is a wonderful book for any woman who has just suffered a broken heart and needs some witty girlfriend humor and to remember what it is like to love life again. The main character wraps you up in her will to move forward while taking you through her very real experience of losing the one you love. She reminds you to take pleasure in every moment, not to be scared of the changes you face but to embrace them, and the surprises you have in store around every corner. Life is unpredictable, raw, scary, but fun, exciting, joyful and adventurous too. By the end of this read, you will be ready to embrace your own new adventure, all inspired by our heroine, who was brave enough to face a new chapter and embrace it with arms was wide open as possible.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • HeyJudy
    3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful writing, stupid plot
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    GOOD GRIEF is an anomoly: a beautifully written book with a completely implausible plot.

    Author Lolly Winston has created the story of a young woman widowed at age 36.

    Ms. Winston is a wonderful writer, and a woman who's amazingly insightful. In consequence, most of her observations on loss are piercing and touching.

    One result of her creative skill is that the reader can lose oneself in the prose, not focusing on how stupid the story actually is.

    Some of the problems: Woman's husband dies of cancer... woman has a little nervous breakdown immediately following... woman loses excellent public relations job in Silicon Valley... woman moves to a town in Oregon so small that it considers Medford the nearest city... because she knows one person in this town... woman rents wonderful old house... gets job as waitress... is so terrible as waitress that she's transferred to a scut job in the kitchen... realizes there that she's a gifted chef... sets up her own food business... to overwhelming praise... and oh, yes, has the most sought-after man in her little town fall in love with her.

    All in seven months? Oh, please!

    There's much more to GOOD GRIEF but all of it, too, is equally implausible, especially considering the time frame in which it's placed.

    Still, no one who finishes this novel will come away with anything less than admiration for Ms. Winston, as well as a new understanding of the pain of widowhood.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Jennifer Sandell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Big-hearted Wonderful First Novel
    Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    There are many books out there that are written about grief and loss that border on being completely morose. This book is not one of those. The main character, Sophie Stanton invited us into the mess of her life shortly after she lost her husband, Ethan to Cancer. Sophie instantly became my friend. She is a very strong woman and she became very real for me from the very beginning. I felt her pain as she suffers panic attacks and can't make it through the grocery store. I cry for her when she shows up for work in her bathrobe in the midst of a nervous breakdown and I feel exalted when, she has gone through all the stages of grief and discovers that people need her again and that she can be successful again. This is a very well-crafted novel, even the ending was well thought out. It was neither too sappy, nor to harsh or too sad. It's hard to believe that it is a first novel for this author. I am anxiously awaiting other books by this talented new writer
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Carole P. Roman
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good golly Miss Lolly
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I never read what book is about before I start it. I buy from the suggested list from Amazon. This book touched a cord. I read while I was grieving fo my Mom and understood and felt all of Sophie's confusion and pain. Was it great literature- no- but I don't think it was ever anything more that the story of a woman rebuilding her world after all her dreams were shattered. Many claim it was trite and hokey- well, I think it's a book about hope. Sometimes the story doesn't have to be believable to accomplish what it sets out to do. For me, Good Grief gave me a window to look out from my well of sorrow with its gentle humor, and threw a lifeline that while your life may be at its lowest point, something may be just a move away to bring you back.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • tawvry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Got me through multiple losses
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve reread this book many times throughout my life when I needed it. It helped me process grief.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Linda L Gollan
    5.0 out of 5 stars FUNNY - FUNNY - FUNNY
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I THOUGHT THIS WAS SO SO FUNNY. I HAVE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE TO READ IT. I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN A BOOK CLUB AND DISCUSS THIS.
    INOTE: IT IS NOT SOMETHING TO SEND A PERSON WHO HAS JUST SUFFERED A LOSS. BUT I HAVE SUFFERED MANY LOSSES - AND I RELATED TO THIS BOOK - LOKKING BACK.
    I ENJOY AL HER BOOKS.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Darlene Bolyea
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
    Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book will have you in tears and a moment later laughing out loud.
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  • S Harvey
    3.0 out of 5 stars I thought it was going to be funny
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I read the book because it was there but I would not recommend it to a friend.
    I was sick in bed over Xmas and new year so I read it then.
    Report
  • nancy pants
    4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read
    Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Was a cute story. Easy to read. I enjoyed it
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  • Zoe
    2.0 out of 5 stars 2 Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Thirty six year old Sophie is now a widow after losing her husband to cancer. We follow her on her journey into a new life and all the grief which goes with it.

    Strangely, I didn’t connect with Sophie. I didn’t find this very genuine and it all just felt a bit flat.
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed this book it was funny and sad
    Reviewed in Canada on July 16, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed this book it was funny and sad. As a resent widower it hit home. Going to read Lolly winston other book
    Report

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