I just listened to After Annie while simultaneously reading the netgalley version. The narrator was fantastic and so was the story itself. This book was an authentic guide to grief and circumstance. After the sudden death of Annie, her family and BFF have to navigate life. How Annie stays in their hearts was written so beautifully. Fabulous story with nuance and grace.

This beautifully written book about the sudden death of a mother of four is a melancholy read, but Anna Quindlen fans will not be put off. They know she does not shy from heavy themes.

The book opens with Annie collapsing in front of her husband and children while spooning mashed potatoes from a dented pot. In the chaotic moments that follow, the children sit mute, Ali alone watching her father panic, bouncing in place, panting as the EMTs work on her mother. It’s hours before Ali’s father returns home and collapses on the floor in tears. She does not need him to say that her mother is dead. That much is clear. This is the beginning of a year of grief and reckoning with the devastating and life-altering loss of a person who is the force around which the family and her best friend orbit.

It is human nature to believe that tragedy will visit another. Freud’s narcissism at play, the thinkers will argue. The self-absorption that underpins the harsh reality that humans believe others are expendable. In addressing how crushing it is when that fallacy crumbles, Quindlen does an outstanding job. For me, unfortunately, this book is tedious and depressing, particularly reading about children facing this heartbreaking loss.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group—Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Annie Brown is a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. When she collapses one day from a brain aneurysm, and dies way before her time, leaving her group of people devastated, they all struggle in how life is supposed to go on After Annie. Bill her husband struggles with his own grief while still having to show up and be a father to 4 children. Ali the eldest takes on far too much responsibility for her age and takes on burden of running the house and taking care of her younger siblings. Then, there is Anne Marie, who has been friends with Annie since childhood, old demons reappear and without Annie to help her through it she must be strong for herself.

Over the next year we follow all the characters as they navigate what life looks like without Annie physically present, but guiding them emotionally to overcome grief and build a future where they all support each other.

The writing was stunning in this one. The author did a great job of covering such a long span of time but the story transitioning so seamlessly. I just wish the story had more of an emotional punch. The depictions of grief were so well explored, and it was so insightful to see if from many perspectives. The characters had so much growth, and it felt very natural and realistic, but the story didn't go as deep into the emotions as I was expecting.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen is an outstanding breathtaking and heartbreaking depiction of a family dealing with the untimely death of a wife and mother over the span of a year. It is a very highly recommended, exceptional literary family drama and not to be missed. One of the best. I loved this book.

When Annie Brown, 37, dies suddenly, she leaves behind her husband Bill, who is a plumber, and four children Ali (Alexandra)13, Ant (Anthony) 11, Benjy (Benjamin) 8, and James 6. She also leaves behind her best friend since childhood, Annemarie. No one knows how they can move forward without Annie. Bill is overwhelmed and forfeits much of his parental responsibility to Ali, who tries to step up and care for everyone as best she can. Ali carries the weight and tries to keep her family going. Ant is angry and acting out, Benjy begins wetting the bed, and James thinks his mom will still be coming home. Annemarie, a recovering addict due to Annie's help, is struggling with staying clean and sober.

Quindlen is an extraordinary writer who can deftly handle the subject matter accurately and with compassion. Anyone who has had an untimely death in their family will understand the emotional struggles this family is going through while trying to keep living their day to day lives. It is a deeply moving, emotionally charged story. Even when it seems not a lot of action is going on in the plot, those who have experienced this will know moving on after a death is like climbing a mountain every day. It is exhausting and overwhelming.

The narrative is broken up into seasons, winter, spring, summer, and autumn, and explores the inner life and practicalities of how each character is handling the loss of a person who held them all together. The characters are portrayed as fully-realized, complex, and realistic individuals who are trying to continue living. Annie is present in their thoughts and her backstory is told through them. The story is primarily told through Bill, Annmarie, and Ali. They are all faced with imagining life without Annie when she was a central part of their lives.

Be prepared to cry as the characters learn to live life without someone they loved. Yes, it is very sad, but there is hope in their memories as well as their struggles. This is a very emotionally satisfying story. It is okay and good to grieve those you love. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble, BookBrowse, and Amazon.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen is a heartfelt and emotional story that gripped me from the very first page.
This was beautifully written and once I started I couldn’t stop.
The emotions and personal growth throughout was done so well.
The characters in the story are central and drive the plot. The writing is beautiful and I enjoyed reading it.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. It's hard to lose someone as necessary and needed as Annie with her husband, nursing home patients and her 4 kids at home. Their grief shows up in many different ways. I found myself nodding at some of the grief statements finding them true to my own experiences of grief as well. Beautifully written and haunting as grief does to people whether the death is sudden and shocking or drawn out. Trigger warning: sexual abuse and opioid addiction.

What a gem of a book this is! I loved it from beginning to end and couldn’t stop because I was so invested in the family being ok.
Annie Brown is married to the love of her life and has 4 young children when she dies suddenly. Quindlen writes masterfully about the grief, love, and loss her family and best friend go through in the first year without Annie. However, it’s not just a tearjerker. She weaves stories about Annie throughout the story that made me feel like I knew them all and was rooting for them through all the heartbreak and sadness.
I highly recommend it and will be singing its praises to everyone who follows me and asks for book recommendations.
Thank you #Netgalley and #RandomHouse for providing me this eARC in exchange for my review.

The emotion in After Annie by Anna Quindlen is very real. Quinlan puts readers right in the middle of the t
heart ache that the family and friends of Annie go through. This book is insightful and authentic.

Master storyteller Anna Quindlen returns with a heartfelt and poignant novel, AFTER ANNIE. The author takes us through all four seasons after a mother dies unexpectedly in this intimate portrayal of family, life, love, grief, and loss.

Annie Brown, late 30s, beloved mother of four (Alexandra, Anthony, Benjamin, James - ages thirteen, eleven, eight, and six), wife to (Bill, a plumber) and best friend to (Annemarie-addict), suddenly dies of an aneurysm.

Annie was the glue that held the family together, and everyone in the family was at a loss, as well as her best friend, who depended on her.

The thirteen-year-old daughter, Ali, has to assume the role of mother, and every family member handles the loss differently.

An inside look at one family, grief, its struggles, and its search for hope to move on after the death of this special mother.

The author takes us through winter, spring, summer, and autumn and ends with winter (seasons) a year later with the aftermath and how each person is affected. How they deal with Annie's death; the loss, sadness, family, and friendship from the perspectives of her loved ones.

It is deeply moving and beautifully told, with the author's signature classic style, tackling emotionally charged topics. The novel is more about the human psyche as she dives deep. Psychological rich, the author's writing is lyrical and deeply moving.

AFTER ANNIE is sad, heartfelt, and thought-provoking. One of loss, grief, and hope. Life goes on even through our gut-wrenching times. You can never outrun your feelings, even though we miss and think of those who have lost that are close to our hearts.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 27, 2024
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Wow! I have always loved Anna Quindlen’s writing, but never more than this. Such a moving portrait of a family grieving the death of their mother/wife/friend. I was afraid it would be unbearably sad, but it turns out to be an ultimately uplifting story about the difference one ordinary person can make. And every word of it felt true.

I’ve already posted about it twice, and will do so again. I am looking forward to the NY PEN dinner in April, and will look for places to write about this as well. Thanks for the early look.

I read this because I like Anna Quindlen’s books (and still do after reading this one), but it may be a tough one to sell to readers based on storyline alone. A woman dies suddenly at age 36 leaving 4 kids, a husband and a best friend to cope with her absence. Quindlen creates great and real characters and that made this one a winner for me.

Annie, a mother of four dies suddenly. Her husband, children, and close friend are lost without her, but do their best to move on. Being about loss and grief, this is a tender and emotional story. It’s also a bit depressing so I found it took me a long time to read because I had to keep putting it aside. Quindlen does write beautifully and captures family and grief realistically.

I have been a fan of Anna Quindlen for years and this title is one of my favorites. After Annie is very emotionally driven and beautifully written with what seems like accurate descriptions as far as what everyone is feeling.

Annie is a mom of 4 married to who she considers to be the love of her life. Annie is a great mom keeping all of their schedules straight and being their for them while also working in a nursing home where she is also highly regarded. She is the kind of best friend that it seems every woman would love to have including hers, Annemarie.

One day, Annie complains of a killer headache right before falling to the ground and dying from a brain aneurysm and turns everyone's lives upside down. The kids are, of course, all traumatized, but expected to go on and go back to school. Her husband doesn't know how to be the full time parent Annie was to their kids and a lot falls on their daughter. Annemarie, her best friend and recovering addict, is having a hard time staying on the straight and narrow without her.

What do you do when the center of your world unexpectedly passes away? This book explores all of those aspects and gives you all the feels. If I could give 1/2 stars here, I would give it 4 1/2.

This book was a tearjerker so get your tissues ready! So much heart, love, and realness were in this book. I was not prepared but I loved every word.

This book is about the emotional aftermath of the death of a young mother of four who is the mainstay that kept her family’s orbit intact. It isn’t an easy read but it is an accurate portrayal of the road that is grief. The book well reveals the struggles and obstacles of moving forward after the death of a deeply loved person. Expectedly, there were times the book hit a bit close to home and I admit to moments of anger about the Bill’s, the husband and father, overburdening of his 13 year old daughter Ali. Quindlen's characters are very real and their journeys well portrayed.

Get the Kleenex out. This is a tear jerker. Very good read. Recounting of a families life after the wife, mother, best friend, valued employee dies suddenly from a brain aneurysm. All the emotions are felt in this read. I was given an advanced reader copy of this very well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

If you have read any of Anna Quindlen’s books, you know she is a gifted writer. There is a flow to her words that makes reading pleasurable. Having said this, After Annie is not an easy read emotionally.

When Annie Brown dies suddenly at a young age, she leaves loved ones in her wake. Her husband, four children, sister, and best friend are left to pick up the pieces. Each character deals with grief in his or her own way. I loved the idea that Annie was still very much present with all of them in their thoughts and actions. I love the idea that someone you have lost is still with you. That love carries on. I also truly appreciated the high school counselor.

I admire Anna Quindlen’s ability to understand human nature, and she always has a few lines that I just pause, read again, and truly appreciate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Pub. for my ARC.

Beautifully told story of a young family dealing, coping, surviving the sudden death of the mother. The father, the children, the sister, the lifelong friend struggle with their grief and sadness. Ann Quindlen brings them to life, we feel thei pain, thei strip
Glue, there wonderful memories of a woman who loved them all dearly,

After Annie is a slow, quiet read. Annie Brown dies suddenly at a young age, and this book follows her four children, husband, and her best friend as they grieve her unexpected passing at a very young age.

Positives:
The book focused on the very real and sometimes raw feelings of grief.
The pace was decent as the book was told throughout the year following Annie's death and separate by seasons.
Anna Quindlen's writing is poignant and memorable.

Negatives:
There were some pretty serious side plots such as sexual abuse and narcotic addiction also thrown into this already sad and heavy book. I am not sure those were needed.

I am glad I read the book and I was also glad when it was over as it was not an uplifting book by any means and was equally heartbreaking and not as equally healing.

I was so excited to get an early copy of After Annie by Anna Quindlen. The story follows the family and friends of Annie in the year following her sudden death. The story is one of how we each traverse grief differently and that ultimately we have to walk through it and find our way. I enjoyed reading the book and found it very accessible.

For me, it's a solid 4-star read. I was hoping for the 5th star because of how much I enjoy Quindlen's writing. At times I felt more like we were being told how the characters responded with an emphasis on plot rather than an emphasis on character and feeling the characters' feelings. Also, it felt like there was a point where it was time to wrap up the book so storylines were completed very abruptly.

Those points are where I wanted the story to go but in reviewing the book that was written, I enjoyed reading it and think many others will too!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.