4.5 stars

"After Annie" opens with the death of Annie – a wife, a mother of four, a nurse, a best friend. This is not a spoiler because the synopsis of Anna Quindlen’s latest novel makes it clear from the get-go that Annie’s death is the starting point of the story. So what the book is about, really, is not so much Annie dying but the grief that follows the loss of her, as experienced by Annie’s husband, her daughter, and her best friend, Annemarie. (A quibble: why have an Annie and an Annemarie in the same story, especially when the author is an Anna? It’s a few too many Anns to keep straight.)

We know nothing about Annie when she dies, but what is so impressive about this novel is how much this changes by the story’s end. Quindlen reveals Annie to us through the grief and memories of her loved ones, and not only does she stir the emotions of her reader by doing this – tears burned my eyes for the entire first chunk of the book – but the intimacy of her writing puts us right there with Annie’s husband and daughter and Annemarie. It’s not just Annie we know; we also know the people who loved her and witness how they grow in her absence.

Quindlen has a loose, fluid style to her writing that some may like, some may not, which gives the story a scattered feel despite it being told in a linear fashion. It’s the way Quindlen inserts the characters’ memories of Annie into the narrative – it seems random, almost haphazard, because she jumps back and forth so much in the past while staying on a forward line through the present. It’s easy enough to keep up, though, if you’re mindful of where you are in the story.

I loved this book. It worked for me on so many levels.


My sincerest appreciation to Anna Quindlen, Random House, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen depicts a year in the life of a grieving family and their different ways of coping with the unexpected and premature death of the heart of the family, the mother. Three different perspectives make up the story, including the teen daughter, husband, and best friend. The tragedy affects all of the family in diverse ways that lead to changes in all of them and reflections on how to make their ways in the world without someone who served as the rock to these three loved ones and others.

Despite the sad subject, this novel gives you an honest yet hopeful view of a family in the midst of grief and healing. Although it's incredibly sad, it's interesting to see how each of the characters alternately falls apart and grows. The oldest and only daughter Ali is at a critical time in her life, taking on much of the burdens her mother easily tackled, such as helping out with her three younger brothers and coping with her own woes growing up. The father and husband Bill appears numb and throws himself into his work since he hasn't been without his wife who pretty much ran everything since his late teen years. Her best friend, Annemarie, leaned on Annie just as much as everyone else and cannot imagine how she can stay sober without the support and tough love she received from her friend.

I felt that the majority of the characters felt real and much like people you may already know. Quindlen easily wrote about the teen daughter while easily depicting the best friend who is a former addict. The characters feel familiar to you, and you can understand their coping mechanisms and feel for them all. The only characters I felt were weakly drawn were the two youngest boys. She could have melded them together, and I wouldn't have noticed the difference. It still doesn't detract from the strength and poignancy of the story.

As usual, though, I'm stunned at the way Quindlen puts these novels together. They're written in such a way that the language perfectly encapsulates whatever is going on with grace and enough words to give you a full picture. It's never too spare or too wordy--it's just the right amount. The characters hold their own with distinct views and ways of handling whatever issues present themselves. This book is one of her best because it gives you everything you need to know about the family and associated loved ones. You get to know them in an intimate way and feel for them throughout the passage of pages. It's exactly why she's one of my favorite writers, and I've always said that she's my writing idol.

Although this book starts off with a tragedy, it results in a hopeful ending that gives the reader comfort. While the Browns will always fondly remember their mother/wife/friend, they're able to move on into the future, knowing her influence will continue to guide them.

The newest novel in Anna Quindlen’s many decades, multi-genre oeuvre, “After Annie” (Random House, 2024), begins with an unforeseen tragedy: beloved matriarch Annie Brown dies. From the day of her death until the following winter one year later, we are privy to the intimacies, loneliness, and confusion Annie’s daughter, husband, and best friend undergo in the throes of their own grief.

The oldest of Annie’s four children, a thirteen-year-old daughter named Ali, now anchors the family by filling it with as much consistency as possible for her three brothers. Her father, Bill, and her mom’s best friend, Annemarie, are the two other perspectives of loss explored.

I could not help but draw associations between fictional Ali and actual Quindlen. Her book "One True Thing" (later an Academy Award-nominated film) dealt with the relationship she had with her own mother before her death when Quindlen was nineteen.

As a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, literary fiction stalwart, and non-fiction bestseller and essayist, many readers (and other writers, too) have grown up with, or alongside, Anna Quindlen. Otherworldly. “That Anna Quindlen.”

“After Annie” reminded me of her tender, lived experiences outside of the hallowed halls of “The New York Times” and the bestsellers lists and to appreciate the Ali, Annie, and Annemarie in my own life even more.

Thank you to Anna Quindlen, Random House, and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank You to NetGalley for the free e-arc.

Ann Quindlen is one of my favorite authors. I knew going into this book it was going to be an emotional roller coaster read and not an easy, fast paced, and light-hearted read. A few times, I put the book down and grabbed some kleenex eventually returned to reading. The characters felt so real, raw, and well developed.

Annie Brown dies suddenly. Her four children, husband, and best friend struggle with this new reality. Bill Brown, Annie's husband, is so overwhelmed. The oldest child, Ali, takes over adult responsibility of running the household, managing her father and brothers, and trying to keep everything afloat. Annie's best friend, Annemarie, struggles with old demons without Annie's stability and support. Bill, the kids, and Annemarie must find their footing and grow stronger without her there.

A tragically beautiful story about those left behind when a woman passes away. I loved the different points of view from her friend, her daughter and her husband and how they were each dealing with the loss. This book was very deep and very emotional, but so well written, highly recommend.

After Annie is the touching story of how the loss of a wife, mother, and friend changes the lives of those who loved her. It's a classic Anna Quindlen tale that will touch the hearts of many readers. I would highly recommend this fast and lovely read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I adored this beautiful, sad, ultimately hopeful book!! Highly recommend! Now on to read this author’s other work!

I thoroughly enjoyed AFTER ANNIE and how I was woven into who Annie was while she was here while also experiencing the grief that three people who loved her most endured after she passed. My heartstrings were pulled in various directions and I found myself rooting for everyone.

Grief is complex and Anna was able to portray it in three unique ways that were factual and as close to what happens in real life as possible.

Learning who Annie was as a wife, mom and friend made me want to be her friend and reflect on how good of a person I am to those I love.

When Annie dies suddenly, her husband, best friend, and four children are devastated. How will they go on without the foundation of their world to guide them through? Anna Quindlen leads us through each character's relationship with Annie and how they deal and move beyond Annie's death.

Although I feel there are some holes between the transitions, overall this is book has all the feels. It will make you cry bet yet warms your heart all at the same time. The characters are well developed, and the reader can feel a connection with them.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this heartwarming novel about a lovable family. .

When Annie Brown dies suddenly, her husband, her children, and her closest friend are left to find a way forward without the woman who has been the lynchpin of all their lives. Quindlen’s exploration of the myriad of ways people experience grief is what makes this book a standout as well as serving as a reminder that you can move on from grief without leaving the departed behind. For fans of character-driven books about human resilience and healing.

There was no end in sight when I began to read this book. Anna Quindlen has delivered an amazing and compelling book as always and this one brought me to tears when they went back to the nursing home for the holidays. I liked that the story was told in seasons and that the lives did move on and that there was growth after Annie passed away. I really loved Ali as a character and really noticed how strong she became over time. The counselor was someone who was very supportive in their time of need and hopefully after. I would like to read more about these characters and what their futures look like. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

— 3 ⭐️. For those who are looking books for acceptance on grieving from different perspective with no sole of plot, this book might be the one for you. The ideas of this book divided into each season with no specific chapter and explanation whose point of view we are currently reading is interesting. However, on my personal opinion, it’s quite confusing because I dislike these types of point of view.

The story starts with the Annie collapsed and suddenly pronounced dead and how the life of people who goes around her get a huge effect. This was told by different perspectives of a husband, the children (the first born mostly), and the best friend. The additional point of view on the storyline such as her co-workers, clients, and in the neighborhood gave another meaningful point. With these types of views, we clearly understand that every individual treat dead differently and how they would continue their life as well as the development they need to make on everyday life at that.

The writing is quite impressive because the point the author would like to make straightly have different meaning on every readers, probably. However, because the plot was only sort of written implicitly, somehow, it made me quite needed to get to feel it, then I could understand it further.

Analyzing:
◼️The culture of Asian household — change into house slipper when indoors
◼️The first born burden and responsibilities
◼️ Anxiety always make a vivid imagination
◼️ Mature people were made from the environment they are living in
◼️ The inner voice talking when you just lost someone
◼️ Woman mostly talk because they only need the ears
◼️ Putting the dead person’s object as the solace or their phone to just heard their voices broke me in so many ways
◼️ Dictated as emotionless person, the man, but they forgot that male is also a human being
◼️ Symbolism of male and female in some household
◼️ Cheater is always a cheater no matter excuses they make (?)
◼️ Some distraction of people to ease their loneliness
◼️ The heaviness of the father’s heart for the children who just lost their mother
◼️ The non-step-up people
◼️ People’s safe sanctuary
◼️ Moving out from a place that hold your bad memories is one of the grieving progress

Some part I disagree with:
💭 Annemarie somehow put Ali as the replacement of Annie. This is wrong in so many aspect from me

Most heartbreaking part of the storyline:
🕧 Bill broke down and staying strong for the children
🕧 Ant finally lapsed and saying he wanted his mother but the bond between him and his father going strong
🕧 Every time Ali keep it together for the sake of the family

Well, this book has a huge development on every characters and great social & story issue on every perspective for people who just lost. The author meaning and message for the storyline has been delivered greatly, however, because of few things that I dislike, it just didn’t really get the part where I would gave this book 5 stars.

The Quotes:
“Everybody wanted you to move on, but moving on felt like just another way of saying, turn your back”

“We seem kind of normal most of the time, but we’re not ourselves. So we can fool people who don’t really know us, but not the ones who do”

Annie Brown suffers a brain aneurysm in the book’s opening. Her husband is left with four children, her oldest daughter, the oldest girl is left to mother her brothers, and her best friend, an addict, is left without her anchor.

These three perspectives tell the story of grief and aftershocks after their loss.

Heartbreaking and hopeful, this story was solid and I would read another by this author. Grief and loss were well explored, and so this book may be healing or painful depending on your own experiences.

3.5 stars


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House.
Comment

Thank you to the author, and the Zibby Owen’s event via NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy of After Annie to read and review. It was a real treat after hearing the author discuss the book. I really enjoyed reading this book as I have enjoyed reading all of Anna Quindlen’s books. After Annie is a moving story of a family that suddenly loses their mother. It’s a story of how a family survives after losing the person that guided them and kept everything together. The story delves into family dynamics, including parent - child relationships. It also interweaves Annie’s best friend who struggles with opioid addiction and the father’s new love interest. It is a very relatable story for someone who lost a parent when they were young. I highly recommend this book. It is well written and a quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

This is a book about loss and grief. Within the first couple of pages, a mother of four dies suddenly. The reader follows her family and best friend throughout the next year as they try to cope without her. It was hard to read at times and if you're looking for a happy story, this isn't it. The characters come through it okay, at the end. If you're interested in an exploration of what happens when you lose someone, this is it.

This story of a family coping with the sudden death of their young wife/mother was heartfelt and poignant. For some reason while I enjoyed the story, I struggled to deeply connect with any of the characters.

A heart wrenching exploration of what happens to those left behind when a young mother dies unexpectedly, After Annie by Anna Quindlen illustrates how a lost loved one actually remains part of the lives of family and friends forever. Once again, Anna Quindlen presents a realistic view into the lives of ordinary people. I love Anna Qunidlen's writing.
#annaquindlen
#afterannie
#netgalley
#goodreads
#deathofmother

I’ve always enjoyed Anna Quindlen’s novels because they always feel very honest and real, like they’re about people you could actually know. Her latest is a raw look at how loved ones move on after Annie suddenly dies in her forties. We follow her husband, teenage daughter and best friend as they each navigate life after the person they were closest to is gone. While there are sad parts you really get to see what a remarkable person Annie was. “Most don’t have a mother who is one of a kind. It’s very hard to lose her, but it’s really something to have had her. Really something. You just tell yourself that.”💙

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it was beautifully written. Annie Brown, a wife and mother of four suddenly passes away in her kitchen. Annie seems to have touched the lives of all she met. Besides her family, she was beloved by her best friend and all her patients at the nursing home where she worked. This book takes place in the year after her death, following the people who knew her best. It shows how people process grief differently and how Annie remained a presence in their lives.

Also reviewed on B&N under 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo under IrishEyes430

A short and moving story that will impact lots of readers profoundly. Deals with loss and grief from a variety of perspectives, and is handled beautifully throughout.