What a wonderful, deceptively simple story of a marriage and the beauty of everyday life. No one can speak to the inner lives of her characters like Quindlen. Small town, small house, big family - big complications arise. Who isn't aware of teenage angst or the marital disillusionment? This tale is a coming of age for more than one character, and it feels very close to the bone. Beautifully told -

What do you do after you suddenly lose your young wife? Your mother? Your best friend? As usual, Anna Quindlen tackles tough questions like these with interesting insights, depth, and warmth.

When Annie drops dead from a brain aneurysm while cooking dinner one evening, her family and friends find themselves suddenly without her loving presence, her reassuring routines, her advice and comfort. Each person, including her long-time friend learns to cope with life without Annie in different ways, some positive, some destructive.

This novel is compelling and captivating. I couldn't put it down, and wanted to read it all in one big gulp! It addresses issues of love and loss that are central to human life. Don't miss this one.

After Annie is a heartbreaking, true to life novel. It is thought provoking,, enlightening and very conscious raising about how death is handled for a family when a mother dies. What happens to the rest of the family and friends. What is the right thing to say or not say to the people mourning. It has good character development and I felt as though I really got to know each person. Sometimes very sad but a wonderful story!!

3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! While the premise is obviously depressing (what life looks like after a loved on dies), it is a beautiful book. It certainly wasn't something I wanted to binge read though!

*as posted to GoodReads

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.

Thank you, to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC copy of After Annie. A young mother dies suddenly from a brain aneurysm in the very first chapter of this book and the story is the aftereffects of such for her family and friends. Anna Quindlen's writing is well done, but I found the story to be very slow and I was not drawn to the characters. In reading other reader's reviews, I can see that Anna's books are well loved and I would definitely give her others a try, it is just that this one was not for me.

“There is no grief like the grief that does not speak."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Anne Fonzheimer Brown, beloved wife, mother, sister, friend, nurse. Gone too soon.

Supper was ready. She asked her husband Bill to bring her some Advil because of the sudden pain in her head. Then she was on the floor. When 13-year-old daughter Ali called the ambulance, she simply told them that her mother had fallen. It was many hours before Bill, father of four young children, returned home. Alone. Distraught. Destroyed.

After Annie is the first novel I have read by Anna Quindlen, and I am quite sure that it will not be my last. It’s the kind of writing that sticks for a while. After the death of Annie, the pace on the initial pages is hectic, frenetic, as those who’ve experienced the unexpected death of a loved one can perhaps relate to. Time is a blur. Nothing feels real. The children, their father, and Annemarie, who was Annie’s lifelong best friend, are all in shock.

As time passes, the family tries to pick up the pieces of their lives. Alexandra “Ali” takes on many of the household responsibilities while Dad resumes his plumbing job, which requires him to leave the house early in the morning. Bill’s mother helps to some degree, but she never got along with Annie and has a razor-edged personality that even her own son cannot ignore any more. Annemarie pitches in, too, but she’s having difficulty coping with the loss of her friend, sometimes in ways that Annie would not approve of.

While the plot grinds slowly at times, that seemed appropriate to me, given the subject matter. If you’re expecting an action-packed story, you will likely be disappointed. However, if you want to meet characters with whom you can relate, then you may come to love some of these people – and possibly dislike one or two as well. After Annie illustrates the struggles of one family and their community of friends and acquaintances as they cope with the death of someone close to them. How do they grieve? How do they go on an after an unexpected loss? How does the surviving parent continue as a parent while mourning the loss of his spouse and continuing as the family’s breadwinner? As memories of times past, good and bad, come unbidden, how do the survivors react?

The story focuses mainly on Bill, Ali, and Annie’s friend Annemarie. We see a lot less of the boys. Ant, Jamie, and Benji seem all but invisible at times, and this is intentional because they are, in their own ways, lost for most of winter, spring, summer, and into autumn when school resumes. The three focal characters are most visibly searching and struggling. The beauty of this book its message of family, of loss and struggle, of seeking and receiving help and consolation. Most of all, there is strength in love.

I received a digital copy of After Annie as an ARC in return for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Ms. Anna Quindlen.

4 stars

I’m a big fan of Anna Quinlan, but After Annie isn’t an easy read. Annie is a young mother of four who dies of a brain aneurysm in the first chapter. The book follows her family and best friend through the first year after their loss. Each handles the loss in their own way. Her husband is initially lost but quickly seems to recover. Ant is angry and failing school. Annemarie is so lost without her best friend she fights to maintain her hard fought sobriety. And Ali… poor Ali bears the weight of the world on her shoulders. At age 13, she’s expected to be a caregiver to the younger boys. And no one seems to pay her any attention except for the school counselor.
As you would expect, this is a sad story, hard to read at times. My heart just went out to Ali and I had to fight not to get angry at the adults who ignored her. On top of everything else, she witnesses something she was never meant to see.
It’s not a complicated story, but it’s beautiful in its simplicity. The writing, as you would expect from Quindlen, is beautiful and resonates.
The good news is that by the end there is hope. It’s a testament to personal strength, love and how even tangential people can have an impact on someone’s life. It was a reminder of how someone can move on from grief without leaving the deceased behind.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

Oof. I knew this would be a tough read and it definitely was. Really loved all of these characters and wished the story continued. Definitely cried a few times with this one!

Anna Quindlen's book, told from three perspectives, explores the profound impact of losing a loved one and the complexities of the human condition. Centered around a family dealing with the sudden death of a woman before her fortieth birthday, the story follows the husband, best friend, and oldest daughter as they navigate grief and personal growth. Despite not relying on thrilling events, the book captures readers with its poignant and emotional portrayal of loss, healing, and the messiness of life. Heavy themes such as sexual abuse, addiction, and death are addressed, highlighting the depth and authenticity of the characters' experiences. Overall, the book serves as a reminder of the importance of showing up and supporting one another in times of need.

This beautifully simple story is a testament to the power of love, resilience, and human connection. While reading, I couldn't tear myself away from the pages, engrossed by the realness and rawness of the characters. Annie, the deceased woman, is brought to life through the stories of those who loved her, evoking a sense of empathy and a profound appreciation for loved ones. The book's emotional impact is undeniable, prompting readers to reflect on their own blessings and cherish their relationships. It serves as a poignant reminder that life can change in an instant, reminding us all to be present and supportive for those we care about.

Above all, this book emphasizes that grand gestures are not always necessary to make a difference in someone's life. Instead, it highlights the importance of simply being present and showing up when it matters most. The story beautifully captures the essence of the human experience, illustrating the significance of love and support in times of unimaginable loss. Anna Quindlen's storytelling prowess shines through in this resonant tale, leaving readers moved and inspired to value their relationships and appreciate the fragility of life.

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is about relationships. It centers on two young girls who grow up as close friends and take different paths in life. Annie marries and has several children where her friend chose a career and a self destruction direction. This book deals with love and loss but also dysfunctions in a family, abuse and community support. Each character you meet is essential to the story and you love them all. What does Annie’s family do to recover from the sudden loss of Annie? You really must read this book and take the journey with all of them. Anna Quindlen creates a story that holds your interest and you will not want to put the book down. It breaks your heart for the families involved in each part of the story but you learn resilience and healing as you cheer for the family as they learn to live with their situations. I highly recommend this on and think you and your friends will have lots to talk about on this one.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars.

✨There are some very heavy themes in this book including marriage, parenthood, family dynamics, loss, grief, child abuse – and all are well-written and responsibly handled.

✨It’s a poignant look at how one person’s loss can reverberate throughout an entire group of people’s lives.

✨The characters were so authentically portrayed, and I truly cared what happened to them.

✨At its heart, this is a story that reminds us that even through our greatest losses, there remains a flicker of hope.

I definitely recommend this one.

My thanks to @atrandombooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Anna Quindlen does it again. This heartbreaking novel left me breathless. Quindlen’s stunning portrayal of the aftermath of loss breaks you in to pieces and then puts you back together. This exceptional novel explores grief through the eyes of a family gutted by the death of their mainstay - Annie. Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

A beautifully told story. I haven't read Anna Quindlen books for a number years. Always enjoyed her insight when she was writing columns for The New York Times. I think this story was excellent. A great exploration of families and how people cope with what is handed to them.

My first Anna Quindlen, and such a wonderful introduction. This story is very quiet; after its first, driving action, one could say that not a lot happens. But, in reality, SO much happens.

Taking place over a year after the death of the titular Annie, this story follows her husband, eldest daughter, and best friend as they navigate their grief, separately and together. It asks and answers the question: What happens when the center of your world is gone? Each of the three narrators/POVs deal with their grief and the change in their circumstances in different ways. Each calls upon the memory of Annie, in good times and bad, and you get a whole picture of the black hole that can be left by someone's absence.

The main character, Annie dies on the first page of this novel. She's 37, married, the mother of 4 young children and a nursing assistant at a care home. She's also Annemarie's best friend since they were in first grade. After Annie is exactly that - life after an unexpected and untimely death. Annie was the linchpin of the family, the savior of Annemarie and the favorite of the care home residents. This heartrending tale follows Annie's family and friends through the year after her death. Quindlen is the master of character-driven novels and each character is marvelously drawn as they remember Annie and find their individual way through grief. Yes, there are a couple of cliches and a bit of predictability but those are minor compared to the novel as a whole. Warning - tears will be shed. Have tissues at the ready.

Sad but beautifully written and emotional. Very relatable for me. Quindlen's writing style was unique and I enjoyed how easily she would transition from one narrator to another.

"It had been almost two months and he still waited for her to walk in the back door every morning. That morning he had leaned over Ali’s bed, and when his daughter opened her eyes and he saw the look in them, he knew she did, too. They were all floating in some in-between where nothing seemed real and nothing seemed right. Waiting for the rest of life, whatever that was, a future that felt like a betrayal. He kept her phone charged."

I started this novel months and months ago because I love Anna Quindlen and I knew it would be phenomenal. But it's about what happens to a family when the mom dies. And it was so heartbreaking that I had to put it down. For months.

I picked it up and put it down many, many, many times because this year was hard enough on its own and I didn't need to sit in more grief. I didn't want to sit in more grief.

"“Yep,” he said. Her “complicated” and his “yep” were first cousins, were two answers designed to keep the jack in the box, because who knew what might pop out, everyone has a whole universe of trouble inside and no one wants the world to know."

Finally a few days ago I was ready to tackle it and I am so glad I did. I will say that I still think it's very, very, very sad. The grief pours out of each page. It's heavy and hard to read. Especially because it's not "in your face" grief. It's not wailing. It's the quiet, subtle grief that's so much more heart wrenching. It's the little moments that will never be the same. It's the ordinary losses that feel so acute.

“You know, one thing I like about Miss Cruz,” Ali said. “She never says that. It’s like she knows that time can pass, and things can get better, or things can get worse, or maybe they’ll just stay the same. People act like time will fix things so everything will be the same again, everything will be all right, but sometimes it’s the opposite. Ant can get harder and meaner until that’s the person he is, for all time.”

There's so much sadness and grief in this story. But there's also moments of joy and hope. As with life, mostly we tend to move on, mostly we're resilient and we recover. People help us. Kindness helps us. And we pick up our pieces and we find a way to survive and if we're lucky we also find a way back to joy.

What a beautiful story this was. As with all her stories, this will stay with me for a long time.

with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This is a wonderful book about a family struggling to cope with the extreme heartbreak of "ordinary" grief, after the death of wife/mother/friend Annie. It's a simple but powerful story, and though the subject matter is difficult, I enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book did not light my world on fire, but it was okay. Quindlen does stories about ordinary white people doing predictably out-of-the-ordinary white people things, and this was no different. None of the characters were original. I feel like I’ve read this story before, which felt more comforting than boring, but I could just as easily have skipped it.