The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating - Softcover

Radziwill, Carole

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782067582 ISBN 13: 9781782067580

Publisher: Heron Books, 2013

Synopsis

Claire's husband is a philandering 'sexologist' who believes love and sex can't co-exist. But it breaks her heart when he dies and leaves her a young widow.

As she braces herself for her new life alone, Claire can't help but wonder if her late-lamented was right all along. After getting through the pain of his passing, she's returning to the battlefield of bad dates. So when she's asked to write the biography of lothario movie star Jack Huxley, she's surprised when he doesn't live up to his sleazy reputation. Not only is he more than meets the eye, but he's got his eye on her. Claire's determined to banish her husband's ghosts and prove him wrong. But having found her first Mr Right, does she deserve a second?

A unique, extraordinarily perceptive and darkly comic novel about widows, sex and love - in that order.

About this title

About the Author

Carole Radziwill earned a BA at Hunter College and a master’s degree at New York University. She spent more than a decade at ABC News, where she reported on stories around the world and earned three Emmys. In 2005 she wrote her first book, What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love, which spent over twenty weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List. She lives in New York City and has appeared on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City.

Review

“If you are looking for the perfect fast- paced, light hearted, humorous novel, consider your search to be over. Carole Radziwill's debut novel, The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating earns five out of five stars. Radziwill's novel is the perfect book for your solo reading or your next book club. The title is tongue-in-cheek, so you won't find yourself delving into deep grief issues. Instead, you will be carving out time to lose yourself in this splendid novel. Humor permeates Radziwill's writing, and the dialogue is flawless...The complete triple package – joy, humor, and romance.” ―The Huffington Post

“One of the richest, most deeply satisfying stories I've read in a long time...[Radziwill's] spare writing and wry voice make The Widow's Guide an exhilarating, insightful and moving story about loss and identity.” ―BookPage

“Claire's story is comedic from the first page, skipping over the stages of grief straight to ‘acceptance.' And, through multiple bad dates, a firework romance with Hollywood's leading man, and a lot of over analyzing, the humor stays throughout her entire journey of re-discovering herself.” ―Justin Jones, The Daily Beast

“A serious attempt to do something comic, a novel about grief and starting again that feels like the product of lived experience.” ―Salon.com

“From the author of the best-selling memoir What Remains comes a cheeky, affecting debut novel about a woman grieving for her husband and gradually learning to get back in the game” ―O, The Oprah Magazine

“Witty and charming, Carole Radziwill's first novel is a delight. I fell in love with the character of Claire--a modern-day Holly Golightly.” ―Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City and The Carrie Diaries

“Carole Radziwill writes like a cross between Sophie Kinsella and Christopher Buckley. Widow's Guide is a sharp, flamboyant New York novel that revels in the tragicomic absurdities of the city. It's a smart take on Hollywood, too, with gorgeous movie stars and a quirky cast. Cautiously romantic, unexpectedly moving, and funny!” ―Susan Sarandon

“Glib, comic. . . [a] novel about a young Manhattan widow looking for love in all the wrong places . . . This may be a grief and recovery story for the privileged, but sharp-fanged Radziwill can be pretty funny . . . .Think Sex and the City in black.” ―Kirkus

“Claire never thought about the odds of losing her husband. But after a freak accident abruptly ends her husband's life, she is forced to wrestle with the question, "What next?" For the next year, Claire's life takes a wild turn . . . and somewhere in the middle of the madness, she begins to realize that her old life wasn't so perfect and perhaps this is all a blessing in disguise--a second chance at life and love. Verdict: Fans of authors such as Jane Green and Madeleine Wickham will enjoy this” ―Library Journal

“I couldn't put the book down . . . . It's fun and fast and filled with lines that make the whole book enjoyable. Like: 'A husband dies and the world gets just another widow. A wife dies, and a star is born.' The book is undoubtedly entertaining . . . . Radziwill recasts the traditional widow for us.” ―The Rumpus

“Radziwill's delicious debut novel... is a poignant tale of love and loss.” ―Publishers Weekly

“The book's witty humor and Didion-esque raw language provide for a gripping read that triumphantly announces a profound new voice in literary fiction.” ―Popbytes.com

“A hilarious account of a young widow's journey to find herself and re-establish her identity.” ―PW Show Daily

About this edition

• Publisher: Heron Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1782067582
• ISBN 13: 9781782067580
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352