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Anna Quindlen

Författare till Svart och blå : [roman]

44+ verk 21,706 medlemmar 764 recensioner 50 favoritmärkta

Om författaren

Author Anna Quindlen was born in Philadelphia on July 8, 1953. She graduated from Barnard in 1974 and serves on their Board of Trustees. Quindlen worked as a reporter for the New York Post and the New York Times and wrote columns for the Times. She won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary before visa mer devoting herself to writing fiction. She has written both adult fiction (including Object Lessons, Black and Blue and One True Thing, which was made into a motion picture starring Meryl Streep) and children's fiction (Happily Ever After and The Tree That Came to Stay). Her title Alternate Side made the bestseller list in 2018. Currently, she is a columnist at Newsweek. Her title Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake made The New York Times Best Seller list for 2012. (Bowker Author Biography) visa färre
Foto taget av: Copyright Eye On Books.

Verk av Anna Quindlen

Svart och blå : [roman] (1998) 3,565 exemplar
Blessings (2002) 2,389 exemplar
Det som är sant : [roman] (1994) 2,295 exemplar
Rise and Shine (2006) 1,938 exemplar
Every Last One (2010) 1,764 exemplar
Still Life With Bread Crumbs (2014) 1,511 exemplar
A Short Guide to a Happy Life (2000) 1,096 exemplar
How Reading Changed My Life (1998) 993 exemplar
Object Lessons (1991) 879 exemplar
Miller's Valley (2016) 809 exemplar
Alternate Side (2018) 495 exemplar
Good Dog. Stay. (2007) 456 exemplar

Associerade verk

Stolthet och fördom (1813) — Inledning, vissa utgåvor80,089 exemplar
Unga kvinnor (1868) — Bidragsgivare, vissa utgåvor26,256 exemplar
Det växte ett träd i Brooklyn (1943) — Förord, vissa utgåvor16,405 exemplar
Den feminina mystiken (1963) — Inledning, vissa utgåvor; Efterord, vissa utgåvor4,515 exemplar
Anne Frank : ett liv i förföljelsens tid (1992) — Inledning, vissa utgåvor1,416 exemplar
Mad about Madeline (1993) — Inledning — 1,138 exemplar
The Barbie Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty (1999) — Bidragsgivare — 105 exemplar
The Best American Magazine Writing 2003 (2003) — Bidragsgivare — 70 exemplar
The Best American Magazine Writing 2002 (2002) — Bidragsgivare — 69 exemplar
What’s Language Got to Do with It? (2005) — Bidragsgivare — 51 exemplar
The Secret Society of Demolition Writers (2005) — Bidragsgivare — 48 exemplar
Dream Me Home Safely: Writers on Growing Up in America (2003) — Bidragsgivare — 38 exemplar
The Signet Book of American Essays (2006) — Bidragsgivare — 36 exemplar
The New Great American Writers' Cookbook (2003) — Bidragsgivare — 21 exemplar
Reason and Passion: Justice Brennan's Enduring Influence (1997) — Bidragsgivare — 17 exemplar
Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird [2010 film] (2014) — Berättare — 16 exemplar

Taggad

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Allmänna fakta

Andra namn
QUINDLEN, Anna
Födelsedag
1952-07-08
Kön
female
Nationalitet
USA
Födelseort
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Bostadsorter
New York, New York, USA
Utbildning
Barnard College (BA|1974)
South Brunswick High School
Yrken
columnist
author
Organisationer
New York Post
The New York Times
Newsweek
Priser och utmärkelser
Pulitzer Prize (Commentary, 1992)
Agent
Amanda Urban (ICM)
Kort biografi
Brief Biography

Hometown:
New York, New York
Date of Birth:
July 8, 1952
Place of Birth:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education:
B.A., Barnard College, 1974

Medlemmar

Diskussioner

Recensioner

I am always so happy to hear when Anna Quindlen has written a new book. I also knew this wouldn't be an easy read. Although, Annie really only says one sentence in this book, you really know her well by the time you turn the last page. She leaves behind her husband, four children and her best friend who are absolutely lost without her. Over the course of the next year, as they all flounder, Annie's voice in their heads, remarkably clear helps each of them to learn how to go on. Highly recommended.… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Dianekeenoy | 9 andra recensioner | Mar 13, 2024 |
This quiet novel is a powerful study of grief.

The book covers the first year following the sudden death of Annie Brown in her mid-thirties. Those who experience her loss most strongly are her husband Bill, her four children, a best friend, and the people she helped care for in her job as a nursing home aide. The focus is on Annie’s husband, her eldest child Ali, and her best friend Annemarie.

There is no one way or right way to grieve and that is clearly shown. Bill becomes unmoored and tries to fill an emotional void by reconnecting with a former girlfriend. Ali takes on her mother’s role by caring for her three younger brothers and her father. Annemarie, a recovering drug addict, returns to destructive behaviours. The three sons show their distress in different ways.

This is very much a novel of character. All characters, even the more minor ones, feel authentic. Except perhaps for Bill’s mother, they are basically good people who have flaws. Bill, for instance, loves his children but is clueless in many ways; after Annie’s death he describes himself as being “without a map or a guidebook” for his life. He makes the mistake of not talking about Annie with his children and has to learn that “’sadness shouldn’t lead to silence.’”

Though Annie speaks only one sentence in the entire book, her character is also developed because we get to know her through others. We learn about her strengths and what was important to her. She loved her family, friend, and clients. She had a great sense of humour, appreciated the simple things in life, and took joy in her job and roles as wife and mother. Most of what we learn is positive but given the circumstances, that makes sense; in fact, Ali wonders “whether anyone ever said true things about people after they were dead, or whether dead people were always perfect, or at least very, very good.” For instance, Ali realizes “No one said, I wouldn’t want to get on Annie’s bad side, although that was true.” The more we get to know about Annie, the more we feel the characters’ loss.

There are many positive messages. Annie is an ordinary person who has an extraordinary impact so the reader is reminded that anyone can make a lasting impression. All those she loved continue to hear Annie’s voice in their heads so no one loved is ever truly gone. When Bill starts mentioning Annie in his conversations with his children, they see that he is not trying to forget her: memories provide comfort as one grieves. There is also an underlying idea that life is a privilege not given to everyone, so it’s important to embrace life.

Because of its subject matter, this book is not an easy read, but in the end it offers hope by emphasizing the power of love and human connection. We all encounter grief at some time in our lives, and this poignant novel provides some insight into that experience.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Schatje | 9 andra recensioner | Mar 11, 2024 |
Anna Quindlen is known for crafting relatable stories about ordinary people who find themselves facing unexpected challenges that leave them profoundly and irrevocably changed. The strength of her writing style is its understated simplicity and humanity.

“Bill, get me some Advil, my head is killing me,” thirty-seven-year-old Annie Brown says to her husband as she is serving dinner — meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas — to him and their four children on an otherwise unremarkable evening. “Bill,” she said again, “and then she went down, hard,” on the kitchen floor. Bill ran to her, scooped her into his arms, and carried her to the living room floor as he yelled to thirteen-year-old Ali to call 911. He took the telephone from her and began explaining what happened to the dispatcher as Ant, Benjy, and Jamie also watched helplessly from their seats at the kitchen table. Bill accompanied the ambulance to the hospital, leaving Ali, bewildered and frightened, to look after the younger children. Eventually, the two little boys ate some dinner, and Ali cleaned up the kitchen and got them into bed. She finally dozed off on the living room couch but was awakened at 3:11 a.m. by the sound of someone opening the back door.

Bill saw Ali on the couch and collapsed on the floor, crying. Neither of them was able to move. Finally, Bill said, “Oh, my God. What the hell am I going to do?” And any hope Ali still held out, dissipated. Bill did not need to say the words. She knew her mother was dead.

In After Annie, Quindlen examines the life of Annie’s family during the first year after her sudden death from a brain aneurysm as they grapple with loss, grief, and a future that looks nothing like it did immediately before that one pivotal moment. From her characters’ perspectives, Quindlen reveals their turbulent emotions, examines their search for peace and acceptance, and explores their efforts to adapt to a new sense of normalcy and routine.

For Bill, Annie’s death is overwhelming and, for a time, paralyzing. And not just because he loved her completely, even though they married “too fast and too young.” He depended upon her. He needed her. She was the center of his world, as well as his children’s. “Annie had been a natural mother” who was happy and content with her “lovely reliable life that went on day to day with the occasional occasion, a party, a new baby, dinner out, vacations.” She worked hard at the local nursing home where she was beloved by residents and staff alike. She adored her children and husband, as well as her best friend, Annemarie, with whom she had an unbreakable bond despite conflicts, resentments, and times that called for unyieldingly tough love. The life she and Bill shared was "enough," a fact that Annemarie could not always relate to or understand.

Even though Bill tries to “pull himself together” – he felt as though he was “leaving pieces of himself wherever he went, in every room, like he was dismembered by loss” – he has no idea how to do so. He must keep working to provide for his family – he is a plumber and Annie’s income was necessary to keep their household running – and take care of his children. He doesn’t know any of the details he relied upon Annie to remember and manage: the names of the kids’ teachers, doctors, and friends, their clothing and shoe sizes, when appointments are or need to be scheduled. He increasingly foists responsibility upon Ali and feels guilty about it, but incapable of handling things himself. And as his overbearing, self-centered mother, Dora, who owns the house in which they reside and with whom Annie had a fractious relationship, pressures him to “move on,” only making things worse, he reconsiders his life. “Was his life a choice or an accident?” Dora never liked Annie because she thought Bill could have fared better by marrying his high school girlfriend, Liz, a perky real estate agent who is eager to take Annie’s place . . . with Dora’s blessing. But a new relationship, along with all of the other changes Liz attempts to impose on the Brown family, is not what Bill – or his grieving children – need. He feels as though is life is “bring run by women” –wasn’t it always? – and he recognizes that he must find his own voice and be assertive, make appropriate choices for himself and his family, and stand on his own for the first time in his life.

Ali finds returning to school after her mother’s death difficult and Annemarie observes that Annie would be heartbroken that Ali seems to have become “a grownup in an instant.” Ali does not want to cry because that will make it “all true,” and she is displeased when forced to participate in sessions with the school counselor. Her best friend, Jenny, a secretive girl from a wealthy, overprotective family, reminds Ali not to share her feelings with the counselor. No good could come from it. Rather, the counselor would “become your extracurricular activity, and you would become that kid.” “I didn’t lose my mother,” Ali explains to Ms. Cruz, who is new to the school. “I hate it that people say that. I didn’t lose her, and she’s not gone, and she didn’t pass away. She’s dead.” Ali isn’t eating and is bothered by the fact that her father and brothers have stopped talking about her mother. She resents her father’s attempts to move on with his life, particularly the time he spends with Liz instead of at home, noting that he can find a new wife, but she and her brothers can never have another mother. Over the course of the next few months, Ali does open up to Ms. Cruz as she grows taller, developing into a young woman. Her understanding of the adults in her life and their shortcomings expands as she learns to trust her own instincts, forgive, and appreciate that although her mother may not be physically present any longer, their connection to each other can never be severed.

At the age of eleven, Annie’s death exacerbates Ant’s already-simmering anger. Unsure how to respond to his outbursts or comfort his oldest son, Bill proceeds with Annie’s plan to send him to camp where his behavioral problems amplify. With each passing day, Ant becomes crueler, hurling vile insults at others. Benjy requires a tutor because he is having difficulty learning to read and six-year-old Jamie just wants to know when his mother is coming home. He insists that she is “being patched up at the hospital.”

For Annemarie, the magnitude of the loss of the woman who has been her best friend since first grade defies description. Annie was Annemarie’s life compass. She knew the real Annemarie and, unlike others, was never fooled by her. Annemarie recalls how Annie literally saved her life, but accepted no excuses and threatened to turn her back on Annemarie forever if she failed to match Annie’s belief in her and efforts on her behalf. Fear of how desolate her life would be without her best friend and most stalwart supporter kept Annemarie clean and sober. But losing Annie has destroyed Annemarie’s equilibrium, and her already prickly relationship with Bill is “curdling” without Annie there to mediate. She is reeling, spiraling out of control, and veering toward abusing prescription drugs again. Will anything stop her from destroying her marriage, business, and life?

The story opens in winter and Quindlen’s narrative moves forward through the seasons until it is winter again and the first anniversary of Annie’s death. Quindlen’s riveting story compassionately details how the Brown family becomes utterly lost when Annie dies, unequipped to navigate the shocking and unspeakably profound departure of their wife, mother, and irreplaceable friend. Quindlen’s depiction of how they find their way through the haze of grief and sorrow that descends upon them is compelling and credible. Every one of Quindlen’s fully developed characters is flawed and vulnerable, their imperfections magnified in the wake of Annie’s absence. They are also sympathetic and, largely, likeable. Even Dora, pushy and domineering, is empathetic because she loves her son and wants the best for him and her grandchildren, and her worldview is the culmination of her own life experiences. So there are no villains in this story. Rather, the characters are a group bound together by their love for and relationships with Annie who must reevaluate and redesign their connections to and interactions with each other, and their own lives, without her. Once again, Quindlen, who the New York Times aptly alls an “anthropologist of domesticity,” probes the nuances of everyday life – shock, grief, mourning, and finding happiness again – with quiet, eloquent insight and tenderness. Small details, like the way characters continue calling Annie’s phone just to hear her voice and how scents evoke memories and longing, resonate. After Annie is a richly emotional story populated with characters about whom readers will care deeply as they contemplate their own reaction to and capacity to navigate loss and rebuilding.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
JHSColloquium | 9 andra recensioner | Mar 10, 2024 |
Annie (wife, mother of 4 young children, best friend) dies suddenly at home. This story follows her family; mainly her husband Bill, daughter Ali and best friend Annmarie, who are trying to navigate their lives without Annie and find their new normal.

OMG. This book gave me ALL the feels. It was so brutally honest and true to the storyline. Even though we learn of Annie’s death immediately, she is an integral part of the story and we get to know her so well thru her family and the lives she touched. She’s very much alive in the pages. The progression of the story, which happens over the first year, is so heartfelt that you can’t help but become involved. I cried while cheering this family on. This is a story full of love, resilience, strength, hope and the memories left behind and how we honor them. This book hit very close to home for me, bringing back so many memories, both happy and sad.

Ms. Quindlen does a wonderful job of letting us know who Annie is, and how her life, and death, affected those around her. This is a love story not to be missed. The characters are so relatable, each one facing their grief in their own way. I can’t recommend this book enough. I look forward to reading my backlist for this author.

Thanks to Ms Quindlen, Random House and NetGalley for this beautiful story. This is my honest opinion.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
LoriKBoyd | 9 andra recensioner | Feb 28, 2024 |

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Statistik

Verk
44
Även av
25
Medlemmar
21,706
Popularitet
#990
Betyg
4.2
Recensioner
764
ISBN
380
Språk
14
Favoritmärkt
50

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