Ann Warner

This book was a joy to read. It has interesting characters, characters who would make most people want to spend time in an assisted living facility. Any place that's lively enough to gather a foursome for naked poker is a good place to be! The main character, Josephine, puts an entertaining twist on naked poker which ensures that the four residents aren't tucked away for any cognitive issues. There are also plenty of characters to despise in this book, and I encourage you to read the book show more and discover these ne'er do wells for yourself.

So many parts of this book made me laugh, and it felt wonderful to unearth a book that made me simply feel good. show less

This was a very emotional read, filled with coping life lessons. The importance of forgiving others, but especially yourself is the overall message of this book, but there were many others along the way. It was very deep read because of the subject matter. There is a good deal of grief and sadness that needs to be overcome by some of the characters and it gives the reader a good deal to reflect on because of this. Had I known the basic premise, I might have skipped over this because of the show more sorrow I would have expected this subject to evoke. The skill of the author in managing the topic in such a thoughtful and expert way speaks volumes to her ability as an excellent writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work. show less

This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I picked it up based on some really superlative reviews I found on GoodReads. I must say I found it very disappointing.
While I agree that it is a book about grief and dealing with grief, the characters especially Alan and Kathy are not presented in a way that you grieve with them.
Alan comes across almost as a dislikable character and Kathy's falling in love with him and then continuing to wait for him, her devotion to him all show more doesn't really work at least for me.
That said in the last quarter especially when the Billy story that Kathy writes starts, that section is written really well. A really wonderful representation of disease and death.
It almost feels like the last quarter is written by a different author or maybe by the same person at a completely different time.
I would definitely not be going back for more from this author show less

This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I picked it up based on some really superlative reviews I found on GoodReads. I must say I found it very disappointing.
While I agree that it is a book about grief and dealing with grief, the characters especially Alan and Kathy are not presented in a way that you grieve with them.
Alan comes across almost as a dislikable character and Kathy's falling in love with him and then continuing to wait for him, her devotion to him all show more doesn't really work at least for me.
That said in the last quarter especially when the Billy story that Kathy writes starts, that section is written really well. A really wonderful representation of disease and death.
It almost feels like the last quarter is written by a different author or maybe by the same person at a completely different time.
I would definitely not be going back for more from this author show less