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The Late, Lamented Molly Marx

by Sally Koslow

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4157561,418 (3.68)23
The circumstances of Molly Marx's death may be suspicious, but she hasn't lost her joie de vivre. Newly arrived in the hereafter, aka the Duration, Molly, thirty-five years old, is delighted to discover that she can still keep tabs on those she left behind: Annabel, her beloved four-year-old daughter; Lucy, her combustible twin sister; Kitty, her piece-of-work mother-in-law; Brie, her beautiful and steadfast best friend; and, of course, her husband, Barry, a plastic surgeon with more than a professional interest in many of his female patients. As a bonus, Molly quickly realizes that the afterlife comes with a finely tuned bullshit detector.As Molly looks on, her loved ones try to discern whether her death was an accident, suicide, or murder. She was last seen alive leaving for a bike ride through New York City's Riverside Park; her body was found lying on the bank of the Hudson River. Did a stranger lure Molly to danger? Did she plan to meet someone she thought she could trust? Could she have ended her own life for mysterious reasons, or did she simply lose control of her bike? As the police question her circle of intimates, Molly relives the years and days that led up to her sudden end: her marriage, troubled yet tender; her charmed work life as a magazine decorating editor; and the irresistible colleague to whom she was drawn.More than anything, Molly finds herself watching over Annabel - and realizing how motherhood helped to bring out her very best self. As the investigation into her death proceeds, Molly will relive her most precious moments - and take responsibility for the choices in her life.Exploring the bonds of fidelity, family, and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story, and all heart.… (more)
  1. 00
    The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (hjjugovic)
    hjjugovic: This book explored the same theme first, and, in my opinion, better.
  2. 01
    Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (Micheller7)
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Showing 1-5 of 74 (next | show all)
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Finally writing my review of this book - It was a delight, and so much fun to read, moreso than I expected. Complex characters and both laughter and tears. Well done!
  Violaine | Mar 10, 2022 |
I have had my eye on this book for quite a long time and actually almost bought it once or twice. I don't often think about my own death, but whenever I do I think about who would show up at my funeral. Who would claim that we were friends? Have you ever noticed that a person suddenly seems to have more friends when they are dead? When I read the synopsis for The Late, Lamented Molly Marx I was thrilled to have finally stumbled upon a narrator who has the ability to view all of the aftermath of her own death. I was even more thrilled that it seemed as if it would be witty and lighthearted! After all no one wants to spend their days reading depressing books.

It started off okay. Molly seemed like a witty narrator and for awhile I enjoyed her comments and observations. However, that wit and enjoyment didn't last as I learned more about the person she was while alive. Honestly, I didn't care for any of the characters in this book. They all had some major issues that I think went beyond just being slightly flawed. I wouldn't want to spend time with any of these people, except maybe Molly's daughter. My dislike made it difficult for me to continue, but I still needed to know who killed Molly! I ended up listening to the entire audiobook just so that I could finally solve the mystery. (If you begin this and decide not to finish, I will be more than happy to tell you who killed her, where and with what.)

Because of the less than likeable characters I can't say that I really recommend this book to anyone. I like the basic idea but other than that. . . not so much. ( )
  Emma_Manolis | Jun 27, 2017 |
3.5 stars. I'm impressed that such a dark concept (a woman looking back in her lived one's from the afterlife, hearing their thoughts, observing their interactions, watching them try to make sense of her death) could be successfully given such a light and entertaining treatment.

Incidentally, I've been slogging through a David Foster Wallace book so slowly that I'd started wondering what had happened to my ability to chew through books. Fortunately, this restored my faith in myself. ( )
  BraveNewBks | Mar 10, 2016 |
Molly Marx is dead but tells her story from a limbo-like place called the Duration. She follows the investigation into her death while visiting all of her family and friends. Fast paced witty and just a little bit thought provoking. Great summer read! ( )
  lindap69 | Apr 5, 2013 |
Molly Marx died, but she doesn't know how. She doesn't pass on, though--she is still on Earth, watching over her family, friends, and her young daughter. She starts at her funeral and then relives different memorable times from her past. From her objective standpoint, Molly is able to see the truth of her relationships and what kind of person she is. At the same time, police are attempting to figure out the circumstances surrounding Molly's death.

It was a little hard for me to relate to Molly when I was reading this book. While I liked her character and point of view, I could not really relate to her life--socioeconomically, having an affair, or having children. (oh, and obviously not being dead. Kidding!) This might sound ridiculous because who needs to relate to the protagonist to enjoy a book, right? I think this is only the case for me in a few instances, one of which is chick lit or women's fiction. I found her narration very funny and witty from the get-go but it didn't hold up for the entirety.

Overall, I feel like this book is well-written and more interesting than most popular women's fiction out there. And I see that Target even picked it up for their limited collection of books. Brava [a:Sally Koslow|66632|Sally Koslow|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1275957349p2/66632.jpg]!

I won this ARC from the Goodreads Giveaway program. Thanks to the publisher! ( )
  FlanneryAC | Mar 31, 2013 |
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Epigraph
"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."
Oscar Wilde
Dedication
To Rob, Jed and Rory
First words
When I imagined my funeral, this wasn't what I had in mind.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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The circumstances of Molly Marx's death may be suspicious, but she hasn't lost her joie de vivre. Newly arrived in the hereafter, aka the Duration, Molly, thirty-five years old, is delighted to discover that she can still keep tabs on those she left behind: Annabel, her beloved four-year-old daughter; Lucy, her combustible twin sister; Kitty, her piece-of-work mother-in-law; Brie, her beautiful and steadfast best friend; and, of course, her husband, Barry, a plastic surgeon with more than a professional interest in many of his female patients. As a bonus, Molly quickly realizes that the afterlife comes with a finely tuned bullshit detector.As Molly looks on, her loved ones try to discern whether her death was an accident, suicide, or murder. She was last seen alive leaving for a bike ride through New York City's Riverside Park; her body was found lying on the bank of the Hudson River. Did a stranger lure Molly to danger? Did she plan to meet someone she thought she could trust? Could she have ended her own life for mysterious reasons, or did she simply lose control of her bike? As the police question her circle of intimates, Molly relives the years and days that led up to her sudden end: her marriage, troubled yet tender; her charmed work life as a magazine decorating editor; and the irresistible colleague to whom she was drawn.More than anything, Molly finds herself watching over Annabel - and realizing how motherhood helped to bring out her very best self. As the investigation into her death proceeds, Molly will relive her most precious moments - and take responsibility for the choices in her life.Exploring the bonds of fidelity, family, and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story, and all heart.

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A tender, witty novel about love, loss, marriage and motherhood. A wife and mother, 35, has died under mysterious circumstances, and looks down at those she leaves behind from an after-life location called The Duration. Told in first-person with a third-person back-story.
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