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How to Talk to a Widower
How to Talk to a Widower
Author: Jonathan Tropper
"Beautifully crafted", "Fantastically funny." "Compulsively readable." Jonathan Tropper has earned wild acclaim--and comparisons to Nick Hornby and Tom Perrotta--for his biting humor and insightful portrayals of families in crisis and men behaving badly. Now the acclaimed author of The Book of Joe and Ever...  more » tackles love, lust, and lost in the suburbs--in a stunning novel that is by turns heartfelt and riotously funny.

Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet suburban town, that makes him something of a celebrity--the object of sympathy, curiosity, and, in some cases, unbridled desire. But Doug has other things on his mind. First there's his sixteen year-old stepson, Russ: a once-sweet kid who now is getting into increasingly serious trouble on a daily basis. Then there are Doug's sisters: his bossy twin, Clair, who's just left her husband and moved in with Doug, determined to rouse him from his grieving stupor. And Debbie, who's engaged to Doug's ex-best friend and manically determined to pull off the perfect wedding at any cost.

Soon Doug's entire nuclear family is in his face. And when he starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time around dating scene, it isn't long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across the suburban landscape.
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780553591460
ISBN-10: 0553591460
Publication Date: 6/24/2008
Pages: 400
Edition: Reprint
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 45

3.9 stars, based on 45 ratings
Publisher: Bantam Discovery
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

stinasstoryspot avatar reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 30 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a book about a man getting back into life after the death of his wife (I promise that the rhyme was unintentional).

I thought this book was pretty interesting. There were parts that had me about in tears and then there were parts where I was either laughing out loud or groaning and not sure I wanted to read on (but that's because I'm the kind of person that doesn't want to see people get into trouble).

The main character had a pretty genuine voice, and there was a shift in him throughout the novel and certainly in the last couple of chapters. The other characters, such as his sisters, his step-son and the women he dates, also seemed fairly realistic.

The end of the book was a good ending (in my opinion) because it didn't give you everything, but at the same time it left you with the idea that things were definitely going to get better for the main character.
Read All 11 Book Reviews of "How to Talk to a Widower"

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reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 17 more book reviews
Entertaining book with extreme overuse of the "F" word. I'm still not sure I know how to talk to a widower, but this was good for a few laughs. Had some very sad parts too.
reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 3 more book reviews
I have read 2 books by this author, both have been really good reads. Funny and easy to get lost it!
reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 8 more book reviews
Good book club choice. Fun quick read.
sharonc9630 avatar reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 63 more book reviews
Great book. Enjoyed the characters and how they related to each other.
Jonathan Tropper doesn't disappoint.
isitfriday avatar reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 170 more book reviews
I loved this book, could not put it down! Jonathan Tropper is a great writer, he has a way of creating these families that are quirky but real. He touches on tough subjects but adds humor so it is not heavy and depressing. This was a great read.
reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 34 more book reviews
Similar to the "The book of Joe". If you enjoyed that, you'll enjoy this. All good!
reviewed How to Talk to a Widower on + 10 more book reviews
While the story is actually kind of sad, the book is really good. The stepfather-stepson relationship had me rolling in laughter and the dating scenes made me wince.


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