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    The After Wife: A Novel
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    The After Wife: A Novel
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    The After Wife: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    The After Wife: A Novel

    Written by Gigi Levangie Grazer

    Narrated by Kathe Mazur

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Gigi Levangie Grazer, the New York Times bestselling author of The Starter Wife, returns with a hilarious and spirited tale of love-both lost and found.

    L.A. is no place for widows. This is what forty-four-year-old Hannah Bernal quickly discovers after the tragic death of her handsome and loving husband, John. Misery and red-rimmed eyes are little tolerated in the land of the beautiful. But life stumbles on: Hannah's sweet three-year-old daughter, Ellie, needs to be dropped off at her overpriced preschool, while Hannah herself must get back to work in order to pay the bills on "Casa Sugar," the charming Spanish-styled bungalow they call home.

    Fortunately, Hannah has her "Grief Team" for emotional support: earth mother and fanatical animal lover Chloe, who finds a potential blog post in every moment; aspiring actress Aimee, who has her cosmetic surgeon on speed dial; and Jay, Hannah's TV producing partner, who has a penchant for Mr. Wrong. But after a series of mishaps and bizarre occurrences, one of which finds Hannah in a posh Santa Monica jail cell, her friends start to fear for her sanity. To make matters worse, John left their financial affairs in a disastrous state. And when Hannah is dramatically fired from her latest producing gig, she finds herself in danger of losing her house, her daughter, and her mind.

    One night, standing in her backyard under a majestic avocado tree, in the throes of grief, Hannah breaks down and asks, "Why?" The answer that comes back-Why not?-begins an astounding journey of discovery and transformation that leads Hannah to her own truly extraordinary life after death.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 10, 2012
    ISBN9780307912152
    Unavailable
    The After Wife: A Novel
    Author

    Gigi Levangie Grazer

    Gigi Levangie Grazer is the author of three prior novels: Rescue Me (2000), Maneater (2003), and The Starter Wife (2006). The Starter Wife was adapted for an Emmy Award–winning USA Network miniseries starring Debra Messing, and later for a television series; Maneater was adapted for a Lifetime miniseries starring Sarah Chalke in May 2009. In addition, Gigi wrote the screenplay for Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. Gigi’s articles have appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Glamour. She lives in L.A. with her two children and three miniature dachshunds.

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    Reviews for The After Wife

    3.5/5

    74 ratings23 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Predictable but entertaining.
    • 2/5
      Ok light summer read.
    • 3/5
      Hannah's husband John, who is amazing at being a cook, a writer, a father, and a lover, tragically is killed in a bicycle/vehicle accident one morning and Hannah suddenly becomes a widow in her 30's...in L.A. The story travels with her along her journey from complete and total depressive shutdown to learning how to live and love again. Were it not for her daughter Ellie and her posse of positivity-pushing friends (Jay, Aimee and Chloe), she never would have gotten past his death. Oh, and, ironically, she can now see and communicate with the deceased who are, shall we say, "stuck" in the here-after because they just can't completely let go of their human lives without getting that one last message across. And luckily (or unluckily?) for Hannah, she's just the woman for the job, although it ends up costing her her real job, and her house. The book delivers moments of pure sorrow and hurt felt by Hannah about John's quick and untimely death, but also delivers ridiculous moments of hilarity (like when she and the three-friend posse decide to visit a colon-cleansing spa for New Year's), and you begin to feel her pain and eventual growth along with her, feeling her joy and happiness as she comes to grips with losing her lover, her best friend, her husband.
    • 4/5
      I hardly ever would choose a book marketed as funny and even more so would I not choose a book that was a ghost story-but The After Wife-received as an Early Review copy-had both..and I loved it. The setting is Southern California; some of the characters fit stereotypes ie the Ambitious Actress, the Earth Mother who only eats organic, the Fun Gay Friend-but they were all real people and very funny. The story centers around Hannah, whose husband was just killed in hit-and-run car accident. She is suddenly left a single mother with no income and no direction-but somehow she has been given the gift of seeing and hearing dead people who converse with her and pass on messages to people left behind.The story about her healing and her friends-alive and not-was entertaining and even a little inspiring. It all sounds pretty ludicrous but I liked it and would recommend it!
    • 4/5
      Amber Sadler While this book as good it was not my favorite by this author. The premise was interesting enough, and the narrator entertaining, but I can't say that I liked the main character. She seemed very whinny to me, but under the circumstances, I understand it. But any book that gives me multiple laugh out loud moments deserves four stars to me. Like I said it wasn't may favorite, but I would definitely recommend it as a light, fun read.
    • 3/5
      The After Wife by GiGi Levangie Grazer was a different sort of book for me. I'm not sure why, but I've strayed from the whole chick-lit, women's fic type of books lately. This was a nice jump back into the genre pool though.While this novel isn't going down as a classic or anything, it was well-written and Hannah is pretty funny. She reminds me of one of my friends and I loved seeing her personality throughout the novel. The whole "I-see-dead-people" bit was kind of surprise I liked. It added a bit of unpredictability to the text that sets it a notch above other chick-lit novels. The ups, downs, zippy one-liners and journey of self-discovery is what makes this book a pleasant read. I recommend it for any chick-lit/women's fiction lovers!
    • 4/5
      When David Lee Roth sang, "Well East coast girls are hipI really dig those styles they wearAnd the Southern girls with the way they talkThey knock me out when I'm down thereThe Mid-West farmer's daughters really make you feel alrightAnd the Northern girls with the way they kissThey keep their boyfriends warm at nightI wish they all could be CaliforniaI wish they all could be CaliforniaI wish they all could be California girls," the implication, of course, was that California girls are the cream of the crop, close to perfection. But what if you aren't perfection in California and specifically in LA? What if the person who loved you, imperfections and all, died, leaving not only you but your life less than perfect? Hannah Bernal, the main character in Gigi Levangie Grazer's newest novel, has to face that very reality after her beloved husband John dies after being hit by a car. Hannah's a young widow in a place that doesn't accept death well. Her finances are in a shambles and when she's fired from her latest producing gig, she might just have to sell her house. She's slowly going off the rails. And it's not just Hannah living this new unwanted life, she's got a sassy, fashionista, daddy's girl of a three year old daughter Ellie who misses the dad who was always her primary caregiver. Luckily Hannah also has a cast of loving, if off-beat, friends, Chloe, Aimee, and Jay, who rally around her to bail her out and to try and help her face her grief and the new normal of widowed life. That they cannot keep Hannah from seeing and speaking to the dead is not a mark of how ineffective they are or of how nutty they think Hannah is getting, but is an unexpected but factual reflection of Hannah's new life. Apparently with John's death, Hannah has become more sensitive to the spirits around her and she can in fact talk to dead people. She can pass messages on from them to their loved ones. But telling work colleagues or perfect strangers things from the deceased is a sure way to make people look at you askance. As if Hannah's very widowhood hadn't already made her a bit of a pariah, her messages from the beyond positively freak people out and make her kooky friends wonder if she's not going completely insane.Grazer has written a light, entertaining, and even playful novel about life after death, both the living going on after losing a loved one as well as the idea of an after life for the dead and the ways in which they remain with us. Hannah's grief is palpable and her floundering in the wake of John's death is very realistic. That she cannot even remember to care for her own child, leaving her at school long past pick-up time and avoiding the difficulty of telling her that her beloved daddy is gone forever, is completely believable given her own withdrawal from the world. She's a mess, that Hannah, but a mess with whom the reader feels a connection. The idea of a person suddenly being able to talk to the dead is handled interestingly and makes for a humorous plot twist given the situations in which Hannah's new gift and her inability to keep quiet about it lands her. The secondary characters here are fairly stereotypical and the book on the whole doesn't delve deeply into the issues it touches on, staying firmly on the light and playful surface. An entertaining read, this is a sitcom of a novel about death and grieving, light on the depressing sadness and heavier on the simple enjoyment factor.
    • 2/5
      I got this book because I wanted to give this author another try because I loved her book, Maneater. I did not like Starter Wife and thought maybe she was just off her "game". Wrong. Oh ick. This book is boring and you don't even wanna bother skimming through it. There are too many other books out there to read and this one didn't even pass my 50 page rule. Maybe this book suits someone else's tastes, just not mine
    • 4/5
      I'll admit that I haven't read the authors other books...I felt like she was capitalizing on her "hollywood marriage/divorce." This was an advance read, and I WAS a young widow, so I thought it was a good one for me.I really DID enjoy it. I loved the slightly paranormal portion of it. The only reason it doesn't get 4 stars is that it goes a little too "Hollywood." The characters started out as people I'd love to know and by the end, I felt they were a bit cliche. If anything, it should be the other way around...they should grow on me. It won't change your life...but it's a perfect beach, plane or pool read.
    • 4/5
      In The After Wife, Gigi Levangie Grazer has done what I would have thought impossible and made Hannah's journey after becoming a widow light-hearted and funny. And it's not in a zany, slapstick way, which I would not have liked. This book has smart humor and a Sex and the City type vibe. I loved the characters in her "Grief Team", especially Jay - he was hilarious.I don't want to give too much away but I will say that after her husband is killed, Hannah discovers she has a unique talent. This talent made the book take an entirely different direction than I thought it would but I think it was what helped keep the story from becoming dark and depressing. I was pleasantly surprised with the unexpected twist the plot took. This was definitely not your typical chick-lit novel.I think The After Wife is well-written, funny and would be a great summer read.
    • 2/5
      Having enjoyed the mini-series, "The Starter Wife," adapted from a novel by the same author, I was very interested in reading The After Wife. I ended up reading only the first few chapters as I just couldn't reach a point where I was interested in reading more. The premise is that Hannah's husband, whom she deeply loves, dies unexpectedly. She must deal with his death while remaining strong for her young daughter. While I enjoyed the plot line and the main character, the book read to me like a screenplay rather than a novel. The author's voice is quite strong, and I felt like I was reading The Starter Wife rather than a new novel. I stopped reading at the point where Hannah begins getting a visit from a ghost. I'd love to see this book on the small or large screen, but as a novel, it just didn't hold my interest.
    • 3/5
      This was not my favorite book by the author. Plot was weak and the characters we somewhat shallow. I wanted to smack Hannah several times! Other than that, different story line and a quick read.
    • 2/5
      The premise of this novel sounded quirky and potentially very entertaining. I was hoping that Grazer would have tackled a potentially difficult topic with humor - instead I found a boring, ridiculous story with unreasonable and unbelievable characters, dialogue and situations. And I don't mean the presence of a 'ghost', which I knew was coming and obviously was willing to suspend my disbelief in order to be pulled into the story. But the main characters are weak, so weak that it was hard to care about them enough to keep reading. The plot never develops, and no real conflict or tension are ever realized. I only kept reading in anticipation of finally being done with the book - I wouldn't recommend this novel, I think there are many better beach-reads out there.
    • 3/5
      This book has left me feeling conflicted. It had a slow start. I didn't mind the emotion of the tragic death, and certainly don't all of us wish we had a "grief team" to take care of us. And maybe it's because I'm not from California, don't really have a sense of what life is truly like in Santa Monica & LA, but I found the characters to be rather unbelievable on the whole. And especially during the first half of the book I kept wondering where the little girl was, who was taking care of Ellie? But to the author's credit, she has filled the book with humorous moments and some wonderfully snarky one-liners. I'm of the right age to get her cultural references, so that helped. And the book definitely got more interesting once she started really talking to the dead people. Overall, I feel kind of "meh" about this book. Enjoyable moments, but I wasn't rushing to read like I often am. And I can't really think of anyone to whom I would recommend this book. It's so California culture focused that it excludes a great deal of its target demographic. I just couldn't really get into the book the way I wanted to. And some of the plot just seemed gratuitous, like it was just padding meant to make the book longer. The author really can turn a phrase, she's wicked funny, and I laughed aloud at some of her zingers. I just wish there had been a more consistent pace and a more thoughtful story.
    • 3/5
      As most of the reviews have stated, this book begins with Hannah's husband, John, dying very suddenly. The book then chronicles her recovery from the tragedy and her amazing friends who support her. The unexpected thing was the added supernatural element. Shortly after the death of her husband Hannah is able to see and communicate with the dead. By the end I found the book enjoyable, and was pleased with the ending.The first 1/3 of the book is somewhat slow, and until the last 80 pages I could take it or leave it. There are however, laugh out loud scenes and one-liners. It helps if you are familiar with this author's description of life in Southern California. I was only because I watched the tv adaptations of some of her other works. Overall, I would recommend this book, especially to someone looking for a light, funny, easy read.
    • 4/5
      I am a fan of Gigi Levangie Grazer's writing and have been since I first read The Starter Wife several years ago. The thing I have always enjoyed about her work is that it is always a story told from an unusual point of view. The After Wife did not disappoint in that respect or any other. This is the story of Hannah, who finds herself suddenly widowed. Her husband's death is handled both with sensitivity and with humor. Fortunately for Hannah and the readers, she has a cast of friends that are familiar characters who occasionally behave in very unexpected ways. They clearly love Hannah, but they also love themselves. A few points of the book are a little thinly drawn for my taste, but overall, this is a good book and an excellent beach read.
    • 3/5
      First, I would like to thank the Early Reviewers Program for providing me with this book to review. I am thankful for this program in that it has given me access to a lot of great books that I may have otherwise not even discovered. As far as this book goes, I am not going to go into detail about the plot of the book, as there are many other reviewers that have already done that here. What I do want to say is that I agree with the other reviewer who stated how the book got off to a very slow, heavy start. I too was not certain that I was going to enjoy the book, as I like to read books that make me happy - and the beginning of this book was very emotional and sad. But, on the flip-side, after struggling to get through the first part of the book, it did pick up and I found myself actually enjoying it and wanting to read more. Don't let the slow start put you off.....hang in there as the book does get better and makes for an enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      In The After Wife, we meet Hannah, who seems to have it all. She has an adoring husband that she loves, terrific friends, a great job, and a beautiful little girl. Tragedy strikes and Hannah loses just about everything. Hannah has to find her way though all her problems and get it together for her daughter. We get to see Hannah at her best and at her worst.I had a really hard time getting into this book. I really didn't think the whole dying thing was funny. But, I stuck with it and it definitely got better. Hannah is quite likeable, as are all her friends. I really ended up rooting for her...and hoping for the best in the end:)
    • 5/5
      MY THOUGHTSABSOLUTELY LOVED ITHannah, a producer of reality shows, is married to the love of her life and when he is killed while riding his bike, her world crumbles. Her "grief team" surrounds her with love and tries to get her back on track to keep her and her young daughter from despair and becoming homeless. Jay, her multi talented, gay, producing partner is always there for her and makes sure Ellie, is always dressed in style. Aimee, is the quintessential LA actress, but with a heart and may always be know as "that girl in the shampoo commercial". Chloe, ohmigosh, where do I start with Chloe, she is everything I hate about LA, but I did end up loving her at the end. Chloe is a dog rescuing (bonus points!), yoga practicing Uber Mommy that is probably better known as Momzilla, except with a spray tan and lots of blond highlights, married to a financier and on her way down in the bank account.When Ellie is kicked out of her posh pre school for talking to her dead dad, things really get out of control quickly. Hannah starts to hear voices and then sees people, dead people, who give her really amazing advice and she starts to think she is crazy and leads to her to several laugh out loud mishaps. I didn't really expect this book to be paranormal, but I knew that the original working title was Happy Medium and being a huge fan of the Long Island Medium, well, you can see which direction this book took. It was so easy to walk me though that door and into believing that this could happen to an ordinary person. Her besties are just some of the funniest characters that I have read about in a long time. Sigh, I always read Gigi's books without stopping and since I have read everything of hers, I always hate the wait until her next book arrives. I think I did this one in a record 3 hours. If you need a perfect beach book, take this one with you. I may end up rereading this one since I adored the laughs so much. Oh, this would make an awesome television series and since the author already has the Starter Wife, this could be huge. I would love to follow Hannah as she talks to more dead people and helps others with their lives. Also....the author has a DACHSHUND! You know my rules...any author with a dachshund rules.
    • 4/5
      "The After Wife", by Gigi Levangie Grazer, took me outside of my reading box in an enjoyable manner. I believe that everyone has a right to grieve in their own way, and each of us moves on with our lives in our own time. Sometimes you have to face your biggest fears in order to poke holes in them, and then you can really learn to live. Hannah Bernal is a happily-married forty-something mom to a three-year-old girl. Life in L.A. is good for Hannah and her happy house-husband, John, a chef and cookbook author. When John is killed in a tragic accident, Hannah can't go on--can she? She tries her best to survive with the help of friends and family, some of whom are no longer among the living. That's right. Hannah sees dead people. That includes her late husband and also the deceased former owner of her home. If that's not enough to drive a widow-woman bonkers, Hannah loses her job. Life throws one curveball after another at Hannah, but eventually gets herself a catcher's mitt and throws a few fastballs of her own. The humor here is as sharp as the sense of loss, and the story line is reminiscent of a 30's screwball comedy. A zingy, zappy, sweet & snappy read that will tug a few heartstrings at the same time it tickles the funny bone. Review Copy Gratis Library Thing
    • 5/5
      I won this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers:Wow! After a slow start, The After Wife rolled into a fantastic finish! The first half of the book was so heavy with emotional context it was a drag to read, but it was completely worthwhile to finish it. This would never qualify as a "classic", but it's a perfect summer reading book.A note to the editor: Did you stop checking for formatting around page 218? Some crazy spacing problems and lack of quotation marks made everything from 218 to the end a little hard to read.
    • 3/5
      This is my first Gigi Levangie Grazer novel. Thank you for sending it to me. The After Wife is her most recent novel. Product DetailsSynopsis:Hannah Bernal loves life, loves her husband, and their daughter. One morning John leaves to run an errand but does not come back. Hannah is in shock and immediately calls the Grief Team. They are her friends which consist of her superior Jay, Chloe the blogger, and Aimee the middle aged actress. They are always at her side ready to offer advice and drama. Hannah loves and depends on her team but she also has developed a special talent. Where will Hannah’s life turn? Will she survive her husband’s death?My Thoughts:This novel is sad. In this novel the main character is devastated with grief. I thought the characters were very interesting and unique. I did find it humorous to read about the antics of the Grief Team. The author writes about a side of LA I have never known. I liked this novel and was very interested to see how it turned out. There is a little more to the title After Wife. Hannah develops a new talent which involves helping people through different situations. The Grief team concept was very interesting to me. Who would be on yours? What you do you think you would do?
    • 4/5
      The After Wife is a surprisingly hilarious, poignant yet uplifting read which I really enjoyed. Despite dealing sensitively with the serious themes of grief, loss and healing, Grazer keeps the tone light and I loved Grazer’s sense of humour, wry and ridiculous in turn.Hannah is a sympathetic and likeable protagonist, her grief at losing her husband so suddenly is overwhelming and she struggles to deal with her pain. Mired in self pity, she asks ‘Why?’ and receives an answer from an unexpected source, the former owner of her home Casa Sugar, who happens to be deceased. Hannah is pretty sure she is going crazy, especially as spirits start to appear everywhere, desperate for her to pass on messages to their loved ones, but she doesn’t have time to think about it too much, she has to deal with raising her three year old daughter, Ellie, alone, losing her job and discovering her husband’s insurance has lapsed. And dating.Luckily Hannah can rely on her Grief Team for both comfort and comic relief. Loveable, if slightly absurd caricatures, Jay – her fashionista BFF with bad taste in men, Aimee who is robbed of all expression by Botox and plastic surgery, and Chloe who has a penchant for rescue dogs and bouncing cheques, support Hannah and Ellie in their time of need with questionable advice, vodka and colonics.Grazer pokes fun at the worst examples of excess by the upscale residents of California’s Santa Monica and sprinkles pop culture references through out the story. I thought at times it was a little heavy handed but it provides the ideal setting for the story.Funny, engaging and moving, The After Wife is a wonderful light read sure to charm you on a long summer’s day (or a cold winters eve) that proves life is for living.