The opening sentence of Anna Quindlen’s latest family drama reads, “Annie Brown died right before dinner.” We quickly learn that Annie was a 37 year old wife and the mother of four who was, on the surface, as ordinary as her name. She worked as an aide in a nursing home when her ambition to become a registered nurse was derailed by an unplanned pregnancy. Yet, she had the life that she wanted “except that she wanted it with more money, better cars and more bedrooms and bathrooms.”

Annie’s sudden and unexpected death irrevocably alters the lives of her survivors. Her husband, Bill, who fears that no one will ever know him the way that Annie did, is adrift. A plumber by trade, Bill is so trusted that customers would brave the cold until he is available to tend to their furnaces, and he is so well liked that the neighbors gossiped at Annie’s funeral that “[e]very single woman in town will be all over Bill Brown like a bad rash.” Annie’s closest friend since first grade, Annemarie, tells Annie’s eldest child, Ali, that Annie “saved my life.” Yet, without Annie, Annemarie feels vulnerable to the addiction that Annie helped her overcome and sees her relationship with Bill “curdling” because Annie is not acting as an “interlocutor between them.” Thirteen year old Ali, the other perspective from which we view Annie’s death, is charged with caring for her younger brothers and even her father and “[w]aiting for the rest of life, whatever that was, a future that felt like a betrayal.”

Quindlen has crafted a moving portrait of a family coming to terms with life and shattering loss. No moment feels contrived or false as the characters process their momentous grief. Perhaps because she lost her own mother when she was 19, Quindlen is expert at elevating material that might seem mundane into a novel that is emotionally satisfying and absorbing. Catherine Newman, writing for the New York Times, aptly referred to Quindlen as “an anthropologist of domesticity” and Quindlen has once again demonstrated that she is one of the great chroniclers of family. “After Annie” is about loss and renewal and the unexpected power of adversity to change us in profound ways. Thank you Keilani Lum of Random House and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this portrait of a family from the master of the form.

This wonderful story explored the tragedies of losing a young, wife, mother, and friend. It's a sad story, one we all can relate to as everyone has lost someone who was special to them and definitely was loved.

The unexpected death of Annie, left a family bereft of so many things and as they come to terms with loss, remembrances of a wife and mother and friend are difficult and filled with sorrow. Later, as time moves on, there is definite hope that the family and friends will never forget, and through Annie, they come to realize that hope for the future will carry them through.

Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

After Annie is a tale of a family who deals with the lose of their mother at a young age. Over the course of the year, the family faces the hardships, loss and her legacy with family, friends and the community. This slow-moving story is very melancholy read.

Thank you, Random House.

A heavy, heartbreaking and mostly bleak look into the lives of a woman who dies & the people she left behind. This story mostly centers on three people, the daughter, the husband and the best friend. Each person is dealing with their grief in their own broken ways. Each story is hard to read but very human and real. I found this book both hard to keep reading and impossible to put down. I felt frustrated at times with the way the adults in the book handled themselves and my heart broke for the children who had to deal with a deeply flawed support system. In the end, the support comes from outside the home and helps allude to more hope in the future. This was a character based book, simple and slow but at times beautiful.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so grateful when Random House reached asking if I had interest in Anna Quindlen's newest novel, After Annie. Many years ago, I read Quindlen's Every Last One, and I STILL see the events of that novel unfolding in my mind's eye. She just has the ability to bring her work to life - the tragedy, the resilience, the forever-altered lives that follow.

This story follows the same pattern and yet is completely unique. The author captures the human spirit in a way that makes the reader contemplate their own life. As in her previous novel, Ms. Quindlen's writing is simple, yet profound.

It's so sad to witness a mother's life come to a tragic end, and even more sad to watch events unfold as her closest family members and friends handle her loss. However, Quindlen manages to tie in a message of hope and redemption, through beautifully-rendered characters and truly impactful situations, ultimately leaving the reader inspired.

Many thanks to partners, Random House and NetGalley for this gifted review copy!

Annie Brown dies suddenly, leaving her husband, and four young children behind. Her best friend, who leans heavily on Annie for honesty, and tough love, is devastated. Her husband, Bill, is overwhelmed by everything that his wife made look so effortless. Annie’s daughter, Ali, steps up as the eldest daughter is wont to do, and tries to fill her mother's shoes. The story takes place over the course of the first year without Annie.

Annie Brown has the plainest name, and lives a simple and unassuming life, yet the hole she leaves in the wake of her passing is larger than life. The small town rallies around the family because they loved Annie so much. Ali, especially, has to grow up so fast and finds herself facing some very confusing and difficult situations that could use her mother's guiding hand.

A moving story of love, loss, grief, and getting through that first difficult year without the glue that holds the family, friendships, a community, together.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After Annie is a novel told from the perspective of Annie's 14 year old daughter, her best friend, and her husband the year following Annie's untimely and tragic death. The death of Annie was heartbreaking to me (not a spoiler) especially as the mother to three young children. We follow along with the 3 people closest to Annie as they learn to navigate life After Annie. From a young girl on the verge of becoming a teenager without a mother to guide her, to her addict best friend on the cusp of relapse without the best friend who saved her from addiction, to the husband who doesn't know how to begin parenting alone.

I loved this book. It was well-written, it gave me all the feels. My heart ached for all of the people who meant so much to Annie. This was the first book I have read by Anna Quindlen, but it will not be my last!

After Annie is a heartbreaking look at family life after the death of their beloved mom. Annie dies and her life is looked back on through memories brought up in the daily life of her young family as they try to move forward without her. She has made her mark and her family will never be the same.
A tear jerker of epic proportions! Really beautiful look at motherhood and life after death.

Full of emotions and a well written journey through a families loss of their mother. All the emotions, very tragic at times but definitely full of hope as well. My first by this author and she definitely captured a small town family and every side of their loss. Was a bit wordy at times and I would get frustrated but then there would be something perfect to make you laugh, cry or gasp. Very much enjoyed the story and the development of each family member over the year that the story is told and enjoyed the timeline being labeled by seasons.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House publishing for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was gripping, beautiful, poignant and unbelievable tragic. Reading it as a mom of young children was especially difficult. Anna Quindlen is a literary master.

After Annie is a heartbreaking story, but one with promise for the Brown family following Annie’s sudden death from an aneurysm. The story is told from different points of view: her husband Bill, her daughter Ali, her best friend Annemarie. The author portrays them all with such feeling, you want to reach out and give them all hugs.

Bill, her husband, is struggling trying to raise a family of 4 young children. He is devasted and doesn’t know how to deal with his young wife’s sudden death. She was the glue that held the family together. He wanted to know the right way. He wanted the ordinariness of everyday to return.

Ali, the oldest daughter, feels that she has the weight of the family on her shoulders. She steps in for her father and doesn’t really get a chance to grieve. She struggles with talking about her feelings until she meets up with a caring school psychologist.

Annemarie, the best friend from grade school, has had her own issues from before Annie dies, and they only get worse afterwards. She was saved from a possible overdose of pain medication by Annie. Her relationship with Annie’s husband Bill has always been strained but now it is worse.

Cheers to the school psychologist who assists the family along the way.
Thumbs down to Bill’s mother who never liked Annie and constantly gives the entire family a difficult time. While the topic of the story is a difficult one to read, the writing flows so beautifully. You want to keep turning the pages to see how the family copes with this tragedy and hope that they come out on the other side of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published February 27, 2024.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen was a wonderfully written women’s fiction filled with myriad emotions. Some challenging and touchy subjects were handled beautifully by the author as, at times, I had tears in my eyes or rolling down my cheeks. So many stories were interweaved throughout— even with Annie gone—what she would have said or done is at the forefront.

The married mother of four children dies suddenly in her thirties and doesn’t get everything out of life that she wants. But she does have her husband, the love of her life, four children she’s proud of, a job at a nursing home where she cares for others, and they care about her and her best friend, Annemarie, and they’ve always been there for each other.

The story drew me in from the beginning, and the characters came to life and had depth. Ali, the oldest, grew up before her time, but luckily her school psychologist was there for her when her father and her friend, Jenny, weren’t. Annemarie tried to fill in the void but unfortunately she fell back into bad habits without Annie being a part of her life and had enough to do to keep her own life on track.

There are twists and turns to the story, and I didn’t like Bill after the death of his wife, nor how some seemed to take advantage of him. Grief is one thing, but it seemed like he sometimes forgot he had four kids or tried hard to forget. He also appeared to want to move on just a few months after her death. When he finally got his act together, after talking to the school psychologist, it seemed like he became a better person and tried to put his family first. He finally took some of the burden off Ali, who needed to be a kid again and not a caregiver for her entire family. Annie would have been proud of his turnaround. Bill’s mother was not a caring soul at all, and she sucked the life out of everyone around her. None more so than Annie when she was alive.

There are some tender moments, but also a lot of anger, angst, hurt, sadness, tears, grief, and even regrets. It’s a story of family and friendships and the need to have someone to turn to and talk to. The story was realistic, but how much can one family handle? There is some closure, but the story ends abruptly. Until I turned the last page on my Kindle, I hadn’t realized I was at the end. I liked the celebrations of Annie’s life and how people came together.

After Annie deals with a family’s life after the death of their wife/mom/best friend. Annie is brought to life over and over again when she is talked about and memories or photos are shared. Have some tissues handy since I think you’ll need them.

I rated it 4.5 stars but rounded to 5 stars here and on other sites.

In my opinion, Anna Quindlen is one of the premiere practitioners of the art of deeply felt domestic fiction. In After Annie, she once again goes deep into the heart and soul of a family, one that is facing loss and all that entails.

Annie was a mother to four children, all of whom counted on her, taking her for granted in the ways that children do. Her sudden, seemingly unpreventable death from an aneurysm at a young age, is the catalyst that deeply affects these children, her husband and her best friend.

Readers find out more about Annie as they spend time with those around her. Her daughter, Ali, is forced to grow up, her husband falters, and her best friend faces a renaissance of old issues. Will these folks who were left behind be able to move forward? Will they be okay? How will Annie continue to be a presence in their lives? Find out in this work of literary fiction that is as good as anything the author has written (and that is high praise).

Note: Anyone who has experienced a recent loss may find this book both difficult and worth reading

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

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.

Anna Quindlen is a master at expressing the emotions of those facing unbelievable loss and the coping mechanisms that each member of the family, and Annie’s best friend, use to deal with Annie’s death. The dialogue is brilliant and the relationships between the characters totally believable. This is a story of loss but also of love, of finding a stable footing in a family that is sinking under grief.
Highly recommended. Quindlen succeeds in dealing with the depths of grief and loss without being maudlin or overly sentimental.

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.

I received this advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair review, from NetGalley. This novel is truly unique and interesting, fine read for any Book club or Contemporary reader, it was enjoyable to see the character development from the eyes of our young protagonist. Recommended!

When Annie Brown dies suddenly and unexpectedly, her husband, four young children, and best friend are left bereft and unmoored. Annie kept them all afloat and supported.

Anna Quindlen presents the heaviness and hurt of grief in such a beautiful way. Through the viewpoints of Annie's husband Bill, eldest child 13-year old Ali, and best friend AnneMarie, we see how they struggle with life after Annie. It's raw, heartfelt, real, and hopeful. While this is a difficult subject matter, this book is beautiful and memorable. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

Dying suddenly from an aneurysm in front of her husband and children, Annie Brown is sorely missed not only by her family, but also by her best friend (Annemarie), who was like a sister to Annie. How each of these people deal with Annie’s death, how each grieves his/her loss, and how each manages to go on with life is the focus of this novel. Although very slow moving at times, this novel is beautifully written and manages to convey the depths of individual grief as well as to celebrate the gift of love. A very moving novel that is a real piece of literature.