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After

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Widower Harry is suddenly a single parent again, albeit of grown children. And women are pursuing him again. He is unprepared for any of this, and what results is amusing. Harry’s coping with parenthood and dating makes for an irreverent frolic.

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

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31 people want to read

About the author

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

201 books1,038 followers
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.

Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.

Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."

By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.

Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.

Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Susan.
317 reviews7 followers
July 28, 2024
My motivation for reading this was the author’s great success with YA fiction, some of which I enjoyed very much. I was curious to see how she would write an adult novel. The theme is grief and adjustment to life without a beloved spouse at a time when three bereaved adult children are all struggling with issues in their lives. The protagonist is a widower whose wife had cancer so he got to say a gradual goodbye, but had been so focused on caring for her in her last months that her death was still a kind of shock. So definitely adult themes and adult POV. Part of Harry’s adjustment is in his sex life, which he very much wants to continue, and finds any number of women eager to be with him, but few that he is attracted to. Sex scenes are described in detail that I believe readers of romance novels might find familiar—in other words, not graphic, but mildly titillating. All in all, curiosity satisfied. Now I’d rather go back to Alice and Shiloh.
30 reviews
March 13, 2023
I must admit - the first 50 or 60 pages of this book was slow. I’m glad I didn’t give up - once it got going I did enjoy it.
Profile Image for ~mad.
903 reviews24 followers
December 4, 2011
Phyllis Naylor is usually better known for being a Newberry Award medalist as she has written 118 (at least) children's books! Best know to me is SHILOH, a book about a dog. (I own in in hardback. I liked it that much!)

This AFTER, however is one of her few adult novels, the story of the first year after a 56 year old landscape/ nursery own experiences the death of his wife of 34 years. The book is not so much sad as it is edifying about the process of grief and what goes on in his family - with him and his 3 adult children in the passing of that ever-important first year.

I very much enjoyed it. In fact, I could not put it down this weekend and have not had the television of the radio on at all. As well, I stayed up late reading until I could not hold my eyes open - finished it this morning first thing.

Believe me, this is not children's book - it's "juicy" in just the right places.

Give it a try, I say.

(she also written a book abut her first husband's mental illness and something called Unexpected Pleasures, which makes me wonder - will have to check the library for those.)

Due to my very recent venture into reading from the library, I am so discovering the harsh realities of "shopping" the shelves in a library as opposed to going up and down the aisles of a proper bookstore. WHEW!
1,149 reviews
October 9, 2010
Phyllis Naylor writes much better children’s books than adult. Harry has recently lost his wife, and he struggles with his grief, and with the problems his children are having, which he feels his wife could have dealt with better than he is. By the end of the book he has gotten back on track pretty much, but not until he has done some pretty foolish things. I really didn’t care for this book very much.
42 reviews
October 29, 2012
I enjoyed this book. I think it does a good job of describing the grieving process, and how it's different for different people. It helps the reader understand how disorienting it can be when someone is grieving for a spouse.
10 reviews
January 18, 2013
I am struggling with this book - I don't seem to care about the widower all that much, even though I believe the grief and disorientation is written with great understanding and empathy. As a long-married person, I find so much believable, but it is not a fascinating book.
Profile Image for Lynn.
10 reviews
August 29, 2008
I just started this one and it is a slow read and so far not too interesting. I will do my best to finish it, but it needs to get better for me to continue.
197 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2011
A pretty surface treatment of the aftermath of the death of a spouse.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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