Home Away from Home

by Lorna J. Cook

Emotionally unable to return to her home after the sudden death of her husband, Anna Rainey seeks solace in a respective number of friends' homes, where she receives different kinds of support and advice before finding the courage to persevere. By the author of Departures. 17,500 first printing.

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Judith Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh take on the devastation of grief and how a recent young widow works through hers. The story is absorbing, but it's the eloquence and depth of feeling that makes this a book to remember.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a young woman whose beloved husband dies very suddenly at home. As a result she is unable to return the home they shared and spends a year living with friends. I thought the premise of this book was clever. With each new residence the woman is thrown into the drama and challenges of the person she is staying with and we the reader are treated to unique and interesting people as well as understanding the protagonist's circle of friends. This book is about letting go and living. It is honest in portraying the immense challenge of trying to live when your assumptive world has been broken into bits. I know from my work with grieving families how authentic and complex the reactions of the characters are described. As the book went on I began to feel like the nomadic living of the main character was becoming unrealistic. T felt like the main character was underdeveloped by the author (I can't even remember her name) I also wondered why her family and friends didn't intervene and help her. Still, I think this book stands alone as one that is the most insightful and honest about grief/grieving that I have ever read. And the author is fresh, bright and insightful.

[Linda K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna's husband dies at the first of the story and she deals with the utter devestation of his death by not returning to their home, but staying short bits of time with various friends. Working through this huge change in her life over the next year, she comes to her own terms with what life and death are about. She believes that everything is simply "random", which is not my reality. As one who believes that all things happen for a reason, most of which we do not know or understand, this was not a satisfying story. Although her actions and thoughts seemed believable, I felt sympathy for her throughout the story and especially at the end.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good! A little biased because I met this author. It was interesting to hear her writing process.

This one is about a widow and her way back into life. She travels from friend to friend not able to go back to the house where she had a life with her husband. She learns more about herself in this journey than has in the last 30 or 40 years.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

travel through a year while a women grieves the death of her husband...I was so relieved when she was finally able to get on with her life...well written but not uplifting.

[Aica · Rating 2 out of 5]

not really expecting it would end that way,got a little disappointed,but still..it was a good read :)

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this for a book challenge solely based on the cover and knowing nothing about the author. I really liked the writing! Cook is a talented and strong writer.