The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating: A Novel

Loved this book. Smartly written romantic comedy, story draws you in and doesn't let go. I read it on the treadmill at the gym and Carole Radziwill is such a talented writer I hardly noticed the extra miles I logged. Thanks, Carole, for helping me lose a jeans size while enjoying this book.

Was looking forward to reading this book by this "Real Housewife". I had loved What Remains and although I knew this would be a totally different read, I was still disappointed. I do love Ms. Radziwill's sense of humor and her writing style, I just did not like the story.

What a beautifully written novel. Carol Radziwell is a novelist not just another pop star for a hot moment. If you know her at all, Claire could look like Carol. But Carol wrote a novel and I cannot wait to read more. What Remains was excellent and full of real pain but also a stunningly written true story and sad as he'll. this proves to the world how incredibly talented Ms Radziwell is. Fabulous. Here's to many more

VERY ENTERTAINING! I LOVE HOW THE CHARACTERS AND THE STORY WEAVED TOGETHER! MOVING THROUGH THE GRIEF OF BEING A WIDOW HAS BEEN A PROCESS FOR ME, THIS WAS A WELCOME RESPITE…… SO WITTY! I HAVE STARTED SEARCHING FOR A LOCAL GRIOT!

Ms. Radziwill writes very much like I perceive her personality, from the brief glance I get from her show. She doesn't let you get to deep. I just read her first book a couple of weeks ago. I assumed or maybe hoped that she didn't delve to deep in the "characters" for a semblance of privacy. Especially for those not here to speak for themselves. God rest their souls. This doesn't necessarily translate well to fiction. You have to go deeper in order for the reader to get a vested interest in the character. Yes, as the author, she should be aware her characters have random thoughts and daydreams. But that doesn't mean every one should be put down on paper. That being said there is something about her writing that I like. Just dig a little deeper.

So, really, a book by a 'Housewife'?
Although I am cool enough to admit I watch 'The Countess' (for her impeccable instructions on class ....my friend) - I'm not cool enough to admit reading a novel by a NY Housewife.
Plus Radziwell annoyed me on the show. She was too cool...and willowy and literate....She was not funny or trashy, so why was she on that show, for goodness sakes!
What the heck. She wrote a book. I'll read the book.
And I just finished. It is brilliant. Uniquely and glowingly brilliant. Written with a smooth and knowing hand and speaking to the reader in an engagingly intimate manner.
This book is cool. Radziwell is immaculately cool. If you enjoy really rather amazing writing and like the feeling of being a charter reader of a classic work, do read this book. It is really achingly gentle, fragile....
God I hope she doesn't go back on that show. I think it would break my heart.

To begin? I'm her biggest fan, after reading What Remains -- a brilliant, compelling recounting of her extraordinary life and friendships. I so, so, so wanted to LOVE this book.

Yawn.

For all of her arguing on RHONYC about being a journalist, writer, yadda-yadda? This was not a good showcase of her talent. I was bored and felt the writing was so-so, not at all like the amazing first book I loved so well.

Love the person/Meh the book.

I really wanted and expected to like this book as I find Carole Radziwill an intelligent, engaging person on RHONYC. However, I had to force myself to finish it. It lacked a plot and the characters were completely one-dimensional. The dialogue was painful and the constant high-brow cultural references were contrived and unnecessary.
I felt like the writing was almost like that of a student that has been told to include more description. For example, "He smiled and women on other continents became heavy with child". Oh seriously, come on?!?!
I think if Carole wants to truly have a go at fiction, she should steer clear of rehashing her own life story. Having said that I hear her memoirs are great.

I adored Radziwill's first book, "What Remains", which is a masterfully written memoir about love, friendship and loss. "Widow's Guide" is another great read, its a funny and wildly entertaining NYC based novel about sex, acceptance and moving on. I highly recommend this book, its great fun.

I read Carole Radziwell's memoir What Remains when it first came out and loved it. It is like a love letter to those she loved and lost. So, after watching her on Real Housewives and talking about writing this book I was looking forward to reading it. I have mixed feelings.

First of all, the title isn't ideal in my opinion. I guess it's cute, but it's not the kind of book I feel comfortable reading in front of my child or bringing to work to read on my break. Additionally, people might think it's a real self help book. So Radziwell lost out on my carrying this book around with this title.

Overall I liked reading this book. I liked the author's writing style though her overuse of commas, eventually, bothered me. I do like her flow though. I wasn't a big fan of the main character Claire; the more I got to know her, the less I liked her. She seemed shallow; maybe because we hardly moved past her sex life. The book started well, hit a lull that I wasn't a big fan of around 3/4 though, and finished well in my opinion. I really liked the last chapter or two. There was a lot of name dropping and the author made a strong argument for her intelligence with all the literary references.

This book is pretty light and fluffy, an easy read. Not sure that I'd recommend it to many people I know though; I'm more likely to suggest her memoir. Despite this, I'd be open to reading more of the author's future writings.

Claire Byrne is married to Charlie, a reknowned sexologist, author of many books on the subject. One day, he is killed by a huge statue falling from a crane on Fifth Avenue in New York. Claire finds herself a widow in her 30s and completely lost as to what to do next.
She goes to two different therapists, visits psychics and even follows a griot, a storyteller who travels the city sharing stories about famous New York City dwellers, to try and find her way to a new life. Then she meets Jack Huxley, the notoriously heterosexual movie star whom every woman wants, and has some sort of relationship with him.
Throughout the novel, Claire shares the rules she is learning about sex and dating for widows, like
Rule #34- "Never discourage anyone who continues to make progress, no matter how slow" (Plato)
Rule #29- A boy says, "Have a good trip", a man says "Call me when you land."

I loved Carole's emotional and moving memoir What Remains, about losing her young husband to cancer and her two best friends, John F. Kennedy and his wife Carolyn in a plane crash. It is a brilliant book, and so I was interested to see what her fiction would be like.
This is definitely a book for anyone who loves to immerse themselves in the wealthy NYC culture; those who religiously watch The Real Housewives of New York City will love it (and Radziwill is a cast member of that show).
Claire is an interesting character, a little snarky, and her journey through widowhood (the depression, the setups with widowers forty years older) rings true. She is trying to find her place after being in the shadow of her famous husband, what her friend describes as "Charlie's Sundance to Claire's Butch Cassidy. "He cheats at poker and shoots up the room" Sasha liked to say, "while she collects the money and tidies up." That is a fantastic description of their marriage.
The best part of the book are the Jack Huxley sections. Huxley clearly is meant to be George Clooney, and Radziwill dated Clooney years ago, which makes this novel all the more delicious. I'm not sure Clooney will be thrilled though.
Fans of Gigi Levangie's books (The Starter Wife) will like this one; there is the same mix of humor and poignancy.

Honestly, I bought this book and another by her, because she was on "Real Housewives". But I enjoyed them both anyway. I would recommend this one and her other:"What Remains". The seller was prompt with delivery through standard mail and I had no problems with them either. I would recommend them to anyone.

Claire Byrne is married to Charlie, a reknowned sexologist, author of many books on the subject. One day, he is killed by a huge statue falling from a crane on Fifth Avenue in New York. Claire finds herself a widow in her 30s and completely lost as to what to do next.
She goes to two different therapists, visits psychics and even follows a griot, a storyteller who travels the city sharing stories about famous New York City dwellers, to try and find her way to a new life. Then she meets Jack Huxley, the notoriously heterosexual movie star whom every woman wants, and has some sort of relationship with him.
Throughout the novel, Claire shares the rules she is learning about sex and dating for widows, like
Rule #34- "Never discourage anyone who continues to make progress, no matter how slow" (Plato)
Rule #29- A boy says, "Have a good trip", a man says "Call me when you land."

I loved Carole's emotional and moving memoir What Remains, about losing her young husband to cancer and her two best friends, John F. Kennedy and his wife Carolyn in a plane crash. It is a brilliant book, and so I was interested to see what her fiction would be like.
This is definitely a book for anyone who loves to immerse themselves in the wealthy NYC culture; those who religiously watch The Real Housewives of New York City will love it (and Radziwill is a cast member of that show).
Claire is an interesting character, a little snarky, and her journey through widowhood (the depression, the setups with widowers forty years older) rings true. She is trying to find her place after being in the shadow of her famous husband, what her friend describes as "Charlie's Sundance to Claire's Butch Cassidy. "He cheats at poker and shoots up the room" Sasha liked to say, "while she collects the money and tidies up." That is a fantastic description of their marriage.
The best part of the book are the Jack Huxley sections. Huxley clearly is meant to be George Clooney, and Radziwill dated Clooney years ago, which makes this novel all the more delicious. I'm not sure Clooney will be thrilled though.
Fans of Gigi Levangie's books (The Starter Wife) will like this one; there is the same mix of humor and poignancy.

Honestly, I bought this book and another by her, because she was on "Real Housewives". But I enjoyed them both anyway. I would recommend this one and her other:"What Remains". The seller was prompt with delivery through standard mail and I had no problems with them either. I would recommend them to anyone.

Reading this book proved my belief that Carole Radziwell is the most intelleligent housewife on RHONY. I read her first book, and this was nothing like it. Radziwell is a gifted writer and the premise of the novel is great. I would gave given it 5 stars had it not been a little boring at times. But people should remember that this is the author's first fiction book; she can only get better. It's a great read, unless you are a prude.

Great book and you can tell which things are fake and which experiences she actually had. Great, light read perfect for the beach. Unlike her last book this is a work of fiction. Even if fiction is not your cup of tea this one is wonderfully written and very entertaining.

Love this book! It's funny, not stupid-funny, but intellegent ans a bit sarcastic. I would love to know if it was translated to Russian language yet. My friends would love to read it, but they do not speak English.

Although this is obviously a lighter window into the lives of widows and loss than her memoir, this book clearly has the voice of Radziwill that viewers and readers of her books and blogs have come to love. Radziwill has such a unique and funny way of stringing words together that directly hit the nail on the head. And whether or not you agree or do not agree with what she is saying, there is no mistake in the fact that the perspectives she shows come from a real place…whether it be herself, or a friend or some other experience or learned event.

I was concurrently (but slightly behind) reading the memoir "What Remains…" that she wrote and have not finished that book yet. She also is my favorite character on the RHONY because she is one of the few ones with real substance. Based on some of the articles/blogs she has written and the things she has shared it seems that many of the experiences shared in "The Widow's Guide…" are based on her own real experiences these past fifteen years since her husband died. I think there are aspects of Claire that are similar to her own story, but also I think she made the marriage between Claire and her husband more complicated in a way that more readers could relate to the story. Claire gave up her own aspirations for her husband which is directly contrary to Radziwill's background. Though not every spouse gives up their career for their partner, many couples do make sacrifices for their family and often at the demise of something individually important. I think her idea of making the story a little more universal to other widows was a smart move and also gives opportunity for funnier and more over-the-top moments. She definitely touches upon all the issues that any widow might have to face after their partner has suddenly died.

Some readers complained that the character development was flawed and I can see why that might be an issue. Looking back, though, Radziwill has a unique way of drawing a picture of what a person might look like and how they are and because Claire is not a verbose person, you don't get a sense of her character that much through her dialogue. You do get a sense of the other character's often through her thoughts and their more colorful actions. Lastly I noticed that everyone had a crush on someone else at some point before the story started (so one character might have had a crush on another introduced character when they were in high school) and that many of the characters are compared to celebrities. I thought it was funny because a lot of people I know often secretly tell you that they had a crush on that person or that but it's not something you usually openly talk about so it was funny that she has that in the book. Also I think she might have a little thing with celebrities even though she's surrounded by them.

Radziwill wrote another good book by my standards. Her humor is very wry and I sometimes had to read it twice to get the joke. Her story of Charlie is certainly original and his involvement in her second life rings true.

I was just starting to feel that it was overwritten when it ended.

Having read Radziwill's memoir What Remains, I thought I'd pick this book up for some light vacation reading. I could barely get through the first chapters. It seems Radziwill is out of her element with fiction writing. It does not hold up to the traditional "chick lit" model and how hard is that really? It's crass at times and really not at all interesting. Pass, unless you check it out from the library and can take it back ~ nothing ventured nothing gained.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, thought it would be just another hastily rushed out book with a cute cover (the cover is very cute!) -- but it was really smart, well-paced, and had the most interesting cast of characters. There are so many fun cultural references placed throughout. Some people will get them, some won't. It feels like Radziwill had great fun writing it, I hope she's working on another.

Why did the publisher allow the author to "tell" the story? Who is the narrator? I guess editors don't edit anymore. By choosing the omniscient point of view-- so out of date--the author keeps the reader at a distance. You can live in all the characters' minds' all at the same time, like Goldilocks And The Three Bears. I loved the author's memoir. Also listened to her read the audio book which broke my heart. In the audio version of this novel, the author reads and shouldn't have. Not good. I'd have loved this novel if the author had written the story in the first person from Claire's point of view, or at least in intimate 3rd limited. I don't like the author to "tell" me the story. I want to live the story as a reader, or a listener. Once Upon A Time I loved as a kid. Not now. Show please, don't tell. Dang.I so looked forward to this novel. Nonfiction writers can't always write fiction. They need to study and master fiction writing skills.