Widow To Widow: Thoughtful, Practical Ideas For Rebuilding Your Life

When my husband died about 10 years ago, I was doing my best and had no idea what I was really doing! Many said I needed a support group, but when I tried it, it almost set me back instead of forward. I went to Amazon books and read several excerpts from different authors...not new to me, in my opinion. Then I started reading the table of contents and index sections of the next books. I ordered three and look which one I found the most helpful. After reading it all the way through, I used it like a handbook. I think I have ordered more than 15 of these books and find myself giving them to other widows. It is the best self-help ever. I put it in my suitcase when I arranged for the whole family to go to the mountains in that first summer and didn't really think about it. Then one night when memories of other times in the mountains flooded my eyes, I remembered the Widow to Widow book in my suitcase, flipped it open to the index and found just the thing to pick myself up! I highly recommend the book and would like to thank Genevieve Davis Ginsburg for writing it. I always have at least one on my bookshelf, and there is also a Kindle copy on my phone!

I’ve give this book to several women friends that have lost their husband. Very practical advice and written with great compassion and wisdom.

I received an email that you refunded this which was not requested. Yet it is being mailed….. I’ve used this book many times thru the years for friends and suggest anyone who is a widow read it…. Best several months after loss. Makes one realize what you are experiencing is normal.

It’s very validating for me, and easy to read and relate to. Have recommended it to friends

After my husbands unexpected death, I found myself in a state of numbness, shock and disbelief. This book helped me to slowly realize how completely my life had changed as a result and gave me guidelines in moving forward. I have continued to read books on journeying through grief as the days pass, yet this was my first and a book which gives hope and encouragement.

I learned a lot from this book. I recently lost my husband and am still going through the grieving process.This book was spot on and touched on everything I'm going through and how a woman feels after the loss..

I originally read this book during my husband's very long illness. He had dementia, and after several months in the nursing home there was almost no interaction between us. He had stopped being able to interact with anyone, including the aides who feed him and kept him clean. I began to feel like a widow, so I went looking for books to help me deal with that. He has now died, and I reread it again, as a legal widow.This book is filled with excellent advice. It is an older book, and some of the advice probably won't apply to a younger widow who has led a different life from someone who was in her 70s 20 years ago. Some of it didn't apply to me. But so much of it was just plain practical that it is worth reading all of it just in case. And some things don't change. You can skip over what doesn't apply as I did, and still get a lot of value in what does apply.She deals with all of the emotional aspects of being a widow in addition to the practical advice. This includes what to do about money (basically wait until you are clear minded, and don't give it away out of guilt), whether you want to move and how to decide if that is what you want to do or need to do, how to make your first steps socially as a newly single person, and a reminder that creating a social life might not involve dating, or it might, and why you might choose either when the time comes.But basically she lets you know that you can make the choice to step into a life that is very different from the one you lost when you lost your husband, and it might even be a better life.

The suggestions in this book are reasonable but I found it to be too simplistic. It could be useful to some but I found that the information was not helpful to me. I didn't learn anything new.

When my husband died suddenly and unexpectedly, I desperately needed to find something that would help me to try and understand the unknown emotions, and, what I felt at the time, the completely irrational behaviour that I displayed.I wish I had read this book in the first few months after losing my husband. I read many other books all of which were informative and many were of great help, this one however, seemed more personal and more relative to me. If you are reading these reviews then I presume that you are in a similar situation to how I found myself or are trying to support a friend or family member at a most difficult time, I would highly recommend this book.This book, as others have quoted “told it like it is”, and put into words exactly how I felt. To read that someone else (and many others) had, and were still experiencing the same or similar feelings of total bewilderment as I was, made me feel reassured that I was not going out of my mind.This can be a long and lonely process as no one else can make the journey for you. It is, as I now know, different for everyone. But any help, advice and the level of understanding gained from reading other's experiences can help give you encouragement to know that you can survive it.

Our friend lost her husband earlier in the year after a long and arduous battle with cancer. I could see that she was really struggling with her grief and couldn't manage her feelings of guilt, sadness and anger after her loss. She has no other family to give her reassurance and comfort so I tried to find ways of helping her to feel less lost. I bought her several funny DVDs to watch an lift her spirits and eventually came across this book. I wasn't sure how it would be received but she was over the moon with it. She has read and re-read the parts that spoke to her and I think felt that it was a companion. It was the missing piece and really helped advise her, where I wasn't able too. A great book for anybody feeling lost after losing a loved one.

...and I have read several books for widows. This is superficial and does not begin to approach the truly deep feelings of the soul. I was a bit put off by what seems to be recommending distracting oneself rather than accepting all the feelings and experiences. But what I dislike the most is how this book assumes its widowed readers have money (but probably have not ever learned how to manage finances) are able to "go out to lunch or dinner once a week with friends", own a home (which may now be too big for them) have "many options" of how and where to live, are able to travel (and just need to decide if to go solo or with others) and other assumptions which reveal the ideology that widows are mostly white middle class (or above) Americans.I am a teacher, avid reader, and I write so I hold huge respect for books - usually, if I do not like a book, I pass it along to others or donate it to the free library. However, this book was the first book I have ever felt I could not set out there for others to read; I have actually tossed my copy in the bin.

I was widowed nine years ago, I wish I found this book way back then. I bought it now because I am now trained as a counsellor. I volunteer in a bereavement supporting organisation. I just started reading it today, the language used is so easy to understand. I would highly recomend it to other widows or widowers. Only those who have been bereaved and lost their loving partner, father of their children, best friend, confidant etc fully understands what it is like to try and cope with the loss of the person whom they thought they would spend so much longer with. I was 46 years old when I loss my husband suddenly. We were fortunate we had 30 years together and two wonderful daughters. I hope others find this book helpful.Wendy Stevenson

My beloved father passed away this year, and this is the only book that has provided solace to my mum. It is simple, gentle, compassionate and understanding. Most of all, it is practical, and encourages you to take grief at your own pace. I have benefited from it too. I would recommend this book above all others if you know someone whose partner has passed away.