Friday, February 22, 2013

ARE YOU LISTENING? SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....

GIVEAWAY ENDED
SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS
The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives 
BY BECKY AIKMAN

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:
Six marriages, six heartbreaks, one shared beginning. 
In her forties – a widow, too young, too modern to accept the role – Becky Aikman struggled to make sense of her place in an altered world.  In this transcendent and infectiously wise memoir, she explores surprising new discoveries about how people experience grief and transcend loss and, following her own remarriage, forms a group with five other young widows to test these unconventional ideas.  Together, these friends summon the humor, resilience, and striving spirit essential for anyone overcoming adversity.
 
Meet the Saturday Night Widows: ringleader Becky, an unsentimental journalist who lost her husband to cancer; Tara, a polished mother of two, whose husband died in the throes of alcoholism after she filed for divorce; Denise, a widow of just five months, now struggling to get by; Marcia, a hard-driving corporate lawyer; Dawn, an alluring self-made entrepreneur whose husband was killed in a sporting accident, leaving two small children behind; and Lesley, a housewife who returned home one day to find that her husband had committed suicide.
 
The women meet once a month, and over the course of a year, they strike out on ever more far-flung adventures, learning to live past the worst thing they thought could happen.  They share emotional peaks and valleys – dating, parenting, moving, finding meaningful work, and reinventing themselves – while turning traditional thinking about loss and recovery upside down.  Through it all runs the story of Aikman's own journey through grief and her love affair with a man who tempts her to marry again.  In a transporting story of what friends can achieve when they hold each other up, Saturday Night Widows is a rare book that will make you laugh, think, and remind yourself that despite the utter unpredictability and occasional tragedy of life, it is also precious, fragile, and often more joyous than we recognize. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A graduate of the School of Journalism at Columbia University, Becky Aikman was a writer and editor for Business Week and a reporter for Newsday.  She lives in New York City. 
PRAISE FOR SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS:
 “Their stories of loss are touching, and the wisdom they gain is a testament to the durability of the human spirit.” People

 “Often desperate, sometimes feisty, partly hilarious, and warm as a fleecy blanket, Saturday Night Widows is a surprisingly feel-good, girl-bonding, which-role-will-Meryl-Streep-play-in-the-movie kind of a book. And I loved it….It’s sad, it’s happy, and, in fact, once you start Saturday Night Widows, you won’t be able to part with it.” Terri Schlichenmeyer, Independent News

 “A spirited, insightful memoir about a group of young widows who gather together once a month to cheer each other on and have fun.” Shelf Awareness

“Engaging and entertaining but not maudlin, Aikman shows a side of life that many readers probably don't think about.  A compassionate narrative about how one group of friends helped each other thrive after the deaths of their spouses.”Kirkus Reviews

“It’s the spirit of a book that makes you love it.  And the spirit here, Becky Aikman’s spirit, is tough, honest, funny, smart, and generous to the world – all the equipment one needs when dealing with grief.  One would not wish to qualify for the widows’ club, but reading about it is heartening.”
Roger Rosenblatt, author of Kayak Morning and Making Toast

 “For anyone who has ever loved, lost, and relied on the companionship of women, Saturday Night Widows is a gem of a read that will affirm the power of friendship, new beginnings, and the ability of the human spirit to survive and thrive.  I cheered on each of these women as they faced their own darkest moments and looked to the power of sisterhood and shared experience to remake their futures.” Lee Woodruff, author of Those We Love Most and In an Instant
MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Becky Aikman’s memoir, SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS, is quite different from what one might expect. This is not a maudlin story about women in black sitting around consoling each other. Instead, it is one where a small group of widows meet once a month on a Saturday to celebrate life and share in friendship. When Aikman’s husband died of cancer following a long battle, Becky was in her 40s and found herself not quite fitting into the typical widow mold. She did seek some help and attended a support group but realized quickly this was not a path for her to take. Most of the group were older and seemed almost to enjoy each other’s shared pain. She read books by noted authorities but none of those seemed to fit. Being proactive, Becky took in all that the latest research showed and came up with a plan. She formed THE SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS group.

Becky found other widows who would be supportive of each other while learning to live again themselves. The women were varied in ages, from 39 to 57, from different backgrounds and careers, and made up of some mothers, professionals, and/or housewives. Together they spent these Saturdays learning from each other and exploring new things. There was no leader as they each had contributions to make. Whether it was a gourmet cooking class or an exciting trip as a group, these women slowly became whole again while having fun doing it.

SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS isn’t just the story of Becky’s dealing with the loss of her husband as well as learning to love again, but rather it is a courageously honest, dynamic memoir that details the discovery, confessions, and the adventures of these charming women. With the camaraderie in the group, each member is able to share their personal story through tears and laughter. They find themselves starting to see some hope as well as a whole lot of fun along the way. Thanks to the group, each member learns they can live a fulfilling life again, looking forward to many rewarding years ahead. Readers will share in all their emotions while enjoying a rather unique and well written narrative. 
 GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE GOOD PEOPLE
AT RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO BOOKS, I HAVE ONE
COPY OF THIS WONDERFUL AUDIO BOOK,
SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS,
TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY FOLLOWER
  
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN
 

ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY
 
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK 

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY 

  +1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY

 +1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY 
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
 6 PM, EST, MARCH 11
GOOD LUCK!
 

75 comments:

debbie said...

This sounds like a really good book. I had a different idea of what the book would be until I read your review. It sounds like the widows are learning to live life. I would enjoy this book.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I entered oodles of poodles.
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Steve Capell said...

Becky Aikman’s memoir, SATURDAY NIGHT WIDOWS sounds interesting. I think anyone that goes through divorce has a lot to work through. I've never went through a divorce, but have many close friends that have and I can see the gut wrenching pain that came about because of the ultimate separation. I think it takes close friends and faith in God for most people to start life over again. I am very interested in hearing this Memoir.

BTW - your Bingo Buddy looks great behind the wheel ... I think he's ready for Nascar circuit. Move over their a new dog in town!

steven.capell@gmail.com

traveler said...

A unique and interesting book from a different perspective. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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Margie said...

The premise of this book is very important--that friends can gather together and weather circumstances that they could not by themselves.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

petite said...

Your review captivated me. thanks. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

I am an e-mail subscriber. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

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Carol N Wong said...

I would love to win this audio book because I would really like to be in a similiar group of women, sharing the good and bad of life. I love the humor that you said it has. This must be a good one!

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I tweeted:

http://t.co/VAYhLvEOQh

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Carol N Wong said...

I entered the giveaway for
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Tina said...

Interesting subject, and I love audio books....this one sounds like a winner.
tbranco24@gmail.com

Tina said...

Entered giveaway for
Every Trick in the Book
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Tina said...

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Promise of stardust
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Entered giveaway for
Out of circulation
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Tina said...

Email subscriber
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Google reader follower
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Linda Kish said...

This book sounds terrific. Happy and sad, women coming back after such a devastating time in their lives with the support of other women. It shows the value of friends. Sounds great to me.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I am an email subscriber

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Pamela Keener said...

Being widowed at 45 ten days after my roommate from college lost her husband we were able to commiserate
and learn ouur new normal. I would be interested to listen to this story too.
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Alysia said...

I have read a few things about this book and I am interested in books about women coming together to help one another.

littlepocketbooks at gmail dot com

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Misusedinnocence said...

I love the idea of hearing how all of these women with their very different life experiences, have all been woven into the same tapestry. I'm very interested in seeing the character development. This sounds wonderful.

misusedinnocence@aol.com

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I entered The Promise of Star Dust.

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Sue Farrell said...

I lost a husband at a very young age and wish I would have had some other young widows to share it with so I think I'd enjoy listening to this book.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am an email subscriber.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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