After Annie

A Novel

By: Anna Quindlen

Narrated by: Gilli Messer

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Part of Quindlen’s gift is that you don’t just read about these characters, you inhabit them. . . . Luminous with life, hope and the power of love.”—People (A Book of the Week Pick)

“[A] quietly revelatory and gently gleaming gem of a book.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

Anna Quindlen’s trademark wisdom on family, friendship, and the ties that bind us are at the center of this novel about the power of love to transcend loss and triumph over adversity, by the author of Still Life with Bread Crumbs and One True Thing.

When Annie Brown dies suddenly, her husband, her children, and her closest friend are left to find a way forward without the woman who has been the lynchpin of all their lives. Bill is overwhelmed without his beloved wife, and Annemarie wrestles with the bad habits her best friend had helped her overcome. And Ali, the eldest of Annie’s children, has to grow up overnight, to care for her younger brothers and even her father and to puzzle out for herself many of the mysteries of adult life.

Over the course of the next year what saves them all is Annie, ever-present in their minds, loving but not sentimental, caring but nobody’s fool, a voice in their heads that is funny and sharp and remarkably clear. The power she has given to those who loved her is the power to go on without her. The lesson they learn is that no one beloved is ever truly gone.

Written in Quindlen’s emotionally resonant voice and with her deep and generous understanding of people, After Annie is about hope, and about the unexpected power of adversity to change us in profound and indelible ways.

©2024 Anna Quindlen (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“After Annie is Anna Quindlen’s new wise and heartfelt novel of connection, of loss and love and the power of both. It celebrates the friends and family we have, mourns our great and small losses, and helps us find the unexpected light in the dark places we all have.”—Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss

“The characters in After Annie are flawed, just as each of us is flawed, and as they fumble through their grief, as they make mistakes, their lives feel so authentically lived in that I’d swear I’ve known them my whole life. And how I rooted for them! In Quindlen’s hands, a story about the greatest of losses becomes a story of abiding hope above all. I predict this will be one of the best novels of the year.”—Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

“A new Anna Quindlen novel is always cause for celebration. After Annie might just be my favorite one yet. It’s a beautiful and deeply moving story about love, loss, friendship, marriage, family, and community from one of our wisest chroniclers of modern life. I treasured every page.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Friends and Strangers

The fact that it approached grief in such a real way

Anna Quinlan does it again- an engrossing family drama, with plenty of room for hope.

I don’t know if I could finish it

Although written well, this book is very depressing. I feel drawn to listening to it but I feel like I can’t finish it if that makes sense. I have over two hours left. I may put it down and come back to it but as for now it is definitely not one of my top favorite listens. The narrator is pretty good though. 

Just lovely

Touching without being cloying. Anna does it again, quietly. This is a very satisfying read. Hoping for more from Anna.

A bit of a yawn…

I’m a Big, Quinlan fan, but this book is one of her weakest. I finished the book, but never really engaged with any of the characters. The premise of the book is good, but the follow through isn’t there.

Tender and real

The journey Bill made and how he managed his grief as a result of the counseling.

Everything that happens is on the first page

I kept waiting for something to happen. Mom dies, kids, husband, best friend are sad. The end.

Helpful If You're Grieving

(A study in grieving after a mother’s death.) Beautifully written but a very depressing story.

Thought provoking

This was not my usual type of read. It was very thought provoking and not something that is always a good time to read. It deals with some topics that can hit very close to home for some. Anne wrote this in a way that was very respectful and helped to skim the surface of some hard to talk about and or understand. Losing a mom when you are only in middle school is very hard. And reading from that one viewpoint was very interesting. I loved that she wrote the book through three very different viewpoints, oldest child(daughter Ali), husband Bill and best friend Annmarie. Each has their own unique relationships with Annie and how they handle her death and how the three of them interacted with each other. I definitely recommend this a must read when you are in the mood for it. A great read!

A Greiving Family

I really enjoy Anna Quindlen's writing, and this book is a perfect example of her plain speak style that gets across very layered and complex emotions. This is super sad, but the ending tries to spread hope.

Another great AQ fiction

The narrator did a superb reading of this simple but deeply heartfelt book. I have been a fan of AnnaQuindlen since her Newsweek articles and always enjoyed the clear insight whether regarding the news or human nature.