A Widow's Story

A Memoir

By: Joyce Carol Oates

Narrated by: Ellen Parker

Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

In a work unlike anything she's written before, National Book Award-winner Joyce Carol Oates unveils a poignant, intimate memoir about the unexpected death of her husband of 46 years and its wrenching, surprising aftermath.

"My husband died, my life collapsed." On a February morning in 2008, Joyce Carol Oates drove her ailing husband, Raymond Smith, to the emergency room of the Princeton Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. Both Joyce and Ray expected him to be released in a day or two. But in less than a week, even as Joyce was preparing for his discharge, Ray died from a virulent hospital-acquired infection, and Joyce was suddenly faced - totally unprepared - with the stunning reality of widowhood.

A Widow's Story illuminates one woman's struggle to comprehend a life without the partnership that had sustained and defined her for nearly half a century. As never before, Joyce Carol Oates shares the derangement of denial, the anguish of loss, the disorientation of the survivor amid a nightmare of "death-duties", and the solace of friendship. She writes unflinchingly of the experience of grief - the almost unbearable suspense of the hospital vigil, the treacherous "pools" of memory that surround us, the vocabulary of illness, the absurdities of commercialized forms of mourning. Here is a frank acknowledgment of the widow's desperation, only gradually yielding to the recognition that "this is my life now."

Enlivened by the piercing vision, acute perception, and mordant humor that are the hallmarks of the work of Joyce Carol Oates, this moving tale of life and death, love and grief, offers a candid, never-before-glimpsed view of the acclaimed author and fiercely private woman.

©2011 The Ontario Review, Inc. (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Not worth a credit

Being a recent widow I wanted to see if there were pearls of wisdom. What I got was a who's who of her friends and her jet set lifestyle. It felt very pretentious and tended to be just her whining about insomnia. Really disappointing

Mixed feelings . . .

While I enjoyed the storytelling (Ellen Parker did a magnificent job narrating) I was a bit unsettled listening to this story. The similarity of Oates story to Didion's memoir about the loss of her husband of 40 years seems more than coincidental to me. Oates is so critical of everyone around her that I had trouble caring about her terrible loss. Ms. Oates 'name drops' so often it's almost painful.

Oates is an incredible story teller, her use of language is like poetry. Listen to this book for her classic storytelling style more than the content. The content left me cold.

Wonderful Narration

Where does A Widow's Story rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Possibly the best for narration -- at least in the top 3. Overall, the book itself, however, was a great disappointment. I don't think I'd have finished it had the narration not been so so good.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Disappointment

Which scene was your favorite?

If you're looking for inspiration look elsewhere

But if you want to follow a realistic journey into and almost through a heartbreaking tragedy then read on., for it is a reassuring story in one sense only, that survival is possible.

Realistic!

I lost my own husband almost 9 months ago and I found this book to be the most reflective of my own experience that I ever read. The pain was intense, the confusion and inability to function were true and the insights were spot on. Since my husband and I had lived in Montana for the first three years of our marriage ever so far away from our home in Massachusetts, I greatly appreciated her observation of the intense bond that happens between two people when they live so far away from home and what an impact that makes on the rest of their lives.

Depression that dragged.

I understand this was about a very sad, life changing experience, but with nearly half the book completed, I still found it depressing and dragging. I was so down after listening each morning on my way to work that I finally had to stop mid book, and move to another more upbeat topic. I hope in the end, she finds ways to be happy again but I won't finish the book to find out.

Shocking and brutally true

I was so disturbed by this haunting story of a woman suddenly left alone that I could not put it down and then could not sleep at the horror of the prospect of losing someone that you love.
Beautifully written, a book that is life changing.

A stunning portrayal

I am a Joyce Carol Oates fan. This book tells her own story of being widowed, the shock and grief, the acknowledgment, the beginning of moving on. It described their marriage which I found fascinating - deeply satisfying while reserved in a way. I found it deeply moving. So often grief is underplayed. This account is touching in its truth.

Did the second half have an editor?

I give Part One five stars - it was as emotional, as riveting as some of Oates' best fiction. And my heart ached for her because of what she was experiencing.

Yet Part Two deserves only three stars. Besides being full of redundancies, Oates' stream-of-consciousness writing - along with her attempts to share every positive aspect of her husband's life, along with her every suicidal fantasy - gave the last half a whining quality. Though I was glad to see she'd found a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel at story's end, I was also relieved to have reached the end of book.

Narrator was superb! Five stars for Ellen Parker!

Very in depth experience of grief

Where does A Widow's Story rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in the top 10 of all time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Joyce Carol Oates- the author

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me very sad but hopeful.