After This

By: Claire Bidwell Smith

Narrated by: Claire Bidwell Smith

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Claire Bidwell Smith follows The Rules of Inheritance with After This - an exploration of the afterlife that is part personal and part prescriptive, an invitation on a journey into the unknown.

In her therapy practice specializing in grief, Smith confronts the quandary of what happens next. In a dynamic five-part structure, she answers the unanswerable questions - will I ever see my parents again? Can my parents see me now, even though they are gone? Will I remain connected to my own daughters when I die? - for herself and for all of us. Chronicling our steps along the path that bridges this world and the next, she undergoes past-life regressions and sessions with mediums and psychics and immerses herself in the ceremonies of organized religion and the rigors of scientific experimentation.

After This is unique in the power of the personal that underlies the audiobook's message: What we believe about what happens next affects everything about how we live - and love - right now.

©2015 Claire Bidwell Smith (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Healing, awe inspiring, riveting, LOVED IT!

Where does After This rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 2 or 3

What other book might you compare After This to and why?

It's a Wonderful Afterlife by Richard Martini

Have you listened to any of Claire Bidwell Smith’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

After this... love

Any additional comments?

The emotional impact of this book soaked deep into my being. I have suffered multiple losses in my life and have sought out some of the same experiences as Clair (I took the same workshop on death and dying with David and Nan as just one example). Her experiences, and the realizations she expresses, were very reaffirming to some I have had. In other ways I imagine she has gone far beyond what many of us will in this lifetime. Being a former scientist and now an adjunct college instructor, I also greatly appreciated her critical eye and "I need real proof" manner of engaging with the parties that claim to have abilities most of us don't with respect to these non-material communications. Her ability to weave all her material into the story she shares is masterful and inspired. I honestly found myself thinking that it was such a masterpiece, and could help so many others, that she might even be channeling a form of the goddess if there is such a thing, bringing a (magical?) healing and tangible love to those in the pain of loss in a way that only a divine mother might be able to. Not that she personally would necessarily be aware of this, just saying...

I listened to the book as an audio file, and kept wondering how she found a narrator as capable and authentic sounding as she did, in fact I thought it was almost a crime that someone could read such material so movingly having not experienced it for themself. Obviously I did not read ahead of time that she is also the narrator, but it was very poignant for me at the end of the audiobook when she states that. She must have had to do multiple takes to be able to deliver such a professional sounding naration, and not break down weeping repeatedly recounting so much deeply personal and heart wrenching parts of her life.

I can honestly say that the effect this book had on me was close to hypnotic, and at a few places I found myself feeling washed by waves of love/energy to such an extent that I suspected something mystical and transformational (alchemical?) is being offered to those of us who are willing to accept such a gift while still physical, and I do not say that lightly. I was in a state of awe. If you decide to experience this book I suggest you listen to it, and now at least you have a hint of what may be in store for you. Possibly one of the best books (and I have read or listened to many in this genre!) I have ever had the great fortune to come across.

Oh, and I told my young sons that if something takes me out of this world before they are grown men, this is the book I want them to read/listen to to best understand the tentative conclusions I have come to from a lifetime of exploring the subject of what lies beyond here. The love shinning in her voice and words transcends boundaries and speaks tenderly & authentically to the heart and lucidly to the mind. Timeless.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

enjoyable, relatable, and well written.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It was suggested for me, and for some reason I hesitated to purchase/download, however I really liked it! I think it's the sort of book that can speak to many different people, for different reasons.
Narration was good. I didnt realize until the very end that it was actually read by the author. Overall, a very good listen. Much thanks & well wishes to the author!

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Good story, author should have hired someone to narrate

I happen to have like this book very much. It's about her experiences, her life, and all about her. A book, being about the authors experiences and solely her experiences, you would think that she would speak more enthusiastically or with more emotion. I would gladly listen to this book over again, if I was able to listen to it narrated by someone else who is more enthusiastically into it

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

I discovered this story (or maybe it discovered me) at a time when I most needed uplifting from the recent loss of my father. It's the kind of book that you find yourself wanting to listen to again and again.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Beautiful and Warmly Exposed

This was such a heart warm explanation of life when we lose a love one. I loved how she wrote to her daughters at the end of each chapter. I could identify with a lot of her emotions and the struggles she had in understanding and wanting to communicate with her mom. It was a very interesting path that she is following. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that lost a love one.

Great book.

Claire does a great job taking us on her journey to find out what happens After This Life.

What I'm doing to help my grief

Was interesting and comforting. puts death and loss in perspective. Recommend book to help understand love and being interconnected.

Amazingly helpful book for survivors

My wife passed away two years ago. Like Claire describes in this book, that was a defining moment I have been working to integrate into a new life. I have been on my own briefer spiritual journey exploring things I never knew about before: Yoga, meditation, Reiki, etc. Claire's journey far surpasses mine. I found it incredibly comforting to hear her conclusions from that much deeper journey. I would highly recommend this to survivors that are still searching for answers. This book will probably help you.

Be weary. Misleading title.

I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. The title was misleading. It's more a story of her everyday life and relationship with family instead of delving into the world of afterlife. She never came to any definite conclusions. The constant letters to her children were dull and irrelevant. The worst part was her very MONOTONE reading. I mostly listen to my books in the car. I had to try not to fall asleep. Someone else with a personality should've read for her. I do not recommend this book!

Sometimes, when we change the way we look at things...

The things we look at change.
After reading this book, I wrote that message inside the cover of the copy I gave to my Sister-in-law who had recently lost a child and was questioning a lot of things, including her faith. I also wrote that maybe it could help her make sense of the senseless. I’m not a religious person and I appreciated the authors unbiased and skeptical approach to her experiences and also to how she wrote this book. Having dealt with more than my fair share of great losses in the past year and a half, this book gave me some peace of mind. Now I am listening to it again and I am appreciating it just as much the second time around if not more.