Giveaway Q&A Review THE WIDOW WALTZ by SALLY KOSLOW @PlumeBooks @sallykoslow

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2014

Georgia Waltz has things many people only dream of: a plush Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park, a Hamptons beach house, valuable jewels and art, two bright daughters, and a husband she adores, even after decades of marriage. It’s only when Ben suddenly drops dead from a massive coronary while training for the New York City Marathon that Georgia discovers her husband—a successful lawyer—has left them nearly penniless. Their wonderland was built on lies.



As the family attorney scours emptied bank accounts, Georgia must not only look for a way to support her family, she needs to face the revelation that Ben was not the perfect husband he appeared to be, just as her daughters—now ensconced back at home with secrets of their own—have to accept that they may not be returning to their lives in Paris and at Stanford subsidized by the Bank of Mom and Dad. As she uncovers hidden resilience, Georgia’s sudden midlife shift forces her to consider who she is and what she truly values. That Georgia may also find new love in the land of Spanx and stretch marks surprises everyone—most of all, her.



Sally Koslow’s fourth novel is deftly told through the alternating viewpoints of her remarkable female protagonists as they plumb for the grit required to reinvent their lives. Inspiring, funny, and deeply satisfying, The Widow Waltz explores in a profound way the bonds between mothers and daughters, belligerent siblings, skittish lovers, and bitter rivals as they discover the power of forgiveness, and healing, all while asking, “What is family, really?”

Biography
Sally Koslow is the author of THE WIDOW WALTZ, her recently released fourth novel, which Library Journal recently called "page-turning" and "well-written," and SLOUCHING TOWARD ADULTHOOD: How To Let Go So Your Kids Can Grow Up, now available in paperback, which has been optioned by NBC for sitcom development.

Sally's second novel, THE LATE, LAMENTED MOLLY MARX, became a besteller in Germany (ICH, MOLLY MARX, KURZLICH VERSTORBEN) as well as a Book Pick by Target, who selected her third novel, WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, as an Emerging Writer Book. Her debut novel, LITTLE PINK SLIPS, was inspired by her long career as the editor-in-chief of iconic McCalls Magazine, which was taken over by Rosie O'Donnell. Her books have been published in a dozen countries. Most are available on Kindle as well as in audiobook form.

Sally often writes essays and articles for magazine including More, O, the Oprah Magazine; Real Simple; Ladies Home Journal; Good Housekeeping and Reader's Digest as well as websites including the Huffington Post, Next, and Grandpaents.com. She teaches creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College's Writing Institute, helps to facilitate writing pitch conferences with New York Writers Workshop and works independently to help aspiring writers polish their manuscripts and book proposals.

To arrange a book club visit, inquire about independent writing coaching online or in person, or just to say hello, please contact Sally via her website: www.sallykoslow.com, on Twitter: @sallykoslow or her Facebook Author Page, which she hopes you'll "like."

Webiste * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads 

PLEASE WELCOME SALLY TO BOOKHOUNDS 

1. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

 We had piles of Little Golden Books that I gobbled up as I learned to read in first grade. They were a great escape from the Dick and Jane series. My older brother is Dick and I have a younger sister, Betsy; it was a source of humiliation that I had the name of the baby. The shame. My favorite grade school book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a gift from my well-read grandmother that began a love affair with English novels.



2. What are you reading right now? 

Three novels: The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner, for a newly-formed book club of Manhattan writers; Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, for my book club with former magazine colleagues, and Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman.

3. How does your garden grow? 

Weeds, sadly, along with some extremely determined hostas plants and hydrangeas and rhododendrons too stubborn to flower.

4. What is the last thing you Googled? 

The spelling of “hostas”

5. What makes you cringe? 

My own writing mistakes. Yesterday, I was proud of a piece I published in TheAtlantic.com until a reader pointed out that I’d spelled “reins” as “reigns.”

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER 

MY THOUGHTS LOVED IT

Georgia thinks her marriage is in pretty good shape.  Her husband, Ben, is a successful lawyer and they have a lovely apartment in New York City, a county house as well as a Hampton beach house.  She quit working as a high school English teacher soon after they adopted an adorable little girl from Korea named Nicola. Soon after, Georgia discovers she is pregnant with another daughter, Louisa.  Raising the girls, volunteering and a bit of gardening have become a way of life for Georgia. She thinks she has the perfect life until her husband drops dead from a heart attack while our for a run.  When the estate lawyer tells her she is broke and that Ben has mortgaged everything, she gathers her girls around her and starts to dig her way out of the mess.  Her pampered girls rally to her side and start to give up their selfish ways.  

Even though Georgia is devastated that her husband could have left her in such dire straights, she knows she must act and she starts selling off anything not nailed down to avoid bankruptcy.  She also unravels a mysterious life that her husband was leading and it is nothing that she could ever having possibly imaged.  Nicola, her eldest, has never quite fit in with the social set her sister runs in, so she has traveled the world in search of herself.  Louisa, has dropped out of Stanford after hooking up a successful DJ one night, only to turn up pregnant.  All of this drama is dumped on Georgia. who seems to stoically sort through the messes while reconnecting with her lost girls.  At the same time, her daughters encourage her to start her own business sorting out rich kids and their college essays.

I know most women have thought about their husbands dying, either peacefully in their sleep or some other messy form, but if it actually happened to them, they would still be devastated.  This is the case for Georgia, she had no inkling there was anything wrong in her marriage and that the money situation was all taken care of.  She tells her girls, she saw the investment portfolio but later admits that it was years prior and then she stopped paying attention.  Ladies: Pay Attention! She also meets a man that ultimately brings her happiness, even though he is the exact opposite of what Ben was in the looks department.   I got the biggest kick out of her brother, Stephan and his partner Daniel, who pulled her through her darkest times.  *Minor Spoiler Alert:  There is one devastating moment for Georgia when she meets the "other woman" and when all the fact start to overwhelm her, she discovers a strength that allows her to move on.  A true BRAVO moment for me.  Overall, a quick and easy read that is the definition of "beachy".





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REVIEW: With Friends Like These by Sally Koslow

Description

Have you ever been a less than perfect friend? To whom does your first loyalty belong—your best friend or your husband? With her trademark wit and empathy, Sally Koslow explores the entangled lives of women in this candid, fast-paced novel.

Quincy, Talia, Chloe, and Jules met in the early nineties after answering a roommate ad for a Manhattan apartment. Despite having little in common, the women became fast friends. A decade later, their lives have diverged, though their ties remain strong.

Quincy, a Midwestern introvert, is trying to overcome a set of tragedies by hunting for the perfect home; Talia, a high-energy Brooklyn wife and mom with an outspoken conscience, is growing resentful of her friends’ greater financial stability and her husband’s lack of ambition; timid Chloe, also a mother, is trying to deflect pressure from her husband, a hedge fund manager, to play the role of trophy wife; while Jules, a fiercely independent actress/entrepreneur with a wicked set of life rules, is confronting her forties alone.

 When Jules gives her new boyfriend the inside scoop on the real estate gem Quincy is lusting after, and Talia chases a lucrative job earmarked for Chloe, the women are forced to wrestle with the challenges of love and motherhood. Will their friendships and marriages survive? And at what price? Punchy yet tender, a high-five to sisterhood, this book will hit an emotional bull’s-eye for anyone who has had—or been—less than a perfect friend.
 

About the Author

Sally Koslow is the author of With Friends Like These, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx and Little Pink Slips. Her essays have been published in More, O: The Oprah Magazine, and The New York Observer, among other publications. She was the editor in chief of both McCall’s and Lifetime, was an editor at Mademoiselle and Woman’s Day, and teaches creative writing at the Writing Institute of Sarah Lawrence College. The mother of two sons, she lives in New York City with her husband.

Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (August 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345506227
• ISBN-13: 978-0345506221

SOURCE:  LIBRARY THING EARLY REVIEWER

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

I was frustrated by the characters in this book.  I thought that there was no way people treat each other that way, but with further examination, the actions are so little, yet develop into life changing consequences for each one, that it turns out it be realistic.  Four roommates become fast friends and try to retain their friendship even though they have all taken different paths and outgrown each other. Overall I have to say, that I really enjoyed the book. 

Waiting on Wednesday: With Friends Like These by Sally Koslow

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Product Description

Have you ever been a less than perfect friend? To whom does your first loyalty belong—your best friend or your husband? With her trademark wit and empathy, Sally Koslow explores the entangled lives of women in this candid, fast-paced novel.

Quincy, Talia, Chloe, and Jules met in the early nineties after answering a roommate ad for a Manhattan apartment. Despite having little in common, the women became fast friends. A decade later, their lives have diverged, though their ties remain strong.

Quincy, a Midwestern introvert, is trying to overcome a set of tragedies by hunting for the perfect home; Talia, a high-energy Brooklyn wife and mom with an outspoken conscience, is growing resentful of her friends’ greater financial stability and her husband’s lack of ambition; timid Chloe, also a mother, is trying to deflect pressure from her husband, a hedge fund manager, to play the role of trophy wife; while Jules, a fiercely independent actress/entrepreneur with a wicked set of life rules, is confronting her forties alone.

 When Jules gives her new boyfriend the inside scoop on the real estate gem Quincy is lusting after, and Talia chases a lucrative job earmarked for Chloe, the women are forced to wrestle with the challenges of love and motherhood. Will their friendships and marriages survive? And at what price? Punchy yet tender, a high-five to sisterhood, this book will hit an emotional bull’s-eye for anyone who has had—or been—less than a perfect friend.
 

About the Author

Sally Koslow is the author of With Friends Like These, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx and Little Pink Slips. Her essays have been published in More, O: The Oprah Magazine, and The New York Observer, among other publications. She was the editor in chief of both McCall’s and Lifetime, was an editor at Mademoiselle and Woman’s Day, and teaches creative writing at the Writing Institute of Sarah Lawrence College. The mother of two sons, she lives in New York City with her husband.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345506227
• ISBN-13: 978-0345506221