Category Archives: Reviews

Literary Hub Review – Books You Should Read This July

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Jonathan

  “The short description of The Widower’s Notebook would be The Year of Magical Thinking from a male perspective. Both books are moving testimonials to grieving for a spouse who died suddenly, but Santofer’s book is not a mere copy of Didion’s. As Santlofer found Read more…

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Publisher’s Weekly Reviews – The Widower’s Notebook

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Jonathan

Writer and artist Santlofer (The Death Artist), has produced a quiet stunner of a memoir about the rocky shoals of the widower’s life. The book’s opening scene, in which his wife, Joy, dies suddenly following an operation, is strobed with cinematic verve: “I catch a Read more…

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Kirkus Reviews – The Widower’s Notebook

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Jonathan

“His words carry with them the solemnity of death, love, and longing and a tinge of anger as he wrestles with the facts and struggles to determine what went wrong on that fateful day. Santlofer offers a man’s perspective on emotional topics, of feeling inadequate Read more…

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Canadian Living: Best Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Jonathan

“In this touching memoir, Jonathan Santlofer recounts the day he brought his wife to the hospital and went home alone. In his journey of grief, he struggles to live the life he had before, and begin a new one without the woman who was his Read more…

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Man Thinking Magical – Author Profile Interview with Publisher’s Weekly

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Jonathan

  “Jonathan Santlofer’s memoir, The Widower’s Notebook, tells his story of loss and recovery with honesty and humor – Jonathan Santlofer is a seasoned painter and crime writer, but his book publishing in July from Penguin is unlike anything he’s done before. The Widower’s Notebook is a Read more…

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The Library Journal: Non-Fiction Previews, Memoirs with More

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Jonathan

  “A Nero Award winner whose debut novel, The Death Artist, was an international best seller and an artist whose works grace major collections, Santlofer writes about the shock of losing his wife.” The Library Journal Barbara Hoffert Read more here

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The Quivering Pen: Front Porch Books, June 2018

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Jonathan

  “Front Porch Books is a monthly tally of new and forthcoming books—mainly advance review copies (aka “uncorrected proofs” and “galleys”)—I’ve received from publishers. Cover art and opening lines may change before the book is finally released. I should also mention that, in nearly every Read more…

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Book Page Review – The Widower’s Notebook

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Jonathan

“…heart-rending, poignant memoir…Santlofer’s honesty, his focus on the moments that remind him of Joy and their life together, and his beautifully crafted, tender prose make for heartbreaking yet page-turning reading.”—Bookpage  One late morning in August, Jonathan Santlofer discovers his wife, Joy, in their living room, Read more…

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Fatherly.com – 9 New Books Every Guy Should Read to Be Better and Smarter

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Jonathan

From Fatherly.com reviews: “When his wife, Joy, died in 2013, author and artist Jonathan Santlofer struggled to readjust and re-enter the land of the living. The notebook, this year’s The Year of Magical Thinking, is a chronicle of this long journey back. It’s beautiful and, Read more…

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Praise for The Widower’s Notebook

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Jonathan

“The Widower’s Notebook is a searing rendition of the complex relationship between men and grief—an intense despair that is too often starved for words. This chronicle of devastation is itself devastating, a deeply powerful and unflinchingly honest report of how painfully and strangely life continues Read more…

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