I love Jonathan Tropper! I love how real his characters are, how easily you fall into his world and fall in love with his characters. It gives me hope that maybe mankind isn't all that bad. I'm so glad my coworker randomly bought his books then lent them to me (without even reading them first) because otherwise I might not even know about these books!He makes me laugh out loud, and I love his dialogue:“We don’t have twin telepathy.”“Of course we do, it’s just subtle, like...flesh-colored nail po...

This is the third Tropper novel I have read, the first being This is Where I Leave You. I liked both of them a lot. They are poignant, sweet, funny, vicious, and insightful. His family dinner scenes are classic. They have you laughing out loud only to get sucker punched by the perceptiveness. He does this through the classic comedian's technique of hyperbole, but it's not exaggerated so much that it becomes caricature. We've all seen elements of his dysfunctional family in ourselves and others.H...

After reading all of Tropper's books, its interesting to notice his progression and certain kinds of scenes that are unique to him. Tropper loves setting up utterly ridiculous scenes, usually involving family, that are totally hilarious, I believe there was one in book of joe involving a family dinner and a parrot. I really like his writing style. This book is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, going from truly sad to laughing out loud a few pages later. All in all I think this is a great read...

How to Talk to a Widower is about a 29 year old guy who loses his slightly older wife in a plane crash. I Love this author!!! I have read 2 books from him. This book and This is where I leave you and both books were fantastic. Jonathan Trooper takes serious subjects and knows how make a great read from it. He is so funny in his writing he makes me laugh out loud. Definitely a 5 star book!!!

Every now and then I feel the urge to 'binge' read. I choose an author and I try to read everything that author has written. Over the last few months I have been binging and one of the authors I chose was Jonathan Tropper. I started with his novel, 'How to Talk to a Widower' and it turned out to be a great place to start. The story begins with several short lines that immediately caught my attention and lingered in my mind…. "I had a wife. Her name is Hailey. Now she's gone and so am I."These li...

I think we are all familiar with the stereotype of the so called "modern" writer: the kind of guy or girl who sits at Starbucks, smokes a Silk Cut (or a Djarum or other aromaticized poison if he or she is hip enough) and types away on a MacBook. The type of text that comes out is is either dick/chick lit, meaning witty novels about the complicated relationship between men and women, or some quasi post-modern bullshit which nobody understands and everybody praises for exactly that reason. Sometim...

There have been many great “storytellers” throughout history. Unfortunately, there have been very few authors blessed with BOTH the talent to “tell a story,” as well as the ability to truly “capture the human condition.” Jonathan Tropper is one such author. He is the rare author whose novels, despite their brilliance & intellectual undertones, are still relatable to the recreational reader. A single sentence by Jonathan Tropper can cause a reader to roar in laughter, while crying sad heartfe...

I was so excited to receive a pre-released copy of this book (it's slated to hit stores on 7/17). Jonathan Tropper's name keeps popping up whenever I type in a search for Nick Hornby/Tom Perrotta, and his books have received good reviews. This one was supposed to be amazing. I read it in a few nights and while I couldn't put it down, I felt robbed toward the end of the book. I turned the last page and thought, "That's it?"The part that kills me is Tropper is a great author-- poignant, funny, and...

Doug Parker is a 29-year old widower. He lost his wife Hayley (who was older) in a plane crash and has spent the last year avoiding life in Jonathan Tropper's "How to Talk to a Widower."And while much of Doug's world is defined by his depression and anger over losing Hayley, it's not the only thing going on his life. His twin sister Clair is pregnant and leaving her husband, his father suffered a stroke and has good and bad days and his younger sister met her fiancee at the shiva for Hayley. And...

I don't know why it took me so long to get back to read another book by Jonathan Tropper. A couple of years back I read his latest book This Is Where I Leave You a couple years back and it was my favorite book of the year. There was something simply sizzling about Tropper's writing - razor sharp, witty, raw, funny, painful, astute... the exclamatory adjectives could just go on and on. I guess part of my fear was diluting that particular reading experience, but after a very informal online chat a...

“There are no happy endings, just happy days, happy moments. The only real ending is death, and trust me, no one dies happy. And the price of not dying is that things change all the time, and the only thing you can count on is that there’s not a thing you can do about it.” — Jonathan Tropper, How To Talk To a WidowerDuring the summer, I read This Is Where I Leave You. I really enjoyed it. It was a great comic novel, good dialect, good progression, a lot of heart. I even talked about how Tropper

I bought this book Monday morning and was done by it on Tuesday afternoon. One of those perfect miracles in which I enjoyed every last thing about it: the characters, the writing, the pace. It would make me laugh and then out of nowhere, it would have me tearing up. Just a perfect combination of everything that makes me want to read.

You know you're in Jonathan Tropper's world when:- All the women are painfully, and unbelievably beautiful- Every character talks like they're from a snappy 90's sitcom- the protagonist is shy and sensitive, snarky and bumbeling, lost in the 80's, has a dysfunctional family, and a father who has died or suffered a stroke- there is much graphic objectification of women, yet somehow the protagonist is still a sensitive soul who loves women so so much- you feel as though you've read one, you've rea...

4.5 Stars29 year old Doug Parker was barely getting his life together when his wife Hailey passed away. Now she’s gone – and so is he. It’s been over a year and he is barely functioning. He rarely leaves the house and avoids any interaction with his family (including his stepson who was also left behind when Hailey died). The only thing he’s managed to do is morph his monthly magazine column from a “how to …” regarding celebrities to a “how to talk to a widower”. Doug’s twin sister, Clair, decid...

Wow! I feel very fortunate to have found a blurb about this book on the Borders newsletter. I read this on my Kindle and I was so impressed. Doug has lost his wife and friends and family members feel that it is more than time for him to get out their dating again. Doug doesn't quite feel that way yet but allows his twin to talk him it to it as we progress through the book. Jonathan Tropper, the author, so beautifully describes Doug's feeling of loss that you feel that he must have experienced th...

FANTASTIC! I laughed, got teary eyed and had a fantastic time with this relatable, well developed wild and crazy family! Narrator Eric Ruben did a fantastic job as well! 🎙🙌🏼

Great story. There are a few parts of the book that can bring tears to your eyes, but Doug is a young widower... Most of the book is quick witted and funny.Doug is in his 20's and marries a women about 11 years older than he is (her name is Hailey, spelled the same as my daughter) with a teenage son. She dies about 2 years into their marriage. The story is mainly the year after his wife's death. Doug's relationship with his teenage step-son, pregnant twin sister whose life is coming undone, anot...

I've forgotten how light-hearted Tropper can be. His characters live in such a fantasy world. A young widower, similar to Evvie Drake Starts Over, can hide away from the world for 12+ months while mourning his hot, beautiful, powerful wife. Because of course, anyone can skip work for a year, live in a paid-off house with no obligations, can just m-o-u-r-n every night while drinking Jack without gaining an ounce. At the end, referring to himself, he says, "we're young, slim sad and beautiful" whi...

3.5 Stars. Not my favorite JT novel, but still good and filled with his usual sarcasm and wit. He truly does have the knack for writing about a difficult subject and turning it into something quirky and humorous. Enjoyed it!

Wow, I like a book about relationships. Not my typical listen but I've enjoyed other Tropper books and I have to say I never thought I'd like this as much as I did. The title of the book put me off for a while and that was a shame. This is my fourth book by the author and all have achieved 4 stars. Funny? Yes, but his writing style is makes it great.