The widower of the novelist Iris Murdoch, a retired Oxford U. English professor and eminent author himself (Bayley's Eulogy for Iris was a bestseller), candidly relates how he dealt with his wife's Alzheimer's, her death in 1999, friends' responses, and a new lifestyle and love in his mid-seventies. c. Book News Inc.

"I was living in a fairy story--the kind with sinister overtones and not always a happy ending--in which a young man loves a beautiful maiden who returns his love but is always disappearing into some unknown and mysterious world, about which she will reveal nothing." So John Bayley describes his life with his wife, Iris Murdoch, one of the greatest contemporary writers in the English-speaking world, revered for her works of philosophy and beloved for her incandescent novels. In Elegy for Iris, Bayley attempts to uncover the real Iris, whose mysterious world took on darker shades as she descended into Alzheimer's disease. Elegy for Iris is a luminous memoir about the beauty of youth and aging, and a celebration of a brilliant life and an undying love.

Dating a widower comes with unique challenges that you won’t encounter when dating a single or divorced man. For the relationship to work, the widower will have to put his feelings for his late wife to the side and focus on you. But how do you know if he’s ready to take this step? Drawing on his own experience as a remarried widower, Abel Keogh provides unique insight and guidance into the hearts and minds of widowers, including: · Why widowers date so soon after their late wife dies · How to know if the widower is ready to make room in his heart for you · Red flags that indicate widowers aren’t ready for commitment · How to set and maintain healthy relationship boundaries with widowers Dating a Widower is your guide to having a successful relationship with a man who’s starting over. It also contains 21 real-life stories from women who have gone down the same road you’re traveling. It’s the perfect book to help you decide if the man you’re seeing is ready for a new relationship—and whether dating a widower is right for you. *** Abel Keogh is the expert on widower relationships. A remarried widower, Abel has successfully helped thousands of women know if the widowers they’re dating are ready for a serious relationship. He also helps widowers understand what it takes to overcome grief and open their heart to another woman. Learn more at http://www.abelkeogh.com.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the National Book Award–winning author of Three Junes: Seventy-year-old Percy Darling is settling happily into retirement—reading novels, watching old movies, and swimming naked in his pond. But his routines are disrupted when he is persuaded to let a locally beloved preschool take over his barn. As Percy sees his rural refuge overrun by children, parents, and teachers, he must reexamine the solitary life he has made in the three decades since the sudden death of his wife. With equal parts affection and humor, Julia Glass spins a captivating tale about a man who can no longer remain aloof from his community, his two grown daughters, or—to his great shock—the precarious joy of falling in love.

If you or a close friend are now or about to become a widower, this book can help you. The physical, emotional, and psychological pain will be greater than you can imagine. A widower may think that he is going crazy, his judgement is often distorted, and his social filters can be almost nonexistent. Nights often become sleepless delusional times from which there is no escape. Widower to Widower is written to provide widowers with desperately needed help during their grieving process. It is also a resource to therapists who assist widowers, to friends and family who want to better understand what he is going through, and to women who have befriended a widower. Colby's own experience made him desperate to find answers so he could avoid making bad life choices. He quickly found that resources for widowers were minimal and often of questionable value. This led him to write Widower to Widower. He drew upon thirty years of writing experience writing during his non-profit career. REVIEWS: "Fred Colby's book, Widower to Widower, shares his experiences as he navigates the grief process following the death of his wife. With a straight-forward voice and clear writing style, Fred provides insight from his personal journey to provide education, understanding and comfort to other men who are grieving. This book is an essential tool for grief counselors as well as their male clients." Mia Towbin, MS, LMFT - Grief Counselor. "For any man who has suffered, either recently or not so recently, the death of his beloved wife, Fred Colby's book is essential reading. As a fellow widower, I give this book my highest recommendation." Robert Devereaux, Widower, Writer, Actor Hundreds of widowers have offered their praise of Widower to Widower on Fred Colby's Testimonies/Reviews page at fredcolby.com.