Forever the Willows

by Sherri Coner

As little girls, Jen, Babby, Ivy and Bizz played with baby dolls under the weeping willow tree. As teenagers, they gathered under those branches to giggle and talk about boys. Known by everyone simply as the Willows, they grew into women, branched out to start their own careers and families, and assumed they would be together forever.When Jen is diagnosed with terminal cancer, the Willows must face their deepest pain about each other as well as their own individual ways of coping with grief. At the same time, long-kept secrets begin to unravel. What they believed they truly knew about each other comes into question. The Willows must face their mysteries, their shortcoming and their many moments of laughter, trusting that in the end, they would still find love and acceptance when they crawled under the willow tree.

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 24, 2012

About the author

While working for more than eight years as a journalist and humor columnist at a newspaper, I saw immediately that my readers waited for their weekly laugh. The sassier I got with material, the happier they were. But there were limits, of course, on how far I was allowed to color outside the lines.
Now that I work on my own, no one can tell me anymore where the line should be... the line that stops my thought from marching right past appropriate. And I LOVE that!
Juggling everybody's issues and rarely stopping to even remember when we last did something just for ourselves is an exhausting way to live.
My books are fun and sometimes they might seem a bit off-color, but so are we! And that's exactly what makes us amazing creastures! I want my readers to identify with at least one character every time they open my books. And I want them to take mini vacations by reading my stuff. We all deserve a good laugh.. no matter how horribly we've been hurt, we can survive it just as soon as we can laugh about it. I know this is true. I am living proof!

Reviews

[Elaine Whitesides · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book several times already because it says out loud how I felt when I lost a dear friend to cancer. It made it okay that I was angry and sad and just hurting so deeply because Sherri Coner's characters said and felt how I felt.

I think any woman who has lost a girlfriend will be touched by this book. Not only does Forever the Willows validate the feelings that are so profound they are unspeakable, it made me realize that even though my friend isn't going to talk to me on the phone or over a cup of tea ever again, she has touched my life in such a way that her words and love are imprinted on my heart. It is that imprint that makes me her what she would say and continues to help me solve my problems, hear my complaints and become the best woman I can be.

This book is also a testament to the invisible strings that bind girlfriends together - despite our failings and imperfections - they still love us.

I think this is a must-read for every woman who has girlfriends that they treasure.

[Linda Appelbaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice tale about 4 life-long friends and how the death of one of them impacts the other 3, changing their lives and even revealing secrets. Since I'm "oil-trash" and moved every couple of years as my dad was transferred, I don't know what it is like to grow up with close friends or have friends for 30 years! So this was an interesting book because of the friendships and history of the 4 women. And...death sucks!