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Widow Wilderness
A Widow’s Quest for Courage
After nearly seventy-two years of marriage to her beloved Les, Lois Hjelmstad found herself creating a new life without the center of her universe. How could she navigate this uncharted territory and build a meaningful existence in the absence of her lifelong partner? Find validation, insight, and hope as you join Lois in her journey into the wilderness of widowhood.
"...With simple, heartfelt prose, she offers glimpses into her memories with Les while also exploring what it means to be left behind. There’s pain here, of course, but also humor, hope, and a resilient strength that never feels forced. This is a book meant not only to honor one great love but to accompany others through their own wilderness of loss." -- Readers' Favorite Review.
"a record of love, caregiving, death, and the ongoing reality of widowhood." -- Readers' Favorite Review
"This poignant memoir captures the beauty of marriage amid all the imperfections and challenges of life. It's an inspirational book that I highly recommend." -- Readers' Favorite Review
After nearly seventy-two years of marriage to her beloved Les, Lois Hjelmstad found herself creating a new life without the center of her universe. How could she navigate this uncharted territory and build a meaningful existence in the absence of her lifelong partner? Find validation, insight, and hope as you join Lois in her journey into the wilderness of widowhood.
"...With simple, heartfelt prose, she offers glimpses into her memories with Les while also exploring what it means to be left behind. There’s pain here, of course, but also humor, hope, and a resilient strength that never feels forced. This is a book meant not only to honor one great love but to accompany others through their own wilderness of loss." -- Readers' Favorite Review.
"a record of love, caregiving, death, and the ongoing reality of widowhood." -- Readers' Favorite Review
"This poignant memoir captures the beauty of marriage amid all the imperfections and challenges of life. It's an inspirational book that I highly recommend." -- Readers' Favorite Review
Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 28, 2024
This little book brings to a close Mrs. Hjelmstad's cycle of memoirs of her long marriage, love, and ultimate loss. Shuffling together a page or two of prose between exquisite poetry brings poignantly to life the feelings of love that doesn't end with loss, grief that also doesn't start with loss, and the determination of life to continue, whether we like it or not, right through what seem the worst of times.
Highly recommended for people experiencing grief, or for those who love someone experiencing grief.
Highly recommended for people experiencing grief, or for those who love someone experiencing grief.
December 30, 2025
What a quiet and remarkable book, collecting Hjelmstad's last years with her husband of 71 years in poetry and prose. At times, the language is a bit familiar or expository, but it is nevertheless profoundly moving. Such an evocative, inspiring love story from an older perspective rarely seen in American publishing.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews