An Available Man: A Novel

By Hilma Wolitzer

In this tender and funny novel, award-winning author Hilma Wolitzer mines the unpredictable fallout of suddenly becoming single later in life, and the chaos and joys of falling in love the second time around. When Edward Schuyler, a modest and bookish sixty-two-year-old science teacher, is widowed, he finds himself ambushed by female attention. There are plenty of unattached women around, but a healthy, handsome, available man is a rare and desirable creature. Edward receives phone calls from widows seeking love, or at least lunch, while well-meaning friends try to set him up at dinner parties. Even an attractive married neighbor offers herself to him.

The problem is that Edward doesn’t feel available. He’s still mourning his beloved wife, Bee, and prefers solitude and the familiar routine of work, gardening, and bird-watching. But then his stepchildren surprise him by placing a personal ad in The New York Review of Books on his behalf. Soon the letters flood in, and Edward is torn between his loyalty to Bee’s memory and his growing longing for connection. Gradually, reluctantly, he begins dating (“dating after death,” as one correspondent puts it), and his encounters are variously startling, comical, and sad. Just when Edward thinks he has the game figured out, a chance meeting proves that love always arrives when it’s least expected.

With wit, warmth, and a keen understanding of the heart, An Available Man explores aspects of loneliness and togetherness, and the difference in the options open to men and women of a certain age. Most of all, the novel celebrates the endurance of love, and its thrilling capacity to bloom anew.

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“Funny, wise and touching.”—The Washington Post
 
“Wonderful . . . [Hilma] Wolitzer’s vision of the world, for all its sorrow, is often hilarious and always compassionate.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Smart and poignant, An Available Man explores some universal truths—that the past is never past, life is for the living, and dating is really, really hard.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
 
“Charming . . . Wolitzer is a champ at the closely observed, droll novel of manners.”—NPR
 
“[Hilma Wolitzer is an] American literary treasure.”—The Boston Globe
 
“A deeply satisfying story of love lost and found.”—Bookreporter

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9780345527561

Hilma Wolitzer

Hilma Wolitzer (b. 1930) is a critically hailed author of literary fiction. She is a recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and a Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award. She has taught writing at the University of Iowa, New York University, and Columbia University. Born in Brooklyn, she began writing as a child, and published her first poem at age nine. Her first published short story, “Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket,” appeared in print when she was thirty-six. Eight years later, she published Ending (1974), a novel about a young man succumbing to a terminal illness and his wife’s struggle to go on. Since then, her novels have dealt mostly with domestic themes, and she has drawn praise for illuminating the dark interiors of the American home.  After publishing her tenth novel, Tunnel of Love (1994), Wolitzer confronted a crippling writer’s block. She worked with a therapist to understand and overcome the block, and completed the first draft of a new novel in just a few months. Upon its release, The Doctor’s Daughter (2006) was touted as a “triumphant comeback” by the New York Times Book Review. Since then, Wolitzer has published two more books—Summer Reading (2007) and An Available Man (2012). She has two daughters—an editor and a novelist—and lives with her husband in New York City, where she continues to write. 

Reviews for An Available Man

[grabbag_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I cannot imagine losing a spouse, yet Edward had to endure just that when Bea succumbed to cancer at a relatively young age, leaving behind her elderly mother and her two children from a previous marriage. Edward's fight against loneliness (most times) were valiant, other times he gave in to the need to be alone and spent the night at home with the dog and a carry-out pizza. But slowly he moves on with life, never forgetting Bea, but more importantly, never forgetting himself. I enjoyed this story and will share it with adults who could use a dose of un-sensationalized reality to bring them back to life as it actually is, and how they must live in the face of sadness, heart ache, and well...life. I received this book from the publisher as part of LT's Early Reviewer group. I very much appreciate the novel, and will be recommending the title to parties I believe will like Edward's sad, honest reality.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

adult fiction. 60-something widower reenters the dating scene and eventually finds love again. I thought the premise was okay but somewhere in the middle it turned into a sort of senior soap opera, with Edward jumping into bed with one woman after another, with lots of drama in between.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 starsEdward has recently (within the past 2(?) years) lost his wife, Bee. Bee was his soulmate, though they met and married later in life. Edward is still only 63 (I think). He and his adult stepchildren are close, and those stepchildren decide to move things along by creating and publishing an ad for him on a dating site(?) (or was it a personal ad?). Luckily, they do tell him before he starts to receive replies. He reluctantly tries a few dates.This was good, although I wasn’t sure I was going to like where it was headed for a while. Luckily, it turned out ok in the end. I also liked Edward’s relationships with his stepkids and his mother-in-law.

[casualfriday_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In this short novel, private-school science teacher Edward Schuyler loses wife Bea to pancreatic cancer. When his stepchildren decide he should move on with life, they place a personal ad on his behalf in the New York Review of Books, and he starts dating in a desultory way.This sounds like a funny premise, but it isn't played for laughs, or if it is, it didn't make me laugh. It is inoffensive, and for me dull as dishwater. The plot is barely there, and only someone who has never read a love story or seen a rom-com movie would not foresee which of the various romantic candidates Edward would end up with, from the first introduction of the character. I didn't find the examination of bereavement deep or interesting. I was annoyed with the author's complete lack of interest in her characters' class privilege. This private-school teacher lives in an expensive town and vacations on Marth's Vineyard. I was curious how he could afford such a lifestyle, but it wasn't even examined.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is definitely not my usual reading fare, and in fact I am not sure why I chose this book. Maybe it had something to do with having just had a root canal and needing something very light to read on a holiday weekend. Plus I think Amazon offered it as a Kindle special when I picked it up. It wasn't bad, just not particularly memorable. It's the story of Edward Schulyer, a recent widower, and his reintroduction into and resistance towards dating. As "an available man," it's not long before the sixtyish Edward starts getting calls from women he doesn't even know and his friends start trying to set him up. His stepchildren even place a personal ad in the New York Review of Books ("SCIENCE GUY. Balding but still handsome . . . "). The rest of the story is pretty much what you might expect. Edward initially resists dating any of the women who have responded to the ad but, lonely and curious, ends up giving in, with disastrous results. The one compatible woman he meets on his own . . . well, that ends up not working out well either. Then there is the former fiancee who left him at the alter decades ago. But never fear, love wins out in the end (of course). I will give Wolitzer credit for creating a sympathetic, likable character in Edward and for giving us what would seem to be a pretty good portrait of widowhood from a man's point of view.

[jostars-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hilma Wolitzer has written a charming book about middle aged love and loss from the male point of view. Edward Schuyler is down-to-earth, average man character who is easy to root for. His story is told realistically with humor, sadness, hopefulness, and melancholy. This is an enjoyable read, and I recommend it.

[timbazzett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hey, I loved this book! I came to it half-expecting another "chick-lit" tome, but AN AVAILABLE MAN goes way beyond that. Hilma Wolitzer is quite simply a very good writer, and has created a sympathetic and believable character in her sexagenarian widower protagonist, Edward Schuyler. I was a little doubtful that a woman could really do a creditable job of getting inside the head of a man. But in making Edward a book-ish scholarly sort who enjoys the arts - a middle-grades science teacher at a private school in New York City - she handles this hat trick very well. He may seem a bit fussy, old maid-ish even, at times, but there is nothing wrong with his sex drive or his interest in women, and Wolitzer is not squeamish about the occasional use of the F-bomb, which makes it seem even more real.Edward's grief at the loss of his wife of more than twenty years is profound and deeply felt, but, at the urging and prodding of his grown stepchildren, he finally gets back into the dating game, which he finds has changed dramatically in the past twenty years. The title itself serves to emphasize this, demonstrating aptly what a hot commodity Edward is in a world where women almost always outlive men. In some of the false steps and fizzled dates, Wolitzer demonstrates how older women will often go to dramatic lengths to attract male companionship. One of Edward's dates is with a woman who has had major surgical enhancements on her face and body and turns out to be several years older than Edward. This encounter does not end well, but sadly for both Edward and the woman. Again, I felt badly for both of them. That's how skillful a writer Wolitzer is. She understands human feelings enough not to poke fun at them.Because Edward Schuyler, his late wife, his ex-girlfriend, his mother-in-law, his grown stepchildren, and all the women he meets in the few years following his wife's death - they all come across as just that: human beings with all that being human entails. And Wolitzer is particularly good at showing the indignities and problems of growing older.And the ending? Perfect. So perfect I nearly wept - in appreciation. Beautiful. Perfect. You know what? I feel like such an inarticulate doofus trying to tell you about this book. A guy's wife dies. He is bereft and grieving. He'll never stop loving and remembering his wife, but gradually he begins to start living again. He dates several women. There are many twists and turns and bizarre plot twists. There is a love story, well more than one, actually. There's even an aging dog who tugs at your heart. There is humor. This book is a little like Prego. It's all in there. READ it. You'll be glad you did. Did I say I love this book? Well, I do, I do. HIGHLY recommended.

[angieshere · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved the firt half of this book; but then it almost seemed to change into a soap opera---the main character became harder to like. Too much drama...

[loisb-2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

There was not enough action in this book to satisfy me - perhaps because it reflects my own quiet life too well. It was a well-written nice story.

[stevelindahl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am 64 years old and happily married, just like Edward Schuyler was before Pancreatic Cancer took his wife, Bee. Although I don't share the grief the widower experiences, I can imagine the horror of facing life alone after years of sharing it with the person you love. But the fact that Edward's situation scares me, didn't stop me from enjoying An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer. It didn't hurt that an important scene took place at the Cloisters, one of my favorite places in New York.This book is about grief, but with a focus on Edward's recovery from the tragedy. Bee is gone before the novel starts. Here are the first two paragraphs:Edward Schuyler was ironing his oldest blue oxford shirt in the living room on a Saturday afternoon when the first telephone call came. He'd taken up ironing a few months before, not long after his wife, Bee, had died. That happened in early summer, when school was out, and he couldn't concentrate on anything besides his grief and longing. He had thought of it then as a way of reconnecting with her when she was so irrevocably gone, when he couldn't even will her into his dreams.And she did come back in a rush of disordered memories as he stood at the ironing board. But he had no control over what he remembered, sometimes seeing her when they first met, or years later in her flowered chintz chair across the room, talking on the telephone and kneading the dog's belly with her bare feet – Bee called it multitasking – or in the last days of her life, pausing so long between breaths that he found himself holding his own breath until she began again.Edward's step children place a personal ad for him, in the New York Review of Books. The ad changes his life as he starts to meet eligible women.This novel has been called humorous by some reviewers, and there were parts that made me laugh out loud, but for most of the book I simply smiled. It's about relationships and the way people of both genders think with their hearts and their genitals as well as their minds. It's about step children and friends of a deceased partner. But mostly its about moving forward after life deals you a horrible blow.Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions

[imperfectcj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure what I think of this book. I found the premise interesting and the cover art baffling, but mostly I found that what was purported to be a gradual lifting of bereavement as a widower moved on with his life seemed startlingly quick as more than two years (or was it three years...or four?) was crammed into fewer than 300 pages. The passage of time was jumpy; the seasons passed jerkily and suddenly and the present would often be interrupted by a series of scenes from the recent past. I had trouble figuring out where I was in the course of the action of the book.

The character development was a bit lacking, which made the actions of the characters not really make sense to me. Even Edward, from whose point of view we see the story, seems fairly unknowable to me. It's one thing for him to surprise himself, but I think the author ought to know what his motivations are and ought to clue in her audience.

Despite these complaints, I enjoyed reading the book overall, and some parts I enjoyed quite a bit. I liked the characters of Gladys and Mildred, both of whom seemed more complex than many of the others. I liked Olga, too, until the second half of the book when she, too, seemed to change too quickly for my taste. I liked her more aloof.

I really enjoyed the description of the restoration work on the tapestries, and, unlike his professed interest in birding, I really believed that Edward was interested in this work, too. I wish there'd been more of this, but then, I think I would have enjoyed the book more had it gone deeper than it did in most respects.

[edgoldberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Widower, Edward Schuyler, meets stereotypical women as he begins to date after his wife, Bea's death. Ed is in his early 60s. He starts off with the sex crazed widow. He moves on to the widow who can't let go of her deceased husband, the 71 year old widow who looks (in the dim lighting) around 60+ due to major cosmetic surgery, the divorcee who reunites with her ex and finally lands his old girl friend/fiancee--the one who left him at the alter.Bea's friends keep trying to set him up. He ultimately falls in love with a person who he disliked in the beginning.This is a mediocre book at best...very predictable, uninspiring and flat.

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There, I've done it. I've tagged this as romance. That will probably ensure it never makes it onto the reading lists of my more intellectual LibraryThing friends (Hi Jeniwren!). And that's probably as it should be. I defend myself for giving it 3 and a half stars by saying that although it is in the end romance, it does make some sort of honest attempt to come to terms with the situation of the older (60-ish) widower. I related to his near-retirement situation and having children who are going through their own partnering issues, as well as having a mother who's demise could be only a late night phone call away.Well, having said that, I have to ask whether people of this age are really as keen on sex as Hilma Wolitzer would seem to believe. Both the widower and his potential partners seem to be ready to get into bed after the first date, like a 20 year old. Geez, that's not my take on what being 60 is all about, but I'm only 59, so what would I know? Also my partner is alive and well.This is undoubtedly a light read, and I find Wolitzer's style quite digestible. It's kind of a sorbet between heavy courses. It's mildly amusing in parts and has enough realism to keep me going. I suppose I did read it with a sense of putting myself in the protagonist's shoes, in a "what if" situation, despite my partner's current excellent health.

[nittnut · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This story of a man navigating the world of relationships and dating is sometimes poignant, sometimes funny. I didn't really connect with it, but it was a decent read.

[terran_9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. There are no really deep issues being dealt with, no controversial topics creating tension, only the grief that Edward Schuyler struggles to deal with following the loss of his wife, Bee. He has a full life but can't quite move on. Then, just as his wife had predicted, well-meaning, but lonely widows begin to contact him and his children place a personal ad on him in a literary paper, The New York Review of Books. His dating experiences are both funny and sad. He even reconnects with his first real love, and eventually finds his love where least expected.

[kaulsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just don't seem to be caught up in fiction anymore. But Wolitzer has written a very real feeling book about struggling to emerge back into life after the death of a spouse. Most of the characters were rather 2 dimensional--some even less than that! But in the end, the character that counted made you glad you were able to get to know him.

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Maybe not the best book of the year but so enjoyable. Nice change a man presented in a woman's voice.

[kylenapoli · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A nice, easygoing companion of a book.

[martitia_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hilma Wolitzer’s newest novel set in New York City is a funny, perceptive love story about a high school teacher’s journey from grief to new love after the death of his wife. Edward Schuyler is a healthy, well-respected man in his early sixties. Following Bee’s death from cancer, he is bombarded with food and attention from his wife’s single friends and responses to a personal ad his children placed in a magazine. At his first party with old friends after Bee’s death, he is blindsided when one of the women physically throws herself at him. To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that an available man of a certain age is a great catch. Or as Bee said to Edward toward the end of her life, “Look at you. They’ll be crawling out of the woodwork.” Wolitzer uses flashbacks to provide insight into Bee’s down-to-earth character, as Edward draws on Bee’s sharp social observations to navigate his new world. These flashbacks also reveal the intimate, domestic details of a comfortable home and loving marriage. Edward is an appealing, vulnerable character confused by his grief and single status after years of marriage. His family, including a stepdaughter and stepson involved in their own dramas, his humorous but grieving mother-in-law, and his colleagues at work add depth and color to Edward’s history. The New York City setting and the cultural manners of educated urban dwellers are finely rendered by Wolitzer’s descriptions. If the novel were made into a film, Nora Ephron would be an excellent choice for screenwriter and director. An Available Man is a good choice for readers who have enjoyed novels such as The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine and Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman.

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After a failed love affair, leaving him waiting at the altar, it takes about 2 decades for Edward Schuyler to find the love of his life, Bea Silver. She comes with a ready made family for him to love and enjoy. Sadly, about two decades later, Bea succumbs to Cancer. Her children, from her first marriage, secretly place a personal ad for him, in the local paper, not wanting him to face a life of loneliness. They do not want to see him overwhelmed with sorrow and are hoping to send him down the road to recovery. Edward, however, has grown content to be on his own, dealing with his isolation, ironing Bea’s blouses to maintain his closeness to her, keeping her clothing in the closet to retain her scent, until finally her friends come in, en masse, to clean everything out for him. He resists reentry into the world of dating and the company of others. His first attempts to mingle are fairly disastrous, but eventually he becomes more comfortable with himself and the women who seek him out.The book examines the human emotions of loss and renewal, as well as the solitude of single life for women and men, of varied ages. As Edward grapples with his widowed status, he is portrayed as shy and retiring, more laid back than outgoing, and the women are portrayed with one foot in the marriage bed and one foot at the altar. Even married friends think he is fair game. Approached by single and married women, he is truly the available man, and the women are hungry for him. Although his early efforts at dating are a dismal failure, as he recovers from his bereavement, he too, begins to hunger for women and sex. I thought that the plot seemed a little contrived, although it did honestly depict the fact that women seem to have to more aggressively search for a man, while the man simply has to sit back and wait for opportunities to find him. Yet, it made the women a tad too aggressive and needy to feel totally real, even providing a 71 year old woman who attempts to seduce him, albeit in the dark. He is a 62 year old “available man, and although, as a teacher, he has a modest financial nest egg, he is not what one would call a great catch, unless all that counts is that everything is in working order. So, in that way, I thought the book overdid his availability. He was simply a man and I would think women would want more than a body, which is not how they were portrayed it in this book. The women seemed shallow, simply searching for a pair of pants, rather than an engaging partner, and I thought the treatment of them was a little disrespectful.The book was well executed, though; it was very easy to read and/or listen to, as I did, but I felt it was a little wanting in depth. In the face of such loss, the family dynamic did not always feel genuine. Would the children really place a personal ad for their stepfather? Would the man really be so disinterested for so long and seem so naïve about all the women trying to attract him? Are most women so desperate and forward? Yes, I know that women sometimes seem hungrier than men do, when they are adrift and alone, but too many of the women in this book seemed to be caricatures of lonely women with nothing on their mind but the communal bed and with no real interest in a relationship of the mind, at all. The women were just depicted as too shallow for my liking. Overall though, it was a poignant tale dealing with emotional immaturity, emotional illness, loneliness and loss and how we attempt to deal with our grief and solitude, ultimately healing, so we lead a more productive and happy life.

[punxsygal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Edward Schuyler has become a widower at age sixty-two. His beloved wife, Bee, is gone and Edward is in mourning. And he finds himself the object of attention from several single women and well-meaning friends. But he doesn’t feel ready to step out. Finally his stepchildren take matters into their own hands and place an ad in the Personals section of the New York Review of Books. With reluctance, Edward begins to read through the many responses and chooses a few to call.This is a warm tale of a man’s journey in the next phase of his life. There are chances to take and mistakes to make as Edward finds his life is not over after all. And I enjoyed going along.

[litfan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel turned out to be so much more than I expected. It centers on the likeable, grieving sixty-something Edward, who has just lost his wife Bee to cancer. Edward is confronted with heartwrenching grief, while trying to fend off the well-meaning attempts of others to help him “move on.” The story is gripping from the beginning and Edward is a beloved character you immediately root for. He is so well-written that I found myself experiencing his feelings as I read the story. His grief process is realistic and poignantly described. As Edward approaches the one year anniversary of Bee’s death, his friends begin a not-so-subtle campaign to set him up, and his family puts an ad in the personals for him. Soon, a stunned Edward is bombarded with women. From awkward fix-ups at dinner parties, to a date with a widow which becomes a memorial to her dead husband, Edward’s first forays back into the dating world are rendered with believable hilarity and poignancy. A touching story of a man starting over, at a point in his life when he thought he’d be settling into retirement with the love of his life, this is a well-written depiction of “dating after death” with an unforgettable cast of characters.

[undermyappletree · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Edward Schuyler is a recently widowed, bookish sixty-two-year-old science teacher. An available older man will get a lot of attention from the ladies, especially when he’s not only unattached, but also handsome and healthy.Edward receives phone calls from widows wanting to meet for lunch, friends surreptitiously set him up on dates at dinner parties, and even his own children try to help with his social life by placing an ad in the personals of The New York Review. It read: “Science Guy. Erudite and kind, balding but handsome. Our widowed dad is the real thing for the right woman.”Edward is still mourning the loss of his wife, Bee, and prefers the familiar routine of work, gardening, and bird-watching. Gradually Edward begins to reconcile his feelings of loyalty to Bee and the need to move on with his life, and that includes romantic relationships with women.The book is a nicely written, easy read. It is tender and charming with just the right amount of humor. There is an interesting cast of secondary characters surrounding Edward including his step-children, mother-in-law, friends and co-workers and Edward’s relationships with them are nicely developed.For the most part I enjoyed the book but there was one thing that annoyed me. At one point the plot took what I can only call a “weird turn”, and to describe my feelings in detail would be a spoiler. Edward begins a relationship that is very unbelievable and does not fit with what we have been told about him. Not that people don’t get involved in wrong relationships, they do, but this is an intelligent, stable man who should know better based on his past experiences. Also, there is a lot of foreshadowing in this relationship that never comes to pass and I’m still trying to figure out how this particular woman added to the story.Other than my one plot objection and perhaps a too nicely tied up ending, an overall pleasant read.

[galtj_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book very much. I loved the development of the main character and found the course of the plot to be surprising. I recommend this book.

[ltcl_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An Available Man is a quiet read and is just the ticket for a reader who wants to get to know the characters and visit the scenes as a fly on the wall or bird in the tree. Edward has just lost the love of his life, his wife Bea, and soon after is inundated with dates or fix-ups. His stepdaughters, his friends and neighbors all just want him to not be alone and help him by placing a personal ad. This sets off a series of letters and blind dates that are funny and poignant but leave him still missing his wife and more out of sorts. When he does meet someone that peaks his interest an old fiance appears out of the blue and shakes things up. Will Edward's life ever work itself out despite everyone's good intentions? The book will appeal to lovers of Major Pettigrew Takes a Stand and all of us who have lost someone we love. I received this book as an advance copy and have already recommended it to many people.

[brnoze_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a widower who is a bit lost, a bit lonely and truly confused about how he will manage this new life as a widower. I really liked Edward. The story was fast, the characters well developed, the scope not so broad that you didn't feel it tried too hard. All in all, I thought it was a fun read and will be recommending it as a future read for my book club. This should provide good conversations about what men of a certain age are thinking, or not thinking. I liked this so much more than Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. (Which I thought felt like a slow boat to England) An Available Man had me smiling, wondering how my husband would react to losing me, thinking about women of a certain age on the prowl, and enjoying the scenery of NYC and surrounding area as the backdrop to the story. Don't take it too seriously, it is not supposed to be a roadmap through beareavement, just a good character driven story. I liked it.

[wcath · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer is the tender, funny, and at turns, heartbreaking story of what happens to a rather shy widower in his early 60's when his step-daughters and the local widows scheme to try and find him companionship and, perhaps, even love. Edward Schuyler is a science teacher at a private school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He is somewhat proper and retiring in both his professional and private life. The death of his beloved wife, Bee, after a long illness seems both a blessing and a sorrow, releasing her from her suffering but setting him adrift. He seems surrounded by her presence and goes on with his life, quietly mourning his loss and making do as a single man. That is until Bee's prediction that "they will be coming out of the wookwork" begins to come true. First, he starts getting phone calls from lonely women who call him Ed and presume a great friendship out of mere acquaintance. There are Tuna Surprise casseroles from almost complete strangers. And as if this were not enough, his step-daughter and daughter-in-law place a personals ad for him in the New York Times Review of Books. What follows is a series of funny, awkward and even some quite horrible dates with a variety of women. An Available Man is a story of love and loss, of the things that make a life. Edward Schuyler is a truly memorable character. I enjoyed it tremendously.

[eatlizzardsdaily · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The concept was interesting, but I found it a little too slow.

[frisbeesage · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this quiet little book about love and loss Hilma Wolitzer has the winning formula for a novel worked out. Make your readers fall in love with the main character, make them adore him and you can't go wrong. By the time Edward Schuyler is done telling the reader about his ill-fated romance with Laurel (she left him at the altar) and how Bee (his recently deceased wife) was the love of his life, you want nothing less than happiness for him. He is so gentle, kind, and clueless that you can forgive him his indiscretions.When Edwards beloved wife, Bee, falls terminally ill she tells him "Look at you. They'll be crawling out of the woodwork." Oblivious, he has no idea what she's talking about until months after her death when the phone begins ringing with lonely women looking for an available man. His stepchildren only escalate things when they place a personal ad for him in the New York Times Book Review. Soon women are, indeed, crawling out of the woodwork and Edward has no idea what to do with them. As you would expect, An Available Man is by turns funny, heartbreaking, and live affirming. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a feel-good, uplifting read.

[jlafleur_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A touching story of a 62 yo widower pushed into "dating after death" (as he puts it) by his well intentioned children. Aside from "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand", the male version of finding love in middle age - or later, is a seldom told story compared to the reams of "Chick Lit" out there. Some other reviewers have complained about stereotyping of the female characters. I feel they are fairly realistic and at least somewhat sympathetic. The real stereotype would be a well to do 62 year old dating a blatantly money seeking 30 yo - all too common in my experience. I get why the guys are into it, but I always wonder about the younger woman's motivation.Well written and recommended.