Not all that helpful
In my opinion, this book is not nearly as good as the companion book, "The Healing Power of Grief". It tells the story of 12 couples who found love after the death of a spouse, but I don't feel that the information contained in these stories would be that helpful to a widow or widower since everyone's situation is so different. Most of the couples in the book are living together and don't seem motivated to marry and that was a disappointment to me. There are times when I was reading about the physical intimacy between the couples that I wanted to shout "Too much information". The book seems to imply that the only way to recover from the death of a spouse is to begin a relationship with someone else and I believe that to be patently false. I do recommend the companion book, "The Healing Power of Grief" which includes a lot of solid information and advice.

Exploring What's Possible
One of the many steps to recovery after the death of a spouse is recognizing some of the positives the future may hold. For some, this may include the possibility of one day forming a new love relationship. This book takes the reader through twelve real-life stories of people who did just that. Each story includes the perspectives of the two partners and that of the authors, and deals with issues of fear, accommodating ongoing love and grief for the deceased spouse, creating a working format for a new relationship, and coming to enjoy a new phase of life. There's no panacea for the pain of losing a spouse, but perhaps the most important message in this book is that, when it becomes possible again, it's wise to live in the present and to be open to new sources of fulfillment.

For people who've been widowed
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/06)

"The Healing Power of Love" was written to help widows and widowers to move on from their grief into whole, loving relationships. The book is written in a way that imparts warmth and compassion. Each chapter is written about a couple and how either one or both of them transcended the loss of a spouse and entered into the new relationship. In some cases, the couples already knew each other and in others they met after the losses. Each person in the relationship tells their stories from their points of view. For the most part, each partner tells what it is like to transcend the devastating grief that comes with losing a spouse of many years. In other parts, the new spouse tells what it is like to marry into a family and have to learn to be accepted by the children; even if they are adults, it is not easy. Both offer advice on how to cope. Then the counselor reflects on the couple as a whole and writes about the advice that is offered.

Many couples also discuss issues with sex. For the spouses who had spent more than half their life with one person, it is not easy to be intimate in this way with another person. It seems like the couples that openly discussed their fears and concerns were able to overcome their concerns easier. I really appreciated that the people who shared their stories were so open about discussing this issue. For many people who are uncomfortable about discussing sex with others, this is a great place to learn about other people's experiences. It is a very personal, yet important issue because your sexuality and need for intimacy does not die with your spouse.

Bereavement support groups were also beneficial for many. For some people, it was a way to connect with others and be able to share the devastating grief that you go through when you have lost someone. It is also important to allow yourself time to grieve and to heal. Some people mentioned in the book tried to start dating before they were ready. It is okay to take time to heal. Some of the people who shared their stories acknowledged that they still continued to grieve for their spouses after the new relationships started. Having a new love helped them with their healing.

This is an incredibly powerful book for helping someone who has lost a spouse to move on. If you have lost a spouse and are at the point where you would like to start dating again, this is the book for you. It will fill you with hope that there can be another healthy relationship for you. One of the common themes that I saw mentioned by many of the widowed people was that they had to get over feeling guilty about moving on. They discovered that having a new love did not take away from the love of their deceased.

I highly recommend "The Healing Power of Love" to people who have been widowed. I think that the adult children of widowed parents should also read this book to gain perspective on what their parent is going through. It also would be a great book to discuss in bereavement support groups.

A sensitive guide through difficulties often associated with losing one love and eventually gaining another
Co-authored by Gloria Lintermans and Marilyn Stolzman, The Healing Power Of Love: Transcending The Loss Of A Spouse To New Love is a sensitive guide through difficulties often associated with losing one love and eventually gaining another. Deftly compiling twelve inspirational stories about new and loving relationships following the loss of a beloved spouse or partner, The Healing Power Of Love provides readers with the power of transition and a gentle guidance to finding and fully loving another as illustrated by heartwarming intimacy, situational assessment, and life-affirming truths helping to realize our emotional self-fulfillment. The Healing Power Of Love is very strongly recommended for its intimate and exemplary stories illustrating how a new love can heal the painful loss of an old one. Also very highly recommended from Gloria Lintermans and Marilyn Stolzman is The Healing Power Of Grief (1932783-482, $16.00, Champion Press).

There is life after the death of a spouse.
Through the effective use of a she said/he said format, Lintermans and Stolzman provide anecdotal evidence that there is life after the death of a spouse or life partner. They investigate the connection and rebirth of twelve couples, each of whom had gone through the loss of a spouse or life partner, and show how each person found their way back to life and healing through the power of new love.