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Alternate Side
Escrito por Anna Quindlen
Narrado por Ellen Archer
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The tensions in a tight-knit neighborhood—and a seemingly happy marriage—are exposed by an unexpected act of violence in this provocative new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miller's Valley and Still Life with Bread Crumbs.
Some days Nora Nolan thinks that she and her husband, Charlie, lead a charmed life—except when there's a crisis at work, a leak in the roof at home, or a problem with their twins at college. And why not? New York City was once Nora's dream destination, and her clannish dead-end block has become a safe harbor, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. Then one morning she returns from her run to discover that a terrible incident has shaken the neighborhood, and the fault lines begin to open: on the block, at her job, especially in her marriage. With humor, understanding, an acute eye, and a warm heart, Anna Quindlen explores what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a woman at a moment of reckoning.
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a escucharInformación sobre el libro
Alternate Side
Escrito por Anna Quindlen
Narrado por Ellen Archer
Descripción
The tensions in a tight-knit neighborhood—and a seemingly happy marriage—are exposed by an unexpected act of violence in this provocative new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miller's Valley and Still Life with Bread Crumbs.
Some days Nora Nolan thinks that she and her husband, Charlie, lead a charmed life—except when there's a crisis at work, a leak in the roof at home, or a problem with their twins at college. And why not? New York City was once Nora's dream destination, and her clannish dead-end block has become a safe harbor, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. Then one morning she returns from her run to discover that a terrible incident has shaken the neighborhood, and the fault lines begin to open: on the block, at her job, especially in her marriage. With humor, understanding, an acute eye, and a warm heart, Anna Quindlen explores what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a woman at a moment of reckoning.
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What is it with good books that make you kind of sad while reading them?
This was a quick, engaging read but not quite up to other books by the author, in my humble opinion. I can't quite put my finger on what was lacking, but I won't be recommending this particular title.
In this latest in the seemingly endless stream of Rich-Women-Of-New-York-City novels, there's much more going on below the surface - though there's a lot that IS surface too. Upper West Siders Nora and Charlie live on a rare dead-end block, and their twins have grown and flown. Their home, bordered by other mansions and two SRO flophouses, seems too large, and their common interests, too few. The author's binoculars frequently zoom in on First World Problems, like the hassle of getting permission for a block party, Charlie’s annoying speech patterns (Every.Single.Word.), and the block commandant whose turf is a jealously guarded parking lot. The value of work and job status are covered well, and, since it's about New York, there's some enjoyable real estate porn. But the most profound and buoyant passages focus on a marriage devastated by time and proximity, and, in contrast, the staying power and impact of an early intense romance. Nora is the soul of honesty, with herself and others, and that virtue makes her a luminous and memorable character. I loved this story.Quotes: "None of them ever said or admitted to themselves that New York was better when it was worse.""You gotta love a country where there are rules for being poor, and rich people make them.""Her father, when at home, was not a different man from his work self but simply waiting to be that man again, like a windup doll whose key had been removed from its back.""Nora felt that she should be grateful for her mother's vague and cordial disengagement. She had come around to thinking that it was better to bear no marks at all than claw marks.""Want what you have." It sounded life affirming until you really thought about it, and then it just sounded like capitulation.""All the men seemed attentive at dinner parties these days because they needed hearing aids and refused to get them.""They all seemed to be much more solicitous of their dogs than of their spouses, whether that was because their dogs loved them unconditionally, did not engage them in conversation, or simply didn't live as long.""The men got unlimited mileage out of performing so-called women's tasks as long as they had also had substantial disposable income and significant business cards.""Marriage was a decision they were all expected to make when they were too young to know very much - all the important decisions: what to do, where to live, who to live with. But most people would be incapable of making good choices if they had to make that many choices at the same time, at that particular time of their lives."
This is the 7th book I have a read by Quindlen. She does a great job of getting into the heads of the characters and looking at the various relationships that we have with husbands, sons, daughters etc. I enjoyed this one very much and I was surprised by the number of Quindlen fans who did not like this. Perhaps it was because the main characters were rich white New Yorkers living in town homes on a dead end street on the Upper West Side. On the surface their problems are those of the rich- parking spaces, not getting the best table in a restaurant, only being the number 3 investment banker. For people outside this demographic, the book could be hard to relate to. But in classic Quindlen style she touches on issues that effect us all. The story revolves around a coveted parking space and a violent action that causes the residents of this closely knit street to take sides. It brings out the problems in the marriage of Nora and Charlie. Nora is the protagonist of the novel and it is told entirely through her eyes. She is in a 25 year marriage that has lodt its steam. They have twins who are seniors in college. The book has the usual snappy banter that may or not reflect real life but keeps the novel entertaining. I found the focus on the parking space and the shared handyman a stretch to believe but understood its place in the book as a focal point for the book's events. The portrayal of men(especially rich white ones) was not very good. The women were treated much better. If you have never read Quindlen, then you should . Her articles from her time at Newsweek were classic. She is a great writer and you can't go wrong with any of her stories. This was an easy read and at 284 pages was not a huge time investment. I strongly recommend it.
Wonderful book about New York and marriage
Alternate Side starts slowly, showing the reader a slice of Nora and Charlie Nolan’s life in their New York City neighborhood. They live on a dead end street so it’s more like they’re in a small town than in the heart of a big city. There is a big cast of characters, such as the resident who’s been there forever and knows everything and the annoying know-it-all neighbor George, who has appointed himself the neighborhood hall monitor. The big news in the Noland’s life is that Charlie has just scored a parking space in the neighborhood’s parking lot and that their twins are about to graduate from college. I enjoyed the slow and winding story but wondered where it was going.Halfway through, a tragic incident occurs on the block that has the neighbors reeling. Nora and Charlie find themselves on opposite sides as far as who was at fault for what happened. (Sorry – not going to spoil what it was!) Alternate Side is also a study on life and marriage after one’s children are grown and gone. What are you left with when being a parent is no longer your life’s primary focus? Charlie and Nora find themselves on opposite sides of this issue as well.I loved that there was such a wide variety of characters in this book. Some I loved and some I loved to hate. And some I just hated! New York City was another character in itself. I lived there in my younger days and it made me miss it.The only other one of Quindlen’s books I’ve read is Every Last One, which I really liked. Every Last One was like a punch in the gut. Alternate Side is completely different but I liked it too. I liked getting to know Nora and following her journey. I know Quindlen has a lot of books and now I’m curious if they are more like this one or like Every Last One. Either way, I’d like to read them as well. I definitely recommend Alternate Side.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen in exchange for an honest review. I must admit that I am a fan of Ms. Quindlen's writing, be it fiction or non-fiction. This particular novel tells the story of Nora and Charlie Nolan, who live on a dead-end upper-crust block in NYC which provides them with close relationships with their neighbors, at times too close. It is apparent that living there can and does become somewhat claustrophobic. One violent incident sets off a chain of events that will affect almost everyone on the block, including Nora and Charlie. The book is well-written and a most enjoyable read. Highly recommended for fans of relationship fiction.
If you read Anna Quindlen you already know this novel is terrific. The life of a family of means living in NYC. As we see Nora and Charlie in present day, through the book we get flashbacks of their lives through Nora. They have twins, Rachel and Charlie, in college when the book opens. On the surface it would seem like the perfect family but we know that's not possible. Quindlen does her usual fine job of uncovering the surface to reveal whats underneath and how it all plays out.
This book is different. I'm pretty sure that not everyone will like it, but I did after giving it a chance. It might be my age, which is slightly older than the main characters. It might also be that I have a thoughtful way of looking at things. This is a book that is designed to make you think. That said, it would probably be an excellent choice for a book club. Just be prepared for detractors.
For Anna Quindlen's Alternate Side I was torn between 4 and 5 stars. I went with 5 mainly because I think a well written character-driven novel that relies on the minutiae of every day life to propel the reader is largely underappreciated. The world in which these people live are at least one tax bracket over mine, if not several, but the problems they face and the small day-to-day issues can be boiled down, at their heart, to basic human problems. They manifest differently in different communities, based on everything from socioeconomic group to ethnicity, race and region (within any country as well as between countries). If you can let yourself inhabit Nora Nolan's world without judging her or her neighborhood before the events play out, you will find a great deal with which to relate. As a very simple example, Neither I, my kids nor my grandchild have ever had a nanny/housekeeper. But I have had close friends who might babysit and/or provide the glue during times of difficulty, and those people would defend my family as fiercely as they would their own. The character of Charity reminded me of those people in a couple of the scenes. That said, there is certainly a difference between a family friend and a nanny/housekeeper, and those things are addressed in the book, not simply glossed over as everyone's normal.I actually made myself read this a little slower than usual, I spread it out over 3 days, simply so I could inhabit their world a little longer. I enjoyed thinking about what I would or wouldn't have done, whether I agreed or disagreed with things (often the smallest of details). While I wouldn't want to live there in real life I absolutely enjoyed my stay there while reading the book.I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read about how an event can expose the cracks and fissures in a community that otherwise seems to be united and rather monolithic. Between the story itself, prior to the event, showing that these cracks are already present, simply hidden, to the rapidity with which the small gaps become enormous valleys. If you prefer action to thoughts and internal reflection then this might not be for you. What little action there is is brief and largely unseen.Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
Because I know at least a little about the parking issue IF you own a car in New York City, it was clever of Quindlen to make that such a basis for the story of this particular dead-end block of houses full of inter-relating characters. I never really loved any of the characters and that makes it hard, at least for me, to fully appreciate a book enough to give it a five star rating. However, it was typical good Quindlen writing.
A dead end street in Manhattan contains brownstone houses owned by people who have lived there long enough to become friends as well as neighbors. All professionals, they do all the things upper class folk in NYC do and all use the services of a likeable Puerta Rican handyman. One day, this handyman parks his van so that it is difficult to get out of the one parking lot. One man takes a golf club to the van beating it's side but also manages to hit the handyman breaking his leg in two places.What pursues is a fallout of neighbors and husbands and wives taking sides on the issue. Nora Noland and her husband Charlie have raised twins in this house, were once in love, had successful careers, but now the issue of the assault (or accident - depending on who tells it) has brought their gradual isolation to the forefront. This is lots of upper class angst - life isn't fulfilling so one must find themselves on a different path. Eventually, Nora and Charles divorce, she changes jobs and the ending implies they all live happily ever after.Having just read "Bonfire of the Vanities" which also centers around a white upper class man injuring a young black man living in poverty, the books are very different. Wolfe tells of all that upper class angst with a sparkle of humor; Quindlen seems to take it all too seriously.
3.5 Usually I become attached to this authors books rather quickly. That was not the case with this one, though the premise was interesting. A dead end street in New York, peopled by many of the same types, all overly privileged, out of touch with the little people. Most not very likable. Nora is our narrator, a mother, wife, with two grown children. She at least questions some of what she sees, actually has a brain that thinks. An incident happens on this self contained street, an incident that will set off a spark, pitting resident against resident. Cracks will appear, widen in people, and marriages.The haves and the have nots, a common theme. These people, well the men in particular really bugged me, so self centered, quite off putting. It did though contain this authors wonderful insights on marriages and relationships. Some of these comments made me smile, hard not to relate to them, as I'm pretty sure all of us in long term marriages or relationships, will as well. Quite saved the book for me as I found these observation to be spot on in some cases. So even though I wanted shake some of these clueless people, once again Quindlen's writing shone through in her keen observations of marriage and life. ARC from Random House.
Nora and Charlie Nolan live on a dead-end street in Manhattan, where neighbors know each other well, for better or worse. The Nolan's twins are now in college, and their empty nest has underscored this middle aged couple's differences, especially their commitment to living in New York, which Nora is passionate about while Charlie isn't. Their careers -- Charlie as an investment banker and Nora as a museum administrator--highlight divergent directions, as do their relationships with their neighbors' foibles and dramas. This is the story of a well-to-do Manhattan couple navigating middle age, mostly with grace.
All is not what it seems to be in either the prestigious New York City neighborhood that Nora Nolan lives in or in her supposedly solid marriage. Nora lives in a neighborhood in which all the long-time residents know everything about each other and their families - and in a marriage that, now that her children have left home, that has settled into a rather dull routine. Her husband, as are most of the men in the neighborhood, is pressuring her to cash in the windfall profit they can make by selling their home, but Nora doesn't want to consider it. George, the neighborhood know-it-all who seems to believe that it's his to rule, keeps everyone united against him until Nora's as life goes on...and on.Then something happens that splits neighborhood loyalties in a way, and at a speed, that changes everything, including the way the neighbors see each other and their spouses. Suddenly, life is not does not just go on; it changes."Alternate Side" is an interesting look at what holds a marriage together through the decades and just how fragile those bonds might be despite all outward appearances. It is a character study in which very little really happens until the book's climax. The pace is a slow-bu-steady one that gets the book to its climax, but it may be too slow to suit more impatient readers.Bottom Line: Interesting premise, very sluggish pacing, so worth a look if literary novels appeal to you.
Nora and Charlie are living in New York city. In their block only the people who own the houses seem to count. The renters aren't being included in anything. Nora and her neighbors share the same handyman, someone Nora likes and always gives her family's hand-me-downs. This person fixes everything for them. Charlie and Nora have two children and when they leave home they just continue living the way they used to, but is that really true? The ultimate goal in their block is having a parking space and they've finally reached it. However, does having a parking space make such a big difference? Slowly Nora's once so perfect life starts to unravel. There are problems at the block. An awful incident is the start of the decline of Nora's neighborhood and because of differences of opinion inevitably also her marriage.
Nora works at a jewelry museum. When she's being offered a better job, she isn't inclined to take it, but the offer is there and it's one more issue that worsens her relationship with Charlie. Nora and Charlie have nothing left to say to each other. Being divided about the terrible event makes the gap between them even wider. Nora is losing her superb existence, but is it so bad that when everything crumbles she's being forced to take a good look at what her life is really like?
Alternate Side is an interesting thought-provoking story. Nora's life might seem ideal on paper, but it's pretty superficial and empty. Her neighbors aren't particularly kind, her husband isn't actually present, even when he's there, and nobody seems to care very much about each other. Her life evolves around having a certain status, but what does getting that much desired parking spot truly have to offer? I loved how Anna Quindlen portrays her characters, she gives her readers a fantastic peek in an unbalanced, hollow life filled with meaninglessness that's being given the appearance of importance, while in reality it is nothing. I loved that idea for a story. She writes about what matters by showing her readers what clearly doesn't, a fabulous contradiction that I greatly admire.
Anna Quindlen's captivating writing has a nice easy flow. I was intrigued by her story from the beginning. There's so much that can be said, thought and assumed about the block and that makes it a fascinating setting to read about. Alternate Side is filled with arrogance, judgements and pretence, but it's also a story about hope, fulfillment and happiness. By writing about what isn't there Anna Quindlen constantly made me think about what should have been there and this kept me glued to the pages. Alternate Side definitely impressed me, it's a fantastic compelling book.
Nora works at a jewelry museum. When she's being offered a better job, she isn't inclined to take it, but the offer is there and it's one more issue that worsens her relationship with Charlie. Nora and Charlie have nothing left to say to each other. Being divided about the terrible event makes the gap between them even wider. Nora is losing her superb existence, but is it so bad that when everything crumbles she's being forced to take a good look at what her life is really like?
Alternate Side is an interesting thought-provoking story. Nora's life might seem ideal on paper, but it's pretty superficial and empty. Her neighbors aren't particularly kind, her husband isn't actually present, even when he's there, and nobody seems to care very much about each other. Her life evolves around having a certain status, but what does getting that much desired parking spot truly have to offer? I loved how Anna Quindlen portrays her characters, she gives her readers a fantastic peek in an unbalanced, hollow life filled with meaninglessness that's being given the appearance of importance, while in reality it is nothing. I loved that idea for a story. She writes about what matters by showing her readers what clearly doesn't, a fabulous contradiction that I greatly admire.
Anna Quindlen's captivating writing has a nice easy flow. I was intrigued by her story from the beginning. There's so much that can be said, thought and assumed about the block and that makes it a fascinating setting to read about. Alternate Side is filled with arrogance, judgements and pretence, but it's also a story about hope, fulfillment and happiness. By writing about what isn't there Anna Quindlen constantly made me think about what should have been there and this kept me glued to the pages. Alternate Side definitely impressed me, it's a fantastic compelling book.
I’m sorry, I wanted to like it but the problems were too insignificant to care about and the people too unrelatable and insufferable. Pick again.
boring.....
A family living in New York City, very comfortable, find their world changing with an unfortunate incident. The effects trickle down into their entire life. The author's writing is so insightful and though provoking as are her observations of life in general. A great book, with a bittersweet ending. My last book of 2018.
In contrast to many of the reviewers here who were unable to connect with or care about Anna Quindlen's main characters in her newest novel, Alternate Side, I instantly found them to be interesting, intriguing, and incredibly real. Maybe the problem some are experiencing is that there is nothing larger than life in this story; that it is, in fact, a somewhat voyeuristic peek into the everyday existence of a gaggle of regular New Yorkers packed tightly into a dead-end block in the middle of nowhere important. It is essentially a story about relatively mundane relationships in a positively normal city and how the seemingly run-of-the-mill decisions that we make affect us and those around us – decisions each with a hundred trailing branches, only some of which will bring us happiness and fulfillment. The others, the roads not taken, continue to haunt and sting and show us who we might otherwise have become. Not larger than life, then, but most definitely life. It might not be everyone's jam, but it sure is mine.Quindlen has a fantastic grasp of the human condition and her storytelling construction is masterful; it teases and unfolds slowly as we get to know the characters, not following any kind of consistent, predictable timeline. Instead, the protagonists reveal themselves through mid-scene reflections and memories, precious opines of could-have-beens and delicious similes that charm and destroy all at the same time: "The truth was that some of their marriages were like balloons: a few went suddenly pop, but more often than not the air slowly leaked out until it was a sad, wrinkled little thing with no lift to it anymore.” She repeatedly demonstrates a real knack for contrasting the immediacy and hugeness of life with the fact that in the end, our pursuits, our accomplishments and failures, are simply illusory drops in the bucket of a much larger lineage of memory – or the lack thereof: "The price so many of them had paid for prosperity was amnesia. They’d forgotten where they’d come from, how they’d started out. They’d forgotten what the city really was, and how small a part of it they truly were."What we learn from Quindlen is that her crisscrossing, God's-eye micronarratives are pretty well-packed with wisdom and empathy across a sophisticated, puzzle-like tableau that says as much with idiosyncrasy and musing as with traditional plot dynamics. We time-skip back and forth within the inevitable progress of the novel to uncover all-too-human secrets and missed chances, futile connections and proud, quiet moments of fulfillment. In this way, we learn so much about these characters without the author having to bore us with plodding set-up or gratuitous drama; rather, the development is often inline and inferred, and we piece it together from the bits that Quindlen and her characters leave behind.I suspect that the lack of connection or "care" expressed by many readers might be a product of this novel representing a quick, fleeting snapshot of one tiny microcosm of life in the big city. There's barely enough time to hold on to anyone, or to settle upon a judgement of them. That is, of course, intentional; the story's coda deals directly with the premise of impermanence and the layers of life which are heaped upon each and every inhabited city block through time. There's no serial to it, and there won't be a sequel. It is entirely possible that some people would instead prefer an easy, ongoing romantic tale of New York with Carrie Bradshaw at the center of it all. That's not what you'll be getting in Alternate Side. But you'll certainly be getting some poignant, humanistic storytelling in a petite yarn that relatively questions our values, our needs, and how we confront the problems that we face.This is the first book I've read by Anna Quindlen, and I'm just about to pick up another. Can't wait to dig right in.
I read this book because I had recognized Quindlen as a noted author. To be honest, this is not my kind of reading, so I listed it as "chick-lit." I did finish the book and the final chapter tied things together well enough to give it 3 stars. Not great reading for males, I think. A must-read for Quindlen fans.
Nora Nolan has always felt a kinship with New York City and wants to live nowhere else. Her husband Charlie doesn’t feel the same way. He’s always trying to convince her to move from the city, mostly because he hasn’t found success in NYC and thinks he’ll do better elsewhere. Their twins have left home and are living at college now. The dead end street where they live is a tight knit group of friends and those not well thought of. Most have dogs and Nora and Charlie’s dog, Homer, opens up channels of communication with many of the neighbors. They all mourn together when one of them loses a dog. One of the neighbors, Jack, has anger issues and often that anger is directed at the area’s handyman, Ricky. When a dispute over parking spaces erupts into violence, none of their lives will be the same.I have read many of Anna Quindlen’s books and she’s a favorite author of mine. I couldn’t be more surprised that I can only give her newest book 3 stars. I’ve read all of the glowing reviews but personally I struggled through this book. I had so much trouble keeping the characters straight and then realized that I just didn’t care for any of them and they all just blended together. These are people of privilege and they have lives that others would envy. And yet they aren’t satisfied and constantly whine. There’s a line in the book that I can’t find now which said something to the effect that you shouldn’t whine on a luxury cruise and that’s what I felt these people were doing. And I just couldn’t get interested in their “plight” at all. That’s not to say that there weren’t parts of this book that I enjoyed. I loved the dog Homer who loved every minute of his walks around the neighborhood. I liked the exchanges between Nora and the “homeless” man. I enjoyed some of the humor that Ms. Quindlen includes in this book. Possibly I expected something else. The previous books by this author that I’ve read, such as “Black and Blue” and “One True Thing”, were much darker books and elicited strong emotions for me. The only scene that elicited emotion from me in this book was the one involving Homer.Sorry, Ms. Quindlen, but this book isn’t at the top of my favorites of yours.This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
They have the life many people dream of: Nora and Charlie Nolan live in New York city in a quiet dead-end street, their twins Rachel and Oliver have become charming and successful students and both Nora and Charlie are good at their respective jobs. In their street, they have made friends with the neighbours during annual barbecues and the like and from the outside, there is not much you could wish for. However, underneath the surface, the idyllic street has its fights, like very neighbourhood, there is the controlling neighbour whom nobody ever openly contradicts, there are rumours and the nannies also exchange the secrets and share them with their employers. Nora and Charlie have always worked well as a couple, but after almost 25 years, there is a kind of exhaustion, they do not share the same ideas of life anymore and after a major incident in their street which makes them take different sides, they too, have to confront the question if they want to and can go on like this.Anna Quindlen has an eye for the detail. Even though her story is set in big New York City, the plot is centred around a small community that could be found almost everywhere. It is the clash between the look from the outside and the real picture that makes the novel most striking, the almost invisible fractures, the divergent views which become only detectable when something big happens.“Alternate Sides” is the perfect summer read, on the one hand, it is a light novel, not too complicated or philosophical, but taken from life and straight-forward in the development of the plot. On the other hand, you have a sympathetic protagonist whom you can easily identify with. You follow Nora and she is immediately likeable, even though she’s got quite an exclusive job, she is like to woman from next door, ignorant of classes and anxious to raise her kids to become good people. Neither does she immediately explode when she feels provoked by her husband, nor does she take in everything without disagreeing. Since everybody knows how well-off neighbourhoods work, you can smirk at how the inhabitants of this street react, much too predictable, but that’s just how humans work. At times, they are hilarious – Charlie’s joy when he gets a parking spot in the street! – at times, they remind you of the people from you real life that you despise. Even though there are many serious issues underneath the surface of the novel, it is a joyful and entertaining read.
A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.Tension permeates a close-knit neighbourhood and happy marriage after an unexpected violent act.Nora and Charlie Nolan seem to have it all. They live on a dead end street in a lovely home in a New York City neighbourhood. Their twins are away at college and all is well. Nora has always loved the city and Charlie loves it even more now that he has secured a highly coveted parking spot. One morning, Nora returns home from her run only to discover a terribly tragedy has occurred that has shaken her once tight community. Cracks start to appear in her seemingly charmed life, not only on the block, but at her job, and her marriage.In Anna Quindlen's latest book, she explores motherhood, being a wife, and a woman in the stages of unravelling. Quindlen is a fantastic writer, and this book is no exception. However, it took me a long time to get into the book and by time the story really started to develop (after the "incident"), I had checked out.I liked the parallel between Charlie and Nora's dead-end marriage with them living on a dead-end street. But, the parking space and a mundane marriage seem to eclipse the rest of story. Or maybe because the first part of the book is so drawn out that the reader is just not as vested in any of the issues. Maybe it's because I live in the burbs, but I couldn't relate to the parking issue and felt that it had too much presence in the story. Perhaps because NYC was so integral, the city was almost a character in itself, that Qindlen dedicated so much to the parking space.Unfortunately for me, this one is a pass. It was just okay.
DNF at 120 pgs. I was interested in this book for two reasons: (1) I'm pushing myself to get out of a psychological thriller rut and (2) I have never read this author and have heard high praise. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to the book for me to try new things. It's very much a character driven story, which I don't mind at all and these characters are incredibly well drawn, but the story hinges around an 'incident' which barely started to get going more than a third way through the book. The plot just wasn't enough to hold my interest. Thank you to Goodreads for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.