Read in prepub. Pub date 3/20/18. I am predisposed to any New York City based story but am easily annoyed by "rich people problem" books so I was unsure of this one going in. Even given the fact that none of the characters were ever really in peril because their cushion of money ensured that any suffering they had would be existential, I still cared what happened to Nora. There is enough meat here--about class, about marriage, about community--that it would make a good book group discussion book. Recommend.

75% of this novel is the story of Nora Nolan’s life told as if it were her memoir. While it is based on the present, Nora flashes back to other times in her life. She is an educated white woman, wife, and mother who is not unhappy yet not happy about her life. She acknowledges her privilege and seeks to compensate for it through acts of kindness for her Jamaican nanny/housekeeper, Hispanic handyman, and “homeless” friend Phil. The response she gets from those different individuals is very interesting. It is not the typical, “Golly gee, you’re amazing.” There is real pushback that is nice to read. The other 25% of this novel is a love letter to New York City. Nora really loves NYC and her descriptions about what she loves are the best parts of the book.

Nora’s life story is somewhat interesting but also a little confusing at times. I felt lost when I began the book because it picked up right into Nora’s life. I did not know whom she was talking about and what was going on. It’s like I missed the prequel. Furthermore, there are paragraphs that will be describing a current event and then suddenly the reader is thrust back into another time and tangential story. I found it a little confusing when that happened. I understand that a lot of people do that when telling a story, but it doesn’t come across well on the page.

Overall, it was a nice, easy read. It wasn’t earth shattering or really moving for me.

I received an ARC of Alternate Side: A Novel through NetGalley for an honest review.

An engrossing book about NYC, a neighborhood, a marriage, a family, and a wife/mother/neighbor/career woman. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want it to end. Kudos t0 Quindlen.

Anna Quindlen takes on on New Yorkers this time, and writes about them with such clarity and understanding that even if you don't like them, you are perfectly clear about whom and what they are about. There are some twists and turns in this book, which keep the story interesting and never dull. She tackles one of todays pressing issues in a very real way. It was hard to put this book down.

A family drama filled with a neighborhood of well-developed "New Yorker" characters, both obnoxious and kind.

I have enjoyed Anna Quindlen’s novels in the past, but just couldn’t get into this one. I bailed about a quarter of the way in. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters or the story on this one.

Anna Quindlen is certainly the best writer in the family drama genre - her latest novel is mostly a character study and a portrait of a marriage.
I loved the setting in this book and was familiar with all the places mentioned in New York City.

I wasn't that fond of most of the characters, but I feel as though I know them inside and out, and I thought about them at odd times of the day when I wasn't reading.
A tragic event happened in the insular neighborhood block where they lived, and their lives changed accordingly, but I can't say I feel badly for any of the residents.

It was interesting to read about each character's motivation and how they interacted with each other, what goes on behind the closed doors within a closeknit community which thinks they know everything about everyone.

I could finish this book. I got halfway through it and just could not engage in this story. There is an incident in an upper class New York City neighborhood which causes discord between the residence. The incident didn't take place until about a third of the way through the book but I was patient. I read all the character backstories, marriage histories, and musings about the city and its out of control real estate prices, all the while waiting for the story to begin. Halfway through I still felt as though I was waiting for things to start so I had to just set this one aside and move on ... too many book, too little time.

Favorite read lately, a literate examination of place, marriage and social class, Character development, writing style and plot are all
on point, Harkens back to the wonderful times spent with Ann Tyler, Ann Hood and Alice Adams.

What a great little book! I thoroughly enjoyed this (although I expected that given it's Anna Quindlen). This one is all about relationships - husband/wife, parent/child, neighbors, friends, siblings, co-workers, strangers, and finally with yourself. It explores all the various relationships we have and the effects those relationships have on us throughout our lives. There's also a strong theme of "what-if" - what if this or that had happened, would lives have turned out differently? It's a question I'm guessing everyone has asked themselves more than once throughout their lives. One thing I really liked about this book was the time and effort the author took with the after story. Many times a book will spend 99% of it's story telling the before and during, but very little on what happens after, and I am left feeling cheated by the ending. This one had a hefty after section, and really wrapped up the story well. I enjoy Anna Quindlen's writing - this one tells a story without a lot of fluff and pretention. It's simple and easy while still making me think. Highly recommend it!

By far, my favorite book of the year. I couldn't put it down and I didn't want it to end. Beatifully written with characters so real. In effect, it is a hate/love story of New Yorkers as well as a story of a marriage. The dialogue is so believable, especially the interactions with the children.

Years ago Calvin Trillin wrote Tepper Is Not Going Out, a book he called the world's first novel about parking. In that book Tepper parks in front of Russ & Daughters and reads his paper until he gets the full time on his meter. When I saw him all those years ago, he said he wrote it to illustrate the continuing frustration that New Yorkers have with parking in their city and their methods for complying with the City's parking rules. Anna Quindlan uses the same jumping off point in her latest book, one of her best -- I'm only surprised it took almost 20 years for another book to appear centered around what those New Yorkers who insist on still owning cars have to deal with, the tricks employed to secure a place on the street. And what a street it is! A fictitious dead end on the upper West Side, fronted with Victorian townhouses and inhabited with an upscale population who meet as they walk their dogs, have a local "mayor" a boor who polices the area, a huge Christmas party thrown by seemingly the wealthiest of them all. And they have Ricky, an angel capable of fixing everything and keeping these houses running, on call 24/7. It also has a vacant lot that provides a very limited number of treasured parking spaces.
Nan and Charlie Nolan have finally scored one of these gems which thrills Charlie a lot and Nan not so much.
The plot is set in motion with Ricky's van impeding (supposedly) the exit from the lot for Jack, the most entitled of the residents. This sets in motion events that will impact everyone on the block, told from Nan's point of view. With her customary journalistic skills and powers of observation, Anna Quindlan creates characters that breathe and situations that reverberate with authenticity. I loved in particular her exchanges with her daughter which only a mother of an assertive brilliant daughter could have created. Thanks to netgalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A quiet novel that grows into an absorbing read. Anna Quindlen uses a NYC residential street as a microcosm for alternate sides of life, be that black and white, husband and wife, rich and poor, parents and children. Everything in Nora's life is ticking along at an even pace with perfect balance until a violent incident upsets it all. The ripple effect is profound.

I devoured thos latest from accomplished author Quinlen on 2 days. The character of museum director Nora Nolan is so relatable, likeable and honest. She is an independent woman, fiercely loyal to her kids and friends who doesn’t let the frustrations of city life dampen her love for her beloved NYC. The portrayal of a marriage that has run out of steam was spot on - there were so many sentences I found myself wanted to h9ghlight. - and the characters whose lives and relationships play out on the dead end block where the. Nolans live is fascinating. They are really no villains In this finely drawn story, just interesting,, complex people living their lives In the surprisingly tight knit community in the city.

I am a huge Anna Quindlen fan, so I jumped at the chance to get an ARC of The Alternate Side. The Alternate Side does not disappoint. Quindlen offers a glimpse into the life, decisions and evolution of Nora Nolan, a woman in her late 40's who leads a seemingly charmed life, in a seemingly quaint dead-end street ion the Upper West Side, with a seemingly rewarding career. As the story unfolds, the reader realizes Nora's life is not all it appears. With her twins off to college and a traumatic event that shakes the neighborhood to the core, things begin to unravel for Nora Nolan. She realizes that her marriage suddenly and irrevocably shifts from acceptably unhappy, to miserable. One of her many poignant revelations is, "Marriages (are) like balloons: some 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." But, Nora is strong and refreshingly honest with herself and others. Female friendships, her relationships with her daughter and sister, and Manhattan itself all play central roles in Nora's evolution. I also absolutely loved the banter between Nora and the not-homeless homeless man outside her workplace.

Thank you to #netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced readers copy of #AlternateSide in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written. I think I thought there was going to be a more dramatic event on the block than what actually happened but Quindlen’s perfect descriptions of everyday occurrences, people, and just life in general made up for it.

This is exactly the kind of book I love. The writing is clean and story well paced, encouraging me to reflect over where the book and my own life intersect. Anna Quindlan writes for me.

It's hard to say anything about Anna Quindlen to do her justice, but I will try.....
Alternate Side is a story of a neighborhood, and more specifically a parking lot, in Manhattan. Quindlen tells the story of the marriage of Charlie and Nora Nolan through a tragic event that occurs one morning in this lot. The story is told with a perfect combination of sadness and humor, and carries all the grace that Quindlen's writing is known for. A must read for fans of her previous work.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Anna Quindlen's newest book, ALTERNATE SIDE is a masterpiece of New York life, social mores, and personalities.
Charlie and Nora Nolan are living the successful middle-aged life on one of the city's few dead-end streets in a family neighborhood on the Upper West Side. Their twins, Rachel and Oliver, are at good colleges, and the married couple are drifting into middle age financially stable, but personally unfulfilled. When a neighborhood tragedy occurs it makes them both take a good look at themselves - individually and together as a couple -- and revaluate where and what they want to do with the rest of their lives.
Quindlen has painted a picture of middle-class privilege and angst so vividly in this book. The Nolan's neighbors are a mishmash of likable and totally unlikable people - just like you'd find in any neighborhood in America.. As social mores change and opportunities come and go, Nora and Charlie try to get through each day, secure in the knowledge each is right in whatever decision they make, even if it is wrong for them as a couple.
When I first started reading this book I thought the title was indicative of that New York idiosyncrasy Alternate side of the street parking. As a native New Yorker, this was a struggle any Manhattan car owner who is forced to park on the street and not in a lot, experiences. But the further I read, I realized the title was really how Nora and Charlie's marriage had devolved into separate lives with alternate thinking, ideas, and hopes for the future.
As I said, this book is a masterful portrayal of New Yorkers.
I highly recommend it. 5 stars.

Nora Nolan, a museum director, invites us on to her block on the west side of Manhattan (where houses in the neighborhood now sell for ten million dollars) and into her townhouse where she lives with her husband, Charlie an investment banker and, occasionally, with her twin college=age children. The block seems like a village where all the residents know each other, their families and pets. A renter once even compared it to a cult. Norah's life is idyllic until gradually, it isn't. Jack, a neighbor with anger management issues, allegedly attacks Rickie, the indispensable handyman, with a golf club as a result of a parking dispute, Charlie wants to sell the house, someone keeps leaving bags of dog poop on the front steps, and more indignities which Nora compares to the plagues inflicted upon Egypt.
Anna Quindlen writes with characteristic insight and humor about privilege, marriage, family, and urban life.