An engaging character based novel that made me think, pushed my buttons, and had me identifying strongly with the main character even though I'm not a middle aged woman who runs a museum in NYC with twin children and a crappy husband. Great read, absolutely getting for the library.

A slice of life love letter to NYC, dealing with choices, marriage, divorce. What Anna Quindlen does best.

I struggled a lot with this book. On the positive side, I felt the author had a genuine talent.....that was hidden behind a slow-moving, sort of silly novel. I felt the relationship between the main characters, Nora and Charlie, was rather annoying. I couldn't connect with them on any level, superficial or otherwise. I kept thinking that it would pick up the pace, or something interesting/compelling would happen, but that moment did not come. I don't feel the need to necessarily "bash" this book, so suffice it to say that it just was not a good fit for me, personally. To be honest, I lost interest around 40%, and couldn't finish it.

I loved Quindlen's earlier books. But this one and rhe previous one seem like she is trying too hard to be profound. This account of a disintegrating marriage is mundane.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pure Quindlen comfort reading, addressing complicated topics of race and privilege with her usual light, witty tone. The book will ring true to all New Yorkers. The main character is a bit too blameless for a woman of her age and privilege, and that's what took the book from a 4 to a 3. I would have liked to have seen her a little more complicated and less of a white savior,, with the usual mistakes and pitfalls a wealthy 50-something white woman would make,, that may have lead to some insight and self-awareness, but this is not that book.

Quindlen looks at the lives of Nora and Charlie in a trendy New York neighbourhood where the ultimate in status symbols is a spot in the parking lot on their dead end street. The class system is firmly in place with the rich needing but not recognizing the worth of the lower class repair people they depend on. The author ponders the moments in our lives, the trivial and the momentous and how they shape the person we become.

It's a thoughtful look at all the small moments which come together to transform us over time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

3.5 Stars.

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

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 a life of privilege in Manhattan, but after their boy-girl twins go away to college, their marriage suffers. I loved getting to know all the owner-neighbors on their dead-end street, a group of characters so well constructed I didn't even get them confused. I found the sinister thread of racial-wealth-gap woven throughout the plot to be super compelling: the all-white residents employing all-minority housekeepers, nannies and handymen. But I wish Quindlen had followed through on it to factor in more at the ending.

Martial Complicity and parking spaces are really the driving forces in this book. Nora and Charlie Nolan appear to have it all. They live on a dead-end street in a very stately home in New York City. On the outside they seem as though they have a good life - if only they could have that prized parking spot! Their children are older and are away at college, Nora and Charlie should be enjoying their time together - but then a violent incident occurs and rocks their tight knit happy little community. Which side do you take? What happens when your comfortably uncomfortable life begins to unravel?

UGH! Is this book well written? Yes, this book is very well written but my problem with this book is the fact that I just didn't care. Yes, they had a dead-end marriage just as they lived on a dead-end street, but I just didn't care that much about them to care about what happens to them. I do get the obsession with the parking spot. I have never lived in New York City, but I live in Los Angeles and know what a pain it can be to not be able to park where you live.

This is a book about not only the characters but a look at the "elite" and the people who work for them. About life in the city, daily observances on life, about a marriage, about a community, about a woman who seems ambivalent about her life and marriage. Is she happy, is she unhappy, is she angry, is she resigned that this is her life? I found this book to be slow - I am most likely in the minority on this book but it failed to wow me.

I received a copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a long-time admirer of Anna Quindlan. Her writing style and subject matter always hold my interest. She has an amazing ability of portraying individuals who are not special (we might call them 'just ordinary citizens') in a way that allows us to feel their pain, their happiness, their fears, etc. And, Alternate Side is just such a book. Although some 'unusual' events occur, the book is more about how a family deals with just life. It touches on the differences one perceives in where they live (one member of the couple finding it vibrant and the other finding it too cloistered), the growing up of teens, job satisfaction, etc. etc. In other words many of the situations we all know. The title, Alternate Side, does just that - show us the alternate side of multiple situations.

Although based in New York, this story could be about anyone's life in any larger city where drama abounds. I've visited NYC and I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed descriptions Ms. Quindlen presents to her readers. She relays her story like she's painted a picture. I was right there....standing in the neighborhood's private parking lot, in one of the homes, museums, high rises or having a conversation with the faux homeless guy.

The relationships were complex (with Nora's children, husband, friends, coworkers), the characters so real that I know many like this in my own personal life. No sweet expected happy ending here either. Reading this was like talking to an old friend on the phone for a few hours trying to catch up. So true to life. Ms. Quindlen..... YOU NAILED THIS ONE!!! Highly recommend.

There is a song by Patty Loveless titled "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye". The lyrics of the song are uncannily close to the heart this story; the song kept running through my mind while I joined Nora Noland on her daily journeys. Lyrics "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye": Life's about changing nothing ever stays the same. How can I help you to say goodbye, it's okay to hurt and it's okay to cry, Come Let me hold you and I will try. How can I help you say goodbye? (Sums it up doesn't it?)

I enjoyed this novel thoroughly. I found it to be a quick read, but that may be because I didn't want to put it down. I loved reading about a lesser known block in New York with its own set of rules. The main character's work at the gallery/museum was interesting if a lesser part of the book.

Nora and Charlie Nolan appear to be rich and successful New Yorkers, with a large, beautiful house on a desirable street. But underneath the outer trappings of success, not everything is as it seems. Nora and Charlie are both unhappy; their dead-end street the perfect metaphor for their marriage and careers.

Things might have continued like this indefinitely, with Nora and Charlie living parallel lives under a shared roof. Then, something happens that divides their tiny neighborhood community, leaving Nora and Charlie on alternate sides.

Alternate Side is not a fast-paced story, but it is an enjoyable read. It will appeal to fans of Anna Quindlen's novels, and others who enjoy the literary "chick lit" genre.

The price they had paid for prosperity was amnesia. They’d forgotten who they once had been.

Nora Nolan and husband Charlie have made it, they live alongside others who have worked hard for every accomplishment. Their New York is safe, tight-knit and about to be rocked by a violent act involving one of their own. Just who is at fault? It depends on whose side you are on and really, shouldn’t Nora support the people in her neighborhood? Every village has it’s self-appointed leader or idiot, this one has hotheaded George. When the ‘help’ ( handyman Ricky) dares to park where he shouldn’t, it enrages him. The ensuing chaos now has Nora and Charlie turning on each other, and the ‘comfortable’ marriage no longer seems quite so charmed. But Nora cannot blind herself to the truth, she knows who Ricky is as a person, where everyone else sees him as ‘the help’ there just to do a job, an invisible person.

I think Quindlen is a wonderful writer, but as I don’t live an exclusive existence I had a hard time connecting to all the characters. I rooted for Ricky from the start, it’s just that Nora isn’t someone I warmed up to. Admittedly, I liked her better at the close of the novel. I was also tickled by the whole ‘poop’ incident, people are downright ridiculous in their little acts of vengeance, and there is no denying this sort of ‘crap’ happens. It reminded me of a local stories and national ones where poop bags have led to violence, you can’t make this stuff up! Parking spaces are a coveted prize in New York, as much as their real estate. Charlie and Nora are at odds already when the incident acts as a crow bar, or golf club as is the case, in prying them apart. She complains about New York, he tells her they could move to warmer climates, she doesn’t really want to. Her twin children are away at school and as a mother it’s easy to understand the push and pull of a grown daughter’s needs, how to be just the right amount of invested and knowing when to back off. Her son’s needs are less demanding.

Looking at Charlie, she can remember the early days of desire. But she prods at the thought, “want what you have.” Is that the best life can give you? That as a life affirmation is depressing! Charlie takes jabs, even if it’s unintended like asking her when discussing why there is really no solid reason to continue living in the city because, how often do they visit the musuem? She says she she works in one, he says ‘I mean a real one.” Ouch. Charlie is dismissive of her life, as if her accomplishments aren’t ambitious enough, not like his. Her daughter, on the verge of graduation, makes a big decision in her career and it’s telling that her father will look down on her for it, but what moved me the most was when she says to her mother, “I’m not picking on you. I’ve decided not to pick on you anymore.” Crazy to think that is the sweetest moment in the novel, but mothers and daughters will understand. There is a shift that happens, where parents have a different relationship with their children, when they begin to see their mothers and fathers as people.

This novel is about the city, the wealthy and those who work for them, the way they see and treat each other. It’s also about the cracks in a marriage that are ignored. As for the parking lot and the incident, the angry explosions are excessive, is it born from entitlement, from thinking those who make less than you are just a place to release your rage? I had more issues with anyone excusing George and when he is no longer a threat there is still sympathy coming from Charlie, that there was even a question of whose side to take, are we really that bad? It will be interesting to read reviews by those living in the city. I liked it, but again, I just didn’t think much of the people.

Publication Date: March 20, 2018

Random House

As a longtime fan of Anna Quindlen, I was so excited to get an advanced copy of her new book from NetGalley. One of the things I really love about Quindlen is that while her books are usually about family (and mainly marriage) dynamics, they’re all are so different and you never really know what you’re going to get. Alternate Side is about a married couple living on a neighborhood street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan where people are paying good money to live and parking is at a premium. Everything begins to change after an incident occurs in the parking lot and nobody can seem to agree who was at fault. The book starts off slowly and I had a little trouble getting into it, but then I was suddenly hooked. Quindlen brings up some current day issues, but in a completely new context, also pulling it neighborhood dynamics. As usual, she explores marriage, this time examining how much can change over the years. This will definitely be another hit for Anna Quindlen!

Fingers crossed Quindlen never ever retires from writing.

This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Quindlen and the premise sounded like a great read. Many of my friends really enjoyed it, I am among the few that did not. Here’s why.

I love character driven novels, the problem I had with this book is that I really didn’t like or care about any of the characters. The first person narrative is told to us by Nora Nolan, a New York city dweller since she graduated from college. She and her husband, Charlie live on a dead end street of old stately Victorian houses that have now been refurbished and are worth millions of dollars, apparently, in today’s marketplace. They have two children, twins, Oliver and Rachel who at the time of the story are in their senior year of college. Everyone in the neighborhood has an upper class income to be able to afford living there. Of all of the characters in the book I think that I liked Oliver and Rachel the best and liked their interaction with their parents.

The Nolan’s got to know their neighbors when the children were younger and now see them often while walking their dog. They chat about their children, the weather, etc but most often about things that are going on with others on the block. The beginning of the book tells us all about a vacant lot on their block that has seven parking spaces which are highly prized and sought after. There is an obnoxious neighbor, George, who sees himself sort of as the “mayor” of this little group and often writes them little notes about what they should and should not do, regarding the parking spaces, the garbage, etc.

The pivotal point of the story hits at about the 30% point on my Kindle. One of the neighbors, Jack, gets into a rage about not being able to get out of his parking space because their neighborhood handyman, Ricky, has blocked the way with his truck. What happens after this is quite predictable, and this is all of the action that takes place in this book.
Neighbors are upset, take sides for or against Jack and the cracks start to appear in all of their lives. This affects our main characters, Nora and Charlie, in a variety of ways. I won’t go into the plot because that would be a spoiler and I’ll let you discover that for yourself.

Perhaps if I was a New Yorker, or at least a city dweller, I would have understood more of what these characters are about. I’m a suburban dweller and have been for over 40 years, the city was always a great place to visit but I never wanted to live there. Nora’s husband Charlie had been trying to talk Nora into moving out of the city to various places, warmer climate, seaside location, etc, but Nora seems to have a love/hate relationship with New York. I found her tedious, self centered and just not very interesting.
Ms. Quindlen is obviously a very skilled writer and I know she has a huge following and I’m sure those people will enjoy this book. It just wasn’t for me and I had to force myself to finish it, hoping for a great ending that just didn’t happen.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, thank you. Will also post to Amazon upon publication in March.

A poignant story of a middle age couple who live in an upscale neighborhood in Manhattan. After witnessing a brutal attack on the Hispanic handy man by a neighbor, Nara begins to see her life in a different light. Her husband, Charlie, was also a witness to the attack, but he defends the neighbor at the expense of his marriage.
An extremely well written, thought provoking novel.

I always wait for the new Anna Quindlen offering with baited breath, and Alternate Side did not disappoint. I loved the character of Nora and even more I loved the humor, the realness of the writing and the descriptions of Nora's neighbors and neighborhood. It seems to be close knit and idyllic but we all know that the reality behind such a place is usually far from that. When the figurative facades start to crack, the literal rats emerge to illustrate how little it takes to break up what was once a happy and thriving setting.

Ususally like Anna Quindlen's books, but i just coudn't get past the first few chapters before loosing interest. Maybe read at another time.

I have been a Quindlen fan since her days as a columnist at The NY Times. I always felt that she wrote compassionately about everyday life of young mothers like myself. I have enjoyed all her other novels and was eager to read this one. I was not disappointed.

The story begins with the allotment of one of six parking space in a small parking lot adjacent to a dead end street in Manhattan. The Victorian era townhouses that line the street are all owned by upper middle class New Yorkers. Charlie Nolan is thrilled to get the spot for the Volvo that he and his wife Nora, rarely use. A parking spot represents status and also a relief from the alternate side of the street parking rules of NYC streets.

We learned that Charlie and Nora had arrived in the city after college and settled into good jobs. He works in investment banking and she worked her way up from an assistant fund raiser in a museum to a director of a small museum. Their twins are in the last year of college and the couple is settling in as empty nesters. However Charlie begins to tire of his job and life in the city even though Nora feels comfortable and will not consider a move to a warmer climate.

Then a tragedy occurs when a hot headed neighbor has an altercation with the local handyman. Charlie is a witness to the event and sides with the neighbor. Nora is appalled and sides with the injured handyman. Slowly we see the disintegration of the once comfortable marriage as well as fractured relationships between longtime neighbors.

This book examines life among a privileged class of New Yorkers who can afford prime housing, private schools for their kids, country homes and the staff to maintain the large NYC houses. The neighbors on their dead end street are for the most part isolated from the less privileged folks who live in other parts of the city. We are also shown the changes in the city from the 1970s when the couple arrived in the city to the present. Quindlen misses the old gritty NYC and describes the change with this sentence “The City has become like that edgy girl in college, all wild jacked hair and leather, who showed up at the reunion with a blow dried blob and a little black dress, her nose piercing closed up as if it never existed.”

She also shows the disdain that many long time New Yorkers have for other parts of the country. When Nora’s sister moves to Seattle and starts a successful business, Nora is surprised. She is even more shocked when her twins, Rachel and Oliver, graduate from college and decide to work in other cities. So we understand why Nora has no intention of leaving the city with Charlie for a slower life in another part of the country. Nora even speculates what her life may be like as she ages in place in NYC.

Quindlen makes the reader feel like we know the characters or at least spent time chatting with them during daily dog walks. Several of these doctors, lawyers, financial types & their pampered wives, seem to have a public image that is quite different from who they really are. Many of these characters are not likable.

I wholeheartedly recommend this latest work from one of the best writers alive today.