While I found Quindlen's writing to fantastic and I found humor in the characters, the actual plot of the book was just not for me. I found it to be too slow paced for my liking. I think there are many who would enjoy this book!

Every Last One & Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen | Double Review

{Common Themes}
Quindlen, A Writer of Women – In both Every Last One and Alternate Side I was struck by just how well Anna Quindlen developed her female leads. Both were women so real I felt like I easily knew them. Mary Beth Latham might be one of my own friends or neighbors, and under slightly different circumstances I might say the same of Nora Nolan. Quindlen thoroughly fleshes out her protagonists and makes an entire story in which every step they take, every decision they make resonates with authenticity.

Family Relationships – It’s clear to me that Anna Quindlen likes to write about what she seems to know best, families. In Every Last One her primary focus was on Mary Beth Latham’s relationships with her three teenage children. As with all teens they could be fun, difficult, and emotional and Mary Beth worried about each for different reasons. Her relationship to her husband was just as real, but took a bit of a backseat in this story, whereas in Alternate Side the relationship between Nora Nolan and her husband was at the heart of its story. Nora’s children were just slightly older and on the brink of being independent. In both books the family relationships rang completely true.

A Community, For Better or Worse – In Every Last One Quindlen built a network of friends (both close and not so close), relatives, employees, other parents, and friends of children to create a real sense of community: wonderful, but sometimes cloying. In Alternate Side, the bigger community was the city of New York in its totality, but within that was the tiny dead-end street where much of the drama of Nora’s life occurred.

Best Friends – I loved that in both books the women whom the stories were about had a best friend in the most fundamental sense. Alice and Jennie, each close friends since college, were unconditionally present for Mary Beth and Nora when needed. That unwavering loyalty is everything that a best friend should be and these two shone.

A Pivotal Event – The fact that both books had a moment that changed the trajectory of the entire story is no huge surprise. Most stories have such a moment, but I was startled by both in Quindlen’s books. The events forever changed the course of her heroines’ lives, admittedly more so for Mary Beth than for Nora. For both women, I appreciated the metamorphosis Quindlen delivered as they came to terms with a new reality.

{Final Thoughts on Each}
Every Last One

Everyone was right, I should have tried Anna Quindlen a long time ago. I thought Every Last One was amazing. Before I had any idea where the book was going, I was enthralled by the normalcy of the Latham family. They could have been my family, or my neighbors. I liked them. I worried for them because I knew tragedy in some form had to await. What actually happened I never saw coming. I was stunned and also a little awed that Quindlen could so successfully go there. Her resolution of this story felt exactly right to me, perfectly real and that’s why I so loved Every Last One. Grade: A

Alternate Side

I liked the story of Nora Nolan at a critical time in her life. Her children were out of the house, her husband was restless and their dreams were no longer the same. I also really appreciated the secondary star of this book, the city of New York itself: the lives it contains, the people at odds, the way the city is ever-changing, always moving forward and never looking back. Nora was the embodiment of NYC and that was fantastic! If I only focused on these part of Alternate Side, it was wonderful, but there were a lot of other parts. The entire parking theme that ran through the rest of this story got old. I know parking is a HUGE issue if you live in New York, but honestly, it’s boring to the rest of us. Similarly, the walking of dogs and the rats, I could have also done without. I understand that these conflicts helped to move Nora through her story; I’d have just enjoyed it more had Quindlen found a different way. Still, I liked much more than I didn’t about Alternate Side, so please don’t be scared away by my (or others’) review. Try Alternate Side and decided for yourself, especially if you’re an Anna Quindlen fan as I now am! Grade: B

Note: I received a copy of this book from the Random House (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was excited to read Alternate Side as I had really enjoyed Quindlen's previous novel Miller's Valley. What I have come to realize is that what Quindlen does well is incorporate the setting as a character unto itself. Whereas Miller's Valley was set in a small rural town with deep roots and focused on the "Have-nots", Alternate Side is told from the perspective of the "Haves".

Using this sense of place the insular neighborhood in New York City where Nora lives with her husband Charlie assumes a "strange Brigadoon feeling." It is a place that has been "hermetically sealed, essentially "The land that time forgot". My thoughts on Miller's Valley were that it "had this warm and fuzzy feel at its core. The characters, though dysfunctional, were very endearing and relatable. You buy into their storylines and hope that they see their way through". This wasn't so easy to do with Alternate Side. In this case the characters didn't beg of me to invest in them fully as they weren't fully invested in their true identities. I feel that this was in part intentional by Quindlen as Nora herself asserts that "life in New York City was an inchoate search for authenticity "when imitation was always dangled before you like a great prize." The price that many of the characters "had paid for their 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".

I think this may be the only book she has written I didn't love

I really wanted to love this book. I adore the author from her past work, however, this one ran flat for me. I waited for something to happen. . A long time. It just didn't. Ever. I felt the book simply drifted away. Perhaps that is what Ms. Quindlan wanted, but it didn't work for me.
The characters were typical, recycled neighborhood types, set in New York City. Crazy irrational neighbors, highly successful types, nanny types, grumpy old men, It was a book about what can happen when something happens in the neighborhood when something horrible happens and marriages drift away.
Overall, I was really disappointed, and would have bailed, had I not had so much respect for Anna Quindlan. I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book for an Advanced Reader Copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a timely book for our current state of unrest in our country. This book follows a neighborhood in New York City, where a disturbance has taken place between a member of the neighborhood and a worker in the neighborhood. It closely follows Nora and Charlie Nolan and how this affects their marriage and family.

I have been a fan of Anna Quindlen for a long time, but this is not one of my favorites. I almost DNF'd this at the 20% mark, but really hoped it would turn itself around. Not that it was bad, but It was just so vanilla. I didn't care for any of the characters. Nora was my least favorite. She was almost catatonic to me. The writing was good, it just plodded along and made that was the intention. I just didn't enjoy it that much.

Anna Quindlen, one of my favorite authors, picks an unusual turning point in life as the setting for her novel Alternate Side. Nora and Charlie Nolan have lived out their marriage in a section of New York City on a dead-end block where neighbors shared secrets, troubles, and a handyman while jockeying for a spot in the small parking lot. Charlie finally gets his own parking space but restlessly continues to maneuver Nora to look for a place to live outside the city. Nora’s satisfying but not demanding job and their residence in New York City, on the other hand, seem to fulfill her lifelong dream. Being in walking distance of everything suits her. As their twins empty the nest, leaving them with their nanny who has stayed on more as a family member than maid and Homer the dog, Nora seems content.

Then a violent act occurs in the neighborhood that alters the lives of the residents. In the midst of these changes and others at work, the Nolans must look at their marriage that may have become nothing more than a habit. Nora realizes she is familiar with three kinds of marriages: happy, miserable, and acceptably unhappy.

An added perk for the book are the amusing “George-o-grams” at the end of each chapter from the self-appointed keeper of that all-important parking lot.

If you are an Anna Quindlen fan like me, Alternate Side will not disappoint. If you have not read her yet, what are you waiting for?

Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen is a character driven, contemporary fiction book about Nora and Charlie, who live in an insular upper-class cul-de-sac neighborhood in New York. The neighbors have all lived there for some time, watched each other's children grow up, held neighborhood parties etc. They don't like to let anyone "in" their little world, which is inhabited by folks who seem quite set and snobbish in their outlooks. Then, an act of unexpected violence sets everything awry.

Nora is the narrator of the book; a book which I really didn't care for at all for the first two-thirds of it. Why should I care about these self-centered snobs and their mundane lives, people who are so hard to relate to? I didn't. The last third of the book brought out Ms. Quindlen's beautiful prose as Nora contemplates what made everything fall apart, in her marriage, in the neighborhood. That was worth waiting for.

A rather disappointing book to those who are familiar with Anna Quindlen's other works and the power and skill with which she can write. Three stars for me on this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Anna Quindlen really fooled me this time. After years spent reading and evaluating thousands of books and scripts as possible movie projects, I can almost always find the bread crumbs along the way and figure out the ending of a story by half way through the first act. Not this story. By the end of act two we were reeling off in another direction entirely and I never saw it coming. The beauty of it is that our main character, Nora, is having the same experience as we are and we go through it with her. She is a woman with New York City's current running through her veins but has managed to carve out a small town existence in her little corner of it. And as happens in any small town, things aren't always as they seem. The book has a little bit of a slow start but gains momentum and draws us into her world. Following Nora on her journey is a worthwhile trip. Anna Quindlan fans will not be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of Anna Quindlan's new book Alternate Side. Such lucky New Yorkers on their cul de sac with their enviable lives. Do a little scratching past the surface and life on their block is not quite so idyllic as we first think, and it continues to deteriorate. Great read about the grass not always being greener!

I really enjoyed this book. It may not be quite a four-star read, but darn entertaining and close. It's an quick read and really captured my interest. Set in New York, it tells the stories of the neighbors that live on a dead-end cul-de-sac that have developed their own little community and network. The story focuses on how a specific incident involving one of the neighbors and a longtime, trusted service provider impacts the small community and the families within it collectively and as individuals. It addresses class and race issues, friendship, marriage, love, loss and longing. Recommended.

I received an advanced copy of Alternate Side by Anne Quindlen and this is my fair and honest review.

What a great story. I am a New Yorker through and through who just relocated to Florida less than a year ago. I could see the setting in this book because it was written so well. I don’t think you need to live in New York in order to be able to visualize what the writer is showing you. What a great story. I am a New Yorker through and through who just relocated to Florida less than a year ago. I could see the setting in this book because it was written so well. I don’t think you need to live in New York in order to be able to visualize what the writer is showing you Well done. Title is brilliant. In New York it’s a big deal to get a parking spot, there are rules about parking or an alternate sides of the street. Every other day they change. So people are constantly moving the cars around. The story focuses on parking but it’s really about relationships. Being on alternate sides of what you believe is right in your heart I would definitely recommend it 4.5 Stars

The Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen explores the class divide in a city of extremes laid bare by a community of privileged residents living in an upscale cul de sac. This emotional truth of Quindlen’s writing captures the nuances of a fading marriage, where divorce comes not with a sudden bang but like a slowly deflating balloon and the realization that two people want very different lives. At the center of the story is a neighborhood parking lot, an odd-shaped empty lot sandwiched between homes on the cul de sac that is a “privilege, not a right.” The parking lot is emblematic of New York City’s class divide where a co-dependent economy of domestic workers drive in from the fringes of the city to handle the daily machinations of its wealthy residents. The parking lot also is a catalyst setting in motion the dissolution of the Nolans’ 25-year marriage and the reconfiguration of this upscale neighborhood and the lives of its inhabitants. The Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen is an honest and eloquent novel that reminds us divorce doesn’t negate the success of a marriage—that perhaps we should judge a marriage not by the way it ends but rather the legacy it leaves.

Only Anna Quindlen and a select few other authors would be able to write a story about a parking space and the complexities involved in a long-term marriage and make it unputdownable! This book was engrossing and I didn’t want it to end. I highly recommend it!

This was an absolutely engrossing, wonderful read about people who are living their lives with all the ups and downs that entails for anyone. They are a neighborhood in a huge city and in spite of it or because of it, they are close and the events of each of their lives become part of all their lives, in some way. When a sudden act of violence occurs on their street involving one of their own, the neighborhood is deeply affected and life is never quite the same for any of them. Highly recommend.

Unfortunately, I could not get interested in this book. I read about 20% before realizing that I was not interested in the characters or what happened with them. I do think the writing was high quality (as it usually is with Quindlen) but the characters and storyline were not for me.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

From the blurb .. "The tensions in a tight-knit neighborhood—and a seemingly happy marriage—are exposed by an unexpected act of violence". And that 'act of violence' was about the only interesting thing in the book.

I like character driven stories but this one didn't capture my attention, dry reading. I skimmed the last half of the book to get the gist of it.

3 ☆

I'm finding it hard to review this one as it is a pretty quiet, low-keyed story but it does contain some human-interest themes. I enjoyed this quiet look into a character's life and world as she navigates her family, relationships and living in NYC, especially in the more privileged part of the city. This is a character driven story and the writing easily picked me up and took me along for the ride. There are some characters that are not very likeable and others that make up for those so it does tend to balance out a bit. I read a book by the author many years ago and I wasn't sure how I would feel with this one but I wanted to read her again as she is a big name author. I'm glad I did as the writing worked really nicely. Although not a page-turner, it is an interesting look behind closed doors.

I have only read one other book by Anna Quindlen, Every Last One, which was very well written, but also horrific. So, I don’t know why I signed up to read another. I suppose I was drawn into the synopsis which also mentioned a horrific event and its aftermath and was curious to see what could top the horror of Every Last One. Depending on how you read it, Alternate Side was not nearly as horrific (no murderous rampage) but also quite sad.

However, it was sad to me because of my own beliefs. While the event that divides the book is sad and does divide the neighborhood and marriages on the block, I was sadder about these characters as a whole. For instance, the whole big incident occurs because a handyman blocks the wealthy homeowner’s parking lot and is beaten severely as a result.

The wealthy live so differently, they can’t even imagine the alternate side. For instance, the main character spends quite a bit of time worrying her housekeeper will leave now that the kids are gone. Seriously? Her troubles are not troubles at all. Yet, she is also portrayed as the person with a moral compass who points out right & wrong and leaves her job for ethical reasons. But, all the characters combined just felt petty and icky and boring and sad.

Ultimately, what upset me about the book is the way the marriage of the main character ends – without a fight, without a hope, without anything. The kids left home and they just realized that was it. And, I get it. I know that happens. But, it sure is sad to read about – especially when the characters seem to care less about even trying to fight for their marriage. And, hear me out, if it had sounded like a bad marriage the whole time, I wouldn’t have any qualms. But, the author did not give us that insight. Instead, she compared marriages as balloons that just lose their air over time. Isn’t that depressing?

The author does have a beautiful way with words – I just wish she used them to tell better stories.

A triumph. Quidlen’s wry hymn to New York and a certain kind of upper middle class BigApple lifestyle delivers a solid chunk of pleasure alongside rueful self-analysis. Not much happens, and yet so much happens in this arc of marriage, choice, and settling. Yes, it’s a story of comfortable white folk with first world problems, but it knows that and exploits that, to some degree, while remaining artful and insightful. The best kind of intelligent escapism.