While this book is well written and I liked the early part of the story, I found that the storyline started to get depressing. I think those who are going through a caregiving situation and/or are dealing with a family member who has dementia or early on set Alzheimer’s might find this book more enticing.

There is nothing flashy or remarkable about the story within this novel's pages, it's about relationships, family and the ups and downs of life. Life, and especially married life, evolves and changes with the years, and the author is able to write about that without a heavy dramatization.
Yes, one of the spouses becomes ill, and it effects the marriage, but the subtlety of the writing slowly reveals the cracks that start to form when something this devastating happens.

There were tons of formatting errors in the ARC that I received of this book. So much text seemed to be missing that I don't feel it is right for me to give it an honest review. However, I am giving it a 2 based on the overall plot line and the writing quality that I was able to observe in the text that was present.

A truly astonishing book that far exceeded my expectations. A story that revolves around the themes of family love and dysfunctionality, the Morningside Heights was easily one of my favorite reads of the year. The emotions and themes presented in this book felt raw and real. Something that was easily relatable towards the audience.

I was interested in this book because I live in Morningside Heights, but the writing was too drab for me to make any headway.

Tried and tried but just couldn’t fall in love with this.... I realize I’m probably in the majority here but couldn’t find enough redeeming qualities to this tale to complete it. May try again soon but for now, I’ll say, “No thank you - I’ll not have one now”.
Thanks for the ARC opportunity!

3.5/5.0 Stars

‘When Ohio-born Pru Steiner arrives in New York in 1976, she follows in a long tradition of young people determined to take the city by storm. But when she falls in love with and marries Spence Robin, her hotshot young Shakespeare professor, her life takes a turn she couldn’t have anticipated.’

‘Thirty years later, something is wrong with Spence.’

As the synopsis reveals very little regarding Spence, I won’t reveal any spoilers, but I will say that some readers may find certain aspects of the family dynamic (myself included, minus the affluence and Ivy League education) heartbreakingly relatable.

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS – Recommend

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, for loaning me an eGalley of MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS in the request for an honest review.

Joshua Henkin's newest book, Morningside Heights, is an emotional, well-written look at love, marriage, and family.

Pru has big dreams when she moves to New York from Ohio in the mid-1970s. What an impact she’ll have on the world! But it’s not long after that she finds herself falling in love with Spence Robin, her Shakespeare professor, already a hotshot on the academic literary scene.

After a few years of dating, Spence wants to marry Pru and despite the life she thought she’d live, she wants to marry him, too. He throws her for a loop when he reveals he was married before and has a young son he rarely sees, but after realizing she’d be lost without him, she agrees to marry him.

They have a good life and raise a daughter, Sarah. But as Spence approaches his 50s, he just doesn’t seem the same anymore. He can’t seem to write, his teaching ability has declined, his personality has changed, and he’s forgetting things. He is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Morningside Heights follows Spence’s family as they deal with the diagnosis and the course of their lives change. Pru is devoted to caring for her husband but what does that mean for the rest of her life? Will there ever be another chance for her happiness? What hope can Arlo, Spence’s estranged son, who is now a wealthy tech entrepreneur, bring?

This is an emotional story but not an entirely sad book. It’s a love story, a story of relationships—marital and parental—and a story about hope. I’ve always been a fan of Henkin’s writing and his stories are always full of complex characters and emotions.

NetGalley and Pantheon provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

I thought this was going to be a story about an older professor and his student, but it actually turned out to be a story of a husband and wife and what happens when the husband develops a heart-breaking disease. The book is a roadmap of tracing the progress of Alzheimer's and the havoc it creates for those around the patient. With Alzheimer's in my family I found this book particularly disturbing--and wavered between being horrified at what was happening to the professor and watching the wife cope with the deterioration of her husband and yet keeping up the pretense that everything was ok and taking care (or arranging the care of her husband as he got worse and worse. I guess at the end there was relief (spoiler alert) at the man's death and maybe hope for the wife to now live her own life.

There really should be a specific genre for this type of book, one that deals with the angst and ennui of the white middle class. John Cheever was a master of this style, as was Updike, Joyce Carole Oates, and Carver. But that was in a simpler time, one in which the hegemony of the white middle class was assumed and the worst thing they had to worry about was whether or not the martini was dry enough. Perhaps we could call this genre something catchy like Updikean or perhaps White People With Problems? In the 1970s and 80s this felt, to me at least, deeply meaningful. Today? Not so much.

In the face of environmental catastrophe, in the face of rampant racial injustice, in the face of insurrection, in the face of political chicanery, in the face of raging forest fires and shrinking water supplies, the problems of these cosseted people just aren't very important to me. The world of the white, male, intellectual academic is rarefied and precious; in 2021 it feels self-indulgent at best to contemplate. I had to keep asking myself, "so what?"

Which is not to say that these people do not go through some genuine suffering. The central character, Spence, a much-lauded literature professor at Columbia, begins to note certain memory lapses and other struggles as he ages. He and his wife, Pru, must contend with what this means for his career and their life together. They also have two children with their own wounds to carry, though they both mostly struck me as spoiled and self-involved, Arlo in particular.

I did not loathe this book; hence the rather high rating for a book I found I could not respect much. It is quite well-written and flows nicely. In another time, in another place, this might be a fine novel indeed. But I think perhaps Henkin needs to read the room and craft a novel that is more relevant to these perilous times.

Pru and Spence fall in love in New York - he the intelligent professor and she his admiring student. Not the most proper of beginnings for a relationship but as time goes by their love stays strong and they marry. Pru is in Spence's shadow but happy to have that position - doting wife to famous literary author and adored professor. They soon have a daughter and along with Spence's son from a previous marriage the become a family. The author tells their story from the different characters' perspectives. Spence seems to be the center of everyone's universe. He is a constant source of insight and information - until he starts to forget things and confuse things.
Now the story shifts from a story of a strong and renowned professor to a tale of dealing with early onset Alzheimer's. Role reversals as Pru becomes the decisionmaker and leader. The tale of loss and love and repairing relationships before it is too late. I enjoyed the four main characters and felt their pain and frustration with something they cannot control. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for the reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManofLaBook.com

Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin tells of a family whose patriarch has been struck with Alzheimer’s. Mr. Henkin is an award-winning author and teacher.

Pru Stiener, from Ohio, comes to New York to take the city by storm. Pru falls in love and marries a brilliant Shakespeare professor, Spence Robin.

Thirty years later, Professor Robin starts losing his concentration, forgetting things, and is unable to teach. The diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease which slowly kills Spence, while Pru has to keep on living, handle a new romance, a caretaker, and an estranged son.

Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin takes place in a neighborhood in New York City’s Upper West Side, by Columbia University. This is where Professor Spence Robin teaches Shakespeare at length. Spence’s wife, Pru, evidently comes from an Orthodox Jewish family.

The couple’s life is full of love, but altogether not easy. Spence is anti-religion, has a son, Arlo, with his first wife. Arlo is brilliant, but has no interest in showing it and clashes often with his mother, father, and step-mother (Pru). Sarah is Arlo’s half-sister, daughter of Pru and Spence, smart as well on a path to be a medical doctor.

The novel is undeniably strongest in its depiction of the day-to-day living with a person suffering from Alzheimer’s. A particularly undignified way to die, slowly, while everyone around you suffers as well. Pru is written as a strong person, albeit doesn’t know she’s strong. This aspect helps the bittersweet feeling the novel succeeds in conveying to the reader. Almost all the characters are difficult to connect with, however realistic they seem, but Pru is the one which we feel most for.

The last third of the novel is an emotional roller-coaster. Told from the perspective of the family members who see their loved one, a brilliant man, turning into a stranger, suffering indignities and heartbreak.

I witnessed my grandmother’s slow decline to Alzheimer’s, so some of those scenes hit home. Seeing someone lose their mind, senses, and dignity (along with wealth if you’re in the US) is horrible and depressing. I have much respect for family members who decide to take care of their loved ones no matter what comes next.

At its core, Morningside Heights is a book about family and how they handle adversity. Pru came to NYC as a student ready to take on the world. She fell in love with her Shakespeare professor, Spence, who ended up leaving his wife and son for her. Fast forward 30 years, and we see Pru & Spence still living in NYC, while their daughter Sarah is out of state at med school. Pru notices that something is off with Spence. He is forgetting things, unable to pay attention and more. What does it mean when a man who is known for his great mind starts having cognitive issues?

This was a thoughtful read about family and memory. Each section is told from a different point in their lives and shows a different aspect of their relationship. Clearly this family has complicated relationships like many real world families and through their tensions, they still care for each other. Any book about someone suffering from dementia and/or Alzheimers is always gut wrenching for me and this one was as well.

Although about a weighty subject, this is written in a rather breezy style which made it a very fast read. It is well crafted and realistic. Pru’s devotion to Spence is both admirable and painful.

For me this is also a book of reminiscence…not only of Pru and Spence’s lives but also of a lost New York City….so many memorable places gone.

Don’t let the topic put you off; it is a worthwhile read. In the vicissitudes of life, there is resilience.

Full confession - I wanted to read this book because I lived in morningside heights while living in NYC and I adored the neighborhood. I loved this books nods to nyc and I loved the story of a normal family and a normal life. Beautiful!

When Pru hits Manhattan, she is filled with all the hope in the world. Determined to make her mark academically, she can’t see one obstacle that will get in her way. She sees herself as a bit of a feminist, after all she is attending Columbia college for her PHD. All is well until she meets her Shakespeare professor. Spence Robin.. he is an acclaimed professor and author and he turns her world upside down.. They keep their relationship hidden until the semester ends and after that, there are no more secrets. Soon they marry and have a child and all seems well. Until Pru is 51 and Spence is 57 & Spence seems to be forgetting things, always closed and leaning on his teaching assistants more and more. When they find the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s, their world gets even smaller. I thought this would be a very sad book. The topic is so tragic and yet the author told a beautiful story of love and family and commitment. I appreciated Peru’s determination and love for her husband. With most things, could she ask for help? Plus she take care of Spence at all? Would she be able to help keep his dignity and legacy alive? Each beautiful page lets us see how honest & complicated her new future would be. I did find some well placed comic relief and yes there were sad parts but over all this story really was beautiful. It was a four star read for me. I have suggested it to friends and family. I really enjoyed it and thought it was well written and honest. I want to thank Netgalley & Joshua Henson for my copy for an honest review. It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to read new authors that tackle topics that usually aren’t on my radar. Morningside Heights is a gem.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pru falls in love with her literature professor and marries him. Together they raise a daughter and struggle to participate in the life of his son from an earlier relationship. His career successes and her sacrifices for their family factor strongly into the plot. His humility in the light of his acclaim and their devotion to the hildren are admirable. Their faults make them real

I love the book. It tells a beautiful story.

The book opens in the early 1970s at Columbia University (oddly, this was one of three books in a row I read this spring prominently featuring the school), when a 22-year-old student falls in love with her professor, an esteemed Shakespeare scholar. It's love, and it's meant to last—and the novel follows the couple over the course of the next four decades. Ambitious student Pru's career aspirations are derailed when she gets pregnant shortly after marriage, but the couple is happy enough—until her husband begins developing symptoms of early onset Alzheimer's, at the age of 57. The heart of the story is how each of them, but especially Pru, struggle to cope with his illness; while there are glimmers of hope, this is ultimately a tragedy, sensitively told.

A lovely book that is hard to put down. Don't be afraid of this novel because it deals with terrible losses from Alzheimer's; it's really about family, friends, respect and love. I wished it were longer, so I could stay with the characters for for at least another year.

Families dealing with dementia is certainly not a new topic and this novel is not one of the better books I’ve read to tackle the subject. The characters came across as largely emotionless and were difficult for me to get to know. There were many side stories (Judaism, step-children, student-teacher relationships, parental responsibilities to name a few) but none were fully developed. To compound the problem for me, the eARC had major formatting issues so several sentences on each page were unfinished. One side story held my interest the most: the woman hired to help out during the day was a gem.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon for the ARC to read and review.