Alternate Side
by Anna Quindlen
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Pub Date 1 Sep 2018 | Archive Date 17 Aug 2018
Simon and Schuster UK Fiction | Scribner UK
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Description
'Mesmerizing. Quindlen makes her characters so richly alive, so believable, that it’s impossible not to feel every doubt and dream they harbour . . . Overwhelmingly moving’ New York Times
Anna Quindlen follows her highly-praised novel Miller’s Valley – ‘reads like a companion to Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge’, Elisabeth Egan – with a captivating novel about money, class and self-discovery set in the heart of New York where the tensions in a tight-knit neighbourhood—and a seemingly happy marriage—are exposed by an unexpected act of violence.
There are days when 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 harbour, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. The owners watch one another’s children grow up. They use the same handyman. They trade gossip and gripes, and they manoeuvre for the ultimate status symbol: a spot in the block’s small parking lot.
Then one morning, Nora returns from her run to discover that a terrible incident has shaken the neighbourhood, and the enviable dead-end block turns into a potent symbol of a divided city. The fault lines begin to open: in their street, at Nora’s place of work in a jewellery museum and, most especially, in her marriage.
With an unerring and acute eye that captures beautifully the snap and crackle of modern life, Anna Quindlen explores what it means to be a mother, a wife and a woman at a moment of reckoning.
‘Qualities and shades of love are this writer’s strong suit, and she has the unusual talent for writing about them with so much truth and heart that one is carried away on a tidal wave of involvement and concern’ Elizabeth Jane Howard
'I’m a big fan of US author Anna Quindlen’s sharp writing. Her latest novel, Alternate Side, is a clear-eyed look at a long marriage, written with wit and warmth' Good Housekeeping
'A book about being a mother, a wife and a woman at a moment of reckoning, this is an acutely observed story' Stylist Books
‘Middle age proves treacherous ground in this smart comedy of manners… Insightful, acerbic and pleasingly tinged with melancholy’ Mail on Sunday
Advance Praise
"[Anna] Quindlen's quietly precise evaluation of intertwined lives evinces a keen understanding of and appreciation for universal human frailties."--Booklist (starred review)
"Exquisitely rendered . . . [Quindlen] is one of our most astute chroniclers of modern life. . . . [Alternate Side] has an almost documentary feel, a verisimilitude that's awfully hard to achieve."--The New York Times Book Review
"An exceptional depiction of complex characters--particularly their weaknesses and uncertainties--and the intricacies of close relationships . . . Quindlen's provocative novel is a New York City drama of fractured marriages and uncomfortable class distinctions."--Publishers Weekly
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781471174407 |
| PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
Featured Reviews
Sarah T, Reviewer
This book tells the story of a couple, the people that live in their road and their lives in Manhattan. It is a luxurious wallow in the up and downs of city dwelling, family life and neighborhood tensions.
The first part of the tale sets the scene; fast moving lives where everyone needs a housekeeper and a handy man to keep on top of things. Then an incident occurs causing all of those in the neighborhood to re-evaluate their lives and the things that they have coveted.
Having briefly lived in Manhattan I really enjoyed the descriptions of the smells, the sounds and the squabbles over parking. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and was surprised by the turn of events as the book progressed. Great read!
Sam W, Reviewer
Nora and Charlie Nolan live in an affluent enclave in New York. They are rich, with two grown up children. The only kind of problems they have are ‘first world problems.’ A handyman keeps the houses looking nice. There is stiff competition over parking spaces. Tea parties, barbecues and lots of golf. They have a housekeeper. These are the haves, being looked after by the have-nots.
One day something terrible happens. The handyman, Ricky, is brutally attacked by one of the residents. Sides are taken, and ranks are closed. One telling of the story is fake news. It becomes a cause celebre, and drives a fault line through the community and the Nolan's marriage. It is hard to feel sorry for anyone besides Ricky, but the story focuses on these rather spoilt suburbanites.
This is a well told story. In the writer’s hands, Nora and many of the other characters acquire depth. You don't especially care about them, but they fit into the loving portrait of a New York city that is only for the strong.
Julie H, Reviewer
The only thing I liked in this book were the descriptions of New York. I know that this book would really appeal to some of my friends, but I like there to be more to the plot than there is in this book. Nora and Charlie's lives and those of their neighbours and the events that unfold are well described and interesting. One event changes their lives forever. It is interesting how one event can cause so many ripples in peoples lives.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.
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