Alternate Side: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Captures the angst and anxiety of modern life with . . . astute observations about interactions between the haves and have-nots, and the realities of life among the long-married.”—USA Today
A provocative novel that explores what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a woman at a moment of reckoning, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miller’s Valley and Still Life with Bread Crumbs.
Some days 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 harbor, 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 maneuver 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 neighborhood, and the enviable dead-end block turns into a potent symbol of a divided city. The fault lines begin to open: on the block, at Nora’s job, and especially in her marriage.
Praise for Alternate Side
“[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
A provocative novel that explores what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a woman at a moment of reckoning, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miller’s Valley and Still Life with Bread Crumbs.
Some days 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 harbor, 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 maneuver 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 neighborhood, and the enviable dead-end block turns into a potent symbol of a divided city. The fault lines begin to open: on the block, at Nora’s job, and especially in her marriage.
Praise for Alternate Side
“[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
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Community Reviews
I have long been a fan of Anna Quindlen and she does not disappoint with Alternate Side, a beautifully crafted look at a marriage & the stressors that threaten it. Quindlen's understated eloquence left me thinking about the characters, their experiences, and her insightful analysis for quite some time after I finished reading the book. in which New York City and, more particularly, the neighborhood in which Nora and Charlie Nolan reside, is a main character. They live on a dead-end in a home that has appreciated in value dramatically over the course of the city's resurgence from 9/11 and the collapse of the real estate market. The fact that they could sell the house at a substantial profit and move to a quieter, slower-paced locale free from rats, congestion, and his stalled career appeals to Charlie. As the story opens, he is ecstatic that they have finally achieved the tenure required to rent a parking spot in the makeshift lot down the block. Nora is a New Yorker, determined to stay, and she dismisses the idea of moving every time Charlie broaches it. But their comfortable life is threatened by events in the neighborhood that forever change how they look at each other, their life together, and their relationships with their neighbors. Nora is forced to confront the various roles she has played -- wife, mother, and woman - and make choices about her future. Quindlen handles her subject matter with understanding and insight that rings hauntingly true. Alternate Side would be an excellent selection for book clubs as its themes and Quindlen's deft exploration of them provide much to discuss.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers' copy of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers' copy of the book.
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