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edobis84's review against another edition
2.0
I kept waiting for a twist that never came. To sum up this book: rich white people problems.
khornstein1's review against another edition
2.0
Well this was disappointing. I usually love books set in New York and am tolerant of the most silly chick lit if there is a strong New York flavor.
The characters are believable--but also unbelievably dull. And unlikable--by their own admission, the "upstairs" characters are mostly concerned with "first world problems;" the "downstairs" ones are stereotypes. Charlie can't get a promotion. Nora doesn't really like him, but can't say why.
The central drama of the story, which seems to me like Quindlen wanted to write her own "Bonfire of the Vanities," quickly fizzles out and goes no where.
That said, there are two books hidden in this novel that might really have been interesting: Nora talks about how her mother died suddenly when she was a child and then her father married her sister's second grade teacher and it was both weird and wonderful. That's a book! And then she had a long-term relationship with a boy in college who turned out to be gay, back in a more closeted earlier time...and weirdly she's still a bit caught up in that old drama, and he with her. That's a story!
And there are pugs--3 of them, rescue pugs owned the books supposedly most despicable character. And Quindlen disses them. Ugh. I love pugs! The George character could have been interesting too but it went nowhere again!
Full confession: listened on audiobook and found the narrator grating. I had liked "A Short Guide to a Happy Life" years ago. This book was a downer and a snooze.
The characters are believable--but also unbelievably dull. And unlikable--by their own admission, the "upstairs" characters are mostly concerned with "first world problems;" the "downstairs" ones are stereotypes. Charlie can't get a promotion. Nora doesn't really like him, but can't say why.
The central drama of the story, which seems to me like Quindlen wanted to write her own "Bonfire of the Vanities," quickly fizzles out and goes no where.
That said, there are two books hidden in this novel that might really have been interesting: Nora talks about how her mother died suddenly when she was a child and then her father married her sister's second grade teacher and it was both weird and wonderful. That's a book! And then she had a long-term relationship with a boy in college who turned out to be gay, back in a more closeted earlier time...and weirdly she's still a bit caught up in that old drama, and he with her. That's a story!
And there are pugs--3 of them, rescue pugs owned the books supposedly most despicable character. And Quindlen disses them. Ugh. I love pugs! The George character could have been interesting too but it went nowhere again!
Full confession: listened on audiobook and found the narrator grating. I had liked "A Short Guide to a Happy Life" years ago. This book was a downer and a snooze.
avidreader76's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
judygold's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked the book but was a bit too slow and uneventful for me. Beautiful descriptions of New York and some interesting characters, but not enough happened and I sometimes forgot who was who outside the main characters
pam2375's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a little better than "just OK". The beginning was slow, but then it really opened up and I really wanted to finish.
The theme with this book reminded me of a Dr Phil ism, "I don't care how flat you make a pancake, there will always be two sides".
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this advanced readers copy.
The theme with this book reminded me of a Dr Phil ism, "I don't care how flat you make a pancake, there will always be two sides".
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this advanced readers copy.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
3.0
Anna Quindlen has been my writing idol since I was in high school, and I wrote an article on the BlogHer site about how she has influenced me and my writing. I think she is a great role model for young women. Unfortunately, this book, after reading most of her repetoire, greatly disappointed me. The characters were unlikable, self-absorbed, and I never felt any real emotion except annoyance toward them, especially the main character. Some of the characters didn't seem fully-formed like the son. I wish I felt differently because some of her novels are amazing. Her last book Miller's Valley was incredible. Despite the negative review of this book, I, of course, will jump to retrieve her next book because she's so talented and inspiring.
mcearl12's review against another edition
3.0
First half was a bit slow, got well and truly involved by 2nd half tho.
becs_sw's review against another edition
4.0
This took me a while... 4 stars because I loved the end. Solid start, vague plot, and slow from ~40-75% of the way through the book. In the end, it’s a good NYC story.
novelvisits's review against another edition
4.0
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.
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/double-anna-quindlen-review-every-last-one-alternate-side/
{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.
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/double-anna-quindlen-review-every-last-one-alternate-side/