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.

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.

I've been a fan of other works by Anna Quindlen so I was really excited to get my hands on her newest book. Alternate Side is the story of Nora and Charlie Nolan and their life. They have twins in college, live on a quaint dead end street in New York City, have promising professional careers, and overall lead a seemingly charmed life. This book is full with a cast of characters as we meet their neighbors, the people they work with, friends, and family. Through all of these interactions and stories we start to see the cracks in the Nolan marriage. Narrated by Nora, we follow along as she starts to question her various roles in life and the routes that led her to where she is now. While showcasing powerful insight into marriage, I found much of the book to be as dull as the Nolan marriage. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters and found myself skimming sections, waiting for something to happen. I thought this book was good, not great, and definitely not what I've come to enjoy about the author. Thank you @randomhouse for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't hate this book - but I didn't love it either. I didn't care for the characters or what happened to them and got tired of Nora's whining (even if much of it was probably justified). The book moved really slowly and nothing much happened. For me, it was just a so-so book. I'll give it 3 stars because the writing is good - I just wish the story would have been more interesting and the characters more appealing.

Anna Quindlen is one of my favorite authors and I expect greatness whenever I start one of her books. Nora and Charlie live in a NYC posh neighborhood where mostly rich people live, that is, rich people with no money because all their money is tied up in their house and expensive life in NYC. In many ways, this book reminded me of Maeve Binchy's writing style where we have a running narrative of many characters in the neighborhood somewhat interconnected but each can be its own story. Nora, Charlie and their twin children are at the center but we also have Charity, Ricky who work for the family. Across the way is George and the Fisk's and ... let me not forget the homeless guy who may not be homeless and ... many other characters. I am excited to report that I love Alternate Side. This is a "thinking" book. I had many moments when I stop reading and paused to think about my life but it is also an enjoyable read about family, work and marriage.

4+ stars

Often, I’m an outlier because I don’t like books that many of my GR friends liked. This time I feel like an outlier because I really enjoyed reading Alternate Sides, when it seems to be tanking with many of my GR friends.

Not much happens in Alternate Sides and the characters generally don’t evoke much sympathy. The story focuses on a group of neighbours who live on a rare dead end street in Manhattan. They own their Victorian houses, and are therefore rich based on the value of their real estate alone. They are gossipy, competitive, comfortable in their privilege and spend an inordinate amount of time fussing over parking. It’s told from the perspective of one of the neighbours, Nora, who works in a jewelry museum, is married to an unhappy financier and has twins on the cusp of graduating from fancy colleges.

So what did I like about Alternate Sides? I loved its meandering meditative quality. I loved Nora’s personality. Her gently judgmental gaze on her neighbours and herself was pitch perfect. Despite the rarified universe in which she lives, her emotional reaction to her husband, children and friends were very recognizable in their details and potency. At the same time, this isn’t a book that takes itself too seriously. There’s a fair bit of humour, without lapsing into acerbic satire.

What can I say? I fell in step with Quindlen’s writing and sensibility. Although I can certainly see how the lack of story and sympathetic characters might irk some readers, this really struck me as the work of a seasoned writer really skilled at getting into her characters’ heads.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to an advance copy.