Emily and Einstein

Review coming soon ( )

funny, sad, happy, angry, clever; well done ( )

Emily and Einstein is a light romance about a selfish husband given a second chance to deserve his wife's love. Sandy Portman lives for his job - and the power it brings him - often pushing his wife, Emily, to the back burner. Then one day in a snowstorm, Sandy is hit by a car. Not ready to die, he blindly agrees to the terms an "old man" offers him for a second chance. Next thing he knows, Sandy is a dog named Einstein in the shelter at which Emily volunteers. Then, Emily adopts him, and that's when the real complications begin.

Meanwhile, Emily has lost her husband, is on the verge of losing the apartment she loves, and then finds a stash of Sandy's journals - mostly filled with his exploits with other women. Her life is unraveling quickly, and it's starting to effect her career at a publishing house. She needs help, but has nowhere to turn, except her new canine companion, Einstein.

Emily and Einstein is overall an average novel - some parts I enjoyed and others I didn't. The parts I liked the most were the ones involving Emily's job as an editor for a book publisher. I enjoyed the insight into that industry - the stress, the pressure, and the joy of giving a new author a successful start.

I didn't like that Lee tried to layer the story too much with subplots and complications that made the novel too convoluted. For example, Emily's late mother played substantially into a subplot involving mother/daughter relationships, feminism, and childhood pathos. Likewise, at Einstein's insistence, Emily takes up running and decides to enter a marathon - Sandy's goal in his early life before a leg injury made it impossible. Add to that Emily's new, younger love interest, a young, flighty sister, and a cranky mother-in-law, and it's simply too much to squeeze into a short novel, especially because Lee tries to explore the respective angsts of each of these peripheral characters.

Formatting wise, I took issue with a couple of things, too. For the record, the copy I read was "advance uncorrected proofs", so I don't know how the final formatting played out. In the ARC, the narration switched between Einstein/Sandy and Emily, which is fine, but the formatting was a bit too thorough in trying to make those transitions clear. Before each section, a full page divider listed the name of whomever the subsequent narrator would be and the font changed depending on which character was narrating. Add to this that the two characters had vastly different narrative voices, and the overall effect was overkill. We don't need both different fonts and labels. One or the other is helpful at the beginning of the novel, but as the novel progresses, we really don't need either.

My final thoughts: a lot of people will find something they like in this novel, but few people will like everything. If you're looking for something light and a bit different, you might give Emily and Einstein a chance. Otherwise, you won't miss much if you pass. ( )

This is a story of loss and finding oneself after a loss. Emily is widowed after 4 years of marriage and adopts a dog in the shelter after her husband dies in an accident.Her husband has come back in the form of the dog, Einstien. ( )

Reviewed by Kate
Review copy borrowed from library
For some reason, I have been putting off reviewing this book that I have given 5 stars! I actually would love to be able to sit down and read it again, it was so good, with a good message, too (see favorite quotes below). However, writing a review for this story would give it away, I think. If you have read any of the other reviews, you will know what happens (but I won’t be the one to tell you!).

I loved Linda Francis Lee’s Devil in the Junior League and found it hilarious! This story, however, is a little bit different. It is more poignant, a little sadder, but with a happy ending. Emily is widowed only after four years of marriage. She is devastated, as she thought she had the perfect marriage. However, it turned out the night that her husband was killed in a freak accident on the streets of New York, that he was on his way to divorce her. Emily had no idea that the situation was at this point…the separation.

In her grief, she rescues a dog whom she calls Einstein. There are some very funny antics with Einstein (like the box of Lucky Charms), plus Einstein has issues of his own. He is trying to make sure that Emily moves on in her life, but it is rather difficult for him to do as he is in a dog’s body.

Emily works in publishing and has an immediate supervisor who is out only for herself, to include taking credit for Emily’s latest find in the book world. Throw on top of this Emily’s younger, and flighty, sister who comes to stay with Emily after her husband dies. Her sister needs money, so she tries to convince Emily to buy her book that she is writing on their ‘famous’ mother, Lillian Barlow, a feminist.

Emily is doing all she can to hold her life together. She is trying not to get sacked at work when they bring in a new president who is known for turning failing businesses around. She is trying to keep her apartment that her husband promised her, but has to fit his mother and lawyer to try to keep it. Emily is also trying to figure out what to do with her younger sister, who seems to want to do anything but write the book she proposed in the first place. Did I mention the hot Navy SEAL who lives upstairs?

This is a story of loss, finding oneself, helping others, a snobbish dog with weird tastes in music, and running a marathon. It was very well written and beautifully paced. There are several twists to the story, as it is written alternately from Emily’s and Einstein’s view point. Read it, before it’s too late! Read it, and learn their story!

Quote: "It is regret that kills, the ‘if onlys’ that leave the mortal wounds.

In order to live a life truly worth living you had to have strength in the face of adversity, patience when confronted with challenge, and bravery in the face of fear." ( )