Alternate Side

In contrast to many of the reviewers here who were unable to connect with or care about Anna Quindlen's main characters in her newest novel, Alternate Side, I instantly found them to be interesting, intriguing, and incredibly real. Maybe the problem some are experiencing is that there is nothing larger than life in this story; that it is, in fact, a somewhat voyeuristic peek into the everyday existence of a gaggle of regular New Yorkers packed tightly into a dead-end block in the middle of nowhere important. It is essentially a story about relatively mundane relationships in a positively normal city and how the seemingly run-of-the-mill decisions that we make affect us and those around us – decisions each with a hundred trailing show more branches, only some of which will bring us happiness and fulfillment. The others, the roads not taken, continue to haunt and sting and show us who we might otherwise have become. Not larger than life, then, but most definitely life. It might not be everyone's jam, but it sure is mine.

Quindlen has a fantastic grasp of the human condition and her storytelling construction is masterful; it teases and unfolds slowly as we get to know the characters, not following any kind of consistent, predictable timeline. Instead, the protagonists reveal themselves through mid-scene reflections and memories, precious opines of could-have-beens and delicious similes that charm and destroy all at the same time: "The truth was that some of their marriages were like balloons: a few went suddenly pop, but more often than not the air slowly leaked out until it was a sad, wrinkled little thing with no lift to it anymore.” She repeatedly demonstrates a real knack for contrasting the immediacy and hugeness of life with the fact that in the end, our pursuits, our accomplishments and failures, are simply illusory drops in the bucket of a much larger lineage of memory – or the lack thereof: "The price so many of them had paid for prosperity was amnesia. They’d forgotten where they’d come from, how they’d started out. They’d forgotten what the city really was, and how small a part of it they truly were."

What we learn from Quindlen is that her crisscrossing, God's-eye micronarratives are pretty well-packed with wisdom and empathy across a sophisticated, puzzle-like tableau that says as much with idiosyncrasy and musing as with traditional plot dynamics. We time-skip back and forth within the inevitable progress of the novel to uncover all-too-human secrets and missed chances, futile connections and proud, quiet moments of fulfillment. In this way, we learn so much about these characters without the author having to bore us with plodding set-up or gratuitous drama; rather, the development is often inline and inferred, and we piece it together from the bits that Quindlen and her characters leave behind.

I suspect that the lack of connection or "care" expressed by many readers might be a product of this novel representing a quick, fleeting snapshot of one tiny microcosm of life in the big city. There's barely enough time to hold on to anyone, or to settle upon a judgement of them. That is, of course, intentional; the story's coda deals directly with the premise of impermanence and the layers of life which are heaped upon each and every inhabited city block through time. There's no serial to it, and there won't be a sequel. It is entirely possible that some people would instead prefer an easy, ongoing romantic tale of New York with Carrie Bradshaw at the center of it all. That's not what you'll be getting in Alternate Side. But you'll certainly be getting some poignant, humanistic storytelling in a petite yarn that relatively questions our values, our needs, and how we confront the problems that we face.

This is the first book I've read by Anna Quindlen, and I'm just about to pick up another. Can't wait to dig right in. show less

In this latest in the seemingly endless stream of Rich-Women-Of-New-York-City novels, there's much more going on below the surface - though there's a lot that IS surface too. Upper West Siders Nora and Charlie live on a rare dead-end block, and their twins have grown and flown. Their home, bordered by other mansions and two SRO flophouses, seems too large, and their common interests, too few. The author's binoculars frequently zoom in on First World Problems, like the hassle of getting permission for a block party, Charlie’s annoying speech patterns (Every.Single.Word.), and the block commandant whose turf is a jealously guarded parking lot. The value of work and job status are covered well, and, since it's about New York, there's show more some enjoyable real estate porn. But the most profound and buoyant passages focus on a marriage devastated by time and proximity, and, in contrast, the staying power and impact of an early intense romance. Nora is the soul of honesty, with herself and others, and that virtue makes her a luminous and memorable character. I loved this story.

Quotes: "None of them ever said or admitted to themselves that New York was better when it was worse."

"You gotta love a country where there are rules for being poor, and rich people make them."

"Her father, when at home, was not a different man from his work self but simply waiting to be that man again, like a windup doll whose key had been removed from its back."

"Nora felt that she should be grateful for her mother's vague and cordial disengagement. She had come around to thinking that it was better to bear no marks at all than claw marks."

"Want what you have." It sounded life affirming until you really thought about it, and then it just sounded like capitulation."

"All the men seemed attentive at dinner parties these days because they needed hearing aids and refused to get them."

"They all seemed to be much more solicitous of their dogs than of their spouses, whether that was because their dogs loved them unconditionally, did not engage them in conversation, or simply didn't live as long."

"The men got unlimited mileage out of performing so-called women's tasks as long as they had also had substantial disposable income and significant business cards."

"Marriage was a decision they were all expected to make when they were too young to know very much - all the important decisions: what to do, where to live, who to live with. But most people would be incapable of making good choices if they had to make that many choices at the same time, at that particular time of their lives." show less

For Anna Quindlen's Alternate Side I was torn between 4 and 5 stars. I went with 5 mainly because I think a well written character-driven novel that relies on the minutiae of every day life to propel the reader is largely underappreciated.

The world in which these people live are at least one tax bracket over mine, if not several, but the problems they face and the small day-to-day issues can be boiled down, at their heart, to basic human problems. They manifest differently in different communities, based on everything from socioeconomic group to ethnicity, race and region (within any country as well as between countries). If you can let yourself inhabit Nora Nolan's world without judging her or her neighborhood before the events play show more out, you will find a great deal with which to relate. As a very simple example, Neither I, my kids nor my grandchild have ever had a nanny/housekeeper. But I have had close friends who might babysit and/or provide the glue during times of difficulty, and those people would defend my family as fiercely as they would their own. The character of Charity reminded me of those people in a couple of the scenes. That said, there is certainly a difference between a family friend and a nanny/housekeeper, and those things are addressed in the book, not simply glossed over as everyone's normal.

I actually made myself read this a little slower than usual, I spread it out over 3 days, simply so I could inhabit their world a little longer. I enjoyed thinking about what I would or wouldn't have done, whether I agreed or disagreed with things (often the smallest of details). While I wouldn't want to live there in real life I absolutely enjoyed my stay there while reading the book.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read about how an event can expose the cracks and fissures in a community that otherwise seems to be united and rather monolithic. Between the story itself, prior to the event, showing that these cracks are already present, simply hidden, to the rapidity with which the small gaps become enormous valleys. If you prefer action to thoughts and internal reflection then this might not be for you. What little action there is is brief and largely unseen.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads. show less

"Their marriage had become like the AA prayer: 'God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.' Or at least to move into a zone in which I so don't care anymore and scarcely notice. Nora had thought this was their problem alone until she realized that it was what had happened to almost everyone she knew who was still married, even some of those who were on their second husbands."

Quindlen strikes gold again in her latest novel about privileged empty-nesters in Manhattan who find their lives at a crossroads after a violent event on their tony street.

Nora and Charlie Nolan aren't in the 1%, but they're very, very comfortable. They've been able to give their children expensive, private educations; they own a gorgeous show more townhouse in Manhattan; and they've just received the coup d'etat for any city dweller -- a private parking spot in the lot behind their building (no more "alternate side" parking, moving the car from one side of the street to the other -- hence, the name of the book). But this comfort has Nora feeling a little bit too comfortable, and wrestling not only with her own feelings of wealth and privilege but also with her unease with the entitlement she sees around her (especially from her husband). An incident between a neighbor and a trusted handyman brings these feelings to the forefront.

Quindlen is a master novelist. While "Alternate Side" isn't a quiet novel like "Miller's Valley," it is still very character-driven and insightful about marriage and relationships.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

I usually LOVE books by this author. My sister--in-law highly recommended it, but I was really disappointed. Quindlen's writing is still lovely to read. She is so originally descriptive and really captures NYC, and family relationships. I just thought the plot was thin. I couldn't really fathom a neighborhood so wrapped up in its parking lot wars. I guess that does happen in big cities. It also seemed a stretch to have the attack have so much fall-out...I don't know. It just felt forced...I felt at times as if I missed some important chapters that would flesh out details...Somehow, I couldn't quite buy into what took place...

Anna Quindlen always hits the right notes for me. Her quiet voice is comforting even as it speaks to everyday joys and sorrows. This book is a love story of NYC seen through the prism of those who can afford to live well there and it is the slow unwinding of a good marriage over time Quindlen reveals her characters gradually right to the last page. When you have finished, you have a full view of those you have lived with throughout the book. There is very little action in this book beyond the everyday, but the relationships that her characters build tell the story of a lifetime.

This book about white privilege and first world problems is made doubly annoying by also being blandly boring. The book description makes it sound like the assault on the neighborhood handyman is just the start of a chain of events that shake up the fabric of their wealthy New York lives, but then...nothing else happens. People disagree, children grow up, marriages end, and jobs change. I don't always love Anna Quindlen's books, but I never before had to force myself to finish. Seems like a book that will be embraced by New Yorker readers who don't mind spending 300 pages with these insular, entitled characters.