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 TodayA 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… 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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This one fed my fantasies about living in New York City… Anna Quindlen’s books are always wise and gorgeously composed. Alternate Side
Anna Quindlen has always been a favorite of mine, and this book doesn’t disappoint. I absolutely love her newest, and the Upper West Side setting is exactly what I needed.
Anna Quindlen never disappoints. I’ve read all her novels and never fail to get lost in her characters–and in this case, lost in one of my favorite places, New York City. The city becomes a character here, quirky and reflective of those who decide to make it home. Quindlen explores the roles.the city residents interplay, mostlty through Nora, her family and her neighbors , and, of course, they jump off the page and keep poking me awake while I try to call it a day. Just one more page, Anna, and thanks again.
Really enjoyed it. Made me think about so many things one takes for granted. Would recommend it to fans and newcomers alike to this great author
Anna Quindlen is a wonderful writer, and I always enjoy her novels. Alternate side is especially engrossing with wonderful, interesting characters, unexpected developments (not always good ones), and a great sense of place.
As with all of her books she depicts people as they are. Her writing style is relatable to the reader. I would recommend anything she authors.
Anna Quindlen’s newest book, ALTERNATE SIDE is a masterpiece of New York life, social mores, and personalities.
Charlie and Nora Nolan are living the successful middle-aged life on one of the city’s few dead-end streets in a family neighborhood on the Upper West Side. Their twins, Rachel and Oliver, are at good colleges, and the married couple are drifting into middle age financially stable, but personally unfulfilled. When a neighborhood tragedy occurs it makes them both take a good look at themselves – individually and together as a couple — and revaluate where and what they want to do with the rest of their lives.
Quindlen has painted a picture of middle-class privilege and angst so vividly in this book. The Nolan’s neighbors are a mishmash of likable and totally unlikable people – just like you’d find in any neighborhood in America.. As social mores change and opportunities come and go, Nora and Charlie try to get through each day, secure in the knowledge each is right in whatever decision they make, even if it is wrong for them as a couple.
When I first started reading this book I thought the title was indicative of that New York idiosyncrasy Alternate side of the street parking. As a native New Yorker, this was a struggle any Manhattan car owner who is forced to park on the street and not in a lot, experiences. But the further I read, I realized the title was really how Nora and Charlie’s marriage had devolved into separate lives with alternate thinking, ideas, and hopes for the future.
As I said, this book is a masterful portrayal of New Yorkers.
I highly recommend it. 5 stars. I was given an arc from Netgalley for an honest review.
A simple yet layered story about a middle-aged woman and her empty nest marriage, their family and a tight knit NYC neighborhood. It provides us country folks with a peak at every day life in NYC. The author creates a situation that could happen anywhere and shows that people are basically the same wherever they live in this modern world.
The characters are likable and believable. The plot unfolds surprises that will stay with the reader long after reading the last page.
If there was a ten star rating, this book deserves it. Cryptic view of life in the city with honest dialog & realistic characters. This is life.
Definitely one of my favorite books of 2020! An Upper West Side block is rocked by class divisions stemming from — what else — arguments over parking spots and cars. The beautiful facade of these brownstones hide unhappy marriages, gossiping nannies, and outer borough insights that made this book a fascinating delight to read.
oK, if you’re a New Yorker I guess. Otherwise, not relatable.
I love stories that show the fault lines in our tightly orchestrated lives…this one delivers.
Anna Quindlen’s writing, as always, is amazing. She has taken a subject which (if you are a New Yorker) is a bone of contention for people with cars and has woven a life-shattering novel around it. I enjoyed it a lot.
just couldn’t connect with any of the chanters. frustrating trying to keep up.
I had a hard time with this book of neighbors who have to much and look down on those who work for them. I struggled to finish, and just did not care that much. The writing is good, but it just did not hold my attention
I enjoyed it. It was an easy read. Anna Quindlen is one of my favorite authors.
The story of a group of people living on one dead block in Manhattan could have occurred anywhere. How an incident of rage changed these people was insightful.
I really liked this book. I felt as if I was on a journey through an off tourist location in NYC. It was a meandering stroll through an unusual dead end neighborhood, of expensive old homes, and a hodgepodge of neighbors, who had known each other for years, but often were unaware of who they were, like Linda, a judge. Nora had no idea that she was a judge, until reading about a current trial, and her name was mentioned.
Nora has been married to Charlie for 25 years, and watches him meander through a job that he wants to excel in, but never does. They have twins that are currently away at college. Nora heads up a jewelry museum, and she admits that she isn’t excited about her job, but she loves the walk to work, her jousting with the homeless (not really homeless) guy that sits outside her office building. Her BFF is always available for lunch or coffee and Nora is never leaving NYC.
A neighborhood act of violence changes the dynamics of their lives, and a fissure intercepts the lives of everyone. The meandering is interrupted, as the reality of relationships and friendships are impacted.
I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t earth shattering, but one I would recommend. I think a lot of our lives are like this, comfortable, yet could be so much more. Thank you to Penguin Random House for the book, in exchange for my review.
Quindlen’s always good to read, but this one is not one of her best.
I loved this slice of New York life and could relate to finding life has landed you in places you never expected.