Book Review: Alternate Side

Alternate Side
Anna Quindlen

Courtesy copy from
Netgalley

I have read a few books by Anna Quindlen. I was looking forward to reading the next book by her. I don't usually read books that deal with character study. That said, you will probably realize I was out of my comfort zone.


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, especially in her marriage. With an acute eye that captures the snap crackle of modern life, Anna Quindlen explores what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a woman at a moment of reckoning.(less)


I read Alternate Sides a couple of months ago. This was not a great read. But, I think I get the writing style of the book. The marriage of Nora, and Charlie is comfortable, They have two kids in college. They have a privileged life in NYC. They have lived there for years. Everyone knows everyone including everyone's children. The pages go very slowly, then the tension reads in the  pages after around page 100.

 A handyman takes a parking spot from one the residents. The handyman is Chicano, the neighbor and the handyman have an argument. Anger, and then a physical fight over the parking spot. The handyman ends up in the hospital for quite awhile. Each person has a different perspective. Charlie, and Nora disagree. I can see a book discussion while reading this. Who's perspective do you believe?
Why does Charlie see it different than Nora? How does the community change? Is there hope for the community? Well, yes there is. The community does heal.

The book was a slow read. But, I understand why the author wrote the way she did. The writing was smooth, and was descriptive writing. If you like reading books on character study. You will like reading. I was disappointed comparing the novel from her book years ago, Black and Blue. Which I loved.