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Up until just a few weeks ago, I’d never read anything by Anna Quindlen, but had been told by many that I was missing out. So when I secured an early copy of Alternate Side I was delighted, only to soon hear rumors that it may not be Quindlen at her best. Sarah from Sarah’s Bookshelves convinced me that I really needed to start with Every Last One and I decided to take her advice. I chose to listen to that one and wanting to be perfectly fair to Alternate Side, I also listened to it. What follows is my attempt to look at the many good aspects both books shared, as well as a few final thoughts on each.
{Common Themes}
Quindlen, A Writer of Women – In both Every Last One and Alternate Side I was struck by just how well Anna Quindlen developed her female leads. Both were women so real I felt like I easily knew them. Mary Beth Latham might be one of my own friends or neighbors, and under slightly different circumstances I might say the same of Nora Nolan. Quindlen thoroughly fleshes out her protagonists and makes an entire story in which every step they take, every decision they make resonates with authenticity.
Family Relationships – It’s clear to me that Anna Quindlen likes to write about what she seems to know best, families. In Every Last One her primary focus was on Mary Beth Latham’s relationships with her three teenage children. As with all teens they could be fun, difficult, and emotional and Mary Beth worried about each for different reasons. Her relationship to her husband was just as real, but took a bit of a backseat in this story, whereas in Alternate Side the relationship between Nora Nolan and her husband was at the heart of its story. Nora’s children were just slightly older and on the brink of being independent. In both books the family relationships rang completely true.
A Community, For Better or Worse – In Every Last One Quindlen built a network of friends (both close and not so close), relatives, employees, other parents, and friends of children to create a real sense of community: wonderful, but sometimes cloying. In Alternate Side, the bigger community was the city of New York in its totality, but within that was the tiny dead-end street where much of the drama of Nora’s life occurred.
Best Friends – I loved that in both books the women whom the stories were about had a best friend in the most fundamental sense. Alice and Jennie, each close friends since college, were unconditionally present for Mary Beth and Nora when needed. That unwavering loyalty is everything that a best friend should be and these two shone.
A Pivotal Event – The fact that both books had a moment that changed the trajectory of the entire story is no huge surprise. Most stories have such a moment, but I was startled by both in Quindlen’s books. The events forever changed the course of her heroines’ lives, admittedly more so for Mary Beth than for Nora. For both women, I appreciated the metamorphosis Quindlen delivered as they came to terms with a new reality.
{Final Thoughts on Each}
Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
Narrator: Hope Davis
Publisher: Random House/Simon & Schuster Audio
Release Date: April 13, 2010
Length: 299 pages/10 hrs. 5 min.
Amazon
Everyone was right, I should have tried Anna Quindlen a long time ago. I thought Every Last One was amazing. Before I had any idea where the book was going, I was enthralled by the normalcy of the Latham family. They could have been my family, or my neighbors. I liked them. I worried for them because I knew tragedy in some form had to await. What actually happened I never saw coming. I was stunned and also a little awed that Quindlen could so successfully go there. Her resolution of this story felt exactly right to me, perfectly real and that’s why I so loved Every Last One. Grade: A
Narration: Hope Davis did a good job narrating, though occasionally I got a little lost on who was speaking. There were many female characters in Every Last One, which also included a lot of dialogue and that was just a bit of a challenge.
Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen
Narrator: Ellen Archer
Publisher: Random House/Brilliance Audio
Release Date: March 20, 2018
Length: 304 pages
Amazon
I liked the story of Nora Nolan at a critical time in her life. Her children were out of the house, her husband was restless and their dreams were no longer the same. I also really appreciated the secondary star of this book, the city of New York itself: the lives it contains, the people at odds, the way the city is ever-changing, always moving forward and never looking back. Nora was the embodiment of NYC and that was fantastic! If I only focused on these part of Alternate Side, it was wonderful, but there were a lot of other parts. The entire parking theme that ran through the rest of this story got old. I know parking is a HUGE issue if you live in New York, but honestly, it’s boring to the rest of us. Similarly, the walking of dogs and the rats, I could have also done without. I understand that these conflicts helped to move Nora through her story; I’d have just enjoyed it more had Quindlen found a different way. Still, I liked much more than I didn’t about Alternate Side, so please don’t be scared away by my (or others’) review. Try Alternate Side and decided for yourself, especially if you’re an Anna Quindlen fan as I now am! Grade: B
Narration: I though Ellen Archer did a terrific job narrating Alternate Side. Her pace was fast and I really like that. At no time did my mind wander, because Archer managed to keep me with her at all times, fully bringing Nora Nolan to life.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the Random House (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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I really love Anna Quindlan. Se knows how to tell a story and hold you. Every Last One crabbed me , the surprise , the trauma really shook me. It’s one of my favorites of her books. I haven’t read her latest but am looking forward to it. Thanks for your reviews.’
I was also shaken by the pivotal point in Every Last One. Listening to it, I sat in a grocery store parking lot crying!
I read Every Last One, also on Sarah’s recommendation – and I loved it too.
I don’t know how I missed it back in 2010.
I’ve only read one book by hers but I loved it, it was a quiet story and I read it precisely at the right moment, I need to give these two a go!!
Id say try Every Last One first. So good!
I’ve definitely been curious about your thoughts of Alternate Side; this is such a fun post, Susie! I’ll agree with Sarah that Alternate Side may not be my favorite Quindlen, but I think I enjoyed it more than she did; it may be one of those situations when I read it at just the right time? I found lots of enjoyment there and the few things I could quibble over did not change my overall view of the book, much like you.
Thanks, Tara. I liked Alternate Side for what is was, a quiet story about conflict and the slow ending of a marriage.
I love your review, very thoughtful and well-said!
I’m a huge Anna Quindlen fan, and I can still see and feel where I was when I read Every Last One. I read it in one sitting. Although they are very different, I also enjoyed Alternate Side and appreciated the double meaning of the term as it related to not just parking, but neighbor against neighbor and husband and wife on alternate sides. It’s a quiet novel that has deeper meanings, my favorite!
Thank you so much, Jan.
You summed up Quindlen so well! I know you don’t have time right now, but add One True Thing to your TBR. It’s what I think of as her novel about mothers and daughters and it is exquisite.
I thought Alternate Side was good, but not great like so many of her other works. Still, it was chock full of sentences I wanted to quote. She has one of the most relatable voices in fiction I’ve ever read.
I’m definitely planning on reading One True Thing and it will probably be soon. So many people have told me that one is actually their favorite and I know I need to make the time.
Her novels can be rather sad in ways, eh? Still they cut to the Heart. I have read about three of them and will continue to do so now and then.
It’s always fun when you find a new author that really works for you and that’s how I feel about Quindlen.