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Alternate Side: A Novel

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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 Today A 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 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 Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House


Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more


Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 20, 2018


Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • excellent writing!
This book was very good and I enjoyed it immensely. I recommend it highly and will make it our book club selection.
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2025 by Becky B Watkins
    • Marital Strife and Neighborhood Politics Observed
Wealthy, insular New York neighborhood with big and small problems. The book looks at how the conflicts and skirmishes of daily life can gradually and irrevocably erode relationships. Nora and Charlie are a long-married couple who live on an affluent block with other similarly wealthy neighbors. They decorate, socialize, walk dogs, work and have lunch. Days go by in this placid, familiar routine, then an incident occurs that reveals the fault lines in fragile marriages and cordial friendships. Issues of class and discontent emerge from the shadows, as stress and irritation begin to churn beneath the surface of the seemingly perfect facades. Quindlen writes well, and I always enjoy her books for the quality of the writing, but this one was tinged with so much wistful sadness. It is a valentine to New York, but the depiction of long-term marriage was as a slow disintegration or a mutual toleration. The observations were often accurate, just dismal. The message of the book seems to be that inevitable change can occur incrementally or suddenly, and the life we thought we had or once-wanted, may not be the life that we end up with. A good read, just somewhat depressing. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2018 by Susan M. Baumann
    • Didn't Care for It
I usually enjoy Quindlen's writing, but this book was tedious. I understand that the main character, Nora, was cynical, but the cynicism was endless; at times, it seemed the book was a catalog of negative observations by a jaded and inert crank. BTW, the daughter was a witch; what was the point of that? At the 80% mark, I was still wondering what was going to happen. The pivot scene occurred in the first third of the book, but then faded into the background as the residents of the street pottered along. The story - and I use the term loosely - can be viewed as a snapshot of life on a certain street in a certain social class, but it wasn't enlightening, just annoying. I thought Alma's surprise at the end was clever, and the truth underlying it was profound. I sensed a theme that people can go along with a life or try to shape it, with varying degrees of success. Perhaps the writing was too subtle for me, but I found the book almost frustratingly slow. There were a few interesting passages about the human condition, but the placid oblivion of these privileged characters was not meaty enough subject matter from which to produce a story. I think the book can be summarized by a jokey comment Nora and her sister, Christine, shared from young adulthood: No whining on the yacht. Update: it's the next morning, and I see more clearly that the main character completed a developmental arc toward authenticity, which is satisfying to contemplate, but the journey getting there was too slow, imo. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2018 by Lynne M. Spreen
    • Another hit from Ms.Quindlen
I have always been a fan of Anna Quindlen’s books (and there are plenty of them, so many more to read). Her newest novel ALTERNATE SIDE is great fun to read. This is such a life in New York City story. A married couple, devoted to their house, and who wouldn’t be if you lived in a multi-level brownstone on a dead-end street, knew all your neighbors, your kids grew up there, and well, it was everything you dreamed of. Well, one of you did. Yes, that is where the conflict begins. But it doesn’t stop there. It starts with a parking space that has become available and if you know parking prices in New York, you will get this straight away. For that matter, any major city. People go nuts when it comes to their cars. Am I right? Yes, I am. The cast of characters on the block are all up in each other’s business. They are a mighty crew. While there is a sunny side of the street, there also is a grey cloud looming. It will descend and when it does, make way. I loved every page of this book. Every character. One, I so enjoyed who proved to be the least expected. Which is of course the best kind. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2018 by carilynp
    • A Moment Of Reckoning
Nora Nolan and her husband Charlie live the good life. Two children in college, they live in a prestigious section of New York City, a sort of cult, proclaimed by a renter. All families who bought their brownstones when the going was good, and they are now worth so much more. Nora is a director of a museum, Charlie has reached the top of his game at work. They have it all, the elites, no worries. The only difficulty is parking, and the lot at the end of the street that is used for cars to park, is a metaphor for their lives. Everyone wants a spot, some have a chance, most don’t, and it is often a waiting game. When Charlie wins a spot, life is good. And, then, a trauma occurs, and Nora and Charlie start looking at what has befallen. In fact the entire block is considering and arguing about the trauma. Questions are asked, and like our times, sides are taken. Who is right who is wrong, is not the question, it is how did we get here, and what are we going to do about it. And, these questions and some of the answers are part of a puzzle that change Nora and Charlie’s lives. The author, Anna Quindlen, has been a part of my reading life since her articles in the New York Times. Her writing all have lessons to be learned, a primer on the issues of the day. What we have with Anna Quindlen is a slice of real life, that does not come along every day. Recommended. prisrob 03-20-18 ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2018 by prisrob

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