A Window Opens: A Novel

by Elisabeth Egan

"Egan's delightful debut is a fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all." --People

*People, Summer's Best Books*Entertainment Weekly, 8 Big Fat Beach Reads*Woman's Day, Great Summer Reads*Publishers Weekly, Best Summer Books*Good Housekeeping, Your Ultimate Summer Reading List*Minneapolis Star Tribune, 10 Novels Not to Miss*Coastal Living, Great Summer Reads *Time Out New York, Summer Reading List*Goop Newsletter, Best Summer '15 Reading*

Fans of I Don't Know How She Does It and Where'd You Go, Bernadette will cheer at this "fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all" (People) about what happens when a wife and mother of three leaps at the chance to fulfill her professional destiny--only to learn every opportunity comes at a price.

In A Window Opens, beloved books editor at Glamour magazine Elisabeth Egan brings us Alice Pearse, a compulsively honest, longing-to-have-it-all, sandwich generation heroine for our social-media-obsessed, lean in (or opt out) age. Like her fictional forebears Kate Reddy and Bridget Jones, Alice plays many roles (which she never refers to as "wearing many hats" and wishes you wouldn't, either). She is a mostly-happily married mother of three, an attentive daughter, an ambivalent dog-owner, a part-time editor, a loyal neighbor and a Zen commuter. She is not: a cook, a craftswoman, a decorator, an active PTA member, a natural caretaker or the breadwinner. But when her husband makes a radical career change, Alice is ready to lean in--and she knows exactly how lucky she is to land a job at Scroll, a hip young start-up which promises to be the future of reading, with its chain of chic literary lounges and dedication to beloved classics. The Holy Grail of working mothers an intellectually satisfying job and a happy personal life seems suddenly within reach.

Despite the disapproval of her best friend, who owns the local bookstore, Alice is proud of her new "balancing act" (which is more like a three-ring circus) until her dad gets sick, her marriage flounders, her babysitter gets fed up, her kids start to grow up and her work takes an unexpected turn. Readers will cheer as Alice realizes the question is not whether it's possible to have it all, but what does she Alice Pearse really want?

• ISBN10: 1501105434
• ISBN13: 9781501105432
• Publish Date: 25 August 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[lindsey]

(Source: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan is a contemporary novel that deals with love, loss, opportunity, family, friends, marriage, and parenthood.

Alice works part time at You magazine, and is a full-time mother, wife, and daughter. Life is going pretty well until Nicholas, her husband, loses his job, and Alice feels pressured to find a full-time job that pays more while her husband gets back on his feet. She is excited about working for Scroll at first, but when her relationships start to suffer, she realizes she doesn't like the person she's become.

I enjoyed this book, and I think most women with a family and full-time job would be able to relate to Alice. I loved the character descriptions, and I have a clear picture in my mind of every character in the book. A Window Opens made me laugh, cry, and think, and I believe the author did a wonderful job of writing a realistic contemporary novel, without it being depressing.

I would definitely recommend this to fans of contemporary women's lit.

View on my blog.