What Nora Knew

by Linda Yellin

[Leah]

Linda Yellin first came to my attention a couple of years back with her non-fiction novel The Last Blind Date. I haven’t actually read the book, but I do have it on my shelf and it is one I am rather desperate to read because it sounds amazing. So when I spotted What Nora Knew on Netgalley, I remembered the author, and remembered the book I already have of hers, and remembered she’s meant to be a really funny writer, so I requested it and was super pleased to be accepted for it. I couldn’t wait to get started on it, and I knew I was going to enjoy it as soon as I had read the Prologue, which described Molly’s failed marriage to divorce-lawyer (and douche) Evan Naboshek.

Before I start my review proper, I must first confess something. Nora Ephron is an enigma to me. I haven’t read any of her books, I haven’t seen any of her world famous movies, I don’t know exactly what it is the world loves about Nora Ephron because I have yet to discover it myself. I know, I know, that’s quite shocking. I just haven’t yet had time to watch Sleepless In Seattle, You’ve Got Mail or When Harry Met Sally. Something that will be rectified, so I was slightly worried that all the Nora references would fly straight over my head, but I know enough about the movies to ‘get’ it, so that wasn’t really an issue, but I do suspect I’d have loved the homages even more if I had seen them and loved them like Molly does. It would have taken the enjoyability factor sky high, I’m sure.

I really enjoyed What Nora Knew, I love that American writers aren’t afraid to make their heroines snarky and commitment-phobic, something I feel British writers are afraid of, but which American writers excel at. Molly was a fabulous heroine, and considering my views on love are somewhat similar (I’m not nearly as cynical, but in this day and age I do find it hard to believe true, proper, forever love really does exist outside movies and books), it made me love her even more. I adored reading about her job at EyeSpy. Molly was basically the do-anything girl, including jumping out of planes, and sneaking objects through security, so when she bombed the Nora assignment I was gutted for her. But it definitely allowed her to grow, and to perhaps for the first time in her life find out what true love really feels like.

I was quite torn over Cameron Hamilton. He was described as someone with not-attractive features that made him attractive and I just couldn’t get a picture of him in my head at all, which was super strange. But, he grew on me as the novel wore on and as he stopped being as smarmy as he seemed in the beginning. I loved getting to know Molly’s friends Angela and Kristine, who were a bit wacky, but were lovely with it. I even liked Emily, Molly’s frenemy at work. I loved the writing, too, Linda’s a fantastic writer, full of warmth and humour, and I stayed up until well past midnight finishing the novel. It had SUCH a satisfying ending, and even as a non-Nora fan I could enjoy it. This is a fantastic read, one I really enjoyed and I look forward to more from Linda Yellin in the future as What Nora Knew was delightful.