A Window Opens: A Novel - Softcover

Egan, Elisabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1501105450 ISBN 13: 9781501105456

Publisher: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, 2016

Synopsis

What happens when having it all proves too much to handle? In this “fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all” a wife and mother of three leaps at the chance to fulfill her professional destiny, only to learn every opportunity comes at a price.
    “A winning, heartfelt debut”, A Window Opens introduces Alice Pearse, a compulsively honest, longing-to-have-it-all, heroine for our social-media-obsessed, lean in age. Like her fictional forebears Kate Reddy and Bridget Jones, Alice plays many roles. She is a happily married mother of three, an attentive daughter, an ambivalent dog-owner, a part-time editor and loyal neighbour. 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. 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” 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. In the midst of her second coming of age, Alice realizes the question is not whether it’s possible to have it all but, what does she really want the most?
    “Smart and entertaining...with refreshing straight-forwardness and humour”, “fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It and Where’d You Go, Bernadette will adore A Window Opens”.

About this title

Review:

"Elisabeth Egan’s wry, up-to-the-minute social comedy perfectly captures the harried life of a working mother who is, by necessity, on call 24/7 in every sphere. Filled with humor and heartbreak, this acutely observed debut is compulsively readable."
—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train

“Elisabeth Egan has not only written a relatable, empathic story about woman at a personal and professional crossroads. She has turned a sharp and satirical eye to both the self-important, neologism-choked jargon of the corporate world and the claustrophobic self-satisfactions that are often endemic to suburban life. The result is a buoyant, engaging novel that manages the rather remarkable feat of taking no sides even as it takes no prisoners. A delightful and impressive debut.” —Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion

"An instant classic. Egan manages to be wise, honest, poignant and laugh out loud funny about marriage, motherhood, daughterhood, and that ever elusive concept: having it all. If you're a fan of characters like Bridget Jones and I Don't Know How She Does It's Kate Reddy, prepare to fall madly in love with Alice Pearse."
—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times Bestselling Author of Maine

"I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this funny, touching, true-to-life novel about dealing with the complexities of family and career–a delightful read!" —Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies

“Egan's voice is knowing and funny, and she has a great eye for the minutiae of the modern working mother's life... Egan, herself the books editor at Glamour, packs an incredible amount of humor, observation, and insight into her buoyant debut novel, a sort-of The Way We Live Now for 21st-century moms who grew up loving the bookish heroines of Anne of Green Gables and Betsy-Tacy. Women may not be able to have it all, but this novel can.”
—Kirkus, starred review


“A winning, heartfelt debut.”
—Good Housekeeping

“Alice’s struggles are relatable and heartrending...fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It (2002) and Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2012) will adore A Window Opens.”
—Booklist, starred review

"... a fun, breezy read... a heartfelt and sometimes funny look at all sorts of change: From marriage, to loss, to parenting, to the future of media."
—goop.com

“A smart, relatable story about a working mother who is trying to have it all, all at the same time. You'll laugh, you'll shake your head in recognition, and you'll want to grab your entire family for a hug. A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan pulls at your heart and leaves you thinking about it long after finishing the book.”
—Popsugar.com

“Alice Pearse, a mother of three who takes on the breadwinner role after her husband doesn’t make partner at his law firm, shows us just how real, and how interesting, it is to be a working mom.”
—Glamour

About the Author:

Elisabeth Egan is the books editor at Glamour. Her essays and book reviews have appeared in Self, Glamour, O, The Oprah Magazine, People, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, the Huffington Post, the New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Times Book Review, The Washington Post, the Chicago Sun-Times and The Newark Star-Ledger. She lives in New Jersey with her family.

About this edition

• Publisher: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1501105450
• ISBN 13: 9781501105456
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400