Emily, Alone: A Novel

By Stewart O'Nan

Book Overview

From the author of Last Night at the Lobster , a moving vision of love and family. A sequel to the bestselling, much-beloved Wish You Were Here , Stewart O'Nan's intimate new novel follows Emily Maxwell, a widow whose grown children have long moved away. She dreams of vists by her grandchildren while mourning the turnover of her quiet Pittsburgh neighborhood, but when her sole companion and sister-in-law Arlene faints at their favorite breakfast buffet, Emily's days change. As she grapples with her new independence, she discovers a hidden strength and realizes that life always offers new possibilities. Like most older women, Emily is a familiar yet invisible figure, one rarely portrayed so honestly. Her mingled feelings-of pride and regret, joy and sorrow- are gracefully rendered in wholly unexpected ways. Once again making the ordinary and overlooked not merely visible but vital to understanding our own lives, Emily, Alone confirms O'Nan as an American master.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670022357
• ISBN13: 9780670022359
• Release Date: March 2011
• Publisher: Viking
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Boring

I kept waiting for something to happen, then I was to the last word. Nothing did, and the book just stopped without an ending.

No problem, if you need to go to sleep

This book is all character based. There is no plot. Which is fine, except the character you are following around is quite boring. Nothing actually happens nor does the character help you to feel what she is feeling. It’s like reading a food diary.

Loved this book

I actually bought this book without knowing it's a sequel to O'Nan's earlier work Wish You Were Here. I almost didn't read it because of this, but I'm glad I did. I was able to easily follow the story with zero prior knowledge of the characters. O'Nan takes what seems like a mundane concept - the day-to-day life of an older lady living on her own - and turns it into a surpisingly relatable story that is full of humor, sadness, and insight. You will never be bored while reading this book. Seriously, it's more of a page-turner than most thrillers I've read. It's not too long, but has a great deal of substance, which makes it a great leisure read. You should definitely pick up this book.