A Window Opens

A Novel

By: Elisabeth Egan

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

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” (People) 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” (Good Housekeeping), A Window Opens introduces 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. 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. 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 humor” (The Washington Post), “fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It and Where’d You Go, Bernadette will adore A Window Opens” (Booklist, starred review).

Life

Love that this story is just about life. I could see it as a feel good movie

Fun read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but would probably have it enjoyed it a bit less if all of the surroundings weren't so familiar to me as the fictional suburb of Filament is a real town in north jersey. He novel is well written and the plot moved well. It's touching and funny and all very familiar to life's realities for this of this generation. The end sagged a bit but overall a good read.

Wow!

Any additional comments?

I know know why there was so much talk about this book! It had such depth, compelling characters, heartbreak, love, and so much more!!! A multidimensional story that demands attention! 5 stars!

Amazing

This novel came at the best time. An amazing, insightful and entertaining read. I loved every minutes and highly recommend it.

Not riveting, sometimes tedious

This is a story detailing the generally mundane events in the life of Alice Pearse, typical to the lives of many working mothers juggling careers and motherhood. Of course there are some life changing events as well. The writing is decent but not great, and for me there were too many mundane details that did not advance the story. There really isn't that much plot, so it is more a story about the characters. Unfortunately, I didn't really bond with Alice as much as I would like, given that the story is told in first person. She had a bit of an attitude toward others that seemed harsh. So, not a bad listen, but I speeded up to 1.25X about 1/4 of the way through and kept it there. I guess it just wasn't particularly my cup of tea.