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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionsThe Life Roomby Jill Bialosky
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE LIFE ROOM "In her exquisite, carefully observed exploration of a modern woman's inner life, Jill Bialosky has written a novel that poses an essential question: how do we reconcile our passions--love, work, erotic life, children? The Life Room is an elegant, daring book, driven by internal suspense."—Dani Shapiro, author of Slow Motion "What's most extraordinary about The Life Room is its unabashed honesty. In a novel that is daring and form-shifting and challenging in all the very best ways, Jill Bialosky still manages to keep it true to course. There is a texture in every sentence, but most importantly you emerge from the novel feeling as you have met a life that has glanced against your own, and gratefully your world has been shifted. A lovely, genuine, deep work of art."--Colum McCann, author of Zoli Praise for HOUSE UNDER SNOW: "Bialosky, with her delicate touch and clear eye for human frailty, is an author of talent, and "House Under Snow" an elegant debut." --Los Angeles Times "The book's pacing is refreshing and brisk, and Bialosky demonstrates a remarkable ear for emotional rhythms as well." --Chicago Tribune Review:"Bialosky falters in her maudlin second novel (after House Under Snow). An academic conference in Paris provides literature professor and New Yorker Eleanor Cahn the opportunity to escape from her humdrum husband and to stir up some long dormant passions. Along the way, the men of her past flood her memory: William Woods, Eleanor's confused and abused teenage boyfriend; Adam Weiss, a womanizing, married painter Eleanor posed for; and Stephen Mason, a childhood friend with whom she never quite connected. After the conference and back in New York, Eleanor agonizes over the life choices she's made and tries to find some balance between her longings and her responsibilities to her husband and children. Stephen re-enters her life, and the two conduct a tedious (and surprisingly nonphysical) affair. Through journal excerpts, e-mails and pictures, Bialosky tells a muddled tale burdened with hollow caricatures and overwrought dialogue. While Bialosky can produce intriguing turns of phrase (she has also published two poetry collections and is an editor at Norton), the novel remains largely unsatisfying." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"'Bialosky falters in her maudlin second novel (after House Under Snow). An academic conference in Paris provides literature professor and New Yorker Eleanor Cahn the opportunity to escape from her humdrum husband and to stir up some long dormant passions. Along the way, the men of her past flood her memory: William Woods, Eleanor's confused and abused teenage boyfriend; Adam Weiss, a womanizing, married painter Eleanor posed for; and Stephen Mason, a childhood friend with whom she never quite connected. After the conference and back in New York, Eleanor agonizes over the life choices she's made and tries to find some balance between her longings and her responsibilities to her husband and children. Stephen re-enters her life, and the two conduct a tedious (and surprisingly nonphysical) affair. Through journal excerpts, e-mails and pictures, Bialosky tells a muddled tale burdened with hollow caricatures and overwrought dialogue. While Bialosky can produce intriguing turns of phrase (she has also published two poetry collections and is an editor at Norton), the novel remains largely unsatisfying.' Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Synopsis:On a trip to Paris, Eleanor Cahn encounters a former love, which forces her to realize that she has suppressed her passionate self for years. Bialosky creates a fresh, piercingly real heroine who struggles with spiritual questions and dilemmas, and must choose between desire and responsibility. Synopsis:Eleanor Cahn is a professor of literature, the wife of a successful surgeon, and a devoted mother. But on a trip to Paris to present a paper on Anna Karenina, Eleanor re-connects with Stephen—a childhood friend, and more. The encounter ignites a discontent that she struggles alternately to suppress and to explore, and reawakens memories of her hidden erotic past: with alluring, elusive Stephen; with ethereal William, her high school boyfriend; with married, egotistical Adam, the painter who initiated her into the intimacies of the "life room," where the artists model sometimes becomes muse; and with loyal, steady Michael, her husband. On her return to New York, Eleanor and Stephens charged attraction takes on a life of its own and threatens to destroy everything she has. Jill Bialosky has created a fresh, piercingly real heroine caught, like Tolstoys immortal Anna Karenina, between desire and responsibility. About the AuthorJILL BIALOSKY is the author of the acclaimed novel House Under Snow and two collections of poetry, The End of Desire and Subterranean. Her poems and essays have appeared in the New Yorker and O, The Oprah Magazine. She is an editor at W. W. Norton & Company and lives in New York City. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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