Synopses & Reviews
*People, Summer’s Best Books
*Entertainment Weekly, 8 Big Fat Beach Reads
*Woman’s Day, Great Summer Reads*
Publishers Weekly, Best Summer Books
*Good Housekeeping, Your Ultimate Summer Reading List*
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 10 Novels Not to Miss*
Coastal Living, Great Summer Reads *
Time Out New York, Summer Reading List*Goop Newsletter, Best Summer ’15 Reading
Fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It and Where’d You Go, Bernadette will cheer at this “fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all” (People) about what happens when a wife and mother of three leaps at the chance to fulfill her professional destiny — only to learn every opportunity comes at a price.
In A Window Opens, beloved books editor at Glamour magazine Elisabeth Egan brings us 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, with its chain of chic literary lounges and dedication to beloved classics. 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. Readers will cheer as Alice realizes the question is not whether it’s possible to have it all, but what does she — Alice Pearse — really want?
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
Review
“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
Review
"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
Review
"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
Review
“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
Review
“A winning, heartfelt debut.” Good Housekeeping
Synopsis
"Egan's delightful debut is a fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all." --People
*People, Summer's Best Books*Entertainment Weekly, 8 Big Fat Beach Reads*Woman's Day, Great Summer Reads*Publishers Weekly, Best Summer Books*Good Housekeeping, Your Ultimate Summer Reading List*Minneapolis Star Tribune, 10 Novels Not to Miss*Coastal Living, Great Summer Reads *Time Out New York, Summer Reading List*Goop Newsletter, Best Summer '15 Reading*
Fans of I Don't Know How She Does It and Where'd You Go, Bernadette will cheer at this "fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all" (People) about what happens when a wife and mother of three leaps at the chance to fulfill her professional destiny--only to learn every opportunity comes at a price.
In A Window Opens, beloved books editor at Glamour magazine Elisabeth Egan brings us 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, with its chain of chic literary lounges and dedication to beloved classics. 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. Readers will cheer as Alice realizes the question is not whether it's possible to have it all, but what does she―Alice Pearse―really want?
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.