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?
By way of a story, there is nothing new, in fact, this type of story has been done time and time again. Alice is struggling to do it all - she's part of the sandwich generation with demanding kids, a sick/elderly parent, and also a husband that not only loses his job, but develops a drinking problem. She's likable enough, and it wasn't so much what she had to deal with (Egan really pours it on thick), but how she deals with things. Readers may identify with her and find the book entertaining, or not relate to her and find the book a bit dull. Or maybe readers will be too distracted by their own busy lives and feel guilty for indulging in reading when they should be doing other things.
What was interesting to me was Alice's professional journey, I also work in publishing, but it wasn't enough to really sell the story.
What was interesting to me was Alice's professional journey, I also work in publishing, but it wasn't enough to really sell the story.
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