SAXTON B. LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
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Saxton Reads! & Reviews

We invite the public to post reviews to our catalog by logging into our online catalog. Reviews will then be posted to this blog. Comments can be added to existing posts or may be added as separate reviews on our catalog
AUGUST 4, 2011
Emily Alone ~ Stewart O'Nan
****comments by CarolK

 I'm a big fan of Stewart O'Nan and have read several of his books. They're not easy reading even though most are not overly long, coming in at a publisher's dream of 300 pages. O'Nan's stories are slow and complex with a lot of room for perspective of the reader.

Emily Alone left me feeling drained and a bit sad. It's never quite clear, at least to me, exactly what age Emily is. I'd like to think she is way older than me but I don't think that's true. This perhaps is the reason for the emotional pull I felt throughout the story. Emily Alone...a woman struggling with aging and feelings of being all alone and on her own. Children scattered, an empty house, husband gone, alone. Independence is hers even if she doesn't want it. This new life is a struggle and though I know Emily will make it; she still has spunk; I can't help but feel sad too. I think it hits too close to home. I think of my mother who in her 80's lost my dad and found herself in much the same place as Emily. Though I tried to understand her loss, reading Emily's story makes me wonder if I somehow failed to see its complexity. My mother and Emily put up a good front. Emily Alone also confronts some of my own demons, the process of aging and issues that I may have to deal with in my future. Alone, what will that mean to me? 

Slow paced, Emily Alone, was thought provoking, humorous at times and a good read. I have not read the book that this was a sequel to, "Wish You Were Here". I think I'll add that to my list. I don't think you can go wrong with O'Nan. Come prepared to think.


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