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Emily, Alone
Emily, Alone
Emily, Alone
Audiobook10 hours

Emily, Alone

Written by Stewart O'Nan

Narrated by Andrea Gallo

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

The author of numerous novels, Stewart O'Nan has been lauded with critical acclaim and best-seller status on his way to consideration as one of America's most gifted novelists. Emily, Alone, a sequel to Wish You Were Here, revolves around widow and grandmother Emily Maxwell, whose ordered life is jarred when her sister-in-law suffers a stroke. But even amid the conflicting emotions of a changing world, Emily proves resilient and vows to move forward with the grace and dignity with which she has lived her life.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 6, 2011
ISBN9781461804147
Emily, Alone
Author

Stewart O'Nan

Stewart O’Nan’s award-winning fiction includes Snow Angels, A Prayer for the Dying, Last Night at the Lobster, and Emily, Alone. His novel The Odds was hailed by The Boston Globe as “a gorgeous fable, a stunning meditation and a hope-filled Valentine.” Granta named him one of America’s Best Young Novelists. He was born and raised and lives in Pittsburgh. 

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Reviews for Emily, Alone

Rating: 3.989711957201646 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Although Stewart O’Nan is a man, and not nearly 80, he has given us a marvelous in-depth portrayal of Emily Maxwell, an 80-year old widow living in Pittsburgh.

    This is a character-driven novel with no real plot or action, but it is far from dull, and in fact just the opposite. I was eager to watch Emily go about her daily life, interacting with her children, sister in-law, cleaning lady and neighbors, filling her days with museum visits, garden shows, the Eat-In-Park, funerals and preparations for family visits. Emily is a totally three-dimensional character whom we can relate to even if we aren’t 80; her doubts about being a good mother and daughter, her longings for Spring, her bafflement about her political party’s wanderings, her resentment at not receiving Thank you notes from her grandchildren, and her worries about her aging dog, Rufus.

    O’Nan has an eye for detail and an ear for conversation. All of his descriptions and dialog ring true. There was only one little thing that would have tipped me off that he was a male writer (had I not already known)and that was when Emily picked up her sister in-laws cosmetic bag to take to her in the hospital and called it a dopp kit. I have never heard any woman call her own or another woman’s cosmetic/toiletry bag a dopp kit. Women use the name dopp kit in reference to men’s toiletry bags, and men use that term for their own or another man’s toiletry bag-even Wikipedia says it is a man’s toiletry bag. Other than this minor little detail the rest of the details seemed flawless.

    I love good character driven novels such as Evan S. Connell’s Mrs. Bridge (which I thought of often while I read this), and to my delight this book rates right up there with that classic.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Somewhat sad and somewhat depressing but isn't that what life is all about when one hits a certain age, wants to retain independence, family is dispersed and friends are dying off one by one? Isn't that a sad commentary about old age in the USA? But O'Nan brings moments of humor too....a real sense of reality. Emily needless to say is a widow, with her sister-in-law Arlene as her neighbor and only buddy. And her dog that i think is even older than she is ?? The reader follows her life in short chapters. Her memories, her wishes, and what has become HER reality.....the daily minutiae of routine and ritual. " That was how time passed- waiting through everything else to do the thing you wanted. How little fell into that category now..............She thought there should be more to live for." It may sound boring but i didn't think so. It sounded real.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Like a meditation. A good insight into an old day, I think. A beautiful book. Emily's house is my new safe place in my mind.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A portrait of an aging woman, in her 80's after her husband and best friend had died. Nothing much seems to happen and yet it's an excellent and accurate picture, ruminating about the past but not wanting to, living for visits from the kids but finding them anxiety producing and exhausting, and finding some peace with herself.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4 1/2 stars, really, very close to five, if only for the incredible depth of characterization. The writing is--as per usual for O'Nan--very fine. Unfortunately--also as per usual for O'Nan--not a whole lot happens. Really nothing at all. And I think the book was maybe fifty pages too long to have so little forward movement, no matter how well conceived Emily is.

    Alternatively, I may be a touch cranky since I am about to turn forty and my daughter's bat mitzvah is this weekend and it may not have been the perfect time to read a book about growing old, as it only made me feel older than I actually am. And when I am old--I sincerely hope my children call more often than Emily's do.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    O'Nan completely disproves the old Tolstoy saying of "All families are unlike in their sorrows." Emily is my mother almost to a T, barring that she was a staunch agnostic and democrat. I felt like I was part of this family somehow and like Wish You Were Here, was sad when I arrived at the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reading Stewart O'Nan's 2011 novel "Emily, Alone" I kept thinking of "Mrs. Bridge," the terrific 1959 novel by Evan S. Connell Jr. Each novel is a character portrait of an upper-middle class woman who feels trapped in the life she has made for herself, or which has been made for her. Connell ends his novel with a classic scene that symbolizes both the kind of woman Mrs. Bridge is and the life she leads. Her car stalls as she is pulling out of her garage, and she cannot open any of the doors. Unable to get anyone's attention, for there is no one around, she simply sits there, her gloved hands folded in her lap, waiting to be rescued.Emily Maxwell, the focus of O'Nan's story, is older than India Bridge, but is a similar kind of woman. Recently widowed by her beloved Henry, she struggles to stay in contact with her distant children and grandchildren and to, as much as possible, maintain the life she has been living for years, usually now in the company of her best friend, Arlene, a woman in similar circumstances.Yet as the novel progresses in its brief, episodic chapters (again, much like "Mrs. Bridge"), we discover, as does Emily herself, she is living a lie. She listens to classical music on the radio all day every day, yet she dislikes most of what she hears. She attends "The Nutcracker" every year at Christmas, even though she hasn't enjoyed it in years. She doesn't even like spending so much time with Arlene.As a girl, Emily was even more rebellious than her daughter, Margaret, ever was, yet where is that rebellion now? Like Mrs. Bridge caught in her own garage, Emily is trapped, not just by advancing age and declining health, but by a life that doesn't suit her anymore, if it ever did.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent read at any age.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily Alone by Stewart ONanAll she has left is her friend and neither of them drive well but they do go out once a week.Emily's friend, Arlene has an emergency with her medical illness and is hospitalized....they are soon back to their normal schedules upon her release,She hires others to help deep clean the house for the Christmas holidays as the kids will come....Nothing goes as planned and we hear how she survives all that.....liked this book a lot as it's about a womanroughly my age and I know I'll be dealing with some of the things she is dealing with soon. Liked how she handled not gettingthank you letters from grandkids when she'd send money. I've dealt with that myself.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'd never heard of this book or its author, but the wife of a good friend highly recommended it. It's a wonderful read about a widow going through the aging process and the series of losses that ensue with a remarkable degree of grace and insight.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The story of an 80 year old woman who moans and groans and complains her way through her life. I kept waiting for the character to have an epiphany and find the good in old age--but it never happened.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily Alone is a sequel to O'Nan's 2002 novel, Wish You Were Here, which I have not read. 80-year-old Emily Maxwell has settled into widowhood. Living far from her children and grandchild, she relies on her dog and her sister-in-law Arlene for regular companionship. In the course of the book, she cares for Arlene after a hospital stay, buys her first new car, negotiates with her kids over holiday visits, frets over her will and final arrangements, and weathers the deaths of several old friends. Understand: there is no real story here, no plot to speak of. The strength of the book is Emily's voice: intelligent, vulnerable but seldom self-pitying, a tad controlling, perhaps a hair judgmental but not mean or aggressive. O'Nan does some interesting things with perspective here. While a third-person narration, we are definitely inside Emily's head most of the time, yet the reader can certainly step outside occasionally and see how her kids, for example, might occasionally be frustrated or bemused by her.The realism of the character study is supported by an accumulation of ordinary detail, and I mean ordinary. How many novelists would devote any time at all to describing the difficulty of opening an economy three-pack of tissues? I love Stewart O'Nan.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Just amazed how O'Nan could get so far into the head and heart of an 80-year-old woman. Small things happen in this book, but small things make up our lives.
    Oh, and Stewart O'Nan, you dropped bread-crumbs that Emily may move back to her beloved Kersey, PA. I grew up not far away, so I would love to see her come full circle & return home.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Stewart O'Nan is one of my favorite writers. Emily, Alone is a captivating story about the quiet life of a rather solitary, elderly woman. The writing is remarkable, and O'Nan's portrayal of Emily is startling in its complexity and its hopefulness.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A good story and an interesting one, however there were a lot of questions not answered. I felt that it was geared more towards the woman reader. I would read other books by Mr. O'Nan
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Unless Emily, Alone, wins one of the major literary awards it is unlikely that it will make the New York Times Best Seller List. The only problem with that, and I feel that Stewart O'Nan doesn't give a hoot about "The List", is thousands of readers will be deprived of a special, masterful, literary achievement. The good news is I can't imagine this book NOT winning at least one major award. Emily, Alone is a deeply felt character study beautifully conveyed in a stunning piece of literature. Exquisite for its restrained writing, a component not normally associated with books on the New York Times Bestseller List. Hopefully, word of mouth, literary critics, and independent booksellers will rally to the merits of this novel and insure that it gets into the hands of the reading public.The novel continues the story of Emily Maxwell who was first introduced to Stewart O'Nan readers in his 2002 novel Wish You Were Here. It is now seven years since the events of Wish You Were Here, when the recently widowed Emily summoned her family to Lake Chautauqua in western New York for what would be their last vacation at the Maxwell summer home before she sells the property. Emily is now eighty years old and dealing with the inevitable problems of advancing age. But she is quite comfortalbe financially, living alone, in her upscale Pittsburgh neighborhood. Yet, Emily admits that, "she'd been lucky in so much, it had left her woefully unprepared for old age."Just what goes through the mind of a lonely, eighty year old widow who is dreading, another rapidly approaching Pittsburgh winter? And how does it feel for a once vibrant woman to become less visible and less relevant with each passing day? That is precisely what this novel sets out to explore. Not exactly prime fodder, I realize, for the traditional "bestseller". But in Stewart O'Nan's capable, empathetic hands it may very well be.Emily's lifelong friends have been dying at an alarming rate. She has attended so many funerals recently she is beginning to unconsciously critique the various services. She soon realizes that she is mourning not only the person, but the passing of a happier time in her life. Time is now advancing agonizingly slow for Emily, and she knows, full well, that it is dangerous having so much time to herself.Emily is lonely, but not tragically so. Her husband, Henry, has been dead for ten years, and she misses most the smell of his skin. Her aging Springer Spaniel, Rufus, is tracking toward the end of life faster than herself. Emily's two children and four grandchildren have moved away from Pittsburgh. She misses and worries about them, particularly her daughter Margaret, and longs for phone calls, greeting or thank you cards, and holiday visits from any member of her immediate family. But, when they do visit, she seems just as pleased when it is time for them to return to their own homes.When the novel begins Emily is pretty much yoked to her sister-in-law Arlene. Arlene still considers herself to be a capable, able driver, while Emily, after her last automotive mishap had her neighbor park her twenty-six year old land yacht of an Oldsmobile safely in the the garage to rust away. Later in the novel, due to circumstances, Emily buys a smaller car which reestablishes, to a large extent, her independence. The balance of her time is spent waiting on Spring (so she can work in her garden), listening to classical music, reading library books, doing the New York Times crossword puzzle, tweaking her last will and testament, revising the music list to be played at her funeral and caring for the aging Rufus. Emily is content and rarely complains as she deals with the problems of arthritis, deteriorating night vision and the snow and ice of a Pittsburgh winter. She is well aware that the end of her life is approaching and could end at virtually any moment. So she appreciates what she has and what she is able to still experience. Such as finding a feeling of absolute wonder in the color she sees in a Van Gogh painting at a Pittsburgh museum.I suppose Mr. O'Nan could have entitled this book Why Emily Matters? An aphoristic title that has become trite, but Emily is important because she is all of us. We are all headed in the same direction. And it is hopeful to know that we may be able to live our lives as well and fully as Emily. Hopefully Mr. O'Nan will follow Emily into her later eighties and early nineties when she begins to get lost in the corridors of her own mind. Now that would really be interesting.Note: This review was written May 8, 2011, yet never posted.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I must have a bit of old lady in me, because I found myself empathizing with Emily in her 'aloneness' throughout EMILY, ALONE. But then author O'Nan must have some of the same in him; otherwise how does he get Emily so letter-perfect? Here's a story of an aging widow, living alone with her dog (Rufus is an important part of the book in my eyes) in a genteel old neighborhood of Pittsburgh and it all seemed so real to me I felt like I could go knock on Emily's door and introduce myself. Pittsburgh is nearly a character itself, O'Nan knows it so well, inserting details both large and small of the city.There is not a lot happening in EMILY, ALONE. You simply follow the widder-woman through approximately a year in her life, several years after the death of her beloved husband, lunching with twofer coupons with her sister-in-law, attending flower shows and art exhibits, going to funerals. There is a kind of low-key suspense felt throughout the story. I'm not sure if Emily's age is ever given, but I figure eighty-something, so of course there's gonna be some suspense. When you reach a certain age there is an element of risk in nearly everything. I loved this book. My mom would have loved it too. I think eventually I will have to read the book that came before it, WISH YOU WERE HERE. O'Nan never disappoints, never fails to surprise you in the characters he creates. This is simply lovely, rich writing.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I usually love O'Nan's writing but this one was like watching paint dry! I was truly bored and skipped ahead to read chapters with intriguing titles. Nope. Still bored. Gave up after reading 2/3 of it waiting for it to get better. Next!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Who are you Stewart O'Nan and why would you write such a brave personal book about an aged woman in Pittsburgh? Didn't anybody ever tell you that nobody cares about women over 50? Emily Alone is an astounding book, nothing really happens in it, but as Emily progresses through a year of her life, you hear her most intimate thoughts, the very thoughts that you yourself have about people and situations -- the minor irritations and second thoughts -- and in the end, you have a life!! That is life. Thank you Stewart O'Nan, I will definately read more by you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    O'Nan excels at shining a light on ordinary lives and making them memorable. He does that here for Emily, a woman who has outlived her husband and her best friend and through a happy accident begins to expand her world when she takes up driving again, even buying a new blue Subaru. Emily loves to garden, listen to classical music and has a sweet relationship with her incorrigible, always hungry dog, Rufus. I find O'Nan to be a quiet and honest writer and that is evident here as Emily reflects on relationships throughout her life, particularly those with her children and grandchildren. I agree with other reviewers in that this is most likely to appeal to those over 50.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    No one does contemporary human relations in the US better than O'Nan. In O'Nan's skilled hands, the main character Emily, an aging, widow with lots of memories and little in the way of excitement, makes a fascinating read. O'Nan shines the light on the main character and the social tendrils that connect her to the world and in so doing shines the light also on all of our human relationships. A page turner where almost nothing major happens.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the second of two books in the 'Emily Maxwell' series, about the aging matriarch of a family living in north-east America. I wasn't especially taken with the first book, which focused on Emily's children, and even her grandchildren I think O'Nan is more in touch with Emily's generation, which is the focus of this book, and I believe he does a much better job of filling out Emily's character. She isn't necessarily a person that we will all love, but I think we do get a good understanding of what makes Emily tick and why she presents a particular face to the world. You generally don't read O'Nan's books if you're looking for action, and this book is no exception. The interest is in seeing how Emily reacts to the dawning realisation that she is pretty much on her own now, and will be more and more alone in time. She has relatives and a few friends, but they really don't wish to spend a lot of time with Emily - they have their own issues to deal with. The habits and traditions of the past are rapidly disappearing. Emily can see that death is just around the corner and is beginning to prepare for this new phase. I'm not quite as old as she is, but I found that we had a lot in common.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This novel in which nothing major happens is nevertheless compulsively readable. It traces a few months in the life of an elderly widow, Emily Maxwell, who lives alone in the Highland Park part of Pittsburgh. After a medical scare involving her sister-in-law, Arlene (the only person who gives her regular companionship), Emily finds herself waking up again to a more courageous engagement with life. Arlene is fine. But Emily is changed.The detailing in the book is gorgeous. You feel you are there with Emily at church, at the hospital, gardening in her backyard, buying a new car, listening to classical music, and engaged in dozens of other tasks. Emily, Alone at times reminded me of Evan S. Connell's masterpieces Mr. Bridge and Mrs. Bridge.Emily, Alone is not as good as Connell's books because it lacks their insight into character. It didn't matter to me. O'Nan depicts the richness of ordinary events with skill and grace.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    We all have one. A friend that just rambles on and on and on about things that are of zero interest to us, but earthshaking to them. We listen and nod and smile, because it is the kind thing to do. Eventually, we pat them on the shoulder, or kiss them on the cheek,wish them well and go on our way. We do it because we care about them. I did not care about Emily or any of her friends, thoughts or meals. The only good thing I can say about this one, is that he didn't kill the dog. I have read and enjoyed books by this author in the past, and expected to like this one, but seriously, ten pages in and it was stilla litany of Pittsburgh streets and landmarks. I get it! It's Pittsburgh!NOT recommended..
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Before you are allowed to post a review of this novel, I’m going to have to ask you to present an official id. An official id with your dob on it. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think a person under fifty can really appreciate this book and I’m not sure those of you under fifty would have the patience to read a book where the biggest plot points are repairing a scratch on her new car.Emily is an elderly widow, in the last years of her life. Her family, except for an elderly sister-in-law, lives far away and seldom visits. Her friends are rapidly dying off. The highlights of Emily’s week are Wednesdays when the maid comes in to clean and to eating at an inexpensive diner using discount coupons with her sister-in-law. Emily both enjoys her life and finds it more difficult each day to do the simple tasks she needs to do. I found this book to be a lovely picture of a small life well lived. Here’s a tiny sample:“A week later, floundering, as was her habit in the wake of their leaving, she took Rufus out for his constitutional one bright, chilly morning only to discover, on the slate square of sidewalk directly in front of their steps, like a hex or a warning, a pair of black spary-painted arrows pointing downhill, bracketing the number 392.She peered around at the empty lawns and driveways and porches, as if whoever was responsible were watching. Rufus looked up at her, wondering why they’d stopped.She would have suspected gang graffiti, which had been a problem in the alley behind Sheridan, except it was small and artlessly done. Its sloppiness looked official, the harbinger of some public works project, a new sewer line or fiber-optic cable that might intrude on her summer. Besides marring her front walk, the inscrutable numerals promised a chaos she was powerless to stop, and sent her off up Grafton, frowning at her bad luck.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Emily of Emily, Alone is the family matriarch last seen in O'Nan's Wish You Were Here. Now, seven years after the events of that book, Emily lives alone with her extraordinarily old dog, Rufus, ventures out with her sister-in-law, Arlene, waits for visits from her children, and wryly ruminates about her life. It is O'Nan's skillfully beautiful and thoughtful prose that turns this simple storyline into such a charming and poignant book. It was easy to see glimpses of my own mother and family throughout.Stewart O'Nan is one of my favorite authors. Although I haven't read everything he's written, I've loved the ones I have read (with the exception of Last Night at the Lobster which didn't really work for me). It's not necessary to read Wish You Were Here to enjoy Emily, Alone but I recommend it, too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily Maxwell is an 80ish widow living on her own in her family home. Over time, Emily has lost her confidence in driving, and relies on her sister - in - law, Arlene, to drive Emily when she needs to get out. Emily's life changes when Arlene has a spell and ends up in hospital - and Emily bravely begins to drive again. This is slow moving book, with much refection by Emily on her past, her future, and her family, with whom she has some challenging relationships. More than anything, this is a thoughtful, insightful look into what growing old and having to contemplate the end of one's life might be like. As I read about Emily's concern's about her children, their lack of interest in her, I could not help but think of the elderly people in my life and how challenging life must be for them. Prior to reading this book, I don't think I fully understood or empathized as much as I could. Emily's days and weeks are those of once a week lunch dates, wondering if she will outlive her dog, attending funerals of her friends, going to church, being cheered by the once a week visit of her house cleaner. While this book may sound boring, truly it is a remarkable book in the attention to detail and the author's ability to bring to our attention to the all too common invisible elderly people that surround us . Stewart O'Nan sensitively and thoughtfully portrays the challenges and small joys of growing old.Highly recommended. 4 stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily Alone is a well-written novel about a year in the life of Emily, widow and a "woman of a certain age". Over the course of the year we watch her dealing with feelings of concern and ambivalence about her children, grandchildren, dog and friends. She shares her fears and concerns about approaching her death and about being alone as she ages. There isn't a plot, per se, but a series of chapters detailing her experiences with various holidays and times of year. Well-written, yes. The book is often eloquent in describing the aspects of Emily's life. I couldn't shake the feeling, though, that a female author would have approached Emily somewhat differently. But, at the same time, I could see my mother and her mother in the thoughts she has and in the fretting that she does about the details of her life. It held my interest and I will be thinking about it in the coming months, wondering how similar my life will be as my son develops a life of his own.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily Maxwell is in her early 80s, living in a suburb of Pittsburg, and she’s, well…alone. Actually, she has the faithful company of her aging dog, a good friend Arlene and her grown children, who both live out of state.This is a quiet look, at a person’s life, with all the mundane details, that fill out one’s day. Emily examines her past, her flaws, her triumphs and efficiently prepares for a dwindling future.O’ Nan perfectly captures, the steady rhythms and everyday dialogue of people in their twilight years. It is deliberate in it’s pacing, not many fireworks, but it envelops the reader in it’s tranquil beauty.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting book about an 80-year-old woman in Pittsburgh, living with her dog. The title was a little too bleak in my opinion. The story itself is mostly optimistic. O'Nan also does a credible job writing from a female point of view. The pacing was a little deliberate, but enjoyable.