Reviews
*A Cup of Jo, 5 Big Fall Books*
*September ‘15 Indie Next Pick*
*August ‘15 ALA Library Reads Pick*
*People Magazine, 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*
*Vulture.com, BookExpo’s 10 Hottest Galleys*
*Time Out New York, Summer Reading List*
*Goop Newsletter, Best Summer ’15 Reading*
*CondeNast Traveler, Summer Book List – What Are Favorite Authors Are Reading*
A “socially-charged comedy about Alice Pearse, working mother of three, trying to do it all in the city that quite literally never sleeps.” (AM New York)
“A Window Opens is an appealing debut whose verisimilitude could give some working mothers PTSD. It’s full of wry, sensitive moments that signal great promise for Egan’s future work.” (Dallas Morning News)
“Forget leaning in — can poor Alice even manage to stay upright? You’ll have a great time finding out.” (People Magazine, The Best New Books)
“Egan expertly weaves together humor and heartbreak as she tackles the struggle to have it all.” (US weekly)
“Egan has an eye for the absurdities of the corporate workplace and an ear for its preposterous jargon: “drilling down,” “onboarding,” “action item,” “noodle that over.” And she’s very funny on the cultural chasm separating Alice, who is in her late 30s from her savvy younger colleagues in their “statement glasses.” As Alice puts it, “Sometimes I felt like one of the Danish au pairs I made plans with on the front lawn of the school – understanding but not understanding.” These workaday passages are further enhanced by the presence of two delightfully loathsome villains.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“I enthusiastically recommend A Window Opens…It is refreshing to get more than a glimpse of good people dealing with the messes and minutiae of modern American corporate and suburban life. And Ms. Egan…provides the character and us with the right mix of self-help and sarcasm to survive a nightmarish ordeal. Part of what ultimately saves Alice and makes “A Window Opens” shine, is the author’s unapologetic love of reading and books.” (Patrik Henry Bass, NY1’s ‘The Book Reader’)
“Fizzy, funny and deeply heartfelt, A Window Opens will satisfy fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It and ring true for anyone who knows as many Rainbow Loom patterns and she does Excel shortcuts.” (All You)
“A funny debut novel that will have book lovers and working moms nodding in recognition.” (The New York Post)
“Egan ‘gets it.’ We’ve all…felt as Alice does when her carefully constructed life begins collapsing like an off-kilter Jenga tower. Through credible characters, realistic dialogue, heartfelt descriptions of the demands of being a mother, wife, daughter, coworker and friend [she] tackles with authenticity and nuance the challenges of being a woman in today’s busy world.” (Carol Memmott, BookTrib)
“Egan’s novel is both smart and entertaining, and has the added pleasure of some insider publishing juiciness…Though the novel’s focus is on Alice’s work/life balance, the true heart of the story, and what I found most moving, was her relationship with her ailing father. His illness is presented with refreshing straight-forwardness and humor, and his text and e-mail missives are copious.” (Emma Straub, The Washington Post)
“Alice Pearse appears on the page as the quintessential 2015 thirtysomething heroine…the novel is peppered with her consumerist commentary, which largely manages to keep the voice functioning as a tongue-in-cheek self-parody). Egan nails this ridiculous yet terrifying rat race reality in perfect detail…A Window Opens provides us an emergency exit to situations into which we keep cornering ourselves. It’s a powerful reminder we all need — and a great read at that.” (Tabitha Blankenbille, Bustle)
“You’ll laugh, you’ll shake your head in recognition, and you’ll want to grab your entire family for a hug. Elisabeth Egan pulls at your heart and leaves you thinking about it long after finishing the book.” (POPSUGAR)
“A funny and surprisingly wise piece of work. Favoring cleverness and precision over cartoon villainy and keeping her heart tucked under her sleeve, Egan makes a memorable heroine of Alice Pearse, who juggles family troubles and a new job at Scroll, a Starbucks-Amazon hybrid where acronyms reign and the bosses have either two faces or none.” (Vulture)
“While I’m loath to compare A Window Opens to Lucy Sykes’ and Jo Piazza’s The Knockoff, I’m gonna do it anyway: what that book explored about the rapidly-changing culture of fashion, Egan’s latest does with the publishing industry. Alice Pearse, our extremely likable protagonist, has to get a full-time job when her husband quits his at a law firm…Egan’s observations are shrewd; her humor self-deprecating; and her voice unashamedly real.” (Bustle)
A “heartfelt and sometimes funny look at all sorts of change: From marriage, to loss, to parenting, to the future of media.” (Goop)
“Egan’s delightful debut is a fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all.” (People)
“A modern-day mom leaps at the chance for a do-over; hilarity ensues.” (Better Homes & Gardens)
“Can women really have it all? This smart, relatable novel chronicles one wife/mother’s search for the answer.” (Coastal Living)
A “a winning, heartfelt debut.” (Good Housekeeping)
“Whether you like your summer reads heartwarming or heart-stopping, you’re in luck…Elisabeth Egan has created a protagonist for the Lean In generation.” (O, The Oprah Magazine)
“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)
“Alice’s struggles are relatable and heartrending—the decline of her cancer-stricken father is a particularly poignant arc…fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It (2002) and Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2012) will adore A Window Opens.” (Booklist)
“A sort of Devil Wears Prada for grown-ups about a mother trying to have it all. There’s the obvious appeal of a book that melds chick-lit with an oblique critique of Lean In, but there’s also the pleasure of artfully played inside baseball.” (Vulture.com)
Other Media
Review by Nancy Pearl on KUOW
Profile in The New York Times
Interview on PW Radio
Appearance on On Point with Tom Ashbrook
Interview on Satellite Sisters
Interview and review on Shelf Awareness
Interview on BookPage
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A Window Opens is available at bookstores and online:
Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iTunes