Name: Emily, Alone
ISBN: 9780670022359

Stewart O'Nan

A sequel to the best-selling Wish You Were Here finds newly independent widow Emily Maxwell dreaming of visits by grandchildren and mourning changes in her quiet Pittsburgh neighborhood before realizing an inner strength to pursue developing opportunities.

Emily, Alone

Melody Izard

Second in a series. I haven't read the first one and jumping right in with the second does mean that there are some things in the book that you are just supposed to know about. That can be initially a bit frustrating - but very quickly you catch on to what must have happened and you can move on. Emily (a widow in her 80s) is still trying to figure out who she is and how she should act. She's trying to figure out how to be a good friend and a good mom and a good pet owner - but still take care of herself. And isn't that what we all want to know? 

Oh - and I almost forgot. I was always so surprised when I would catch a glimpse of the book jacket and remind myself that this book was written by a man. Stewart does such a good job writing from the female perspective.

Julie Berman

I loved Stewart O'Nan's Wish You Were Here about a dysfunctional family spending the week together at their family cabin. This was a sequel which focused on the matriarch of the family and what it is like to be in the later stages of life. It felt like O'Nan captured many truths about that time but I didn't particularly enjoy the characters or their story.