Window Opens (Egan) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Elisabeth Egan has created a protagonist for the Lean In generation.
O, The Oprah Magazine


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.
New York Times Book Review


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 - 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.”
Bustle.com


I can't think of a more delicious literary cocktail.
Conde Nast Traveler - The Fug Girls,


Egan immediately lures female bibliophiles into her protagonist Alice Pearse’s story.... Though the author successfully skewers start-ups and corporate culture, Alice’s disillusionment with her trendy employer is slow to play out, filling much of the space with repetitive plot developments.
Publishers Weekly


Glamour books editor Egan may draw inspiration from her own work-life balancing act with this tale of Alice Pearce, an optimistic and reasonably contented wife, mother, and part-time editor who suddenly gets a smashing full-time job at Scroll, a too-cool start-up with a string of fashionable literary lounges devoted to the classics. Is Alice on the verge of having it all? And does she really want it?
Library Journal


(Starred review.) What happens when a book lover gets caught up in the tech world?... Egan...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.... Women may not be able to have it all, but this novel can.
Kirkus Reviews