Οι ζωές απέναντι

by Elizabeth Noble, Μιχάλης Μακρόπουλος (Translator)

Πώς γίνεται ένα σπίτι το καταφύγιό σου;
Η Εύα και ο Εντ μόλις μετακόμισαν στη Νέα Υόρκη και αρχίζουν μια νέα ζωή στο διαμέρισμα 7Α. Αυτή η μεγάλη αλλαγή λογικά θα προκαλούσε χαρά, αλλά η Εύα νιώθει μπερδεμένη και μόνη...

Πώς γίνεται ένας γείτονας φίλος;
Η Βάιολετ μένει στο κτίριο εδώ και δεκαετίες, όμως κρατά αποστάσεις, μέχρι που η μοναξιά της Εύας αγγίζει την καρδιά της, και μια δυνατή φιλία ανθίζει.

Πώς γίνεται μια σύζυγος ερωμένη;
Ο Τζέισον του 6Α δεν είναι πια σίγουρος πως αγαπά τη γυναίκα του, όμως έχει ερωτευτεί τη Ρέιτσελ του 6Β.

Πώς γίνεται η κοπέλα της διπλανής πόρτας η γυναίκα των ονείρων σου;
Όταν ο Τζάκσον γνωρίζει την Έμιλυ από το 3Α, έρχονται τα πάνω κάτω στη ζωή του. Την ερωτεύεται με την πρώτη ματιά, όμως χρειάζεται τη βοήθεια της Σάρλοτ, της ντροπαλής και ρομαντικής ενοίκου του 2Α, για να μπορέσει να κατακτήσει την καρδιά της.

Όνειρα γίνονται αληθινά, καρδιές ραγίζουν και κανείς δεν μένει ανεπηρέαστος όταν μυστικά και επιθυμίες, που κρύβονται πίσω από τις κλειστές πόρτες, βγαίνουν τελικά στο φως.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Womens Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Friendship

392 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)literature & fiction

Elizabeth Noble is the author of several previous Sunday Times bestsellers: The Reading Group, which reached Number One, The Friendship Test (formerly published as The Tenko Club), Alphabet Weekends, Things I Want My Daughters to Know, The Girl Next Door, The Way We Were, Between a Mother and her Child and Love, Iris. Her last two books were also Richard & Judy Book Club selections. The Family Holiday is her ninth novel. She lives in Surrey.

Follow Elizabeth on Facebook and Instagram: @elizabethnoblebooks

Reviews

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I would say this book being marketed as chick lit or romance gives the wrong impression. There are some romantic elements, but I would push this more towards the drama side of things for the most part. Probably because you get to look at three marriages in different states, one long term couple that are very happy, three single women, an elderly woman and one single man. All together there is mention of maybe 20 characters, but we follow around a core of maybe 10 people throughout this book (Eve/Ed, Rachel/David, Kim/Jason, Charlotte, Emily, Trip, and Violet.



"The Girl Next Door" follows the inhabitants of an upper East Side co-op building in NYC. The book tries to frame things around a married couple (Eve and Ed) moving to NYC for a year from England, but that does not quite work. I thought there story was okay, but I felt pretty unmoved by them until almost the end of the book, I really found other characters more interesting. The book shifts perspectives and we follow along through many months to see what the city has in store for these characters.



Eve and Ed are dealing with moving to NY with Eve alone most of the time and being angry at Ed for her loneliness. Honestly I felt bored by both of them. Probably because if I had a chance to be living in NYC for a year without working I would be at every museum/play that I could. When Eve pushes for Ed and her to try for a baby, you definitely get the sense that it's becoming a band-aid to the bigger issues that are cropping up in their marriage. I will say it was nice that Noble didn't have Ed being a jerk or anything, he was just busy with work and not used to his wife being needy since until they moved she was really self-sufficient. As I said above though, I was pretty bored with these two.



The only real friend that Eve makes is an elderly woman named Violet. Violet and Eve meet when Eve joins a gardening committee for the building. Violet has a "tragic past" and it takes the whole book to get into it. I was pretty bored by her as well. Sorry.



I think for me the best characters to follow were Rachel/David, Kim/Jason, and Charlotte. And honestly Noble jumps around a lot so you really only get in depth looks at Rachel, Kim, Jason, Trip, and Charlotte.



Rachel and David appear to have the perfect marriage.



Kim and Jason's marriage is floundering after having to deal with the effects of dealing with IVF for many years before they had their hellspawn (sorry, everyone bitches about their kid in this book and it's kind of hilarious).


Trip is a trust fund kid without any idea about what he wants to do. When he meets Emily he realizes that he is going to have make changes if he wants to be with her.



Charlotte loves romance books though she chooses to opt out on making any changes to her life and prefers to daydream about things more.



The writing I thought was very good. Noble does a good job of having different voices for all of the characters. Even if she didn't there are headers to let you know who is currently speaking when you get to a new section/piece in the chapter you are reading. I thought it was great to show how slow things are to change/move by following these people over a long time period.

The setting is NYC and Noble manages to capture the city I thought very well. I kept laughing though at some pop cultural references that I think will end up aging the book after a while though.


The ending leaves things up in the air with several characters which is why I was glad to see in the afterword that Noble had initially planned to write a sequel to this book after she finished her next one. However, I can see that Noble has not put out a new book in years, so I don't think she's writing anymore. The last book of hers that I read was "When You Were Mine" and I did not like that one at all. I really did enjoy "Alphabet Weekends" though as well as "The Reading Group."

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eve and Ed Gallagher have just moved to their new apartment in New York City after his job transferred him. He’s eager, but Eve is feeling really lonely and a bit adrift.

But when she meets her elderley English neighbour Violet, a whole new friendship blossoms, and the Gallaghers begin to understand the other residents of their building and their lives too. Kim and Jason are struggling with their marriage and boisterous child Avery, Rachael and David seem to have the perfect family with their 3 kids; Emily is a single sportswoman but fellow resident Jackson is determined to crack her tough exterior.

Charlotte is a hopeless romantic and forever seeing the positive, and finally Todd and Greg are the apartment’s gay couple and probably the happiest of the lot. “The Girl Next Door” delves deep into relationships, new and old, to weave a wonderfully engaging story.

After the emotional but brilliant “Things I Want My Daughters to Know” , I was hoping that Noble would be able to get into the minds of her characters once more and give us a story that would stay with her readers long after we turn the final page. Rather than concentrating on a family dynamic as she did in her previous book, Noble chooses to broaden the scope of her story this time around by focussing on the tenants in one apartment block in New York City, and the relationships going on behind closed doors and how perceptions of people can be extremely different to their reality. Although this sounded like an interesting way of writing, I was concerned at the amount of characters but surprisingly I didn’t struggle at all. Noble has included a “List of Characters” at the beginning, and this was a great reference point to flick for the first few chapters while you get to know the characters.

The main characters we see the most of are the English couple Ed and Eve who move over to NYC. One of the most enjoyable things for me was the way Noble writes the story of these two. The author herself is English, yet she writes New York with a real understanding of the city, but from a really English perspective. You can almost feel how Eve is feeling when she’s stuck in a strange country all alone, and trying to adjust to the customs of a new place. Eve is very likeable, and a great leading lady, and when it comes to the very emotional story towards the latter half of the book, the reader is completely sympathetic to her and in fact, it struck a chord with me and was quite hard to read. The relationship between the pair is well explored too, and I came away feeling like I would miss reading about Ed and Eve.

Of course, there are plenty of other characters in the book too, but to write a bit about each would make this review far too long! Instead, I’ll just mention some that stood out for me, and they were the complex family of Kim, Jason and their daughter Avery. It didn’t seem like a happy story but Noble manages to put their emotions into words so well you can totally empathise with them and their current situation. I also liked Charlotte and Emily, the single girls of the apartment. Their stories also had me intrigued and drew me right into the book, and the underlying plots of the pair were very to read. Finally, I loved Violet and her wonderful stories. Noble has clearly researched the war years from both an American and English perception well, because Violet’s war stories were amazing to read and added a whole new dimension the book.

I don’t think that there are many authors out there who can write a faultless book, but Elizabeth Noble is one of those such authors for me. This book was such a delight to read for me, I just couldn’t put it down at night as I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next. The book is what I call a “proper story”, written in the 3rd person, and with so many characters, this was definitely the best way to go. Noble writes fantastically, and has a real talent for descriptive writing. Having been to NYC twice, her writing really brought back memories of what it was like to be there, and even for people that haven’t been, they’ll be able to picture New York from Eve’s perspective easily.

For me, this is story-telling at its best. If you want a well written, enjoyable yet emotional novel, then I can’t recommend “The Girl Next Door” highly enough. People would probably think that this is “chick-lit” but while I would agree its target audience is women, it’s very deep and quite hard to read in parts, particularly the ending of the book (beware, there is a review on Amazon.co.uk which spoils the major storyline at the end of the book so steer clear of this terrible travesty). Noble has again delved deep into the complexity of relationships and come out on top once more. This book is a complete delight from the first page to the last, and you’ll really feel like you’ve been on a rollercoaster with these characters. I was sad to turn the last page, and I know it’ll be one I’ll be buying when its out in paperback. Highly recommended!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived in Manhattan, I really loved this book because it captures the feeling of loneliness one can feel there despite being surrounded by millions of people. I enjoyed the author's character development; her use of details and language is rich and interesting. I started to lose interest during the middle of the novel when all the characters seemed to blend together with somewhat predictable storylines (how many affairs and failed marriages can occur in one novel?) but things quickly picked up again in the final third of the book.

Ultimately, this is a book about connections; the friendships and relationships forged between neighbors, spouses, lovers, and friends. My favorite relationship was the one between Eve, the central character, and Violet, an elderly Englishwoman. It reminded me of the importance of intergenerational relationships, especially for women. My sense is that the title is more thematic than literal. There are many girls next door in the book (Eve, Violet, Charlotte, Emily & Rachael) and they play different roles to different people, reminding us that you never know who the girl next door is and perhaps it's time to knock on the door and find out.

I was excited to learn that the author is working on a sequel and I look forward to seeing how she develops these characters.

[Tara Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book 3.5 stars
In the beginning I was finding it too unfocused and too many characters! But as the book went on I found myself really getting invested in these characters. I love the message this book sent that you never know what goes on behind closed doors. Would definitely be interested in reading more books by the author. Highly recommend this for a good summer read!

[Vicky Ziliaskopoulou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Καλογραμμένο βιβλίο, διαβάζεται γρήγορα και δεν κουράζει. Έχει μέσα λίγο από συγκίνηση, λίγο από κοινωνικό μήνυμα, λίγο από ελπίδα και γενικά όλα όσα έχουν τα κλασικά κοινωνικά μυθιστορήματα της εποχής μας. Αλλά είναι καλό για να περάσεις ευχάριστα την ώρα σου. Δεν ξέρω αν θα μου μείνει κάτι μετά από λίγο καιρό, μάλλον όχι, αλλά με χαλάρωσε και το ευχαριστήθηκα όσο το διάβαζα.

[Katie Kenig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this book, it...

I mean I just...



I thought this was going to be a happy, quirky sort of fun summer read. And it kind of started out that way, but any book that needs several pages at the beginning to outline exactly who all the characters are before it starts probably has too many main characters. I started off confused. I think I would have preferred not having the list as it gave me too many prejudices against different characters and definitely didn't help me keep anyone straight, as I kept getting the male characters confused with one another anyway, and there are little mini bios of people who don't really even show up in the story except in brief mentions in other people's dialogue and such.



There were parts of the book that I really liked, and characters I thought were really interesting - in particular Violet, who moved to the US from England as a war bride after WWII and Eve, who also moved from England as her husband was transferred with her work. They used a lot of British slang that was funny and cute for their characters. But so did every other character in the book! I'm talking about people who were raised in California and Manhattan using terms - in one memorable case - that I had to look up! That was just weird. And also very confusing.

Then the book got very sad. I'm not going to leave a spoiler trail as to why, but it touched on some stuff that hit home with me pretty hard. This actually isn't a light book, it's quite serious emotionally in places.

I still don't know who the girl next door is. There are so many girls and women in this book that it could be any one of a number of people. Some fall in love, some fall out of love, some have heartbreak and tragedy, some get cheated on, some think they got cheated on, and so on. There are so many characters in this book that it's hard to get terribly attached to any one of them, so in a lot of the cases, I just didn't care.

I guess, when it comes right down to it, I'm fairly ambivalent about the whole lot of girls next door in this case.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another $1 from the library booksale. I've read three of Elizabeth Noble's other books and liked them (well, upon review I gave all of them three stars, but that's good for chicklit), so I picked this one up. As with all of Noble's stories, this one is gentle, easy-to-read and soothing.

I liked:
- The NYC setting
- Multiple characters/storylines in a single apartment building; although I haven't really read a book where this works, Noble makes a valiant effort

I did not like
- Most of the characters themselves, especially the husband of the lead character
- The ridiculously superficial/stereotypical gay character
- How most of the storylines were resolved

Still, made a train ride go by quicker. (Shrug.)

[Kerry Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is set in New York, in a complex, and this is where we meet most of the residents.
We have:
* Eve & Ed Gallagher who have just relocated from Surrey, England for Eds job as a banker. But is Eve happy? Is their future really in New York?
* Voilet Wallace is the longest resident she is 78 and a widow. But something happens to her when she meets Eve Gallagher...
* Kim, Jason & Avery Kramer, Jason works in the city and Kim is a stay at home mom with Avery, who is very demanding and is Kims shield against Jason. They also have a babysitter, Esme. But will their marriage survive and can they rekindle what they once had...or is it too late?
* David & Rachael Schulman have the perfect marriage, a good life, three children Jacob, Noah and Mia and good jobs what more could they want? Or...what more could David want...
* Jackson (Trip ) Grayling 111, is a spoilt rich kid. At 26 he's never worked and mommy and daddy keep him while he decides what he wants to do. But then he meets Emily Mikanowski (another resident) and everything changes...Trip changes, but is Emily interested...
* Emily Mikanowski is 31 and works at NBC, she is also a triathlete and loves it. Is Trip Emily's type? But Emily has trust issues, so has her mothers past marked Emily for life?
* Charlotte Murphy is 29 and lives alone. She is a hopeless romantic and lives in her romance books. Charlotte strikes up a friendship with Emily which might alter Charlotte's way of thinking...
The story is set around these main characters and through their day to day lives they all go through life changing experiences that will change them as a person or family forever.
It is a funny, happy sad story but a good read.
The only downside for me was there were too many characters to keep up with, and at first I had to keep referring to the front of the book.
But it is a good book/story to read, and if you don't mind too many characters a definite read.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is common with a number of Noble's books, here she takes almost a short story 'Love Actually' approach where we see snippets of intertwining lives. The reason for it in this book is people living in an apartment block in New York, and hence impacting on each other.

The main drive of the story is Eve and Ed, an English couple who move across from England when Ed starts a secondment in the New York office. Eve suffers due to the move, feeling lonely and needy, and eventually decides that having a baby would solve the issues she has, both with her new life and her relationship. The conclusion of their particular story brought tears to my eyes.

Other characters include Kim and Jason, a couple who are struggling through the aftermath of IVF; Rachael and David, who have to come to terms with a huge shock to their relationship; and the sweet love story between Emily and Jackson.

There are other stories that gently touch these more central narratives as well. Unusually, I found all the stories equally absorbing in their own way - although a couple of the characters annoyed me. These included Madison, because of her jealous and manipulative nature, and Charlotte, because of her naivety (although we leave her having had an epiphany of sorts and therefore can hope she'll change).

I enjoy Noble's warm and gentle writing style (that could be compared to other chick lit giants such as Marian Keyes), but also appreciate the fact that she is willing to touch on real life issues and tell sadder stories rather than keep everything light and frothy.

[Bobbie Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl Next Door
Written By: Elizabeth Noble
Published By: Penguin Group Canada, 2009, First Edition, 464 pages, paperback
ISBN 978-0143168829

The Girl Next Door starts off slowly, no doubt do to the somewhat long list of characters that you have to sort through. Thankfully there is a ‘List of Characters’ at the beginning of the book which the reader can refer too; I had to do so several times. Once you remember who each of the different characters are (perhaps you have a better memory then I, so it might be much faster for you) the story’s pace picks up and the reader quickly becomes enmeshed in the lives of these apartment dwellers. As the narrative progresses and the reader becomes more familiar with each of the characters, it is very easy to forget that you are reading a book instead...


*Please follow the link to read the whole review:
http://bookreviewsbybobbie.wordpress....

[Maia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bookclub selection--for my 'light reading' group of women friend readers but, still, sometimes you wonder what people are thinking when they make certain choices! I'd sort of liked Noble's previous books, within their range, never expecting too much from them, but this one was a silly read. Set up like one of those UK soap operas and with so many characters and storylines that each merited a book on its own. Plus, I never really bought into the characters, and not for once did I believe the American ones who, most of the time, sounded and behaved suspiciously British! It's one of those things I don't get, why lately the UK is so mirror-obsessed with the US and why so many of these glamour-type writers move off to NYC and then start writing from American POVs! American men, for instance (and I speak as an American who's dated American men) would never tell a woman "you're lovely" and especially not in NYC!

[Πάνος Τουρλής · Rating 4 out of 5]

Οι ζωές των άλλων. Οι ζωές απέναντι. Τι συμβαίνει όταν κλείνει η πόρτα του σπιτιού σου; Τη χτυπά ο γείτονας όταν τον έχεις ανάγκη ή τη χτυπά ως δικαιολογία για να εισβάλει στη ζωή σου; Τι συμβαίνει λοιπόν σε αυτήν την πολυκατοικία της Νέας Υόρκης, όπου οι ενοικιαστές περνούν από συνέντευξη και πρέπει να συγκεντρώνουν κάποια προαπαιτούμενα; Τι ιστορίες έχουν να αφηγηθούν οι τέσσερις τοίχοι κάθε διαμερίσματος; Έρωτες, ανοιχτές πληγές, απιστίες, ελπιδες και όνειρα που διαψεύδονται πριν καν διατυπωθούν. Ένα δυνατό μυθιστόρημα για τις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις που συγκινεί και φέρνει δάκρυα στα μάτια όσο πλησιάζει το τέλος. Σε καμία περίπτωση μελό, σε καμία περίπτωση φτηνό, σε καμία περίπτωση εκβιαστικό. Αντίθετα, το βρήκα αληθινό, άμεσο, γνήσιο, καίριο, καθημερινό, ανθρώπινο.

Το βιβλίο ξεκινάει με τρεις σελίδες ονόματα των προσώπων που θα διαδραματίσουν ρόλους στο μυθιστόρημα αλλά μη σας πτοήσει αυτό, στην ουσία συγκεκριμένοι άνθρωποι θα μας απασχολήσουν και οι άλλοι απλώς στολίζουν το κείμενο με κάποιες μικρές παρεμβάσεις, κάποιες παρένθετες μικρές ιστορίες, χωρίς να κουράζουν ή να μπερδεύουν. Το κείμενο είναι στρωτό, καλοδουλεμένο, οι διάλογοι αληθινότατοι και σίγουρα αντιπροσωπεύουν πολλές περιπτώσεις που όλοι μας έχουμε βιώσει ή ακούσει.

Η Εύα και ο Εντ Γκάλλαχερ έρχονται από την Αγγλία. Ο Εντ βάζει πάνω από όλα την καριέρα του και η υποχωρητική γυναίκα του δέχεται κάθε του απόφαση στωικά. Μένει έγκυος στη Νέα Υόρκη και το ζευγάρι περιμένει με ανυπομονησία το πλασματάκι του. Η μοίρα όμως έχει άλλα σχέδια.

Η Βάιολετ Γουάλλας είναι 78 ετών και η πιο παλιά στην πολυκατοικία. Σύντομα θα δεθεί με την Εύα και θα επανέρθει δυναμικά στη ζωή, μετά από ένα παλιό τραύμα που αρνείται να κλείσει και να τη βοηθήσει να ανακάμψει ψυχολγοικά.

Η Κίμπερλι και ο Τζέισον Κράμερ έχουν μια κόρη, την Έιβερυ. Η Κιμ δυσκολεύτηκε πολύ να τη φέρει στη ζωή και από τότε που γεννήθηκε άλλαξαν τα πάντα στη σχέση της με τον άντρα της. Ο καθένας κλείστηκε στο δικό του καβούκι και ποτέ δε μίλησαν ανοιχτά και ουσιαστικά ο ένας στον άλλον ο ένας για τον άλλον και τις ανάγκες του, τις επιθυμίες του, τα θέλω του. Η Κιμ ζητά διαζύγιο.

Ο Ντέιβιντ και η Ρέιτσελ Σούλμαν είναι μια ευτυχισμένη οικογένεια με τα τρία τους παιδιά και ένα τέλειο ζευγάρι. Κι όμως ο Ντέιβιντ έχει ερωμένη. Τι θα συμβεί όταν το μάθει αυτό η Ρέιτσελ κατά λάθος;

Ο Τζάκσον Γκρέυλινγκ είναι ένας νεαρός που ζει από τα άφθονα χρήματα των γονιών του. Όταν γνωρίζει όμως την Πολωνή Έμιλυ Μικανόβσκι θέλει να την κατακτήσει (κι αυτήν). Η Έμιλυ όμως δεν είναι για τα δικά του σαγόνια κι η απλότητά της, η αθωότητά της, η γλυκύτητά της του δίνουν ένα γερό μάθημα ζωής. Κι έτσι ο ανεπρόκοπος κι εγωιστής Τζάκσον ξεκινά να δουλεύει, ξεκινά να ταπεινώνεται, αλλά κυρίως κυνηγά ουσιαστικά αυτό που θέλει να κατακτήσει. Η Έμιλυ θα τον δεχτεί κοντά της;

Η Σάρλοτ Μέρφυ είναι ρομαντική, τρυφερή και κλεισμένη στον εαυτό της. Δυσκολεύεται να επιδιώξει ανοιχτά το όνειρό της να βρει έναν σύντροφο και κλείνεται στο διάμερισμά της διαβάζοντας ρομαντικά μυθιστορήματα. Ο γοητευτικός Ισπανός θυρωρός, ο Τσε, τη βοηθά να καταλάβει ότι υπάρχει και ο έρωτας στη ζωή. Τι θα συμβεί όμως όταν ο Τσε την εγκαταλείψει; Θα βρει άλλο όνειρο να κρυφτεί πίσω του ή θα βγει επιτέλους στη ζωή;

Αυτά είναι τα κύρια πρόσωπα της ιστορίας μας και η συγγραφέας δεν τους χαρίζεται. Τους φέρνει αντιμέτωπους με τα λάθη τους, τους βοηθάει να γνωρίσουν καλύτερα τους εαυτούς τους, να μη φοβηθούν να μετανιώσουν και να ζητήσουν συγνώμη, να δεχτούν να αλλάξουν τη νοοτροπία τους, να δουν τη ζωή στις πραγματικές της διαστάσεις. Όλα αυτά μαζί με ένα υπέροχο στυλ γραφής που σε κατακτά σχεδόν από την αρχή κάνουν αυτό το μυθιστόρημα ένα έργο που θα το θυμάστε για καιρό και θα σας συγκινήσει πραγματικά.

SPOILERS

Θα σταθώ στην ιστορία της Εύας και του Εντ που χάνουν το παιδί τους στον πέμπτο μήνα κύησης. Αυτό το χαστούκι συνεφέρει τον Εντ που καταλαβαίνει ότι τόσον καιρό άφ��νε τη γυναίκα του μόνη της και κώφευε στα θέλω της και στις ανάγκες της, οπότε ασυζητητί παρατά τα πάντα για να γυρίσουν πίσω στην Αγγλία. Κι όπως λέει η συγγραφέας, τίποτε δε θύμιζε από το διαμέρισμα ότι κάποτε έζησαν εκεί μέσα αυτοί οι άνθρωποι. Ο Εντ και η Εύα όμως θα θυμούνται για πάντα τη Νέα Υόρκη, την πόλη που τους έφερε πιο κοντά από ποτέ.

Θα σταθώ στην ιστορία της Βάιολετ, μιας ηλικιωμένης γυναίκας που παντρεύτηκε και χήρεψε δυο φορές. Και δυστυχώς τη δεύτερη φορά ο σύζυγός της πήρε μαζί του και την 5χρονη κόρη τους παραμονές Χριστουγέννων. Η Βάιολετ δέθηκε με την Εύα, την ξύπνησε από τον λήθαργό της και τώρα τι θα απογίνει; Επιτέλους απέκτησε μια φίλη, έναν δικό της άνθρωπο και τώρα την ξαναχάνει. Και θα μείνουν μόνο οι τυπικές κάρτες κάθε Χριστούγεννα και τα ονόματα παιδιών που σίγουρα θα αποκτήσει το ζευγάρι στην Αγγλία, παιδιών που η ίδια λόγω ηλικίας δε θα γνωρίσει ποτέ της.

Θα σταθώ στην ιστορία της Ρέιτσελ και του Ντέιβιντ. Ο Ντέιβιντ τα είχε όλα κι όμως βρήκε ερωμένη. Το παραδέχεται και ο ίδιος, δεν ήξερε γιατί το έκανε κι όταν το έκανε γιατί το κράτησε. Η Ρέιτσελ τον διώχνει από το σπίτι χωρίς δεύτερη σκέψη, όμως τα παιδιά της τον αποζητούν. Κι έτσι η Ρέιτσελ καταλαβαίνει ότι δεν είχε το δικαίωμα να αποφασίσει μόνη της. Τον συγχωρεί λοιπόν και τον αφήνει να γυρίσει, όμως το χάσμα δε θα κλείσει ποτέ ανάμεσά τους, όσο κι αν προσπαθήοσυν και οι δύο: η μεν να τον συγχωρήσει μέσα της, ο δε να κάνει τα πάντα για να κερδίσει τη χαμένη εμπιστοσύνη και το χαμένο έδαφος.

Όλα αυτά η συγγραφέας τα μοιράζεται μαζί μας, ακροβατώντας ανάμεσα στον φθηνό εντυπωσιασμό-εκβεβιασμένο συναίσθημα και στο αληθινό ταλέντο να γράφεις για ιστορίες ανθρώπων που κερδίζουν το αναγνωστικό κοινό. Ευτυχώς για το βιβλίο το ταλέντο της συγγραφέως κλίνει ολοφάνερα προς το δεύτερο σκέλος κι έτσι οι σελίδες του βιβλίου είναι μια γλυκόπικρη παρέα για τις χιλιάδες μοναχικές ψυχές που κλείνονται στο δικό τους διαμέρισμα σε κάθε πολύβουη πρωτεύουσα του κόσμου. Μη διστάσετε να το διαβάσετε, δε θα το αφήσετε εύκολα από τα χέρια σας.

Χαρακτηριστικά αποσπάσματα:

"Θυμάσαι τους όρκους που είχαμε δώσει; Εγώ τους εννοούσα όταν τους έδωσα. Νομίζω πως κι εσύ τους εννοούσες. Απλώς τους ξεχάσαμε στην πορεία. Αγάπη, τιμή, φροντίδα, σεβασμός. Θέλω να τους ξαναθυμηθούμε" (σελ. 344, Τζέισον).

"Το αγαπημένο βιβλίο της Μία αυτόν τον καιρό ήταν Τα τρία γουρουνάκια...Της άρεσε εκεί που ο λύκος φυσούσε και ξεφυσούσε και τα σπιτάκια σωριάζονταν. Εκείνο το βράδυ, την ώρα που της το διάβαζε ξανά, σκέφτηκε πως κάποτε κι η ίδια πίστευε ότι ζούσε σ' ένα πέτρινο σπίτι, όμως στην πραγματικότητα ήταν αχυρένιο. Ίσως φτιαγμένο με όμορφα άχυρα, αλλά, παρ' όλ' αυτά, σαθρό. Ίσως όλοι αυτό να πιστεύουν, μέχρι να εμφανιστεί ο λύκος. Ίσως η πραγματική πρόκληση να έρχεται όταν συνειδητοποιείς πως πρέπει να το φτιάξεις ξανά από την αρχή με πέτρες και να ψάξεις να βρεις τον τρόπο" (σελ. 348, Ρέιτσελ).

"Μην επιτρέψεις σ' αυτό που σου συνέβη να σε αλλάξει, Εύα. Κάντο μέρος σου αλλά μην του δώσεις τα πάντα. Υπάρχει πολλή ζωή και πολλή αγάπη μέσα σου για να πάει χαμένη. "Μην πηγαίνεις εκεί που σε οδηγεί το μονοπάτι. Αντίθετα, πήγαινε εκεί όπου δεν υπάρχει μονοπάτι και άφησε το χνάρι σου" [Ραλφ Έμερσον] (σελ. 384, Βάιολετ).

"Κι εκείνη ήταν ξαπλωμένη εκεί και σκεφτόταν πως η ζωή, η ζωή που είχαν τώρα ήταν σέπια. Το χρώμα της είχε χαθεί. Είχε ξεβάψει" (σελ. 388, Ρέιτσελ).

Στα ελληνικά από τον Μίνωα το 2013 (Οι ζωές απέναντι).

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read 50 pages and had no idea who I was reading about. Just way too many characters! I quite. Big book so I’m sure if I persevered I would be able to work them all out, but I have more books than reading time so gave up!

[martucha czyta · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite different to other Elizabeth Noble books I've read but still loved it she set it in an apartment block in New York and was about the tenants lives and how they became intertwined

[Lyyyy ʕ⁠ ⁠º⁠ ⁠ᴥ⁠ ⁠º⁠ʔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't really remember reading this book but I did! Guess it was nice or whatever

[Rebecca Whelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Elizabeth Noble and this one did not disappoint! There was so many different storyline’s which all linked in to make a really great story, would recommend

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect as a holiday novel.

[Hanne (TheBookReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://thebookreaderblogg.com/2018/0...

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was a very romancy type novel ... Not something I read often and though I enjoyed reading it at times - it was hard to get into.

The story is set in a Manhattan apartment building with a mass of characters - one of the reasons I found it difficult to follow at times. As the story progresses, we get an insight into how these characters lives are changed as they met, fell in love, out of love and time passes through the seasons.

One good thing I have to say about the book is all the characters grew and their relationships changed throughout the course of the story. However, these changes seem to mean naught, for me at least, when I reached the highly anti-climatic ending of the novel.

It seemed to me that the English couple - Eve and Ed Gallagher were the main characters of the novel, with more stories about them and their interactions with the others in the building. It their elderly neighbor Violet - also English, who had the most impact on their lives throughout the story, and even after 9 months living in the building - the Gallaghers knew little about anyone other than Violet. Despite the couple and Violet being the main drivers of the story - I never really felt connected to them - even when tragedy befall them.

For me it was Charlotte, Emily and Jackson who made the story. Charlotte the virgin librarian who wants nothing more than the kind of love story she reads about everyday. Emily the Polish, blonde beauty who competes in triathlons and befriends innocent Charlotte. And Jackson Grayling the Third - the 26 year old lazy, only child of rich and powerful parents - who seems to have the munchies a lot.

'He had milk, but he needed Cherrios. He had the serious munchies.'

It was these three characters that grew the most throughout the novel and I felt connected to their lives and story. The other characters such as Rachael and David Schulman and their three children, Kim and Jason and their daughter Avery and the Gay couple - like most of the characters weren't overly well developed nor did I like them overly much.

One other thing that I didn't understand with the book were the three Cuban door man. They seemed to lend little the story whatsoever... However, I think the story would have been much more enjoyable and interesting if it were they who narrated the story. Informing the reader not only about their lives but those of the residence in the building - the snip-its of information and gossip that only the help are privy to.

Never the less - the book made the day go a little quicker and was an escape from the day to day.

'What happens to us is not our fault, no. What we do about it - that is always out fault.'

[❤Marie Gentilcore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable book by one of my favorite authors. This one had a slow build up as there are several stories and characters to get to know and keep track of but the ending came together well as it tugged at my emotions. It left an opening for a sequel which I would be happy to read.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Το διάβασα μέσα σε μία μέρα, σε ένα μίνι φθινοπωρινό ταξίδι στο χωριό μου.
Αν εξαιρέσει κάποιος το γκλαμουράτο ύφος του βιβλίου, αν εξαιρέσει την πεπατημένη συνταγή για επιτυχία, αν εξαιρέσει την αμερικανιά, ήταν ένα ελαφρό βιβλίο που διαβαζόταν περίπου σε μία μέρα. Ιδανικό για καθάρισμα μυαλού μετά από μια κουραστική εβδομάδα.
Βιβλίο της Παρασκευής θα έλεγα, που από την άλλη δημιουργεί στην αρχή μία μικρή δυσκολία να θυμάσαι ποιος είναι ποιος στην πολυκατοικία και να χρειάζεται να ανατρέχεις πού και πού στις πρώτες σελίδες των συστάσεων.
Πλούσιοι τύποι που ζουν σε μια πολυκατοικία στο Μανχάταν, από αυτές που έχουν θυρωρούς και παρατρεχάμενους. Όλοι οι νέοι ένοικοι εκτός από πλούσιοι, είναι όμορφοι και γυμνασμένοι, τρώνε σε ωραία μέρη και ξοδεύουν αβέρτα για να ντυθούν και να ψυχαγωγηθούν. Υπάρχει το απαραίτητο γκέι ζευγάρι με το σκύλο τους, η ηλικιωμένη κυρία με το πονεμένο παρελθόν, η όμορφη κακιασμένη, η παχουλούλα ρομαντική κλπ.
Οι χαρακτήρες όμως είναι και παραμένουν συμπαθείς μέχρι το τέλος και αυτό είναι που διασώζει τελικά το βιβλίο. Άσε που πιάνεις τον εαυτό σου να εύχεται να ζούσε και εκείνος στην πολυκατ��ικία αυτή (τουλάχιστον για κανένα εξάμηνο, μην είμαστε υπερβολικοί!).

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. I think I've decided that I don't really like books with a large ensemble of characters. Too many stories to follow and not enough character development. I don't really get invested in any one character or story-line. So there's nothing propelling me to finish a book like that. I read a couple pages here, a couple pages there. And that just irritates me. This book was also kind of sad. I was really rooting for the nerdy librarian girl (obviously) and at the end, she still seemed sad, lonely and left out. The character with "trust issues" was annoying. What WAS her problem anyway? The "perfect 10" wife/mother/workaholic who's husband cheats on her because she's just too perfect. What?! What hope do the rest of us have for fidelity in our relationships if an undeniably perfect woman still isn't good enough? And the British guy that needed a catastrophic event to make him realize he was being an ass was still an ass in the end as far as I'm concerned and his wife was still giving in to what she thought he wanted. Sorry. Not a fan of this book.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably one of the most surprising books I have picked up in a long time. Everything from the title, to the book art, to the summary on the back, indicated a simple, light, and predictable story about love, but this is one case where I really couldn’t judge a book by its cover, and I mean that in the best way possible. Elizabeth Noble’s book about the many and varied residents of a single New York City apartment building was so much heavier than I had anticipated and I found myself searching eagerly for time to get lost in their lives for hours. This is one of those books that does not tie up loose ends too neatly, but offers enough closure to leave the reader satisfied, but still disappointed to be leaving these characters behind. Given the large cast of characters, Noble does a wonderful job at balancing their stories, while still focusing in on a few in more detail (and not necessarily the ones you expect from the summary on the back). I look forward to reading more from Noble and eagerly await the sequel she indicated she is working on for this book!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth Noble, author of "The Reading Group" and several other well received books, is back with another winner. "The Girl Next Door" involves an ensemble cast and seems very much like a reasonably intelligent soap opera. We get to see bits of the lives of several people in one building in Manhattan--relationships begin and end and have everything in between happen to them as well. There is birth and death, love and hate, fear and joy. This isn't a fluff read--Noble weaves some pretty powerful emotions into these neighbors' tales (I required a tissue late last night at one particularly intense
scene). You'll want to know what happens--with everyone!

[Johara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I read for Elizabeth Noble (after Things I want my daughters to know). I usually don't read for the same author twice, but I enjoyed the first book for her, hence I picked up this one.

Very enjoyable! I loved the different setting of characters, 6 strangers living in the same building! Felt like I was more living the story than actually reading it!

A high recommended light read ...

[Paragraph And A Half · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generic, cliched, uninspiring.

[Xenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ευκολοδιαβαστο, με ζωντανές περιγραφές. Βιβλίο ευχάριστο για παραλία αλλά και για να περάσεις πολύ όμορφα μαζί του χωρίς να σε προβληματίσει ιδιαίτερα

[I'm not here · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible head-hopping. Appalling editing. How did this even get published?