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ORDINARY HAZARDS
Iowa MFA and Cornell MBA Anna Bruno's ORDINARY HAZARDS, the story of a woman reckoning with her past over the course of a single evening in her local bar, where she will face down the decisions that have led her to this dramatic crossroads and, hopefully, find a way forward, as the night spins out of control, to Lindsay Sagnette at Atria.
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First published August 18, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
November 4, 2020
Ordinary Hazards, by Anna Bruno, brought to mind two books that I enjoyed a lot, Ask Again, Yes and When All is Said. The feelings of melancholy, grief, and regret are a part of all three books. In this case, a high achieving financial wizard spends her evenings in a run down bar, in a run down small college town, drinking until she can think no more. She has suffered a great loss, two great losses actually, partly no fault of her own and partly because of decisions and choices she has made. She must forgive, in order to move on, to even want to live again, but her heart is hard and she doesn't even have the strength to forgive herself.
We know that Emma's marriage broke up nine months ago and it's obvious that she cannot forget her ex-husband, cannot let him go. She eavesdrops on conversations, hoping to hear about him and she knows that he must put in a lot of effort to avoid her since the town is so small. As she downs an enormous amount of alcohol, among people who have been her ex-husband's friends long before she ever came to town, she reminisces about their marriage, her parents, her motivations to succeed, and also her motivations to move to this small town and stay in this small town, when she has/had the financial world at her feet.
Emma does some really, really deep thinking. If her long and detailed deep thoughts could have been put in footnotes, I'd been very happy to skip over them. But, these thoughts are what make up Emma and what will help her to move on, if it's possible. All she has now is her dog Addie, her work, not her former work which was part of her undoing, but her hedge fund/teaching career, and the bar where she gets drunk more often than not.
The other regulars at the bar are an interesting lot, complex, and carrying their own heartbreak and burdens. Still, among the sadness there is humor and what I thought was going to be too depressing to read turned out to be a book I did not want to put down. Very important note: Addie, the dog, is so loved and so cherished and I really appreciate that in a book.
Publication: August 18, 2020
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
We know that Emma's marriage broke up nine months ago and it's obvious that she cannot forget her ex-husband, cannot let him go. She eavesdrops on conversations, hoping to hear about him and she knows that he must put in a lot of effort to avoid her since the town is so small. As she downs an enormous amount of alcohol, among people who have been her ex-husband's friends long before she ever came to town, she reminisces about their marriage, her parents, her motivations to succeed, and also her motivations to move to this small town and stay in this small town, when she has/had the financial world at her feet.
Emma does some really, really deep thinking. If her long and detailed deep thoughts could have been put in footnotes, I'd been very happy to skip over them. But, these thoughts are what make up Emma and what will help her to move on, if it's possible. All she has now is her dog Addie, her work, not her former work which was part of her undoing, but her hedge fund/teaching career, and the bar where she gets drunk more often than not.
The other regulars at the bar are an interesting lot, complex, and carrying their own heartbreak and burdens. Still, among the sadness there is humor and what I thought was going to be too depressing to read turned out to be a book I did not want to put down. Very important note: Addie, the dog, is so loved and so cherished and I really appreciate that in a book.
Publication: August 18, 2020
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
July 31, 2020
This is intense, heartbreaking, emotional but also realistic story about grief, long time friendships, broken families, life choices people made, a person’s ambitions, regrets and resentments. And the remarkable thing about the story-telling: all of the characters are so real, make you feel like they’re your own neighbors, childhood friends, colleagues. All of them suffer from their own mistakes, personal dramas and their redemption.
The story takes place at small New York bar town named “Final Final”: locals gathering to chat, having a few drinks, playing pool, getting rid of their daily problems. It reminds you of Cheers’ theme: this place is you want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you want to be where everybody knows your name. Emma does the same like all the regular customers and finds herself nursing regular drink, sitting on her regular stool around 5 p.m.
As soon as she starts sipping her drink and eavesdropping the chats of men she’s been knowing for a long time: they are her ex-husband’s Lucas’ friends, the memories starts overflowing into her mind starting with her blind-blind date in the very same bar with Lucas: remembering how they met at the first time on her birthday, how their relationship evolve and of course Lucas’s childhood friends’ involvement into their lives.
We don’t know why they divorced, why Emma is so sad, why she questions everything about her life including her wealthy childhood times, her efforts to get her own father’s approval and earning his love. Then her first step to work at Wall Street, her ambitions to be successful. Yes you may sense that’s some big tragedy changed her life forever and made she and her husband drifted apart. What is she hiding from?
The story takes mostly at one place: Final Final: the bar’s name was like omen, because the entire characters have to deal with a common tragedy that hold them back to move on their lives and they have to face their own guilt feelings, anger and resentment. They have to FINALIZE some unfinished businesses. The story ends at the very same time: somebody pulls out a knife and we hear the gun shots!
This is remarkably surprising and impressive reading with its well-crafted, layered characterization and their detailed back stories. The conclusion is heart wrenching and emotional. It forces us to face our own unfinished matters, bottled up regrets about our own pasts. Maybe metaphorically we need to find our own place named “The End” to face with those demons to move on our own lives.
Overall: I truly enjoyed it, especially the ending part of the story was genuine and sad at the same time.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this meaningful ARC with me in exchange my honest review.
The story takes place at small New York bar town named “Final Final”: locals gathering to chat, having a few drinks, playing pool, getting rid of their daily problems. It reminds you of Cheers’ theme: this place is you want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you want to be where everybody knows your name. Emma does the same like all the regular customers and finds herself nursing regular drink, sitting on her regular stool around 5 p.m.
As soon as she starts sipping her drink and eavesdropping the chats of men she’s been knowing for a long time: they are her ex-husband’s Lucas’ friends, the memories starts overflowing into her mind starting with her blind-blind date in the very same bar with Lucas: remembering how they met at the first time on her birthday, how their relationship evolve and of course Lucas’s childhood friends’ involvement into their lives.
We don’t know why they divorced, why Emma is so sad, why she questions everything about her life including her wealthy childhood times, her efforts to get her own father’s approval and earning his love. Then her first step to work at Wall Street, her ambitions to be successful. Yes you may sense that’s some big tragedy changed her life forever and made she and her husband drifted apart. What is she hiding from?
The story takes mostly at one place: Final Final: the bar’s name was like omen, because the entire characters have to deal with a common tragedy that hold them back to move on their lives and they have to face their own guilt feelings, anger and resentment. They have to FINALIZE some unfinished businesses. The story ends at the very same time: somebody pulls out a knife and we hear the gun shots!
This is remarkably surprising and impressive reading with its well-crafted, layered characterization and their detailed back stories. The conclusion is heart wrenching and emotional. It forces us to face our own unfinished matters, bottled up regrets about our own pasts. Maybe metaphorically we need to find our own place named “The End” to face with those demons to move on our own lives.
Overall: I truly enjoyed it, especially the ending part of the story was genuine and sad at the same time.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this meaningful ARC with me in exchange my honest review.
August 20, 2020
I did not at first connect with Emma, the narrator of this debut novel, but yet, I can’t give this any less than 5 stars. The story unfolds in one night, as she sits in a local bar drinking with the regulars. She’s sad, depressed really, and her grief and guilt over a yet untold loss is palatable. The structure, the flow of the story hour to hour at the bar and the flashbacks leading up to and finally giving us the reason for Emma’s grief and guilt are just so well done. This definitely is the kind of novel I enjoy so much, the introspective look at herself and her awareness of those around her, the people who frequent the bar, such amazing characterizations, not one is free from guilt in some way for something. The plot - it’s what happens that night, it’s what happened before this night and the two are blended so skillfully. You can read the description and other reviews for more specifics about it.
As I was reading, I was reminded of Richard Russo’s novels and his portrayal of small town life and how everyone has known each other their whole lives and are forever connected to each other, how everybody knows almost everything about each other. While we learn of these people and their connections and the things that happened in their lives to bring them to this moment, sitting at this bar, I found it ironic that it’s Emma who is telling their stories, since her connection with these characters came only when she married their friend Lucas, her now ex husband. Nobody here is perfect, mistakes are made and the consequences are tragic, but there is the possibility of forgiveness of oneself and of each other. I was deeply moved. This is Anna Bruno’s first novel and this is just one example of why I love reading new releases by new authors. It’s extraordinary. I can’t wait to see what she writes next .
I read this with my book buddies and friends , Diane and Esil .
I received an advanced copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley.
As I was reading, I was reminded of Richard Russo’s novels and his portrayal of small town life and how everyone has known each other their whole lives and are forever connected to each other, how everybody knows almost everything about each other. While we learn of these people and their connections and the things that happened in their lives to bring them to this moment, sitting at this bar, I found it ironic that it’s Emma who is telling their stories, since her connection with these characters came only when she married their friend Lucas, her now ex husband. Nobody here is perfect, mistakes are made and the consequences are tragic, but there is the possibility of forgiveness of oneself and of each other. I was deeply moved. This is Anna Bruno’s first novel and this is just one example of why I love reading new releases by new authors. It’s extraordinary. I can’t wait to see what she writes next .
I read this with my book buddies and friends , Diane and Esil .
I received an advanced copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley.
September 10, 2020
4.5 stars
Taking place over the course of a single night, Emma is at the neighborhood bar, The Final Final, where she spends most nights with the locals. All except one: her ex-husband Lucas. It’s a small town, yet they have managed to avoid each other since their divorce was finalized over a year ago.
Emma is a Harvard grad and very accomplished in the field of finance. She grew up wealthy with a father who cared more about money than his family, and a bitter mother who found solace in a bottle. Emma left it all behind to marry Lucas and live in a small town. They are deeply in love, but old patterns die hard.
Through Emma’s reminiscing, we find out her backstory. We meet the locals, who have their own stories and struggles. Dripping with atmosphere and foreboding, we know something terrible happened, something so awful it ended a marriage. There are small hints throughout until the devastating reveal. Ordinary hazards can change a life. If only....
How do people go on in the face of such sorrow? Is happiness, or at least acceptance and contentment possible? There’s a pervading sadness throughout, but thankfully it is not without hope and redemption.
Recommended for readers who enjoy character-driven slow burns, this is a look at life and love, loss and grief, guilt and forgiveness, friends and community, ambition and family, and most of all, grace. The rich characterizations and the introspective look into their lives is everything I love in a book. So much is said between the lines in this novel. Plus, I fell head over heels in love with Addie, the dog. The only dog I’ve loved more was my own!
This is a terrific debut. The writing style and themes reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Stewart O’Nan, who has also written introspective novels that takes place over the course of a single night.
• I received the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
• Publication date 8/18/20
Taking place over the course of a single night, Emma is at the neighborhood bar, The Final Final, where she spends most nights with the locals. All except one: her ex-husband Lucas. It’s a small town, yet they have managed to avoid each other since their divorce was finalized over a year ago.
Emma is a Harvard grad and very accomplished in the field of finance. She grew up wealthy with a father who cared more about money than his family, and a bitter mother who found solace in a bottle. Emma left it all behind to marry Lucas and live in a small town. They are deeply in love, but old patterns die hard.
Through Emma’s reminiscing, we find out her backstory. We meet the locals, who have their own stories and struggles. Dripping with atmosphere and foreboding, we know something terrible happened, something so awful it ended a marriage. There are small hints throughout until the devastating reveal. Ordinary hazards can change a life. If only....
How do people go on in the face of such sorrow? Is happiness, or at least acceptance and contentment possible? There’s a pervading sadness throughout, but thankfully it is not without hope and redemption.
Recommended for readers who enjoy character-driven slow burns, this is a look at life and love, loss and grief, guilt and forgiveness, friends and community, ambition and family, and most of all, grace. The rich characterizations and the introspective look into their lives is everything I love in a book. So much is said between the lines in this novel. Plus, I fell head over heels in love with Addie, the dog. The only dog I’ve loved more was my own!
This is a terrific debut. The writing style and themes reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Stewart O’Nan, who has also written introspective novels that takes place over the course of a single night.
• I received the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
• Publication date 8/18/20
July 28, 2024
5 "an insightful and painful meditation on the injury of a woman's heart" stars !!
Tie - The Bronze Award Read of 2023 (third favorite read)
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Atria Books. This was released January 2020. I am providing my honest review.
This is a superb piece of contemporary fiction that unbelievably is a debut novel. Throughout this novel I wept several times and most of all I hoped that Emma would heal her wretched heart...
Emma escapes the big cities and settles in a small town in Upstate New York. She meets Logan and they fall deeply in love. This is not unusual but what the author does is tell this story over one evening at a dive bar. Emma is fond of drink and has drunk more since leaving Logan and she hangs with all his male friends...why ?
Over the course of the evening, a powderkeg is simmering with all the townies and drink after drink Emma reminisces about the emptiness of her past and the fulness of her life with Logan...
This book is both philosophical and emotionally intelligent. The characters are so bloody real and as the night unfolds we go deeper and deeper into Emma's psyche and her fragile and injured heart.
In the meantime a dark masculine drama plays out with all the men at the bar that evening. We know there will be collision and we hope as readers that despite the pain that it might also be redemptive...
A deeply meaningful and intimate look at the inside of a beautiful relationship where both lovers are drifting but have found a home in each other....
My little review does not do this debut justice but I do hope you consider reading and experiencing this American drama for yourself.
Tie - The Bronze Award Read of 2023 (third favorite read)
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Atria Books. This was released January 2020. I am providing my honest review.
This is a superb piece of contemporary fiction that unbelievably is a debut novel. Throughout this novel I wept several times and most of all I hoped that Emma would heal her wretched heart...
Emma escapes the big cities and settles in a small town in Upstate New York. She meets Logan and they fall deeply in love. This is not unusual but what the author does is tell this story over one evening at a dive bar. Emma is fond of drink and has drunk more since leaving Logan and she hangs with all his male friends...why ?
Over the course of the evening, a powderkeg is simmering with all the townies and drink after drink Emma reminisces about the emptiness of her past and the fulness of her life with Logan...
This book is both philosophical and emotionally intelligent. The characters are so bloody real and as the night unfolds we go deeper and deeper into Emma's psyche and her fragile and injured heart.
In the meantime a dark masculine drama plays out with all the men at the bar that evening. We know there will be collision and we hope as readers that despite the pain that it might also be redemptive...
A deeply meaningful and intimate look at the inside of a beautiful relationship where both lovers are drifting but have found a home in each other....
My little review does not do this debut justice but I do hope you consider reading and experiencing this American drama for yourself.
January 29, 2021
This takes place at a bar one evening, The Final Final. Sort of reminds me of cheers except the main character isn’t cheerful, neither are her ‘friends’. She’s a bit spiteful and resentful. She sits on a Wednesday night reflecting on the choice of leaving her husband who we begin to realize she misses very much.So much so, she lingers in this dive with his friends while she has a few too many, reliving memories of her life.
I was ready to write this off as a 3 but loved the writing. And by the end of it, I was forgiving of the character, Emma, who had spun herself so deep in her own grief and guilt that it even brought me to tears.
She was able to redeem herself.
5⭐️
I was ready to write this off as a 3 but loved the writing. And by the end of it, I was forgiving of the character, Emma, who had spun herself so deep in her own grief and guilt that it even brought me to tears.
She was able to redeem herself.
5⭐️
August 28, 2020
4+. She sits alone. She's alone now but wasn't always. It is a neighborhood bar, we all have them. My small town has more than one. It wasn't always her bar, but it is now. It is where she met Lucas, though he doesn't come here anymore. Just his friends do, his friends but maybe not hers. As she drinks, she thinks back to his she got to where she is now. So, starts the story of Emma, and the others in the bar, and for the first third of the book, I felt it was just okay. Writing good , intriguing enough to keep going.
Then, with a remarkable sleight of hand, very unusual in a first time author, the book takes off. I became engrossed in Emma's story but also the stories of the others in the bar. You know the type, those whose high school days were the most memorable, stuck in time, holding grudges from the last. Those who seem stuck in time, can't move forward.
Why is Emma alone? What happened to Lucas? Everyone has a story, a story that although theirs, also touches on others. What is Emma's? Can it be fixed, can she find the strength to move on? Anyway by books end I was in tears. This is an incredible book by a first time author. A book that shows a remarkable talent and maturity in its delivery. In one night lives will change, but will it be for the better? Ah,the questions of life. Bittersweet.
My monthly read with Esil and Angela and I do believe we were all in tears by books end.
ARC from Edelweiss.
Then, with a remarkable sleight of hand, very unusual in a first time author, the book takes off. I became engrossed in Emma's story but also the stories of the others in the bar. You know the type, those whose high school days were the most memorable, stuck in time, holding grudges from the last. Those who seem stuck in time, can't move forward.
Why is Emma alone? What happened to Lucas? Everyone has a story, a story that although theirs, also touches on others. What is Emma's? Can it be fixed, can she find the strength to move on? Anyway by books end I was in tears. This is an incredible book by a first time author. A book that shows a remarkable talent and maturity in its delivery. In one night lives will change, but will it be for the better? Ah,the questions of life. Bittersweet.
My monthly read with Esil and Angela and I do believe we were all in tears by books end.
ARC from Edelweiss.
August 11, 2020
What an odd book. It’s not a story that really goes anywhere. Taking place over a single evening, it’s really more the musings of a mid-30ish divorced woman, sitting with friends in a rundown bar called The Final Final. Mostly character portrayals of those she knows now and in the past.
Beautifully written, with unique phrasing. I found myself highlighting phrase after phrase. “My anger is like rancid food that’s been sitting out too long.”
I felt an affinity for Emma, a lover of numbers, her dog and alcohol. “Whiskey is like a down comforter on a cold night. Climb in and adjust, let it warm your body as your body warms it. But know: the longer you stay in, the harder it is to get out. It just feels good.” We slowly learn of her losses and the grief that encompasses her. As the hours go on, we learn about the secrets that everyone has been keeping. All her bar friends came across as so realistic, I could see myself sitting at the bar with them. Each of them has their own regrets and pain. As the alcohol continues to be consumed, poor decisions start snowballing, leading to an irreversible crescendo.
Yet, in the end, it’s a book about forgiveness and hope. It’s about learning to live again. This book really moved me.
My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
Beautifully written, with unique phrasing. I found myself highlighting phrase after phrase. “My anger is like rancid food that’s been sitting out too long.”
I felt an affinity for Emma, a lover of numbers, her dog and alcohol. “Whiskey is like a down comforter on a cold night. Climb in and adjust, let it warm your body as your body warms it. But know: the longer you stay in, the harder it is to get out. It just feels good.” We slowly learn of her losses and the grief that encompasses her. As the hours go on, we learn about the secrets that everyone has been keeping. All her bar friends came across as so realistic, I could see myself sitting at the bar with them. Each of them has their own regrets and pain. As the alcohol continues to be consumed, poor decisions start snowballing, leading to an irreversible crescendo.
Yet, in the end, it’s a book about forgiveness and hope. It’s about learning to live again. This book really moved me.
My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
November 6, 2020
UPDATE Anna Bruno has joined me for a Spoiler-free Q & A in our Behind the Pages group and gave us some insight into this unforgettable story and her writing process!
To see what she had to say you can the thread here
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Ordinary Hazards is my kind of story!! It's one I needed to quiet my mind and allow myself to get lost in the head of the character and see things through her. It is the kind that takes hold of me and doesn't let go till the end and then leaves me thinking about it for a while.
The story is uniquely told over one night, with chapters for each hour starting at 5 pm. Emma is sitting in a bar called The Final, Final. The last bar on the edge of town. The final stop after the final stop and there is no place but to go home after last call. With each hour and drink, we start to see Emma's night spin out of control as she reflects on her failed marriage, her upbringing, her regrets while reflecting on the regulars of the bar who are friends of her ex-husband. As the story progresses, we learn pieces from the past and present as to why Emma sits and drinks. The tension increases right up to the climax, where everything comes together.
It's all about the characters here with Emma and the partons at the bar. They are likeable and unlikeable characters and are not your stereotyped bar partons from a small town. Emma is successful in business and finance and has chosen against her father's expectation to live a quieter life in a small town with her husband, Lucus. However, pain and regret are ordinary hazards of life, but it's the story that can shape who you are.
"It's not who you are that makes you a leader, it's the story about who you are"
Emma is not an easy character to connect to, and she takes some time to warm up to. She can be a character you either like or dislike. For me, my feeling changed about her as she reckons with her past and present. Throughout the night, she reflects on her career choice, success, classism, and privilege. The woman she is and the women she used to be. She questions the roles of men and women and their likability. The story is paced well, with new information we learn about Emma's the regulars' lives through Emma's memories, flashbacks, observations, and actions.
"There are two of me: the woman I am and the woman I used to be."
I loved the setting in the bar and the tone it set to the story for me. It became a character in itself while creating a friendly yet hostile feel with the tension and drama to the story.
This is one of the better books I have read that explores men's and women's roles honestly while exploring their motivations, regrets, pain and happiness. I highly recommend this one for better reading!!
"It's a man's prerogative to be liked. Women are sometimes respected, sometimes admired, sometimes adored, but they aren't liked, not really"
I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley!
To see what she had to say you can the thread here
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Ordinary Hazards is my kind of story!! It's one I needed to quiet my mind and allow myself to get lost in the head of the character and see things through her. It is the kind that takes hold of me and doesn't let go till the end and then leaves me thinking about it for a while.
The story is uniquely told over one night, with chapters for each hour starting at 5 pm. Emma is sitting in a bar called The Final, Final. The last bar on the edge of town. The final stop after the final stop and there is no place but to go home after last call. With each hour and drink, we start to see Emma's night spin out of control as she reflects on her failed marriage, her upbringing, her regrets while reflecting on the regulars of the bar who are friends of her ex-husband. As the story progresses, we learn pieces from the past and present as to why Emma sits and drinks. The tension increases right up to the climax, where everything comes together.
It's all about the characters here with Emma and the partons at the bar. They are likeable and unlikeable characters and are not your stereotyped bar partons from a small town. Emma is successful in business and finance and has chosen against her father's expectation to live a quieter life in a small town with her husband, Lucus. However, pain and regret are ordinary hazards of life, but it's the story that can shape who you are.
"It's not who you are that makes you a leader, it's the story about who you are"
Emma is not an easy character to connect to, and she takes some time to warm up to. She can be a character you either like or dislike. For me, my feeling changed about her as she reckons with her past and present. Throughout the night, she reflects on her career choice, success, classism, and privilege. The woman she is and the women she used to be. She questions the roles of men and women and their likability. The story is paced well, with new information we learn about Emma's the regulars' lives through Emma's memories, flashbacks, observations, and actions.
"There are two of me: the woman I am and the woman I used to be."
I loved the setting in the bar and the tone it set to the story for me. It became a character in itself while creating a friendly yet hostile feel with the tension and drama to the story.
This is one of the better books I have read that explores men's and women's roles honestly while exploring their motivations, regrets, pain and happiness. I highly recommend this one for better reading!!
"It's a man's prerogative to be liked. Women are sometimes respected, sometimes admired, sometimes adored, but they aren't liked, not really"
I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley!
May 8, 2020
4.5 Stars
As this story opens, the setting is in a small town bar, The Final Final, as the post-work evening begins in this small New York town, a bar where the locals gather, socialize, maybe shoot some pool, have a drink or two. The story of this night unfolds a little at a time, with time going back and forth, and little by little the story unfolds. Emma’s story of how she came to live in this small town, her history as a child living in a wealthy area, a father that she not only adores but spends much of her life wanting to be like, to win his approval, to have the same kind of life, and how things change over time. The man she meets, and eventually falls in love with, and their story, as well. Her dreams about her future, and how her choice of living where she does is somewhat disconnected from her dreams, at least her initial ones. But there’s more. So much more.
The regulars at this bar aren’t the kind of people her father would associate with, at least not willingly or socially. That’s not to say her father was without his own faults, but he would at least appear to be, as Ray Davies once wrote, and the Kinks once sang ”…a well respected man about town, doing the best things so conservatively.” But they suit Emma and Lucas, the man she fell in love with, this small town and these small town friends, living where he grew up.
There’s tension, a tension that rises slowly, not between everyone in this story but tension between family members, between friends, at work, at home. There’s love, as well, and hearts that are broken, but that’s the way life seems to be for all of us, even if it’s more for some than others. And there are those who hold power, and those who wish they did and resent those that do, and those that seem content. There’s the search for wealth in a financial sense, and there’s the search for a life with a wealth of happiness, love and meaning. The kind of life that one can look back on, and say they have few regrets, a life, that in the end was worth living.
It’s rare that I agree with the comparisons between writers / stories, but this is touted as being “for fans of Celeste Ng,” and I’d say this compares on some levels to both of her books that I’ve read, Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere. It’s also compared to Claire Messud, but I’ve only read one of her books, and no longer remember it well enough to say. I think in Ng’s stories, they always begin with a small taste of something to remember, and return to that moment in some sense in the end.
Pub Date: 18 August 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books
As this story opens, the setting is in a small town bar, The Final Final, as the post-work evening begins in this small New York town, a bar where the locals gather, socialize, maybe shoot some pool, have a drink or two. The story of this night unfolds a little at a time, with time going back and forth, and little by little the story unfolds. Emma’s story of how she came to live in this small town, her history as a child living in a wealthy area, a father that she not only adores but spends much of her life wanting to be like, to win his approval, to have the same kind of life, and how things change over time. The man she meets, and eventually falls in love with, and their story, as well. Her dreams about her future, and how her choice of living where she does is somewhat disconnected from her dreams, at least her initial ones. But there’s more. So much more.
The regulars at this bar aren’t the kind of people her father would associate with, at least not willingly or socially. That’s not to say her father was without his own faults, but he would at least appear to be, as Ray Davies once wrote, and the Kinks once sang ”…a well respected man about town, doing the best things so conservatively.” But they suit Emma and Lucas, the man she fell in love with, this small town and these small town friends, living where he grew up.
There’s tension, a tension that rises slowly, not between everyone in this story but tension between family members, between friends, at work, at home. There’s love, as well, and hearts that are broken, but that’s the way life seems to be for all of us, even if it’s more for some than others. And there are those who hold power, and those who wish they did and resent those that do, and those that seem content. There’s the search for wealth in a financial sense, and there’s the search for a life with a wealth of happiness, love and meaning. The kind of life that one can look back on, and say they have few regrets, a life, that in the end was worth living.
It’s rare that I agree with the comparisons between writers / stories, but this is touted as being “for fans of Celeste Ng,” and I’d say this compares on some levels to both of her books that I’ve read, Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere. It’s also compared to Claire Messud, but I’ve only read one of her books, and no longer remember it well enough to say. I think in Ng’s stories, they always begin with a small taste of something to remember, and return to that moment in some sense in the end.
Pub Date: 18 August 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books
June 4, 2020
3.5 stars rounded to 3 stars
Well, I am of two minds about Ordinary Hazards, a fine debut novel from Ms. Anna Bruno. There are features I liked very much yet other issues that disappointed me.
First the good stuff. It always piques my interest when I find a novel that is written a bit differently. In this book, the main narrative takes place over one long evening as our protagonist Emma sits in a bar named The Final Final, wondering how she can ever find happiness. There are a number of flashbacks to previous events written in real time to fill out the story. The only other book I have read written in this style is When All Is Said by Anne Griffin. I think Ms. Bruno pulls this off well. I also enjoyed the theme of the story, which basically revolves around what can an individual do to make lemonade out of lemons. This of course is presented in a far more stylish manner than how I just said it. And I loved Addie the dog who has a more profound role than most dogs do when playing relatively minor characters. Finally, the epilogue (entitled “After Hours”) is superb.
Oh, and the title is perfect. A great title.
Why did the book need saving? Well, I had a really hard time connecting emotionally with the characters. For example, Lucas has a prominent role yet we rarely get into his head. I need to be the characters’ heads to fully engage. The other bar patrons get a lot of airplay, but they came off as rather flat to me. I didn’t care much about any of them, except perhaps the little girl Summer and the barmaid Amelia. I have trouble describing my relationship with Emma. I neither loved nor hated her throughout most of the book, but I finally really came over to her side in the epilogue.
Other things that bothered me: Emma ran a hedge fund, and though I often like reading about finance for fun, the part of the narrative directed towards this subject was not interesting to me. I was also bored by the philosophical ramblings that peppered the book. Finally, there was an overall very depressing mood to that one long evening in the bar, and I was dragged down by that.
I see I am in the minority with my boring overall rating of 3.5, but I encourage people to read this book for themselves. Most reviewers so far loved it and ranked it 4 or 5 stars. I have to wonder if timing had something to do with my lowish rating. With the multitude of all the “once-in-a-lifetime-crises” happening in the United States right now, it is sometimes hard to focus enough to enjoy the simple joys of a well written book of fiction. However, I do like Ordinary Hazards enough to want to pick up whatever Ms. Bruno writes next.
My thanks go to Ms. Isabel DaSilva of Atria Books, Net Galley, and Ms. Anna Bruno for an ARC of this novel. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
October 18, 2020
It never occurred to me that I would love this debut novel 5 stars-worth. Indeed, without some of those stellar recaps from trusted reviewers, I would not have picked it up at all. The synopsis does not call to me, even now. But this story! Those of a younger generation than my own boomer-ness would probably say it has all the feels. That it does, but never in a hokey way. Nope, no sappiness here.
Nostalgia and the taste and smell of memories. The false warmth of Maker's Mark whiskey. Choices made, promises unkept, losses sustained. Profound loneliness, even as you are surrounded by others. And Adelaide, the dog. Sheer perfection.
Reflections of good things that have fallen by the wayside. Front porches with wooden porch swings. No one sits out on the front porch anymore. For one reason, most houses now don't have front porches, only stoops. For another, it's very dangerous! When I was a kid, you went out and sat in the porch swing after the supper dishes were washed. It was too hot to stay in the house anyway. A clarification of the old saying about the straw that broke the camel's back gives a bit of a different insight. As an aside, here in the Ozarks we use the phrase "the blow that killed the father" more often than the one about the camel.
Nostalgia and the taste and smell of memories. The false warmth of Maker's Mark whiskey. Choices made, promises unkept, losses sustained. Profound loneliness, even as you are surrounded by others. And Adelaide, the dog. Sheer perfection.
Reflections of good things that have fallen by the wayside. Front porches with wooden porch swings. No one sits out on the front porch anymore. For one reason, most houses now don't have front porches, only stoops. For another, it's very dangerous! When I was a kid, you went out and sat in the porch swing after the supper dishes were washed. It was too hot to stay in the house anyway. A clarification of the old saying about the straw that broke the camel's back gives a bit of a different insight. As an aside, here in the Ozarks we use the phrase "the blow that killed the father" more often than the one about the camel.
January 29, 2021
There are times that you just go into a book blind and come out thinking that what you have just read is so moving, so well done, and so spot on. And then you think this author's writing, her understanding, and way she presents to her readers this story is so accomplished......and then you notice that this is a debut novel
I believe in all our lives we have dealt with grief, tragedy, and anguish. We ask ourselves the what if question time and time again followed by the if only I had .....
Emma has seen much unhappiness in her life, from a father whose goal to make money seems to have consumed him, to a mother who is both distant and likes alcohol too much. Emma is driven, a graduate of Harvard for both her bachelor's and MBA degrees and she too seems to be consumed by success. How much like her father is she? Then there is Lucas, a man she loves, who owns a sheet rocking company. They seem an unlikely pair but they are something special, they are a couple in love. They have a young son and Lucas, being a kind, receptive person has a bevy of friends. Life is good until it isn't.
However, Emma's success requires her to be away a lot and as time goes on, this facet becomes a point of struggle between the couple. Then tragedy ensues and it is this that forms a wedge between the couple that seems to be unable to be repaired.
Emma relates her story through her thoughts, one night in the local bar she now frequents daily with a number of Lucas's friends. The author has Emma release bit and pieces of her story as we meet and get to know the people who surround her. We also are allowed to see Emma's anguish, how she has to face the questions that plague her, that make her life a series of despair and misery. As all the pieces come together what we really see is a story of how women often sacrifice their life for a career, for money, for prestige and when tragedy strikes are ill prepared for the consequences, for the one thing money can not buy is time, time spent with those you love, time for finding that inner peace, time for making time for the moments one treasures.
It has been a wake up call for Emma and in a way a wake up call for so many women who find themselves consumed with success.
I definitely recommend this book for all who so enjoy a book that bears a message, a book that allows us to realize that our life is a brief period on the earth and the times that matter are those spent with those we love and those who love us.
Thank you to Anna Bruno, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this well done novel due out on August 18, 2020.
I believe in all our lives we have dealt with grief, tragedy, and anguish. We ask ourselves the what if question time and time again followed by the if only I had .....
Emma has seen much unhappiness in her life, from a father whose goal to make money seems to have consumed him, to a mother who is both distant and likes alcohol too much. Emma is driven, a graduate of Harvard for both her bachelor's and MBA degrees and she too seems to be consumed by success. How much like her father is she? Then there is Lucas, a man she loves, who owns a sheet rocking company. They seem an unlikely pair but they are something special, they are a couple in love. They have a young son and Lucas, being a kind, receptive person has a bevy of friends. Life is good until it isn't.
However, Emma's success requires her to be away a lot and as time goes on, this facet becomes a point of struggle between the couple. Then tragedy ensues and it is this that forms a wedge between the couple that seems to be unable to be repaired.
Emma relates her story through her thoughts, one night in the local bar she now frequents daily with a number of Lucas's friends. The author has Emma release bit and pieces of her story as we meet and get to know the people who surround her. We also are allowed to see Emma's anguish, how she has to face the questions that plague her, that make her life a series of despair and misery. As all the pieces come together what we really see is a story of how women often sacrifice their life for a career, for money, for prestige and when tragedy strikes are ill prepared for the consequences, for the one thing money can not buy is time, time spent with those you love, time for finding that inner peace, time for making time for the moments one treasures.
It has been a wake up call for Emma and in a way a wake up call for so many women who find themselves consumed with success.
I definitely recommend this book for all who so enjoy a book that bears a message, a book that allows us to realize that our life is a brief period on the earth and the times that matter are those spent with those we love and those who love us.
Thank you to Anna Bruno, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this well done novel due out on August 18, 2020.
August 9, 2021
Review posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
In the span of an evening, lives and losses unfold, quietly, memories spilling forth, some beautiful, heartfelt, warm, just like a soft chenille blanket, while others are gut-wrenching, painful and destructive, like a bar glass filled with bourbon, shattering to the floor spilling liquor and bits of glass everywhere as far as the eye can see.
Reflecting on what is and what was, Emma sits on a stool at her favorite neighbor bar, The Final Final, night after night and it is there, that you know that all is not well. It is here that Emma met the love of her life: Lucas. The two met, fell in love and married. Lucas however, is not with her tonight and hasn’t been for quite some time. All she has left of their time together is their dog, Addie, who stole my heart. Instead, Emma is sitting at the bar, alone. Other regulars are there as well, and they too, have stories to tell. In the course of an evening, Emma reminisces over her past, and her trials and tribulations, her relationship with her father, her marriage to Lucas and the crux of the reason why she is at The Final Final alone.
This is of course, the last stop, but then one would expect nothing less of The Final Final.
A slow burning character driven novel detailing friendship, grief, love, loss, and most of all, forgiveness, Ordinary Hazards delves into all subjects gracefully. For anyone who has ever suffered loss, it hits home hard.
While the story meandered a tad when Emma was reminiscing, I truly enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what Anna Bruno comes out with next.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Anna Bruno for the arc.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram.
In the span of an evening, lives and losses unfold, quietly, memories spilling forth, some beautiful, heartfelt, warm, just like a soft chenille blanket, while others are gut-wrenching, painful and destructive, like a bar glass filled with bourbon, shattering to the floor spilling liquor and bits of glass everywhere as far as the eye can see.
Reflecting on what is and what was, Emma sits on a stool at her favorite neighbor bar, The Final Final, night after night and it is there, that you know that all is not well. It is here that Emma met the love of her life: Lucas. The two met, fell in love and married. Lucas however, is not with her tonight and hasn’t been for quite some time. All she has left of their time together is their dog, Addie, who stole my heart. Instead, Emma is sitting at the bar, alone. Other regulars are there as well, and they too, have stories to tell. In the course of an evening, Emma reminisces over her past, and her trials and tribulations, her relationship with her father, her marriage to Lucas and the crux of the reason why she is at The Final Final alone.
This is of course, the last stop, but then one would expect nothing less of The Final Final.
A slow burning character driven novel detailing friendship, grief, love, loss, and most of all, forgiveness, Ordinary Hazards delves into all subjects gracefully. For anyone who has ever suffered loss, it hits home hard.
While the story meandered a tad when Emma was reminiscing, I truly enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what Anna Bruno comes out with next.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Anna Bruno for the arc.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram.
June 11, 2021
This story begins at 5:00 pm on a Wednesday at a small town bar aptly named The Final Final. Emma has taken her seat among the regulars and it’s less than a year since her divorce from the man who she met and gained her acceptance there. Her sadness is obvious as she reflects on the people and the journey to this moment. Over the course of the next six hours, the lives of everyone there will be dramatically changed forever.
It’s solely Emma’s point of view as she goes back and forth in time to provide a sense of self, setting and local color, including a perspective of those regulars at the bar, relating vignettes about each. These stories gave me a certain clarity about them. I didn’t always know where it was leading, so much so that I struggled to figure out the point. But gradually the eloquence of the writing overwhelmed that need and I just listened. We know something terrible happened to Emma but that isn’t revealed early on. We also don’t know what destroyed her marriage. We just know there were events that created her current state. There’s an unevenness in the telling but somehow that began to make sense.
There is a lot of sadness for most of the story but the threat of joy and light emerging was always in the air. I’m not advocating patience as much as I am stillness and careful attention. The ending, in particular, should be read or listened to intently because it is the culmination of everything that preceded it and every word matters. I opted for the audio version and the narrator delivered a solid performance but I had a tough time knowing the difference between past and present transitions. I actually borrowed the eBook just to read the last two chapters. Fortunately, I’ll be discussing this story with my book club because there’s so much to consider. It’s hard to grasp that this is a debut novel. This is special.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
It’s solely Emma’s point of view as she goes back and forth in time to provide a sense of self, setting and local color, including a perspective of those regulars at the bar, relating vignettes about each. These stories gave me a certain clarity about them. I didn’t always know where it was leading, so much so that I struggled to figure out the point. But gradually the eloquence of the writing overwhelmed that need and I just listened. We know something terrible happened to Emma but that isn’t revealed early on. We also don’t know what destroyed her marriage. We just know there were events that created her current state. There’s an unevenness in the telling but somehow that began to make sense.
There is a lot of sadness for most of the story but the threat of joy and light emerging was always in the air. I’m not advocating patience as much as I am stillness and careful attention. The ending, in particular, should be read or listened to intently because it is the culmination of everything that preceded it and every word matters. I opted for the audio version and the narrator delivered a solid performance but I had a tough time knowing the difference between past and present transitions. I actually borrowed the eBook just to read the last two chapters. Fortunately, I’ll be discussing this story with my book club because there’s so much to consider. It’s hard to grasp that this is a debut novel. This is special.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
February 21, 2021
Step on in....
“The Final Final Bar”, is the local hang out spot....where
“everyone knows your name and they’re always glad you came”.
The story centers around Emma, Harvard grad, a college professor, author, and a business savvy woman in the world of finance.
As you walk through the doors of ‘The Final Final’....( as in ‘begin’ this wonderful debut novel), order a drink, take your coat off....settle down...and look around.
Nothing is going to smack you on the head with OMG....for the first few chapters....so you might as well, kick back and relax....
BEFORE....
the ceiling comes down in shambles.
The ceiling ‘begins’ to show signs of suspicious cracks by the forth chapter at 8pm.
“A Group of college girls rolls in. Wet high heels stomping on the doormat, umbrellas jettisoned, they shake off excess water like dogs.
They never ever wear rain slickers or rain boots or anything else that would protect them, regardless of season. They are impervious to weather. It is a super power of youth”.
“Huddled together, they shuffle over to the hot wheel, and the queen bee sends it spinning. They’ll stay for one drink and then head downtown to join the sea of crop tops and four-inch-heels”.
The regulars at ‘The Final Final’....know the defaults, the drunks, the gossip, the culture, their whiskeys, the flawed men with stiff postures, the noticeable youthful drop-ins, each other’s husbands, kids, nanny’s, .....each other’s f—ups.
But.....
TONIGHT ....
You may be wondering....”Why is This Night Different From all Other Nights?......[NO, You silly people....this is NOT Passover]...
WE ARE IN A BAR....remember?/!🍺
By 11pm....
....Bud Lights are still being requested. Rounds of drinks have been ordered.
....Less people are still at the bar. The remainders are: Cal, Summer, Jimmy, Short Pete, Fancy Pete, Amelia, and Emma.
The SUSPICIOUS CRACKS.....are.....MORE THAN SUSPICIOUS NOW...
Shhhhh..... “It’s possible a neighbor heard the gunshot but there are no sirens in the distance, which means no one recorded it. A single shot could have been a truck backfiring for a firecracker, which kids are apt to set off at all hours of the night around here”......
12AM.....
READ THIS BOOK YOURSELF IF YOU WANT TO KNOW .....
about the deeper substantial realities....
Note:
I may have read friend’s reviews WAY BACK WHEN....I had even marked it to read....but I honestly couldn’t remember one damn thing about this book....
And then....a little birdie ...’sweetheart-of-a-friend’, sent me a tip. This book was a $1.99 kindle special. I tell so many ‘other’ people about the $1.99 special deals...
It was a treat to have a friend tell ‘me’.
I really hadn’t planned on reading it right away. I bought the book right away... but like everybody else I have a stack of books to read miles high.....
But something was CALLING ME TOWARDS IT....
SO....
I started reading...blind faith. I thought maybe this book was about a bird. I wouldn’t have minded— I own birds...I love birds...
But...that’s not what this book is about ( yet —gorgeous book cover don’t you think?)....
When I enjoy a book, this much - AS A BLIND FAITH READ...
I consider it my duty....to tell others TO DO THE SAME!! It’s a great risk.
I enjoyed my curiosity of what was coming down the pipes.
I had a hunch about the ending (I was right, but it didn’t spoil anything).... and I was especially moved by ‘added’ parts that I hadn’t thought about ....
such as the way Emma looked at her mother with new fresh eyes (I wish to be on the receiving end of that experience one day)...
ABOUT BARS....in general...
I’ve never been a girl to hang out in a bar ever— at any age— but since this sheltering in place for a year.... It felt wonderful to vicariously live through the characters at ‘The Final Final’.....
And if I could wear four-inch high heels 👠....( with my bionic foot)....I would. I’m dreaming ....but hot damn... I was was enjoying the gang in the BAR.
I have never gone to a bar - alone - and sat at the counter. I missed out on that experience....maybe it’s not too late? Yep....the movie fantasy sounds fun. ( one time)...that’s it!!
I LOVED THIS BOOK....
And why???? The deeper reason ....I refuse to share in this review....
But let’s just say ( get real for a moment).....
I relate to the type of grieving Emma will live with her entire life....
I live with a grief that will never go away too....
But....
Does that mean girls like us don’t have GREAT HAPPY DAYS???
Hell know....
Live- love - drink - and be merry, Emma.
I fell in love with Emma.
One last thing....
if you know next to nothing about this debut novel... and are willing to take a chance as in not read any reviews until after *you’ve* read it....
It worked for me. Takes a few chapters to get going....
I promise you’ll be wondering...”what’s the big deal.....FOR AWHILE”....
until slowly....
the cracks get bigger ...and reveal the heart of this story.
Beautifully and cleverly crafted.
I’m a new fan of Anna Bruno and will read her next book.
I love her range of storytelling: I like that Anna Bruno isn’t prudish—in her writing—nor is she flashy-just-to-impress.
There was a clear purpose in the way she told this story. And....she knew her own characters well....(their many sides).
A+ 5 stars from me.
And to think it only cost me $1.99....
Cheaper than a cup of coffee.
“The Final Final Bar”, is the local hang out spot....where
“everyone knows your name and they’re always glad you came”.
The story centers around Emma, Harvard grad, a college professor, author, and a business savvy woman in the world of finance.
As you walk through the doors of ‘The Final Final’....( as in ‘begin’ this wonderful debut novel), order a drink, take your coat off....settle down...and look around.
Nothing is going to smack you on the head with OMG....for the first few chapters....so you might as well, kick back and relax....
BEFORE....
the ceiling comes down in shambles.
The ceiling ‘begins’ to show signs of suspicious cracks by the forth chapter at 8pm.
“A Group of college girls rolls in. Wet high heels stomping on the doormat, umbrellas jettisoned, they shake off excess water like dogs.
They never ever wear rain slickers or rain boots or anything else that would protect them, regardless of season. They are impervious to weather. It is a super power of youth”.
“Huddled together, they shuffle over to the hot wheel, and the queen bee sends it spinning. They’ll stay for one drink and then head downtown to join the sea of crop tops and four-inch-heels”.
The regulars at ‘The Final Final’....know the defaults, the drunks, the gossip, the culture, their whiskeys, the flawed men with stiff postures, the noticeable youthful drop-ins, each other’s husbands, kids, nanny’s, .....each other’s f—ups.
But.....
TONIGHT ....
You may be wondering....”Why is This Night Different From all Other Nights?......[NO, You silly people....this is NOT Passover]...
WE ARE IN A BAR....remember?/!🍺
By 11pm....
....Bud Lights are still being requested. Rounds of drinks have been ordered.
....Less people are still at the bar. The remainders are: Cal, Summer, Jimmy, Short Pete, Fancy Pete, Amelia, and Emma.
The SUSPICIOUS CRACKS.....are.....MORE THAN SUSPICIOUS NOW...
Shhhhh..... “It’s possible a neighbor heard the gunshot but there are no sirens in the distance, which means no one recorded it. A single shot could have been a truck backfiring for a firecracker, which kids are apt to set off at all hours of the night around here”......
12AM.....
READ THIS BOOK YOURSELF IF YOU WANT TO KNOW .....
about the deeper substantial realities....
Note:
I may have read friend’s reviews WAY BACK WHEN....I had even marked it to read....but I honestly couldn’t remember one damn thing about this book....
And then....a little birdie ...’sweetheart-of-a-friend’, sent me a tip. This book was a $1.99 kindle special. I tell so many ‘other’ people about the $1.99 special deals...
It was a treat to have a friend tell ‘me’.
I really hadn’t planned on reading it right away. I bought the book right away... but like everybody else I have a stack of books to read miles high.....
But something was CALLING ME TOWARDS IT....
SO....
I started reading...blind faith. I thought maybe this book was about a bird. I wouldn’t have minded— I own birds...I love birds...
But...that’s not what this book is about ( yet —gorgeous book cover don’t you think?)....
When I enjoy a book, this much - AS A BLIND FAITH READ...
I consider it my duty....to tell others TO DO THE SAME!! It’s a great risk.
I enjoyed my curiosity of what was coming down the pipes.
I had a hunch about the ending (I was right, but it didn’t spoil anything).... and I was especially moved by ‘added’ parts that I hadn’t thought about ....
such as the way Emma looked at her mother with new fresh eyes (I wish to be on the receiving end of that experience one day)...
ABOUT BARS....in general...
I’ve never been a girl to hang out in a bar ever— at any age— but since this sheltering in place for a year.... It felt wonderful to vicariously live through the characters at ‘The Final Final’.....
And if I could wear four-inch high heels 👠....( with my bionic foot)....I would. I’m dreaming ....but hot damn... I was was enjoying the gang in the BAR.
I have never gone to a bar - alone - and sat at the counter. I missed out on that experience....maybe it’s not too late? Yep....the movie fantasy sounds fun. ( one time)...that’s it!!
I LOVED THIS BOOK....
And why???? The deeper reason ....I refuse to share in this review....
But let’s just say ( get real for a moment).....
I relate to the type of grieving Emma will live with her entire life....
I live with a grief that will never go away too....
But....
Does that mean girls like us don’t have GREAT HAPPY DAYS???
Hell know....
Live- love - drink - and be merry, Emma.
I fell in love with Emma.
One last thing....
if you know next to nothing about this debut novel... and are willing to take a chance as in not read any reviews until after *you’ve* read it....
It worked for me. Takes a few chapters to get going....
I promise you’ll be wondering...”what’s the big deal.....FOR AWHILE”....
until slowly....
the cracks get bigger ...and reveal the heart of this story.
Beautifully and cleverly crafted.
I’m a new fan of Anna Bruno and will read her next book.
I love her range of storytelling: I like that Anna Bruno isn’t prudish—in her writing—nor is she flashy-just-to-impress.
There was a clear purpose in the way she told this story. And....she knew her own characters well....(their many sides).
A+ 5 stars from me.
And to think it only cost me $1.99....
Cheaper than a cup of coffee.
August 18, 2020
*Happy publication day
4 complex character-driven stars
This debut novel grapples with some serious issues – ambition, alcoholism, grief, life in a small town, and consequences for your actions. It is set during one evening that the main character, Emma, spends at the town dive bar. She reminisces as she drinks and drinks, and we learn the back story of the last few years of her life.
The bar, The Final Final, is a bit of a character in the book too. Filled with the same bartender for years, the same patrons, and the same cycles that these characters are living through. Being from a small town, I know the realities of the people that grow up and stay in the town versus those that leave and never come back. We get to know the regulars at the bar, and they are an interesting lot! Many of them are friends from high school and have some old baggage to deal with along with the demands of adult life.
Emma is a Harvard grad, a bigwig in the world of finance, but she has settled in this small town in upstate New York and she's teaching a business class at the local college. We learn about her ambitious father and how she has always been pushed by him to get to the top. We also learn more about her ex-husband Lucas. There’s also a sweet dog that plays a big part in the book.
This one builds up to a pressure cooker ending and I wasn’t quite sure how it would all play out. In the end, I really liked how the author ended it on a hopeful and forgiving front when much of the book was dealing with tough issues.
This was a good buddy read with Marilyn!
Thank you to debut author Anna Bruno, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of the book.
4 complex character-driven stars
This debut novel grapples with some serious issues – ambition, alcoholism, grief, life in a small town, and consequences for your actions. It is set during one evening that the main character, Emma, spends at the town dive bar. She reminisces as she drinks and drinks, and we learn the back story of the last few years of her life.
The bar, The Final Final, is a bit of a character in the book too. Filled with the same bartender for years, the same patrons, and the same cycles that these characters are living through. Being from a small town, I know the realities of the people that grow up and stay in the town versus those that leave and never come back. We get to know the regulars at the bar, and they are an interesting lot! Many of them are friends from high school and have some old baggage to deal with along with the demands of adult life.
Emma is a Harvard grad, a bigwig in the world of finance, but she has settled in this small town in upstate New York and she's teaching a business class at the local college. We learn about her ambitious father and how she has always been pushed by him to get to the top. We also learn more about her ex-husband Lucas. There’s also a sweet dog that plays a big part in the book.
This one builds up to a pressure cooker ending and I wasn’t quite sure how it would all play out. In the end, I really liked how the author ended it on a hopeful and forgiving front when much of the book was dealing with tough issues.
This was a good buddy read with Marilyn!
Thank you to debut author Anna Bruno, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of the book.
January 29, 2021
Mediocre-ville
This book and I weren’t destined for a great relationship. I struggled to get through a third of it, bored to tears, and then I set it aside for a bit. That usually doesn’t happen with me. I either DNF it, or I finish it right then and there. I will say that when I began reading it the first time, I had stuff going on that made it hard to concentrate. The book just didn’t do its job of distracting me. I read another book, then returned to this one, thinking I’d like it better once I could concentrate again. It says something that I had to reread the entire first third of the book! Turns out that I barely remembered any of it.
This isn’t a bad book, just mediocre. The language is fine, and there’s introspection, which I thrive on. Although the main character, Emma, looks back at scenes in her life, the whole story takes place in a bar, called The Final Final—the bar that people go to when all the other bars close. Emma is sad, lonely, and dropped out. She drinks while she reflects on her marriage, which is no more. Her drinking isn’t what the book is about (it’s not over the top), and I appreciate that we didn’t have to listen to a slushy mouth. She alludes to a tragedy, and I was curious to find out what happened. There was a bar fight that woke me up, but for most of the book I was bored. I did like the ending, and I did like the dog.
Complaint Board:
-Wait a minute. Who is that guy? What about that other guy? The book starts out with too many characters, and they aren’t fleshed out. It doesn’t work to give a name and a little history, if you aren’t going to have the people interacting with Emma and you don’t return to them for a long time. Even on reread it was hard to keep track of them.
-And I wasn’t crazy about the people in the bar anyway. Usually I go for the down-and-outers, but this time, not so much. They just weren’t interesting.
-There’s too much about business women and power. There’s an obnoxious power lunch, for example. Even though power isn’t the main gist of the book, it still felt in my face. It wouldn’t have been bad if the story criticized power, but instead, it made power seem like a virtue. And way too much airtime was given to a (random) woman who rose to the top, and too much about Emma’s father being successful, too.
-There’s too much talk about economics. BOR-ing! I don’t like economics anyway, so this made it doubly bad. We’re going along with some action in the bar, and suddenly, we’re pulled out and dropped into an Economics 101 class. A short lecture, yes, but annoying and tired. The story doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up.
-The kid is wrong. No kid would say this: “He eyeballed my tangles.” I roll my eyeballs in protest.
-To my surprise, I felt all judgy about Emma choosing work over family.
-I guess when it comes down to it, I just didn’t like Emma. It’s hard to be all rah rah about a book if you don’t like the main character.
-Emma pulled a stunt in the bar that was just plain nasty, which made her more unlikeable. She was portrayed as a nice guy, so what she did didn’t fit with her personality. I can’t decide whether to be annoyed with her or with the author for making her do it, lol.
So, hm….quite a lot of complaints. Still, I would say this book is a solid 3—the writing is decent and the story is mildly interesting. I did want to see how Emma’s story ended. The book just didn’t grab me—and I won’t remember it.
If you liked When All Is Said, which is also set entirely in a bar, you’ll probably like this one. I gave that book just 3 stars, too. Both that book and this one are pretty popular, so I urge you to read other reviews. I’m once again the outlier.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
This book and I weren’t destined for a great relationship. I struggled to get through a third of it, bored to tears, and then I set it aside for a bit. That usually doesn’t happen with me. I either DNF it, or I finish it right then and there. I will say that when I began reading it the first time, I had stuff going on that made it hard to concentrate. The book just didn’t do its job of distracting me. I read another book, then returned to this one, thinking I’d like it better once I could concentrate again. It says something that I had to reread the entire first third of the book! Turns out that I barely remembered any of it.
This isn’t a bad book, just mediocre. The language is fine, and there’s introspection, which I thrive on. Although the main character, Emma, looks back at scenes in her life, the whole story takes place in a bar, called The Final Final—the bar that people go to when all the other bars close. Emma is sad, lonely, and dropped out. She drinks while she reflects on her marriage, which is no more. Her drinking isn’t what the book is about (it’s not over the top), and I appreciate that we didn’t have to listen to a slushy mouth. She alludes to a tragedy, and I was curious to find out what happened. There was a bar fight that woke me up, but for most of the book I was bored. I did like the ending, and I did like the dog.
Complaint Board:
-Wait a minute. Who is that guy? What about that other guy? The book starts out with too many characters, and they aren’t fleshed out. It doesn’t work to give a name and a little history, if you aren’t going to have the people interacting with Emma and you don’t return to them for a long time. Even on reread it was hard to keep track of them.
-And I wasn’t crazy about the people in the bar anyway. Usually I go for the down-and-outers, but this time, not so much. They just weren’t interesting.
-There’s too much about business women and power. There’s an obnoxious power lunch, for example. Even though power isn’t the main gist of the book, it still felt in my face. It wouldn’t have been bad if the story criticized power, but instead, it made power seem like a virtue. And way too much airtime was given to a (random) woman who rose to the top, and too much about Emma’s father being successful, too.
-There’s too much talk about economics. BOR-ing! I don’t like economics anyway, so this made it doubly bad. We’re going along with some action in the bar, and suddenly, we’re pulled out and dropped into an Economics 101 class. A short lecture, yes, but annoying and tired. The story doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up.
-The kid is wrong. No kid would say this: “He eyeballed my tangles.” I roll my eyeballs in protest.
-To my surprise, I felt all judgy about Emma choosing work over family.
-I guess when it comes down to it, I just didn’t like Emma. It’s hard to be all rah rah about a book if you don’t like the main character.
-Emma pulled a stunt in the bar that was just plain nasty, which made her more unlikeable. She was portrayed as a nice guy, so what she did didn’t fit with her personality. I can’t decide whether to be annoyed with her or with the author for making her do it, lol.
So, hm….quite a lot of complaints. Still, I would say this book is a solid 3—the writing is decent and the story is mildly interesting. I did want to see how Emma’s story ended. The book just didn’t grab me—and I won’t remember it.
If you liked When All Is Said, which is also set entirely in a bar, you’ll probably like this one. I gave that book just 3 stars, too. Both that book and this one are pretty popular, so I urge you to read other reviews. I’m once again the outlier.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
August 18, 2020
*4 + stars for me
What's most unusual about this book is the setting, a local bar in Upstate New York, where virtually all the action occurs in the course of one evening. Emma, the protagonist, relates the story through her opinions about what is happening in the bar while she thinks about her life and what came before this evening. It's definitely a tale of before and after, one of love and loss. 'To be alive is to be in pain.'
This is a character-driven story, during which some find ways to grow and forgive while others make life-changing mistakes. Transitions...life never stands still; change is inevitable.
I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I will look forward to reading more from Anna Bruno in the future.
What's most unusual about this book is the setting, a local bar in Upstate New York, where virtually all the action occurs in the course of one evening. Emma, the protagonist, relates the story through her opinions about what is happening in the bar while she thinks about her life and what came before this evening. It's definitely a tale of before and after, one of love and loss. 'To be alive is to be in pain.'
This is a character-driven story, during which some find ways to grow and forgive while others make life-changing mistakes. Transitions...life never stands still; change is inevitable.
I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I will look forward to reading more from Anna Bruno in the future.
July 16, 2020
3.5 stars
The work day is done and Emma is seated at the small town bar surrounded by the friends of her ex-husband Lucas. While observing their familiar banter, readers are given a peek into Emma’s memories. We learn she’s a hedge fund manager who met her husband on a blind date in the very bar in which she’s currently sitting and that she struggles with her definition of success thanks to a father who defined it by money.
As the night wears on and the alcohol continues to flow, Emma is spiraling quickly toward the one memory she wants to forget; the one that hardened her heart toward Lucas and changed her life forever.
Drama unfolds after hours and so does the past where we learn a heartbreaking truth and watch Emma make a choice between giving up and going on.
I’m struggling to rate this book. I read it quickly, which is a sign that I enjoyed it, but at the same time I never felt invested in the characters. It’s a family drama with a cast of small town characters that allow us to see their relatable flaws but I feel like we just scratched the surface in understanding their motivations. Emma’s story is heartbreaking but I didn’t connect with her until the last couple chapters. Ordinary Hazards is depressing and hopeful at the same time but I can’t help but feel I was kept at a distance from the characters that didn’t allow me to become immersed in their lives.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Ordinary Hazards is scheduled for release on August 18, 2020.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
The work day is done and Emma is seated at the small town bar surrounded by the friends of her ex-husband Lucas. While observing their familiar banter, readers are given a peek into Emma’s memories. We learn she’s a hedge fund manager who met her husband on a blind date in the very bar in which she’s currently sitting and that she struggles with her definition of success thanks to a father who defined it by money.
As the night wears on and the alcohol continues to flow, Emma is spiraling quickly toward the one memory she wants to forget; the one that hardened her heart toward Lucas and changed her life forever.
Drama unfolds after hours and so does the past where we learn a heartbreaking truth and watch Emma make a choice between giving up and going on.
I’m struggling to rate this book. I read it quickly, which is a sign that I enjoyed it, but at the same time I never felt invested in the characters. It’s a family drama with a cast of small town characters that allow us to see their relatable flaws but I feel like we just scratched the surface in understanding their motivations. Emma’s story is heartbreaking but I didn’t connect with her until the last couple chapters. Ordinary Hazards is depressing and hopeful at the same time but I can’t help but feel I was kept at a distance from the characters that didn’t allow me to become immersed in their lives.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Ordinary Hazards is scheduled for release on August 18, 2020.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
September 6, 2020
This is a novel about Emma. She is sitting in the Final Final, “a backwater townie shithole” bar in upstate New York. Each chapter is another hour spent in this bar as Emma introduces us to the past and present lives of each patron and employee of the bar and basically everyone she ever met, especially her ex husband Lucas. Emma has a Harvard MBA, as we are told many times. She has fled the city for small town life and has formed a very successful hedge fund with a partner. She is also a very successful author and travels constantly for her work. Lucas and his father operate a drywall business.
Although Emma is ostensibly telling the stories about those other people, it’s really all about her, because she is an inordinately self involved woman, but not a very likable or interesting one. She really didn’t deserve her husband, child or dog, and her business partner better watch out. I kept reading because it wasn’t until the end of the book that we find out what happened to her marriage, but this was all pretty dull.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Although Emma is ostensibly telling the stories about those other people, it’s really all about her, because she is an inordinately self involved woman, but not a very likable or interesting one. She really didn’t deserve her husband, child or dog, and her business partner better watch out. I kept reading because it wasn’t until the end of the book that we find out what happened to her marriage, but this was all pretty dull.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
August 13, 2020
This was a unique well-written story that unfortunately will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Why? Because it is a slow burn, character driven, set in one evening story of love, loss, regrets, hopes, and forgiveness, that will either grab the reader’s heartstrings, and pull hard or it will bring confusion and lack of understanding to what the ultimate goal of the story was. Luckily, I belong to the first group of readers, and I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly.
If you enjoy unique contemporary fiction, and you don’t mind slow reveals and less than perfect characters, this one is for you. This being the author’s debut novel, I am more than willing and excited to read her next book.
Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
If you enjoy unique contemporary fiction, and you don’t mind slow reveals and less than perfect characters, this one is for you. This being the author’s debut novel, I am more than willing and excited to read her next book.
Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 14, 2020
This book fascinated me. Basically it deals with a woman at a bar one night reflecting on her life and interacting with the characters who came into the bar. Sounds boring, right? It was far from it. This book kept my attention and I really enjoyed it. Filled with thoughts on loss, love, opportunities, ambition and home, Emma grapples with finding her way back to life.
The book was interesting and kept my attention. I was surprised to find this is a debut novel for Anna Bruno. Congratulations author, you wrote a great debut!
Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
The book was interesting and kept my attention. I was surprised to find this is a debut novel for Anna Bruno. Congratulations author, you wrote a great debut!
Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
January 6, 2020
Dear Readers - I am so excited this book is beginning to find its way into your hands. Thank you so much for your time and attention. I cannot wait to hear what you think.
October 25, 2021
Ordinary Hazards
is a powerful look at grief, love, and the ordinary moments that can define—and destroy—a life.
“You can worry all you want, but you’ll never predict the thing that will destroy you.”
It’s 5:00 p.m. Just an ordinary night. Emma is settling in for a night at The Final Final, her hometown bar. It’s a place that has had so much meaning to her through the years—it’s even where she met her husband, Lucas, on a blind-blind date. (Neither of them knew they were being set up.)
There’s something about a hometown bar. She’s surrounded by people she’s known for a few years, people who—in positive and negative ways—have been part of her life.
As she drinks throughout the night, and Lucas comes up in conversation periodically, she reflects on their relationship, their marriage, their life together. And throughout the night at The Final Final, tensions rise to the surface, old wounds are reopened, and discoveries are made, discoveries which could change everything.
This was a very good, emotional story which unfolded little by little. Emma isn’t necessarily the most likable character—she’s definitely a bit of a snob—but you feel for her as you realize what has happened to her.
The narrative structure of Ordinary Hazards is interesting in that it flashes between past and present, but not in a linear way. Emma remembers different moments, different incidents, so at times it was difficult to orient myself to where we were in the story. But the pull of the plot is still so powerful.
I remembered seeing this when it came out in hardback so I’m glad I picked it up. This was definitely one that left me thinking!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
“You can worry all you want, but you’ll never predict the thing that will destroy you.”
It’s 5:00 p.m. Just an ordinary night. Emma is settling in for a night at The Final Final, her hometown bar. It’s a place that has had so much meaning to her through the years—it’s even where she met her husband, Lucas, on a blind-blind date. (Neither of them knew they were being set up.)
There’s something about a hometown bar. She’s surrounded by people she’s known for a few years, people who—in positive and negative ways—have been part of her life.
As she drinks throughout the night, and Lucas comes up in conversation periodically, she reflects on their relationship, their marriage, their life together. And throughout the night at The Final Final, tensions rise to the surface, old wounds are reopened, and discoveries are made, discoveries which could change everything.
This was a very good, emotional story which unfolded little by little. Emma isn’t necessarily the most likable character—she’s definitely a bit of a snob—but you feel for her as you realize what has happened to her.
The narrative structure of Ordinary Hazards is interesting in that it flashes between past and present, but not in a linear way. Emma remembers different moments, different incidents, so at times it was difficult to orient myself to where we were in the story. But the pull of the plot is still so powerful.
I remembered seeing this when it came out in hardback so I’m glad I picked it up. This was definitely one that left me thinking!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
March 21, 2021
What an intense and moving story this book developed into! It brought up such strong emotions for me that I almost stopped reading. But I was so compelled by the characters it almost seemed I owed it to them to hear their story.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this free book in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this free book in exchange for my honest review.
August 14, 2020
Gorgeous, gritty writing, with so much emotion behind it.
The setting is one eventful night in a seedy local bar in upstate New York, as Emma examines her life and motivations for staying in a place she hardly belongs.
She is not a "local"- really, she just loved and lost one, which is why she can't leave.
Great character development, I fell in love with Lucas, didn't really care for Emma, but found her and rest of the bar denizens interesting.
I thought the flashbacks were the best part of the story, but the switch from past to present seemed a little too abrupt.
The narrative has been compared to "Ask Again, Yes" - it has the same raw emotion and unapologetic directness to the characters.
I struggled at the begining to stay focused because it seemed to be all about her and her problems, which I didn't think sounded so bad - she was from a privleged background, had a great education, was financially successful, had a wonderful, caring husband, a dog, a child, a house, everything - but the writing was so good.
The horrible loss and guilt everyone involved felt at the pivotal moment of the book and the climax of events at the bar really made it for me.
The setting is one eventful night in a seedy local bar in upstate New York, as Emma examines her life and motivations for staying in a place she hardly belongs.
She is not a "local"- really, she just loved and lost one, which is why she can't leave.
Great character development, I fell in love with Lucas, didn't really care for Emma, but found her and rest of the bar denizens interesting.
I thought the flashbacks were the best part of the story, but the switch from past to present seemed a little too abrupt.
The narrative has been compared to "Ask Again, Yes" - it has the same raw emotion and unapologetic directness to the characters.
I struggled at the begining to stay focused because it seemed to be all about her and her problems, which I didn't think sounded so bad - she was from a privleged background, had a great education, was financially successful, had a wonderful, caring husband, a dog, a child, a house, everything - but the writing was so good.
The horrible loss and guilt everyone involved felt at the pivotal moment of the book and the climax of events at the bar really made it for me.
August 30, 2020
For one night in a small town bar, this story unfurls as divorced Emma reflects on past tragedy and heartbreak while other bar patrons’ stories are being remembered in flashbacks. Emma’s authentic voice made me feel her grief and pain. Though I initially did not care at all for Emma, I was slowly drawn into the atmosphere of the bar and intertwining lives.
July 19, 2020
I see this becoming a big hit in book club circles. It's a relatively short book (only about 260 pages long), but its ~50-page chapters make it feel longer than it is.
September 14, 2020
Song/s the book brought to mind: Small Town USA by Justin Moore
Ordinary Hazards by Anna Bruno is a book about nothing and everything at the same time. It takes place over the course of just a few hours, but much of it is Emma reflecting on her life and how she got to where she is at this moment in the small-town bar The Final Final. I love how Bruno slowly unraveled Emma's past while also weaving in her present at the bar. There is a little bit of action which mostly takes place towards the end, but other than that not a whole lot happens. Usually I wouldn't necessarily like a book like this, but for some reason it just worked with this one.
The end of Ordinary Hazards is a real tearjerker and even though I knew it was inevitable, I still ended up shedding tears. I definitely think the pacing is slow, but overall it still moved at a nice enough clip that I wasn't bored while reading it. In fact, I didn't want to stop reading and I could have read it in one sitting if I would have had the time. If you like a good, character-driven slow burn then this is the book for you. It's an impressive debut and I can't wait to see what Bruno writes next!
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Ordinary Hazards by Anna Bruno is a book about nothing and everything at the same time. It takes place over the course of just a few hours, but much of it is Emma reflecting on her life and how she got to where she is at this moment in the small-town bar The Final Final. I love how Bruno slowly unraveled Emma's past while also weaving in her present at the bar. There is a little bit of action which mostly takes place towards the end, but other than that not a whole lot happens. Usually I wouldn't necessarily like a book like this, but for some reason it just worked with this one.
The end of Ordinary Hazards is a real tearjerker and even though I knew it was inevitable, I still ended up shedding tears. I definitely think the pacing is slow, but overall it still moved at a nice enough clip that I wasn't bored while reading it. In fact, I didn't want to stop reading and I could have read it in one sitting if I would have had the time. If you like a good, character-driven slow burn then this is the book for you. It's an impressive debut and I can't wait to see what Bruno writes next!
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
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