Customer Reviews

Emily and Einstein

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Emily and Einstein is an amazing book. I wasn't sure what to think when I started, but I haven't loved a book this much in a long time. It made me laugh and tear up. I cheered for Emily as she worked to turn her life around. I adored little Einstein with his man's soul who made me laugh out loud, and I fell in love with Max. It's a story about holding onto hope and finding redemption. It's about allowing yourself to fall in love with the right man when the wrong one keeps holding on. But mostly it's about a woman holding on to hope and faith, and finding herself. Emily and Einstein is an amazing, magical love story.

TJ

Rarely am I surprised by my reaction to a book but EMILY AND EINSTEIN was a novel that filled me with unexpected pleasure. What I was expecting was a quiet afternoon respite of fluff and fun. What I got was a multi-faceted tale of self-reflection and healing.

I will not relate a synopsis of this tale of a scruffy protagonist named Einstein and his mistress Emily. It might diminish your enjoyment. Suffice to say that this story is sometimes amusing and often poignant. Author Linda Francis Lee has managed to strike the delicate balance between fantasy and reality by giving her readers a thought-provoking look at flawed lives of her characters and posing some questions about second chances and the redemptive power of love.

Although the outcome of the story is predictable, many of the pithy observations about life are not. Who among us cannot relate to, "It is regret that kills, the if onlys that leave the mortal wounds" or "That's always the way with people - truth staring them in the face but they're unwilling to accept it."

Isn't it amazing that sometimes in life, if we are paying attention, we find our answers where we least expect them.

"Emily and Einstein" by Linda Francis Lee is the perfect book for book clubs looking for a light, fun read that is not too saccharine. Emily's husband is killed and comes back for a second chance-as a dog. And not a pretty, healthy dog. A mutt. The cast of characters does get a bit overblown, but Lee reigns it all in and makes a story that captivates. I think this is a fun, easy read for groups and a great read to throw in your pool/beach bag.

Sandy Portman is ready to finally tell his wife Emily that he wants a divorce. Before he gets that chance, he is hit by a car and dies. Sandy is granted a second chance, and his soul now resides in a dog, which is soon adopted by none other than his wife. Emily finds an odd comfort in the little white dog, which she names Einstein. Emily, an editor at a publishing house and volunteer at the animal shelter, needs comfort after her husband's untimely death. And even more comfort after she is being evicted from her family home. Sandy's family comes from old-money wealth, and even though Sandy promised her their home, he never got around to changing his will. As if that betrayal wasn't enough, as Emily is going through Sandy's office, she stumbles across numerous affairs her husband had while they married. Emily is devastated, and relies on Einstein to help keep her spirits up. She doesn't realize that Einstein is now her husband, who is being forced to watch the pain he inflicted upon his wife play out. Can Sandy help Emily move on from the mistakes that he made in his human life? Will it grant him a second chance, or will be destined to stay a dog forever- or simply fade away?

Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee was quite interesting. The book is written both in Emily and Einstein/Sandy's point of view, which I think was needed to understand both characters fully. While I loved Emily's character- a hardworking, faithful wife, good spirit, I truly hated Sandy. It was to the point where I almost wanted to stop reading because he turned me off so much. He took no regard for any of the mistakes he made, always blaming someone else- usually Emily- for the actions he took in life. It was disgusting. The ending saved this book for me though. Finally, towards the very last pages, Sandy appears somewhat remorseful for putting Emily through so much pain. If that hadn't happened, I'm not sure what I would have rated this book. While I disliked Sandy's character so much, I disliked a lot of other people in the book as well. I wished there would have been more, well, nicer, people being written about. But Sandy, his mom, Emily's sister, Emily's co-workers, boss, are all plain mean people. I know there are plenty of terrible people in this world, but to have so many in one book was a little overwhelming. At the same time, Emily and Einstein really made me think, about life, the people we share it with, and how to overcome challenges. If I focus on that, along with what I thought was a great ending to the story, then I did enjoy this book. You can see from my review that I was clearly on the fence, but I would recommend this read. See what you take away from the characters and their journeys, and I hope you enjoy.

They seem to live the perfect lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side; few obtain entrance let alone an apartment in the Dakota Building, but his family's old money provided the key. Sandy Portman is a businessman while his lover Emily Barlow is a book editor.

Their idyllic life together ends in tragedy as Sandy dies after being hit by a car. Even before he is buried, Emily learns her marriage was based on lies. Besides being evicted from the Dakota, she learns the vast duplicity of the husband she cherished. Before she can consider closure, she needs the truth as to who Sandy Portman was. Adopting a mangy dog she names Einstein due to his high intelligence as her companion, Emily begins her odyssey unaware that the mutt at her side is Sandy who cannot move on in the after life without atoning for his sins with his beloved whose soul is shattered further by what she learns about him.

Emily and Einstein is an engaging redemption tale starring a remorseful spirit-canine and a grieving heroine. The linear story line is fun to follow though lacks any shockers. Mindful of Spielberg's Always, fans will enjoy Sandy's efforts to save Emily's soul from the destruction he caused to her.

Harriet Klausner

I really loved this book. I thought the premise (with Sandy-as-dog) was funny -- and Sandy was definitely a really sarcastic dog. But it also had a lot of depth and in the end (I won't tell what happened) -- anyway, I cried. And I don't cry much in books. This was a great read -- kind of paranormal, there's a romance, a cute dog... loved it!

#7 Book Read in 2012

Emily and Einstein

Emily is a book editor. She volunteers at an animal shelter. Emily is married to Sandy, a businessman from a rich family. One night, Sandy dies in a car accident. He begs for a second chance and an old man gives him one, in the form of Einstein, the dog Emily saves from the shelter. Sandy begins this new journey selfishly, trying to figure out how to save himself. He eventually realizes that his true mission is to save Emily--from his vindictive mother, from her own depression, from her sister Jordan and truly, from his actions and treatment of her when he was alive.

This book was excellent. I was immediately sucked into it and cared from Emily right from the get go. I loved the dog Einstein and was glad to see Sandy's journey into what type of person he truly had been. This book had humor, romance and a sort of mystery to it. What would happen to Emily? Would Sandy be saved from an untimely death? Readers will want these answers and will not be disappointed in the book. I loved it.

I was sent this book to review by the publisher.

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Picked this book up at the library on a whim. I liked the cover! Never heard of the author or the book before seeing it at that time. I absolutely loved this book. Very different from your normal "dog" book. Inspiring, insightful and moving. Really tells you how good (and bad) people can be.

Put a picture of a puppy on the cover of a novel and you have me ooh-ing and aah-ing. Place a cute little white fuzzy terrier, on a bench looking sweetly back at me, on the cover of a book by best-selling author, Linda Francis Lee and I'm pushing ahead in line to make a purchase... just kidding, sort of!

EMILY & EINSTEIN ... A Novel of Second Chances, is Linda Francis Lee's latest novel about relationships, and once again they're broken down to their inner cores - the successful sister and the flakey one, the condescending mother-in-law and the slighted husband's wife. What Lee has done successfully in her previous twenty novels, she accomplishes in EMILY & EINSTEIN and will keep you up all night flipping the pages to the very end. She gets to the heart of the matter with her character's feelings and emotions and makes us care and think about them long after the novel has come to a conclusion.

Emily and her husband, Sandy Portman are beautiful and rich, they live a fascinating, sophisticated life in New York City's famous Dakota building on the Upper Westside.

One night on his way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over and Emily finds out she's being evicted from her apartment. But worse, she discovers it's her husband's family who is evicting her in her time of grief. On top of that, she discovers her marriage is a mountain of lies. Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was, what her life really is and all the same time having a sneaking feeling he's not really gone. Emily finds comfort in a loveable furry mutt she rescues from the pound and names the pup, Einstein. And into her life comes an unexpected gorgeous new neighbor. Can he help her navigate her way through this quagmire and help her find a new future?

Linda Francis Lee weaves a one of a kind love story that includes all the elements of great story-telling that you may recognize from her previous novels such as THE DEVIL in the JUNIOR LEAGUE and THE EX-DEBUTANTE. In her latest novel, EMILY & EINSTEIN, the characters have flawed lives, and they face questions about whether or not they deserve second chances, but in the end it's all about the redemptive power of love. Lee manages to strike a delicate balance between reality and fantasy to allow you, the reader to fully enjoy the entire delightful experience EMILY & EINSTEIN delivers.

So many people have fallen for Einstein, the cute little white fuzzy terrier on the cover and in the book, since the novel has been released that Linda Francis Lee has written Einstein's own special story. It turns out, Einstein sure loves the attention and he's quite the matchmaker, too! Einstein's story, "The Matchmaker: A Heroes and Heartbreakers.com Original" will be released July 12th on Amazon Kindle. The Pre-order price is $.99. Love is in the air! And once again, his cute little white fuzzy face is on the cover.

One more thing, EMILY & EINSTEIN is a perfect easy-read book for book clubs. You might want to check out Linda Francis Lee's Facebook Page.

I just finished reading Emily & Einstein and though I did like the book, I felt the description of the book was somewhat deceiving. Yes, Emily finds out her husband was unfaithful and that Emily is devastated but the description leads you to believe that this scruffy, cute dog Einstein is going to save the day. However, the book is mostly about Emily trying to get certain books published as an Editor at Caldecott books and that her and her Sister write a book about their infamous mother, who the author wants you to believe was a selfish, unfit mother but never really proves that point. The author never really delves in too deep to the actual marriage and demise of the relationship. She does talk through Sandys eyes about why he wasnt happy, but doesn't really describe it in such a way that the author understands the reasons. I was interested enough to keep reading but was disappointed that it did not meet up to the description of the book.