With two young sons, a failed marriage, a job as an emergency room nurse that leaves her feeling paralyzed and hopeless, and a relationship with a woman that has entered its final stages, thrity-five year-old Caroline Kelley is more than ready to change her life. Dr. Hannah Burke has seen almost everything in her long practice as a therapist -- and nothing Caroline can do or say can shock her. But as the therapeutic relationship between the two deepens and widens, Hannah finds old memories, desires, and despairs stirring, demanding recognition and resolution. What evolves and blossoms within these two women as they interact forms the basis for a novel that is candid, comic, erotic, ironic, unsparingly probing, and profoundly moving.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A triumph! Witty, acute, and compassionate....Alther has great emotional range. She can give you the hush of New Hampshire woods in the winter. She can get a sad smile out of you, [and] she can make you laugh. -- Baltimore Sun, Nov.11, 1984
Alther's genius as a novelist is her ability to capture and juxtapose the odd combinations of personality, gender, class, culture, family life and chance that shape human destinies.... Artfully counterpointing the feelings of client and therapist, Alther demonstrates the terror and comfort generated by the psychotherapeutic process....Her analysis of the failure of Caroline's relationship with her lover Diana is one of the most original, poignant and refreshing passages I've read about a lesbian relationship gone sour....Alther, like the fictional character of Caroline, has grown and developed as a novelist. By focusing her enormous energy and appetite on a single, subtle and deep relationship, rather than creating a complex universe of characters, she has produced an important and satisfying novel about the human psyche. -- Jane Futcher, San Francisco Chronicle, Oct.28, 1984
Rich, multi-dimensional, and thoroughly involving....Lisa Alther takes a quantum leap forward. -- Mother Jones, Dec., 1984 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Alther's genius as a novelist is her ability to capture and juxtapose the odd combinations of personality, gender, class, culture, family life and chance that shape human destinies.... Artfully counterpointing the feelings of client and therapist, Alther demonstrates the terror and comfort generated by the psychotherapeutic process....Her analysis of the failure of Caroline's relationship with her lover Diana is one of the most original, poignant and refreshing passages I've read about a lesbian relationship gone sour....Alther, like the fictional character of Caroline, has grown and developed as a novelist. By focusing her enormous energy and appetite on a single, subtle and deep relationship, rather than creating a complex universe of characters, she has produced an important and satisfying novel about the human psyche. -- Jane Futcher, San Francisco Chronicle, Oct.28, 1984
Rich, multi-dimensional, and thoroughly involving....Lisa Alther takes a quantum leap forward. -- Mother Jones, Dec., 1984 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From Chapter 1: One thing was certain: Working together all day and sleeping together all night had been too much togetherness. Especially for two nurses. Caroline and Diana fought constantly over who got to bring the other coffee in bed, who got to babysit the kids during parties, who got to tend a vomiting child in the night. Joan of Arc would have had to drive them both away to die on her own hard--won pyre. Jesus Christ would have found himself on Golgotha without a cross; one would have taken His place while the other stitched His wounds.
Their relationship wasn't working, they finally concluded, because each had an equivelant need to be needed. In relationships with men, each had been exploited to her heart's content. But with each other life was a constant struggle to outnurture. The cabin filled up with their greeting cards. Banks of flowers were always dying on the tables. Each put on ten pounds from the candies and pastries the other brought home, which were dutifully devoured to please the donor. During lovemaking each would wait for the other to climax first, until both lost interest altogether. They fought over who got the most burnt toast, or the lukewarm second shower. They would have fought to be the last off the Titanic, or the first off Noah's Ark. Eventually they were compelled to address the issue of what to do about two people in whom thoughtfulness had become a disease.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
Lisa Alther is the bestselling author of five novels, among them the critically acclaimed Kinflicks, and a family memoir, Kinfolks: Falling Off the Family Tree. She was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1944, one of five children in a close-knit family influenced by both its Southern and "Yankee" roots. After attending Wellesley College and working in book publishing, she moved to Vermont, where she began to write and raise her daughter. Alther currently divides her time among Tennessee, Vermont, and New York City.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't put it down,
By A Customer
This review is from: Other Women (Paperback)
One of the best books I have read in a while. I just couldn't put it down until I had finished it, and then I was sad that it was over. This book has everything: Humor, compassion, wisdom, insight, and great characters. It makes you think deeply about your own life and your relationships. The slow transformation of the main character Caroline is fascinating as she goes through therapy and takes a critical look at herself and her past. I have bought copies for all my friends to read and they all liked it just as much. If you tend to get depressed during the winter months, read this book as it may not only cheer you up but may also give you a fresh new perspective on your life.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily the best book I've ever read, and I've read thousands,
By Christy K "C. Kontz" (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Other Women (Paperback)
I love this book. I've read it numerous times over the years, yet the message is still relevant. The characters are so real, they feel like old friends. The humor is still fresh, and it never fails to have a "theraputic" effect on me. I highly recommend this book for any woman, but especially for any woman over the age of 21.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
essential reading for therapists,
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This review is from: Other Women (Paperback)
When people ask me for books to read in order to learn how to be a therapist or a coach I recommend this amazing book that allows you to enter the minds of two women, one a therapist and the other a client. Their thoughts about each other and the process they are going through is beautifully described and woven artistically into the seasons of a year.
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