The Opposite of Love (Hardcover)

by Julie Buxbaum (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Harvard law grad Buxbaum makes an appealing debut with this tale of Yale law graduate Emily Haxby, eager to break through the emotional and professional ties that bind her. It's like you get pleasure out of breaking your own heart, best friend Jess tells Emily after her bustup with her doctor boyfriend. But Emily isn't through self-destructing; she also implodes over her fast-failing Grandpa Jack, from whom Emily learned everything... about life; chilly relations with her lieutenant governor father, Kirk; and a precarious career as a litigator defending big, evil corporations for a Manhattan law firm. This single-gal-in-the-city finds her white-knuckle hold on life and love slowly slipping as it dawns on her that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's emptiness. Grandpa Jack and his retirement home pal, Ruth, help steer Emily to a soft landing, but the big disappointment is that the resolution is far less interesting than the unraveling that precedes it. (Jan.)
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Review
“In the character of Emily, Julie Buxbaum has created the quintessential motherless daughter: a woman who longs for the comfort of intimacy, yet fears its permanence. The Opposite of Love is a brilliant examination of loss, romance, and the jagged, imperfect, utterly realistic way we fall and stay in love. A stunning debut.”—Hope Edelman, author of Motherless Daughters

"You’ll want to keep reading all night.”—Library Journal, Starred Review

“A witty, touching debut novel rich with emotional truths. Women everywhere will relate to Julie Buxbaum's thoughtful, young heroine and her journey of loss and love.”—Emily Giffin, author of Love the One You’re With

“Gripping, wise and extremely refreshing. I loved it.”—Marian Keyes, author of Sushi for Beginners and Angels

"Buxbaum makes an appealing debut with this tale of...[a] single gal-in-the-city [who] finds her white-knuckle hold on life and love slowly slipping."—Publishers Weekly


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Dial Press; 1 edition (January 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385341229
• ISBN-13: 978-0385341226
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #282,718 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS!, March 26, 2008

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: The Opposite of Love (Audio CD)

Perhaps it's a sign of the times. There have been several young heroines lately who would seem to have it all, but really don't know what to do with it. In brief, such is the case with Emily Haxby. She's an attractive not yet 30-year old woman with a great job at a prestigious Manhattan law firm and a wonderful boyfriend, Andrew, who is about to pop the question.

What more is there for her to do other than say yes and go bridal gown shopping? Emily can't quite manage this. In fact, when she learns that Andrew is about to propose she surprises us.

"Today, I break up with Andrew in a restaurant that has crayons on the table and peanut shells on the floor. A drunken young woman in the midst of her bachelorette party, wearing little more than a cowboy hat and tassels, attempts to organize a line dance. I realize now that I should have waited for a better backdrop."

Does that seem like a rather flip way to recount the way she dismisses the man who loves her? Emily isn't being flip - she is simply confused. Does she truly love Andrew as she once thought she did? How can she really know? Is her job fulfilling despite a lecherous boss? These are he questions that plague her.

It's not long before Emily begins to wonder whether or not she's made the worst mistake of her life in letting Andrew go. As a best friend tells her - it's like you take pleasure in breaking your own heart.

So begins Emily's journey to find herself, the person she is, the person she wants to be. There's scant help from her father with whom she has had a distant relationship since the death of her mother. And her beloved grandfather is suffering from Alzeimer's. However, Emily is a strong young woman and she seeks answers, sometimes looking in the wrong places, but eventually making happy and satisfying discoveries.

Ariadne Meyers, star of TV's Kate & Allie, offers a splendid voice performance as we hear of Emily's trials and triumphs.

- Gail Cooke

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A terrific read from a new author, February 10, 2008

By	Shawn S. Sullivan (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Opposite of Love, by Julie Buxbaum, is a terrific read. It is really an emotional book that goes to the edges of feelings and relationships. At times humorous it its own raw honesty, at times sad as her protagonist, Emily Haxby, struggles with discovering her self, one in which she is capable to put herself in a position to love, that is, a position of vulnerability. It seems that every reader these days likes to pigeonhole books into various and sharply defined genres. Perhaps they would call this "chick lit". Or "coming of age". I would caution against such categorization and say this book, while far from being "deep" is clearly a fun read. Call it a summer read and bring it to the beach or the lake this summer. I, for one, am glad Ms. Buxbaum decided to take a risk as a writer. She is off to a fine start.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A universal tale told with a unique & clever voice., March 9, 2008

By	V. Lynford (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An intimate portrait of a thirty year-old woman's reclamation of self, Julie Buxbaum's novel "The Opposite of Love," is as moving as it is fun to read. The book is an unabashed tale of an everyday girl, protagonist Emily Haxby who tackles self-doubt, abandonment and the cobwebbed skeletons that are in all of our closets that we rarely let out for people to see. Emily works hard to reconstruct her identity and it is her earnest inner voice which all along charters her progress that lies at the core of this book's narrative.

What really makes this story worthwhile is that the author strikes a perfect balance between wit and poignancy. No small feat... At times I found myself laughing out loud. Often actually! And other times I found my eyes welling with tears cause the author was able to so deftly capture a moment or a relationship with the perfect word choice or descriptive feeling. Thank you Ms. Buxbaum, for sharing your unique and fresh voice, I look forward to reading more of your work in days to come.