About book Emily & Einstein: A Novel Of Second Chances (2013)
I had more fun reading this book as it had a dog in it named Einstein. It sort of reminded me of that movie The Shaggy Dog from years ago when I was a kid. Linda Francis Lee did a splendid job writing this novel. The chapters flipped back and forth to when Sandy Portman was a real man and then he would turn into the dog, Einstein. I fell in love with both the human and the dog. I would say to you, "get to the library or bookstore" for a book that will amuse you to no end. I read this book for a book club. The premise looked promising: a young woman, Emily, is suddenly widowed when her husband Sandy is killed while on his way to tell her that he wants a divorce. He is then reincarnated as a dog whom she happens to adopt. The book is written in alternate sections from Emily's viewpoint and then from the dog's viewpoint. I found the book cute, amusing, and quite pat. Emily just happens to adopt this particular dog? Somehow, partway through the story she becomes able to understand the dog's barking? She almost immediately meets a handsome, charming, kind neighbor with whom she falls in love? I also found the characters unpleasant and unrealistic. Even in a fantasy, the characters should be believable. But the premise was appealing and Einstein was cute. And there were at times some wise observations on life.
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Although this book didn't grab me in the beginning, I really came to enjoy watching the main character's growth as she deals with the aftermath of her husband's death. The story and the characters - and their relationships - are deep and complex, and oh, so very satisfying. Set in New York, Emily lives in the Dakota and spends lots of time in Central Park. Magical places. She survives betrayal and one of literature's worst Mother-in-Laws as well as a visit from her younger sister. She also develops a relationship with Einstein, a scruffy white dog. I laughed and cried over this one. What a jewel.
—sendagi
Emily & Einstein is a charming tale of every different level of love we experience on a daily basis. In the beginning, the author has every reader despising the selfish, poor excuse of a man named Sandy Portman. While Sandy may never truly end up deserving respect, in the end readers will yearn for the chance to do better in their lives than he ever could. This novel reminded me of the truth I have always known to be true: humans would be enormously better characters if they took a lesson or two from animals.
—musashi
