Alexandra, Gone

I loved Alexandra, Gone. Reading the blurb, I had expected the book to be dark and with a greater focus on forensics because of Alexandra's disappearance. Instead, I entered this world of Jane, her sister Elle, their friend Leslie, their new friend Tom, and the rest of Jane's off-kilter family. Getting to know these people, what and who they love, their vulnerabilities and hopes, and their stories and strengths was full of laughs and surprises. In Jane, Elle, and Leslie of Alexandra, Gone, Anna McPartlin created such warm, witty, and fleshed out characters that the book reminded me of close friends that I miss. Despite the tragedies that occur, the book celebrates life and friendship. I highly recommend Alexandra, Gone to someone looking for a witty, unusual, and upbeat read. ISBN-10: 1439123330 - Paperback Publisher: Downtown Press; Original edition (April 13, 2010), 368 pages. Review copy provided by the publisher.

I really liked this book. The title would suggest that it is about Alexandra, and it is to an extent. But the real story involves the other characters and what they go through while trying to find Alexandra. Really the character Alexandra is just a catalyst to pull all of the other characters together. Not to say that Alexandra isn't part of the plot, because the entire book revolves around finding her, but she's not part of the main stories. This book reminded me a bit of a Maeve Binchy novel. Even before I read the author bio, and realized that McPartlin also lives in Ireland. I guess it's a similarity in Irish authors, but luckily Maeve Binchy is one of my favorite authors so being similar to one of her books is a good thing (at least in my opinion). The writing is similar and the dialect is the same. While this story doesn't have a Binchy style happy ending it is still very similar. There was really only one character that I connected with, and that was Leslie. I too have lost family to cancer, and like Leslie am scared every time I go to the doctor that they will find something. Even though I didn't really have a personal connection with the rest of the characters I still liked every one of them. Jane is the levelheaded one. She keeps everyone else "in line" so to speak. Elle is the one that adds drama and excitement to the story. Tom is the one we all want to feel sympathetic for. The rest of the characters help the plot along, but I didn't really feel anything for them. They were just kind of there. The writing was very good. It was humorous, touching, and romantic. Everything in the story was believable. I didn't feel as if any of the characters were fake, and the dialog was real. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming. And while I knew how the story would end I didn't expect it to take the path it took to get there. Overall this was a great book. I liked the characters, the plot, and the writing. It's very readable, and I think I could read this again.

Alexandra, Gone is sadly beautiful. It is the story of four people who get trapped in an elevator and end up coming together because of the missing Alex. Jane had lost all contact with Alex after Alex went away to college while Jane stayed home to raise her son. So it was quite the shock to see her old friend's face on the missing poster. (This is a truly great scene. Jane has a panic attack on the stopped elevator so Tom tries to make a poster resemble a paper bag for Jane to breathe into.) From there Tom, Jane, and the other two (Jane's sister Elle and a woman who offers her website services) form bonds as they search for Alex. But there's more than just the search for Alex as each of the three women have their own issues and Tom struggles through life without his wife. By the end I had shed a few tears for these deeply moving characters. I am particularly haunted by an early childhood memory of Elle's.

Alexandra,Gone written by Anna McPartlin w takes place in a Dublin suburb and is about how two families cope with the disappearance of Alexandra who one day just disappears. Of course her husband Tom is the automatic suspect but as the story progress's you realize that this is not the case. This contemporary story jumps from character to character which makes the story flow together. The story is sad and at the same time humorous. The main character Jane (who was a childhood friend of Alexandra's) trys to be the rock in her family, raising her son without the father and running a gallery and managing her sister Elle's career. She also has to deal with their always drunk and cantankerous mother Rose who lives in a basement apartment in her home. When an elevator breaks down she finds herself with Alexandra's husband Tom and ends up helping, along with Leslie (a fellow passenger in the elevator who has demons of her own) in the campaign to find what happened to Alexandra. Tom has done whatever was needed to try to help find his wife to no avail. His in-laws have had a tough time with their daughters disappearance but go on with their daily lives the best they can. This is a story of love and loss,new friendships and old, and how family dynamics can affect each member of that family. Underneath this often downright funny novel is the dark shadow of what really happened to Alexandra, (this would be a spoiler so I won't say). This was a fast read and I enjoyed it very much.