Book Lovers

“I’m the city person. Not the one who meets the hot farmer. The other one. The uptight, manicured literary agent, reading manuscripts from atop her Peloton while a serene beach scene screen saver drifts, unnoticed, across her computer screen. I’m the one who gets dumped.”

From the outset, Nora announces herself as an unconventional romantic heroine. The shortness of the sentences indicates that she is aligned with rationality over emotion, as befits “the uptight city woman.” For the reader’s amusement, she also possesses an accessory—a Peloton—that is expected for this stereotype. However, Nora’s self-deprecation and humor gain our sympathies, as do the facts that her work ethic and preference for city life get her dumped.

“That’s the thing about women. There’s no good way to be one. Wear your emotions on your sleeve and you’re hysterical. Keep them tucked away where your boyfriend doesn’t have to tend to them and you’re a heartless bitch.”

As Nora thinks about how both she and her more emotional mother have been criticized for their contrasting way of handling feelings, she draws attention to the sexism inherent in a patriarchal society, which stereotypes and labels women in addition to pitting them against each other. The idea that “there’s no good way” to be a woman indicates her sad acceptance that she will be criticized regardless of what she does.

“Mom used to say New York was a great place to have no money. There’s so much free art and beauty, so much incredible, cheap food. But having money in New York, I remember her saying one winter as we window-shopped on the Upper East Side, Libby and I hanging on to her gloved hands, now that would be magical.”

Nora’s mother’s view of New York is an unconventional one, as before she acknowledges its being an expensive city where the luxuries of life can be experienced, she celebrates the ways it can be enjoyed on a budget. The ideas of free art and beauty and superlative cheap food focus on the city’s accessible bounty.