Love, Work, Children: A Novel

Love, Work, Children: A Novel

Morningside Heights, a Manhattan neighborhood sandwiched between Columbia University and the Hudson River, is home to an eclectic mix of academics, struggling artists, and rooted families. In this distinctive world, Peter Frankel, a successful partner in a prestigious law firm, lives a seemingly contented life with his talented wife and his two Ivy Leagueâ€”educated children.

Yet in middle age Peter finds himself discontent. His wifeâ€™s narrowness and her preoccupation with appearances leaves him cold, his job does not fulfill his creative bent, and he fears that his children, Susan and Louis, have grown into skeptical young adults who shun marriage and stability.

So when Peterâ€™s wife is badly hurt in a car accident and lies in a coma, he finds himself guiltily relievedâ€“and newly drawn toward his children as they too struggle with ambivalent feelings about the mother whoâ€™s never really shown them much love. As Susan, a cerebral doctoral student, becomes unhappily involved with an aspiring playwright and Louis is caught up in a futile pursuit of an ambitious journalist, Peterâ€™s own quiet life is shaken up, and longings he has stifled for years come rumbling to the surface.

Freed from his wifeâ€™s judgments, Peter throws himself into his greatest pleasure, the work he does for a foundation that funds offbeat artistic projects. And as his passion for this work ignites, so does his desire for another woman. But the stubborn morality that has steered Peterâ€™s life is a force to be reckoned withâ€“and one from which he may never entirely escape.

Love, Work, Children is a profoundly insightful novel about two generations and the colorful urban world they inhabit. A superb portrayal of one of New Yorkâ€™s exceptional neighborhoods, this is a story, ultimately, about the self-imposed obstacles to true happinessâ€“and a testament to the joy one can find in overcoming them.

From the Hardcover edition.

Country	USA
Author	Cheryl Mendelson
Binding	Paperback
EAN	9780375760693
ISBN	0375760695
Label	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer	Random House Trade Paperbacks
NumberOfItems	1
NumberOfPages	400
PublicationDate	2006-07-11
Publisher	Random House Trade Paperbacks
ReleaseDate	2006-07-11
Studio	Random House Trade Paperbacks

Love, Work, Children: A Novel

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