I enjoyed this book tremendously, maybe because I could both laugh at, and identify with, Emily's old lady ways. There was a poignancy to each chapter - how lonely, sad and inconsequential Emily's life has become - sad because I invite people to highlight all the little moments that we too easily allow to slip by. Emily doesn't seem to treasure these gifts in time, she tolerates them.

On the other hand, Emily is valiantly making her way in the world as a widow. She gets up each morning and participates in life as best as she can. And while the reader can see humor and irony, most of it is lost on Emily.

The truth is, I very much enjoyed this book, but I didn't take Emily as my role model. Stewart O'Nan is a new author to me and this book is apparently part of a trilogy so I'm playing catch-up. I have ordered the other books and can't wait for them to arrive so I can fill in my own knowledge gap about Emily. She's an intriguing character even if I don't want to be like her (and so often already am!).