The Woman Upstairs

By: Claire Messud

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Emperor’s Children, a masterly new novel: the riveting confession of a woman awakened, transformed and betrayed by a desire for a world beyond her own.

Nora Eldridge, an elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, long ago compromised her dream to be a successful artist, mother and lover. She has instead become the “woman upstairs,” a reliable friend and neighbor always on the fringe of others’ achievements. Then into her life arrives the glamorous and cosmopolitan Shahids—her new student Reza Shahid, a child who enchants as if from a fairy tale, and his parents: Skandar, a dashing Lebanese professor who has come to Boston for a fellowship at Harvard, and Sirena, an effortlessly alluring Italian artist.

When Reza is attacked by schoolyard bullies, Nora is drawn deep into the complex world of the Shahid family; she finds herself falling in love with them, separately and together. Nora’s happiness explodes her boundaries, and she discovers in herself an unprecedented ferocity—one that puts her beliefs and her sense of self at stake.

Told with urgency, intimacy and piercing emotion, this brilliant novel of passion and artistic fulfillment explores the intensity, thrill—and the devastating cost—of embracing an authentic life.

Could not put it down!

Enjoyed it so much! I can't believe this was the subject material that turned into a mini-storm over likable characters. Of course Nora is likable. And not likable. It's a brilliant portrait of a whole person, including a great deal of contemplation on the artificial nature of personal charm. Brilliant novel. I loved every minute.

Betrayal Defined

This is a book of complex themes that don't fully emerge until the last few pages. It is a book about self-imposed limitations and how those limitations can lead us into foolishness. But the author ultimately folds the limitations in on themselves until they become a way to break through. This is a fascinating book, beautifully constructed.

BOOORING

I read and listen to a lot of books but I rarely write reviews because taste is so subjective. I like narrater Cassandra Campbell but not for this novel. I picture a harder charactor with a harsher attitude. It comes off as a Hallmark movie of the week and I think it was meant to be deeper. More like Sundance Channel after hours.

Loved It!

I loved this book! Messud writes about themes that many people, especially women, can relate to: the female artist who sublimates her art for a mundane life and career, the middle age woman who feels invisible, the envy and longing for an exciting life and a feeling of belonging, the loneliness that can plague a single woman. Her protagonist, Nora, deals with all these issues. In many reviews I’ve read, the book has been criticized because of Nora’s passivity, her negativity, her poor choices in life, and her unreliability as a narrator. Although I agree that these things do describe Nora, they actually are the reasons that I loved the book. Why should Massud write about a “perfect” character? It’s Nora’s flaws that make for an interesting plot development.

Others have criticized the book for not having much of a plot. I totally disagree here, too. The plot is her developing relationship with the Shahid family and the build up of tension about an event to which Nora has alluded to in the beginning that will eventually bring that relationship to a crashing halt. I was mesmerized and could hardly put the book down until I read about the event and finished the book. “The event” is mind-blowing, and it makes the reader re-think all that has come before in light of it.

I found the idea of using Nora’s best friend, Didi, as a foil to be interesting. It is Didi who lets the reader know, if we were in doubt, how far off the mark Nora has gone in her life. As Nora checks in with her periodically, it is Didi who tries to put her back on track. This goes on several times until Nora decides not to confide in Didi any more. This is when we know that Nora has gone “off the grid”, at least emotionally, in terms of a rational response to the Shahids. That’s when it gets really interesting. There’s a lot to talk about in this book!!

Interesting, to a point

What made the experience of listening to The Woman Upstairs the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the story, for the most part. But I thought the ending was bizarre and not worth the journey. It left me with a sense that the woman upstairs definitely needs therapy.

Highly Recommend - Completely Engrossing

This book was so interesting and so good. I loved the character development and the ride it took me on. There are themes of obsession, betrayal, sadness, and what it means to sacrifice your dreams for a strictly sensible life. You probably won't like the main character, she is seriously crazy, but she is fascinatingly aware of her craziness. I clearly understood her and weirdly related to a lot of her confusion about the world. Her frankness and desperate need to reveal her story to the reader was an awesome experience. I listened to this book twice, back to back. It disturbed me and I wanted to make sure I really understood why. I also just wanted to experience the amazing writing a second time. The narrator is literally perfect, too. Highly recommend this book.

Inside and out will transform you

Be careful. This book packs a punch you may not expect. worth the time investment. Keep reading.

Beautiful portrayal of a women overlooked finding her own voice

This novel creates a beautiful portrayal of a women overlooked finding her own voice.

Well read by Cassandra!

A quiet, brave, cringey, fantastic listen

I'm astonished by the negative reviews--- have people not been affected by the plight of this character? No, she's not a likeable or entirely sympathetic character, but the story is incredibly empathic. I was deeply moved by it.

It does not have a fast-paced, ever twisting plot. It doesn't have lots of action. What this book offers is a gripping emotional tale of "friendship", delusion, hope and humiliation. It's one of those books you want to discuss after reading, to go back and read the beginning again. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

I wanted to shake the woman upstairs

Oh my gosh... book was good, but I wanted to shake her. She just just never took control of her own happiness. If it happened to her, she was grateful, but she missed out on so much because she wouldn't go for what she wanted. And honestly, I'm not sure what she wanted. The point of the story was that she didn't KNOW what she wanted. I get that - I suffer from it - but it was frustrating to listen to it.

You know how you can look at other people's lives and think, "I know what you need... you should do x...", but you don't know what you need for your own life? That's this book in a nutshell.