Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander
Product details
Web ID: 1525579912 reviews
Thought Provoking
This was a fascinating glimpse into the life of Meredith, who hasn’t left her house in over a thousand days. As the story develops, albeit pretty slowly, you learn why she hasn’t left and about her life in general. It’s sad and heartwarming at the same time. The way Meredith has managed to cobble together a life without leaving the house is commendable, especially after all that’s she’s been through. I almost gave up on this story a few times and I’d be lying if I said that I was glad I didn’t. I got through it and enjoyed it enough but it wouldn’t have been my first choice.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The puzzle pieces of Meredith’s life
“For better or for worse, life can change in a matter of seconds. People take their first and last breaths. Cars crash, planes plunge into oceans. The healing process after decades of hurt can begin with a simple gesture. Or a question: ‘Are you all right?’” When we meet Meredith, she hasn’t left her home for 1,214 days. Fred, her cat, is her constant companion. Her only visitors are the Tesco delivery man, Sadie (her best friend) and Sadie’s kids, James and Matilda. Meredith spends a lot of her time working on jigsaw puzzles. “I’ve been collecting boxes filled with places I’ll never go - works of art I’ll never see.” Meredith doesn’t have any contact with her mother or Fiona (Fee), her older sister. It’s complicated. On day 1,215, Meredith meets Tom from Holding Hands. On day 1,219, Meredith meets Celeste, AKA, CATLADY29. “My life is divided into before and after, and the before remains out of my grasp.” Over the course of just over 300 days, the puzzle pieces of how Meredith’s before became her after come together. I binged this book in a day and enjoyed getting to know Meredith and the people who found their way to her front door. What struck me most was how vital the people around Meredith were to her, giving her the connections she needed and the safety to both confront her past and grow beyond her limitations. A lot of social issues are explored in this book, many of which have the potential to be quite confronting. While their inclusion made sense in the context of the story and individual characters, some deserved more page time. While I spent the book cheering Meredith on, sometimes her wins felt like they came too easy. Yes, she did work hard to achieve everything she did. Considering what her life looked like when we met her, though, I would have expected her recovery to be more two steps forward, one step back than it was, over a longer period of time. Meredith can cook for me anytime she’d like. I love when books teach me new concepts. Oubaitori comes from kanji for four trees that bloom in spring: cherry blossoms, plum, peach, and apricot. 桜梅桃李 While each blossom looks similar, they bloom differently, with varying shapes and smells. Oubaitori applies this concept to people. “In Japanese philosophy it’s the art of never comparing yourself to others, but recognizing value in your own unique character.” Content warnings are included on my blog.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wonderful story of healing and self-discovery
Meredith Maggs has not left her home in over 1,214 days. She is content with her life in that she works remotely writing and is part of an online therapy group. She loves jigsaw puzzles, reading, baking, keeping her house clean, and spending time with her cat, Fred. A man named Tom from a charity group starts stopping by once a week and they enjoy chatting and sharing some of Meredith delicious baked goods. He is trying to encourage her to take the baby steps needed to get out into life. Meredith has a long-time friend named Sadie who has two children whom Meredith enjoys being with. Soon, Meredith meets Celeste on a online support group and they become fast friends. She grew up with her sister, Fiona, and her single mother who treated her cruelly and with disdain. But something devastating happened to Meredith that led to her fear of leaving her home and to an estrangement from her sister and mother. As we follow Meredith, we find that she is actually a lot stronger than she thinks. She is also a very good friend and compassionate woman. At the beginning of the story, I thought we would be reading about a woman plagued with all kinds of neuroses but that so not the case. I ended up loving Meredith and wishing I had her for a friend. A delightful book of self-discovery and healing. Enjoy! Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Story of Re-entering the Crazy World
Meredith, Alone was a predictable read but was fast paced and kept me entertained. Initially I did not guess Meredith's whole story, but the clues pointed in that direction pretty quickly. I never love different timelines in a story, but the plot and characters were easy to follow. The characters were limited due to Meredith's lifestyle and reappeared in large part regardless of what point in her life we were. I found Meredith, Alone worth the time it took me to read and would recommend it to those looking for a light romance that almost mimics a covid era story but does not go that route. Instead the book deals realistically with common mental health issues that many readers could identify with on some level. Thanks to Goodreads Giveaways and Grand Central Publishing for getting this ARC of Meredith, Alone in my hands.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hard hitting in so many ways
Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander Narrated by Freya Mavor Meredith, Alone takes place in the present day but goes back into the past often. The past is presented in a nonlinear manner, often triggered by something in the present day. I enjoyed the way the story was told, allowing my mind to prepare itself for the things that happened to Meredith to have her not leaving her home for over three years. Meredith isn't living a "normal" life now. She'd worked outside of her home once and actually saved enough to buy her own place. She'd dated, had a boyfriend, went to the pub with friends, but all that changed after a terrible thing happened to her. Still, things weren't really okay for Meredith before that terrible thing happened. Her childhood experiences had already taken so much from her. Just wait until you meet her mom, actually you don't want to meet her mom. But Meredith isn't totally alone. She has her cat Fred and her best friend, Sadie. There is also the guy who delivers her groceries. There is her new friend Tom McDermott from Holding Hands who has started visiting her once a week, just to listen, do jigsaw puzzles, and talk. Plus the online support group where she meets a new member, Celeste. And we can't forget Meredith's online therapist. She really isn't completely alone. But she is trapped in a way that she hasn't been able to escape. Slowly, as Meredith lends support to others and they lend support to her, she takes the tiniest of steps to open her door and consider venturing outside. There are setbacks and there is progress. But this is very hard work because it requires facing what had happened in the past, putting blame where it belongs, and removing blame from where it doesn't belong. It requires a kind of self care that takes chances but can reap benefits. This story is hard hitting and difficult to take in at times. But it has hope written all over it and I think the ending is perfect. Meredith gets to go at her own pace and that's the way it should be.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Many Triggers.
There are many trigger warnings in this book. However, here are the ones that I think would affect the most people: Self-cutting, rape, thoughts of suicide, and parental abuse, among other things. Did I love this book? No, I can't really say I loved it. I personally couldn't connect with Meredith, but perhaps that is because I'm not a total agoraphobic. (just a little!) This book also left me a bit depressed. However, I found some of the secondary characters a little unbelievable, and the conclusion was a bit abrupt. I can admit that this is a very important book and seems to have been well-researched. It was gripping, and the manner in which it was written was interesting. Sort of like a journal with flash-backs added in. I do admit that I couldn't put it down, but again, I didn't love it. It was a fascinating look into the life of an agoraphobic and her struggle to leave the house. Isn't it fascinating that the ease of computers makes it so easy to be agoraphobic? *ARC supplied by the publisher Grand Central Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fantastic book
4.5 stars rounded up This is a fantastic book. After reading the synopsis and content warnings, I was worried it was going to be sad or give me anxiety. But the author does a wonderful job bringing you into the life of Meredith Mags. Meredith hasn't left her house in 1,215 days. A traumatic event and an unstable childhood has sent her to stay at home. A remote job, grocery delivery, online support group, and a best friend have kept her safe. I loved the advice that Meredith's therapist gives her. I'm also impressed by the health care system and the group Helping hands sending volunteers out to people who may need friendship. As an American that baffles my mind and makes me jealous.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Top-notch Blend of Friendship & Family Fiction!
Meredith Maggs is a one-of-a-kind character whose current world encompasses the inside walls of her home. She hasn't left her nest in 1,215 days and she's perfectly happy right where she is, doing all the things she normally does every day. There are reasons why Meredith hasn't gone through her front door to the outside world in over three years. Let's call them: 'Meredith Reasons'. I love the fact that the synopsis of this book on Goodreads is short and sweet. It tells you as much as you need to know and that's the best way to begin reading this story. It's told in a dual timeline of Meredith's present life and her past. The present is periodic daily-life snapshots covering her relationships with her friends, her family, and her cat, Fred. The past slowly revisits her family life and the occurrences that brought Meredith to her current status. Meredith's story is heartbreaking. It will make your heart hurt and you'll want to reach out and give her a big hug! As you read, you're sure you've discovered everything there is to know about her, and then the author creates another layer of 'Meredith Reasons". Oh, my heart! Through all the darkness of Meredith's story, you learn that it is also an inspiring one. She has supportive friends who keep in contact with her, visit her, encourage her, and care about her struggle. Then you learn the most remarkable thing of all about Meredith, that she's also helpful and supportive to each of her friends. She's hopeful, compassionate, welcoming, and steadfast. Yes, Meredith is incredible! A satisfying read with well-developed characters to either 'love' or 'love to hate', scads of socially relevant topics, and an ending that gives promise to new beginnings and hope for the future, offers forgiveness, understanding, and a deeper meaning of friends and family! I highly recommend this book to those who love character driven stories like I do! 4.25 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Claire Alexander for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com