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    Emily and Einstein: A Novel of Second Chances
    Emily and Einstein: A Novel of Second Chances
    Emily and Einstein: A Novel of Second Chances
    Audiobook10 hours

    Emily and Einstein: A Novel of Second Chances

    Written by Linda Francis Lee

    Narrated by Dan John Miller and Cassandra Campbell

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    He was a man who didn't deserve a second chance...but he needed one.

    Emily and her husband, Sandy Portman, seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies.

    Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was...all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. And what if he isn't? Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future-even after she meets a new man?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 9, 2011
    ISBN9781452670355
    Emily and Einstein: A Novel of Second Chances
    Author

    Linda Francis Lee

    Linda Francis Lee is a native Texan who now lives in New York City with her husband. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University, a former Texas Debutante, and once competed for the Maid of Cotton crown. (It seemed like a good idea at the time.) After serving on a very real New Projects committee, she became a seriously seasoned Junior Leaguer. She is the author of several romance novels, which have been nominated for numerous awards, including the prestigious RITA.

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    Reviews for Emily and Einstein

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    179 ratings27 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I almost put this book down at the beginning but I decided to go on a bit and see how the story developed. I’m so glad I did!
      I was drawn into the story. The narration was great, I very much enjoyed everything about this recorded book!
    • 5/5
      Men if you have a wonderful women at home cherish her or truly miss out on what’s right in front of you.
      As a man to have read this I loved this book good eye opener.
    • 5/5
      My third book by Linda Francis Lee.
      I really enjoyed it.
      I hope she more book in the future
    • 5/5


      Loved it! Was told about this book, but put off reading it. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.
    • 3/5
      Alexander “Sandy” Portman dies in a tragic accident. He pleads with “the old man” to not let this happen, and so he comes back … as an old dog, which his widow, Emily, adopts and names Einstein. If Sandy is to get to a better place he – as Einstein – has to find a way to help Emily move on. Interesting premise, mediocre execution. Much of the drama was over-the-top ridiculous, including the tortured memories and soul-searching. On the plus side, it was an entertaining and quick read. I was captured by the story and enjoyed it as a kind of break from more serious reading. A little cotton candy every once in a while, never hurt anyone.
    • 5/5
      Lee writes what I need in a novel every now and then....a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, plus sub-plots..and this one had a sweet, sort of, clever idea. I guess I still have a couple of questions at the end having to do with Sandy....the dead husband--we are left to wonder---Emily has a plan, but just where DID he finally go???
    • 3/5
      Emily and Einstein is a light romance about a selfish husband given a second chance to deserve his wife's love. Sandy Portman lives for his job - and the power it brings him - often pushing his wife, Emily, to the back burner. Then one day in a snowstorm, Sandy is hit by a car. Not ready to die, he blindly agrees to the terms an "old man" offers him for a second chance. Next thing he knows, Sandy is a dog named Einstein in the shelter at which Emily volunteers. Then, Emily adopts him, and that's when the real complications begin.Meanwhile, Emily has lost her husband, is on the verge of losing the apartment she loves, and then finds a stash of Sandy's journals - mostly filled with his exploits with other women. Her life is unraveling quickly, and it's starting to effect her career at a publishing house. She needs help, but has nowhere to turn, except her new canine companion, Einstein.Emily and Einstein is overall an average novel - some parts I enjoyed and others I didn't. The parts I liked the most were the ones involving Emily's job as an editor for a book publisher. I enjoyed the insight into that industry - the stress, the pressure, and the joy of giving a new author a successful start.I didn't like that Lee tried to layer the story too much with subplots and complications that made the novel too convoluted. For example, Emily's late mother played substantially into a subplot involving mother/daughter relationships, feminism, and childhood pathos. Likewise, at Einstein's insistence, Emily takes up running and decides to enter a marathon - Sandy's goal in his early life before a leg injury made it impossible. Add to that Emily's new, younger love interest, a young, flighty sister, and a cranky mother-in-law, and it's simply too much to squeeze into a short novel, especially because Lee tries to explore the respective angsts of each of these peripheral characters.Formatting wise, I took issue with a couple of things, too. For the record, the copy I read was "advance uncorrected proofs", so I don't know how the final formatting played out. In the ARC, the narration switched between Einstein/Sandy and Emily, which is fine, but the formatting was a bit too thorough in trying to make those transitions clear. Before each section, a full page divider listed the name of whomever the subsequent narrator would be and the font changed depending on which character was narrating. Add to this that the two characters had vastly different narrative voices, and the overall effect was overkill. We don't need both different fonts and labels. One or the other is helpful at the beginning of the novel, but as the novel progresses, we really don't need either.My final thoughts: a lot of people will find something they like in this novel, but few people will like everything. If you're looking for something light and a bit different, you might give Emily and Einstein a chance. Otherwise, you won't miss much if you pass.
    • 3/5
      This is a story of loss and finding oneself after a loss. Emily is widowed after 4 years of marriage and adopts a dog in the shelter after her husband dies in an accident.Her husband has come back in the form of the dog, Einstien.
    • 5/5
      Reviewed by KateReview copy borrowed from libraryFor some reason, I have been putting off reviewing this book that I have given 5 stars! I actually would love to be able to sit down and read it again, it was so good, with a good message, too (see favorite quotes below). However, writing a review for this story would give it away, I think. If you have read any of the other reviews, you will know what happens (but I won’t be the one to tell you!). I loved Linda Francis Lee’s Devil in the Junior League and found it hilarious! This story, however, is a little bit different. It is more poignant, a little sadder, but with a happy ending. Emily is widowed only after four years of marriage. She is devastated, as she thought she had the perfect marriage. However, it turned out the night that her husband was killed in a freak accident on the streets of New York, that he was on his way to divorce her. Emily had no idea that the situation was at this point…the separation. In her grief, she rescues a dog whom she calls Einstein. There are some very funny antics with Einstein (like the box of Lucky Charms), plus Einstein has issues of his own. He is trying to make sure that Emily moves on in her life, but it is rather difficult for him to do as he is in a dog’s body. Emily works in publishing and has an immediate supervisor who is out only for herself, to include taking credit for Emily’s latest find in the book world. Throw on top of this Emily’s younger, and flighty, sister who comes to stay with Emily after her husband dies. Her sister needs money, so she tries to convince Emily to buy her book that she is writing on their ‘famous’ mother, Lillian Barlow, a feminist. Emily is doing all she can to hold her life together. She is trying not to get sacked at work when they bring in a new president who is known for turning failing businesses around. She is trying to keep her apartment that her husband promised her, but has to fit his mother and lawyer to try to keep it. Emily is also trying to figure out what to do with her younger sister, who seems to want to do anything but write the book she proposed in the first place. Did I mention the hot Navy SEAL who lives upstairs? This is a story of loss, finding oneself, helping others, a snobbish dog with weird tastes in music, and running a marathon. It was very well written and beautifully paced. There are several twists to the story, as it is written alternately from Emily’s and Einstein’s view point. Read it, before it’s too late! Read it, and learn their story! Quote: "It is regret that kills, the ‘if onlys’ that leave the mortal wounds. In order to live a life truly worth living you had to have strength in the face of adversity, patience when confronted with challenge, and bravery in the face of fear."
    • 4/5
      On his way to meet his wife for dinner and ask for a divorce, Alexander "Sandy" Portman is killed in a car accident. As penance for his snobby, rude, malicious and disdainful personality when he was alive, a higher power places Sandy in the body of a little ugly dog name Einstein. His mission: save his widowed wife, Emily, from herself. If he succeeds, he will get what he always wanted: he will be great. If he fails, he will fade away to nothing. But this task is complicated by the sudden entrance of his unruly and irresponsible sister-in-law, his determined mother trying to evict Emily from their apartment, her job as an editor jeopardized on more than one occasion, and the realization that she is living all his dreams that he never could accomplish. Can Sandy as Einstein overcome his selfish ways and help his grieving wife? Or will his stubborn and childish attitude keep him from seeing the truth? This is a journey into the life of two very different people as they discover who they really are in the wake of a tragedy. I read this book fairly quickly. It started off a little slow at first then picked up pace and then slowed in the middle before finally finishing strong. Some of the story line and the characters were unrealistic but the story is entertaining nonetheless. I thought that it was a reasonable punishment for Sandy to be forced to help his wife. He had begun to dislike her and it seemed fitting that the very person that he directed much of his unprovoked anger toward, he had to help. Talk about karma. I liked how Sandy's self centered,I'm-STILL-in-charge-even-though-I'm-dead attitude stayed the same at the beginning. But then he has a few epiphanies about his situation that seemed really out of character. It would have made sense if they were gradual realizations. I also liked that Sandy/Einstein was a near perfect foil for Emily's character who was extremely kind and almost had an innocence about her. She is relentless and strong where Sandy was scared and weak. While he tried to hurt her, she lived to love him. She was brave in the face of Sandy's death where he denied it and mourned his new furry face. As for the ending, it wrapped up neatly although I'm not all convinced that Sandy would have done a complete one-eighty. Then again they say tragic events can be life altering. It would have been nice to see some more of Max, that sexy and sweet ex navy SEAL. All in all the story was really cute but lacked comic relief. There wasn't any suspense or action. It was a simple, quiet, easy read.
    • 3/5
      Husband dies and his soul takes up residence in a dog. Wife mourns husband, but he was a bit of a jerk anyway. Husband tries to redeem himself, but it's difficult when you're just a dog and can't talk or write, and are still a jerk at heart.I didn't like this book very much. Probably because there wasn't much "dog" in it -- after all, the dog was really a man, and not even a likeable one. I didn't like the wife much either; she was so passive about important things, but pulled off amazing feats without trying that hard (couch to marathon in a few months???).
    • 4/5
      Emily Barlow is an editor at a small, New York publisher and she loves her job. She’s dedicated to her authors, her publishing house, and her husband. Her husband, Sandy Portman, is, however, not so dedicated to their life together. After two years of marriage, Sandy wants a divorce. On the night he plans to drop his ultimatum, he dies in a car accident caused by a small dog outside of the animal hospital where Emily volunteers. Refusing to believe he could be dead --- nothing happens to Sandy Portman he doesn’t want to happen --- he strikes a deal with the old man who comes to take him away into the nothingness. He can go back but he must help Emily. Sandy, wanting nothing more than to go back and believing he will eventually return to his own body, takes the deal and finds himself in the body of a scraggly, ugly dog named Einstein. Insulating herself in a bubble of grief and disbelief, Emily makes it through the funeral in a fog waiting for Sandy to walk through the door and for the nightmare that has become her life to end. She stops by the animal hospital to check on the dog Einstein she spent her last bit of savings to rescue, and in a fit of grief, she takes the dog home and attempts to make a life without Sandy. Unfortunately, nothing is simple for Emily. Her job security crumbles in front of her eyes, her former mother-in-law wants to evict her from the apartment she shared with Sandy, and her sister, who has a tentative grip on reality, shows up on her doorstep needing a place to stay and money. For a few weeks, the only thing that tethers Emily to life is the dog Einstein and even he seems not to care too much for her at first. Months pass before Emily can find her footing again, and in the process of understanding who she is and what a sham her marriage was, she begins to understand a mother and a sister she always thought too distant and different, finds out she can still love, and family is not always so worrisome. While Emily is a likable, if grief stricken character, Sandy is not. He’s loathsome as a person --- cheating on his wife, running away from any bit of difficulty in life, and throwing money at everything --- and when he becomes Einstein (don’t worry this happens very early in the book, no spoilers) you revel in the fact he’s now an ugly dog. He’s still arrogant, believes himself the one scorned, and even though he was not a great husband to Emily, the divorce he wanted was really her fault in the end. Sandy reneged on promises he made to her, like deeding Emily the apartment so his mother couldn’t evict her, and was the type of person you feel sorry for and disgusted by at the same time. He was so wrapped up in who he was he never even took a moment to look at the woman he married. As Einstein, he comes to appreciate Emily; more than he ever did as a man. I will admit up front this book is out of my normal genre range but I will also admit to enjoying it quite a lot. One thing you need to keep in mind is that this is a book about second chances and pretty much everyone gets that second chance here but if you’re willing to look past a small bit of predictability, Emily and Einstein is a fun read. There are several stories that intermingle and while I would have liked to have learned more about certain characters and their pasts, you don’t really get that but you get enough to know who the people are and appreciate the role they play in Emily’s life. She grows in the course of grieving for her husband and while it doesn’t seem much at first, the new life she creates for herself surprises even her. It’s a feel good story and there’s nothing wrong with that. Also, I’m a sucker for any story that has a lovable, if ugly, dog in it. Einstein plays the part well. If you’re looking for a fun Saturday afternoon read, Emily and Einstein is that book. The book was provided to me by the publisher.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this charming tale. Emily, a talented editor falls for Sandy - a beautiful, wealthy, spoiled snob of a man when he dares her to fall in love with him. Emily unfortunately doesn't know this about her husband until she notices her marriage is started to fail and hears rumors of his many affairs. Before Sandy can do the deed and ask for a divorce he is killed in a car accident. He is infuriated that he is dead! How can this be? A man as fine as he has too much left to do in the world! He manages to make a deal with 'an old man' who appears at the time of his death who offers to give him a second chance. Sandy jumps at the chance and suddenly things go black. When he wakes up again he is horrified to see that his consciousness is now housed in the body of a scruffy mutt named Einstein. Adopted by Emily and thinking that he will use this time to take a vacation in a dog body, he is quite surprised over time to find that he is not going to get his human body back like he thought. He is prompted by 'the old man' to help Emily - who does desperately need help. She is being evicted by her mother in law and her job performance is not up to snuff. He is told that if he helps Emily he will move on to greatness! And for the shallow Sandy this becomes his motivator. He does not perform particularly well, he is jealous of his wifes success and talent, and blames others for anything that goes wrong. He has lived his life without honor and he is just learning this now that he is a dog. But in his quest towards 'greatness 'he has personal growth, does indeed help his wife and does find the answers to what he's be looking for his whole life.I loved Einsteins voice - it is sarcastic and funny and I loved the way he could not stop himself sometimes from doing the base things that that dogs do naturally, that Sandy finds so deplorable. Emily was a delight as well. She is charming, trusting, imperfect and completely lovable. Too bad Sandy didn't realize this while he was alive, he would have been a lot happier. I give this book 4.5 stars. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      Sandy, Emily's selfish, rich, and unlikeable husband, get smooshed to death early in the book, the result of a little, ugly, old dog running into the street near him. The rather cranky Old Man gives him a chance to redeem himself by coming back as a dog, Einstein, and making up for his human shortcomings. Softhearted Emily adopts Einstein, thinking he is just an injured stray who needs a home.Sandy is a really slow learner. Even as a dog, he is selfish and manipulative, and cares for pretty much nothing but getting his human body back. Emily is sweet and too good to be true but I couldn't help but like her anyway.This is not a girl-and-her-dog story. Other than being trapped in a dog's body, there is nothing dog-like about Sandy/Einstein. It is a story about relations, regrets, and possible redemption wrapped up in a feel-good novel. I especially enjoyed the characterizations of Emily's free-spirited and irresponsible sister, Jordan, and of her cold and calculating mother-in-law, Althea. The author doesn't make them just stereotypes but shows us why they are the way they are. This is a fun read, great for entertainment but also with something deeper to take away if you care to.Thank you to the publisher for giving me an advance copy of this book for review.
    • 4/5
      I was pulled into this novel effortlessly. I loved and related to Emily, a woman whose perfect exterior belies her self-doubt. Sometimes she was portrayed as a bit of a pushover. She always seemed to be let down by those she loved but she was able to persevere and come out on top! Her husband, Sandy, was easy to hate. But it is Einstein who surprised me the most – a dog who is perhaps more than a dog, a dog who must also make an inner journey to find redemption at the end. Scrappy, irascible, and often charming, Einstein is a dog which readers will not soon forget. I found him genuinely humorous at times. I loved that a bit of New York history was thrown in as a backdrop to the book. I also liked the quotes at the beginning of each paragraphs from her “sister’s book”. The premise of this story requires a little imagination at times but if you can get past that you will genuinely enjoy this book that focuses on hope and faith.
    • 2/5
      Trite, sappy, and in general not worth reading. I rarely can't finish a book, but this one made me put it down after I struggled half-way. Dead husband reincarnated as dog? Not a bad idea (although done better elsewhere) but sheesh, this is not worth the time.
    • 5/5
      Emily Barlow has always had high expectations of herself, something she has borrowed from her feminist mother whose belief in the strength of women was notorious. Emily’s job as a senior editor leaves little room for mistakes. She forges into life with a positive energy, and ignores the cracks in her marriage to Sandy Portman, a handsome and successful business man whose stunning good looks do not go unnoticed by other women. So when Sandy dies unexpectedly in a tragic accident, Emily is surprised to find herself floundering. Even worse, she discovers that Sandy is not all she thought him to be. The last thing she needs in her life is a scruffy dog, but she cannot resist saving Einstein from being euthanized at the dog shelter. Little does Emily know, but Einstein is also not all she thinks him to be – he is much, much more.Emily and Einstein is a joyous novel of second chances, redemption, and inner strength. Who among us has not longed for a chance to right a wrong? Or have one last moment with someone before they are lost to us? Or to be given the opportunity to live our dreams? In Linda Francis Lee’s latest novel, the characters are given the chance to do all of these things. In alternating points of view between Emily and Einstein, Lee takes the reader on a journey which is part fantasy, part reality. It is a look at how we reconcile our pasts and come to terms with death, and an exploration of faith and the enduring power of love.I was pulled into this novel effortlessly. I loved Emily, a woman whose perfect exterior belies her self-doubt and who must not only mend her relationship with her sister, Jordan, but come to terms with the faithlessness of her husband. But it is Einstein who surprised me the most – a dog who is perhaps more than a dog, a dog who must also make an inner journey to find redemption at the end. Scrappy, irascible, and often charming, Einstein is a dog which readers will not soon forget.Lee’s writing is engaging, funny, and ultimately uplifting. If a criticism can be made, it is perhaps in how flawlessly all the pieces come together and how no one seems to question Einstein’s abilities which are far beyond what any dog should be able to accomplish. Readers will have to suspend reality to fully engage in this novel – but, those who are able to do that, will be rewarded. For me, believing in Einstein came easily.In case you have not already figured it out, I thoroughly enjoyed Emily and Einstein. Rarely do authors manage to weave together a story of hope and joy which doesn’t sound sappy – but Lee manages to do just that. This novel is a treat from the first sentence to the last.Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Please don't say, "oh another dog book" on this one. Please don't think the plot sounds like it's already been done. To do so would rob you of the magical writing style of Linda Francis Lee and a unique story that takes place in the book publishing world.I truly want no spoilers in this review for the next readers benefit. The chapters change between characters. Emily Barlow is a 32 yr old jr. editior trying to make her way in the book publishing arena. She is married to 38 yr old Sandy Portman who unbeknownst to himself is just trying to find his way in life. Sandy is from a well bred family that is "financially fortunate". He is intelligent, handsome with a ton of charm and is clueless of the harmful mistakes he is making. Emily and Einstein was filled with thought provoking lines that struck cords with me."More than that, I had been jealous of the faith she had in something beyond what I had the ability to see". Strength in the face of adversity, and living with honor are taught through the use of a mysterious, little wiry haired dog. If you can relate to this line: "It is regret that kills, the if onlys that leave the mortal wounds". Then pick up this book and see where the feather falls.
    • 4/5
      As I was reading Emily and Einstein, I found myself thinking, "Haven't I seen this story as a movie, already?" No, not quite this story, but other stories of men who make up for less-than-stellar lives by inhabiting another body or being and trying to make things right. In Linda Francis Lee's case, she's done that plot in a fairly well-written, competent way. Sandy, a wealthy man, falls in love with Emily, a good and competent woman. Sandy proceeds to let his wife down and is getting ready to leave her until he dies and makes a deal with an old man to be transferred into the body of a dog which Emily will then adopt. I liked Emily's character, despite the fact that I wanted her to be smarter about her husband and "wise up". I couldn't stand Sandy, which was, I suppose, the intended effect. Unfortunately, I couldn't really start liking him when I was supposed to. Oooops. Still, it was an entertaining book, written well enough that I didn't mind finishing the book. I still think Emily could've done better, but then, I think the same thing of most of my friends, as well.
    • 3/5
      I have mixed feelings about this book. It was not at all what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a nice, light read about a woman who finds comfort in a dog after the loss of her husband. While this is the case, there is so much more to it. To be honest, I hated this book at first. It took me a really long time to get into it, and I mean a REALLY long time, maybe 200 pages. The only reason I kept reading after page 20 was because I really hate to give up on a book. But it did pick up towards the end, and I finally found myself caring what happened. The main problem I had with the book, other than the supernatural elements that I was not expecting, was the characters. I absolutely hated Sandy, the husband. I honestly wanted to throw the book away when it was his chapters because he was just so rude, arrogent, and such an a**! I had no interest in what happened to him. I had almost the same feelings for Emily, the wife. I just couldn't connect with her either. But as the story progressed and more characters were thrown into the mix, I started to enjoy the book more. Perhaps if I had known the point of the book before I picked it up and not expected something else I would have enjoyed it more? I think that may be true. Then again, I still didn't care for the characters, so who knows. I did like it more towards the end, and I liked how the story ended.
    • 4/5
      Emily Barlow lived in the shadow of her feminist mother and against her mother’s beliefs gave love a try. She met and fell in love with handsome Sandy Portman who came complete with wealth and pedigree, then a tragic accident makes her life spiral toward devastation and pretty soon she’s questioning the choices she’s made.Sandy Portman had it all, a wife who adored him a posh Central Park apartment, a job with his family’s firm, a family with prestige and the prosperity that came with it. He comes to find out through divine intervention that he is not all that he thinks, and he finds himself given another chance to make things right but little does he know that this chance will come with complications, complications that he may not be able to overcome.Linda Francis Lee has this little story to tell, she tells it with humor, with pain and with intense feelings that her readers will experience all of plus a few more as they read this incredibly touching, amazingly thought provoking tale. She tells it with a narrative that mixes whimsy and prose and her plot gives her audience a very It’s A Wonderful Lifesque feel to it complete with angels and consequences. But it’s her characters that steal the show and they run the gamut from wickedness to pure of heart. Her protagonist Emily is a woman that any female can identify with from any walk of life because we’ve all at one time or another experienced a form of her pain. Her other star is Einstein, and what a star he is, you have this complex, complicated and huge personality stuffed inside this small wiry dog. And the magic starts the very first time the author relays the dog’s thoughts and words and how she got into that perspective is just one part of the mystique of this wonderful story. Her co-stars are a booklover’s dream team and they are portrayed in such a way as to really intimate them to you as a reader. It’s a love story on so many different levels, it’s a romance, it’s a coming of age again tale, it’s about new beginnings and restitution and about moving on and leaving the past behind. But most of all it’s about faith and it’s about hope.
    • 4/5
      I received an ARC of Emily Einstein and fell in love with the cover. I know you can't judge a book by it's cover, but this book was so good, just as good as the cover! The story is a bit different from anything else I have read. I found myself hiding in my room, away from my kids, so I could read this book. I just had to know what was going to happen to these characters.This is a great read and will really make you think about what happens after we die. It isn't a deep, philosophical book, but you can't help walking away wondering.
    • 4/5
      I received a copy of Emily and Einstein as a part of LT Early Reviewer’s Program, and I think I enjoyed it as much as any book I’ve received so far (it’s my eighth). I’ve been debating whether to write my review with a spoiler or not. Maybe both.Emily and Einstein is about a woman, Emily, who is married to a wealthy man, Sandy, who allows her a life in Manhattan in which she gets to live in a fabulous apartment in The Dakota. But all is not as it seems, and on the night in which he plans to ask for a divorce, he is killed in an auto accident, and in the same accident a small white dog is injured. Emily ends up adopting the dog, and the dog helps her to put her shattered life back together. The book alternates viewpoints from Emily’s to the dog’s, and it is very touching. We learn about what had gone wrong with the marriage, and of course Emily finds someone new (partially with the help of Einstein) and all is well in the end. It’s well told and I enjoyed it, but, be warned, I enjoy almost anything with a dog in it, so if you don’t share this predilection, you might not be as enamored.Now SPOILER ALERT. Don’t read any farther if you don’t want to know the gimmick. And don’t read any of the reviews below which are not so courteous. ;)Through metaphysical magic, the husband, Sandy, has his body, at the moment of death, transformed into the body of the dog Einstein, for reasons between him and the “old man.” He is given the task to “help Emily” if he wants not to “fade away into nothingness” since he obviously had not none enough for her in his life as Sandy. So the dog chapters are not just written from the viewpoint of the dog, but from the viewpoint of the former husband. I usually don’t like books in which everything is not thoroughly possible, so had I known this, I may not have picked up this book (the jacket blurb gives not a hint). But the author makes it work. It’s charming, and I suggest you try it. You will shed a tear at the end.
    • 3/5
      I loved the premise of this novel: Sandy dies and is "reborn" into the body of a dog (Einstein) who is then adopted by Sandy's wife Emily. Emily discovers that her husband has been unfaithful to her, but never doubts that he truly loved her. Sandy thinks that by helping Emily get through this and other challenges he will be restored to his former self, although this was never actually promised to him. My main problem with the book is that it's never clear whether this is fantasy that teaches us how to live, or serious reflections on what makes a good marriage, a good mother-daughter relationship, or a good life. I never really understood what changed for Sandy, why Emily continued to believe in the goodness of her husband despite much evidence to the contrary, nor if she understood who Einstein really was. A good idea, but somewhat disappointing in its execution. The Art of Racing in the Rain is a much better story told from a dog's point of view.
    • 5/5
      Once upon a time, there was a woman named Emily. She was naive. She met Sandy and fell in love and married him and never realized.. or I should say she refused to see what was in front of her.. that Sandy was a bad husband and a horrible person. Sandy didn't even realize this about himself... until he was dead. Upon his death, Sandy strikes a deal with the "grim reaper" of sorts. The deal is: he gets a second chance, but under the Grim Reaper's terms. The grim reaper's terms: Sandy must fix things from the body of a dog. As the Grim Reaper so bluntly states: Sandy was a dog as a man. Things are just being reversed.What follows is a tale full of heartache, anger, and realization. Heartache because Emily must find herself again. She's struggling in her job, falling into a slump of depression. What she had with Sandy... wasn't. Anger because as the book unfolds, it becomes appalling to the reader how Sandy treated Emily. And even as Einstein, he's a jerk sometimes, thinking thoughts of hate and jealousy. Sandy had numerous affairs, made Emily pay for stuff just to be spiteful (She isn't the wealthy one), and even in his death is denying her their very own home. Realization because I felt this book really makes one look deep into their own selves. I found myself pondering why we, humans, treat people the way we do sometimes. The narrative goes back and forth between Emily and Einstein (Sandy) and I thought the dog's parts were superbly done. -Instantly, I was set upon. Noses up my hindquarters, muzzles in my face. Good God Almighty. "Back off," I barked.-I put up with the attention as best I could until an overly amorous poodle tried to have her way with me. I had dated models more discreet that that blasted poodle. So really what was I supposed to do? I turned on the went and snapped at her.I have one quibble with this book: Too often, Emily is a pushover, especially with her sister, Jordan. I couldn't stand Jordan. If I had a sister like that, I would check myself into the nearest orphanage.However, with Einstein's help, Emily just may get her life together... Can she run a marathon? Save her job? Find love? Keep her apartment? Forgive Sandy? All with the help of a dog....
    • 5/5
      This one definitely deserves 4.5 stars. I received an arc of 'Emily and Einstein' from Librarything. This is a wonderful novel of second chances. The main characters are Emily, her husband Sandy and Einstein. I love dog stories and Einstein is one special dog. The book is released on 3/1 and I highly recommend reading it.
    • 2/5
      This is the story of Emily and her husband, Sandy, a shallow charming type who decides he is tired of her and wants a divorce. En route to meet Emily for dinner, and tell her that the marriage is over, Sandy gets into a car accident and dies. Then his soul passes into a white dog named Einstein, whom Emily adopts.The writing was competent, but it was just too cutesy, superficial and Hallmark-esque. It lacked the biting satire and keen wit that made The Devil in the Junior League such a hit.