Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.22 AVERAGE
3.22 AVERAGE
I liked this a lot. Ruby was a complex and interesting character, and Lee Conell finds shades in Ruby's father and Caroline as well, elevating them above mere archetypes. (Andy and John, I'm afraid, are mostly archetypes.) The milieu is vividly depicted, and the novel was well-paced. Highly recommended, and Lee Conell is a writer to watch.
meh. started off well enough but the pattern of how something made the character remember something else was tedious. And what was detailed was boring and what you wanted to know about was skipped.
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
2.5
I like the premise a lot, and the execution barely at all.
Also can we not have like 5 entire freaking pages about one fart?
I like the premise a lot, and the execution barely at all.
Also can we not have like 5 entire freaking pages about one fart?
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
Parasite in a New York apartment building! Conell gives us a class analysis told through the lens of Martin, the super who lives in the basement, and his daughter Ruby, who has moved back in with her parents. The book takes place over the course of a single day in which Martin is haunted by the voice of a dead, anti-capitalist tenant, and Ruby becomes aware of the weight of the disparity between herself and her longtime friend Caroline, who lives in the penthouse. Ruby's actions throughout the day mostly made me cringe but they were also entertaining, especially in retrospect, and I loved Martin and his quest for successful meditation and lack of delusion about his place in the scheme of the apartment building.
Parasite in a New York apartment building! Conell gives us a class analysis told through the lens of Martin, the super who lives in the basement, and his daughter Ruby, who has moved back in with her parents. The book takes place over the course of a single day in which Martin is haunted by the voice of a dead, anti-capitalist tenant, and Ruby becomes aware of the weight of the disparity between herself and her longtime friend Caroline, who lives in the penthouse. Ruby's actions throughout the day mostly made me cringe but they were also entertaining, especially in retrospect, and I loved Martin and his quest for successful meditation and lack of delusion about his place in the scheme of the apartment building.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Here we have a book that is unique and quirky and unlike anything I've ever read before. It's a 'day in the life' story set at a New York City apartment building where you have a cast of endearing, yet sometimes irritating characters. Martin is the building's superintendent who is struggling with the challenges of his work and is using meditation and mindfulness to cope. Then we meet his twenty-something daughter Ruby, who has just moved back home after college and is trying to figure out her next step. Debra is Martin's wife and Ruby's mother, and she's a Librarian who is off to a conference and not present during most of the novel. Then there's a bunch of side characters, including Caroline, John, and Andy - oh wait until you meet Andy.
The writing is detailed and descriptive - after all, the whole 300 pages are set over one day. This is a character-driven book, and the author takes a dioramic approach to storytelling. There are parts of this book that truly shocked me with their absurdity, yet I will remember this book with some fondness.
I'd recommend this book to literary readers who appreciate character-driven novels that are unique and 'day in the life'-esque.
The writing is detailed and descriptive - after all, the whole 300 pages are set over one day. This is a character-driven book, and the author takes a dioramic approach to storytelling. There are parts of this book that truly shocked me with their absurdity, yet I will remember this book with some fondness.
I'd recommend this book to literary readers who appreciate character-driven novels that are unique and 'day in the life'-esque.
"I am interested in the way dioramas generate stories while sidestepping traditional narrative forms of rising action and conflict. Instead, the diorama form immobilizes and captures a moment we recognize as part of a story larger than the form itself."
Lee Conell's THE PARTY UPSTAIRS follows a day in the life of Martin and Ruby, a NYC building super and his twenty-four year old daughter. Through the day we get flashbacks to Ruby's childhood as the daughter of the super and best friend of the girl in the penthouse, and the tension that creates for Martin. The entire day is a look at class dynamics that builds to a fateful event that will change the lives of everyone involved.
This book is a quick and immersive read for readers who loved the feel of NORMAL PEOPLE and want fiction that tackles the challenges faced by the middle class. The structure reflects Ruby's love for dioramas, which was a fun twist on the slice of life style and made me very interested in dioramas by the time I was done.
Content warnings for overt classism, the debt crisis, sexual assault, gaslighting
Lee Conell's THE PARTY UPSTAIRS follows a day in the life of Martin and Ruby, a NYC building super and his twenty-four year old daughter. Through the day we get flashbacks to Ruby's childhood as the daughter of the super and best friend of the girl in the penthouse, and the tension that creates for Martin. The entire day is a look at class dynamics that builds to a fateful event that will change the lives of everyone involved.
This book is a quick and immersive read for readers who loved the feel of NORMAL PEOPLE and want fiction that tackles the challenges faced by the middle class. The structure reflects Ruby's love for dioramas, which was a fun twist on the slice of life style and made me very interested in dioramas by the time I was done.
Content warnings for overt classism, the debt crisis, sexual assault, gaslighting
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No