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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
This book had a lot of really bad reviews, but i actually enjoyed it. Is there much of a plot? No not really. Is it mainly about rich people being annoying? Yes. But i didn’t get bored reading it and i found it kinda funny. I would say 3.5 stars.
In ‘Pineapple Street’ Jenny Jackson relays a story about obnoxious excess and old money, but fails to say anything more profound. Is anyone else seriously distressed by some of the elements in this novel? For instance, one of our protagonists Sasha is assaulted by her obsessive ex, she breaks up with him, but her family continues to welcome him into their fold- a fact she (rightfully!) resents. But then she later forgives him, based on her own experience being made to feel like an ‘outsider’ in her husband’s family. Something about that storyline is just extremely upsetting and unsettling. And what is with the fact that the only people of colour in this novel are paragons of virtue, with no identifiable flaws in sight? Was Jackson afraid to make them real people? For a novel whose purported goal is to call out the obscenely wealthy, overall it was tone deaf.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
“People could change. People could evolve. Who was she to hold him to some strict moral standard?”
Thank you to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!
This is a book I remember seeing everywhere and finally got around to it. While it’s a messy family drama which I usually love, this book unfortunately had some insufferable characters and didn’t feel like it was cohesive.
The story is told from the perspectives of three women in the well-connected and wealthy Stockton family. Two are daughters and one a daughter-in-law. They’re all dealing with unique challenges and the book itself feels like this peek behind the curtain of how the rich live. There are some really funny moments and some brief introspections from them, but overall it doesn’t feel like very much happens. The book is trying so hard to comment on rich people and their lives, but in reality it ends up saying nothing.
I think this had so much potential, which is what made this kind of a bummer. It’s obvious that by the end the characters have apparently changed in their approach to having so much money, but we don’t get to see this growth. So many parts in the middle felt slow and like they just dragged on. We’re supposed to see them grapple with their wealth considering the state of the world, but specifically with Georgiana, the youngest daughter, it feels so strange. Even when she talks about giving away her money, she still has a massive inheritance and her virtue signaling doesn’t feel meaningful. At least the mom owned who she was and didn’t apologize for it.
The audiobook is done really well, though. It’s narrated by Marin Ireland, and she does such a great job. My issues with the book are in the overall story not feeling like it had a clear trajectory. It really wants to say something about old money, but it ends up saying nothing.
Three stars only because I finished it as I had not much else to do on a long plane flight.
Had high hopes after this book topped my local Libby search and was disappointed. Didn't really feel like much happened, characters were too slow to develop or development seemed too forced. Not super exciting and not really quite sure what the point was here.
Had high hopes after this book topped my local Libby search and was disappointed. Didn't really feel like much happened, characters were too slow to develop or development seemed too forced. Not super exciting and not really quite sure what the point was here.
A family drama, with 3 POVs. Darley, the oldest Stapleton sibling, Georgiana, the youngest sibling, and Sasha, who is married to Cord, the brother to Darley and Georgiana. The book focuses on Sasha, who grew up middle class and now married into wealth. She lives in the house the Stapleton kids grew up in, and although it’s rent-free, she can’t make the home her own. She is very much treated as the outsider to the family. There are lots of family dinners and drama. It’s entertaining, but not life-changing.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dialogue and characters were sort of boring at the start, but the further into the book they became more interesting...in ways. Wasn't a bad book but also wasn't a good one.
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes