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jcm's review against another edition
2.0
No new ground here: rich folks with empty hearts are terrible people to be involved with.
The beginning of the book had promise. I was hooked and ready for some comeuppance. It took forever and a day to get there, and along the way I had nothing but contempt for George and his shrill mother CeCe. I also did not buy that anyone, let alone a woman like Iris could ACTUALLY be in love with George. It just didn't ring true. Perhaps if McManus had spent time giving us some backstory on George where he wasn't coming off as an over-grown toddler with rage issues, I might have been able to understand why Iris didn't bolt when George fell apart.
**SPOILER!!!**
The thing that will stay with me most about this book? That awful story CeCe tells Iris about her psychotic ex-husband and the ducks. It's kind of what I was wishing on George by the end of the book, but alas, the rich never fully pay for their crimes.
The beginning of the book had promise. I was hooked and ready for some comeuppance. It took forever and a day to get there, and along the way I had nothing but contempt for George and his shrill mother CeCe. I also did not buy that anyone, let alone a woman like Iris could ACTUALLY be in love with George. It just didn't ring true. Perhaps if McManus had spent time giving us some backstory on George where he wasn't coming off as an over-grown toddler with rage issues, I might have been able to understand why Iris didn't bolt when George fell apart.
**SPOILER!!!**
The thing that will stay with me most about this book? That awful story CeCe tells Iris about her psychotic ex-husband and the ducks. It's kind of what I was wishing on George by the end of the book, but alas, the rich never fully pay for their crimes.
myphairlady's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.75
mattmatros's review against another edition
5.0
This novel is: hilarious, unsparing, endlessly compelling, and about the most beautifully written book you'll ever come across. The voice of every central character is delivered in assured, precise, yet still surprising language; and the novel is completely at ease whether describing the intricacies of a drug trial, or the dress rehearsal of a spoiled rich guy's opera. I can't remember ever reading prettier prose, and I certainly can't remember such lush sentences offering such biting social commentary. This book deserves all the praise it's getting, and more. Well done, Sophie McManus!
jamread2021's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not really sure what to write as a review. I can't say that I liked any of the characters. The plot was okay yet I wanted to keep reading until the end. The ending was satisfactory. I read the book as part of a book club but missed the discussion. Perhaps the discussion would have helped.
harrietnbrown's review against another edition
2.0
I rarely give up on a book, but I quit on this one around page 80. McManus's clear writing talent is not put to effective use in this tepid and overly familiar story.
bibbo's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 rating for me. Well written debut that focuses on an aging heiress, her troubled 40 year old son, and the son's new wife. CeCe becomes ill and finds in more ways than one what money can and cannot buy. I've read several reviews on this site that complain about the unpleasant characters. I agree on the unpleasant, but found the characters to be fully formed and believable. My main complaint is that I found the last 1/4 or so of the story to be a bit rushed. Still, a worthwhile read. Recommend
luftschlosseule's review against another edition
2.0
Trigger warning
terminal illness
hospitalization
mention of rape, attempted rape
drug abuse
mental illness, esp. depression and paranoid shizophrenia
racism and sexism in nice guys
A philantropist heiress enrolls in a med trial as her symptoms worsen every day. She has to move to a hospital, far away, and can only hopes it's for a short time. That her son and his wife will visit her.
There is so much she doesn't know her family's life, but she will learn.
Thanks to the blurp I expected a whodoneit with an old family suddenly realising exactly how many corpses are buried in their basement. The crime they allude to hides itself on page 327, when I already lost hopes for the book but thought I might as well finish reading.
The characters are threedimensional and are mostly despicable in their own way.
If you want to read more than three hundred pages of people ranting and whining, this is the book for you.
I just feel cheated. This is not what I wanted, or was promised.
It was exhausting due to subject matter, because there was nothing that endeared the characters to me. I just wanted to get through as I realised what I am reading. Well, now I am.
hospitalization
mention of rape, attempted rape
drug abuse
mental illness, esp. depression and paranoid shizophrenia
racism and sexism in nice guys
A philantropist heiress enrolls in a med trial as her symptoms worsen every day. She has to move to a hospital, far away, and can only hopes it's for a short time. That her son and his wife will visit her.
There is so much she doesn't know her family's life, but she will learn.
Thanks to the blurp I expected a whodoneit with an old family suddenly realising exactly how many corpses are buried in their basement. The crime they allude to hides itself on page 327, when I already lost hopes for the book but thought I might as well finish reading.
The characters are threedimensional and are mostly despicable in their own way.
If you want to read more than three hundred pages of people ranting and whining, this is the book for you.
I just feel cheated. This is not what I wanted, or was promised.
It was exhausting due to subject matter, because there was nothing that endeared the characters to me. I just wanted to get through as I realised what I am reading. Well, now I am.
cmq22's review
4.0
Personally, I think this book deserves a better rating than it currently has on Goodreads. As other reviewers have noted, this book can be a tough one if you're not amply prepared for the themes it explores. I really enjoyed this book mainly I think because I waited to read it at a time when I was craving really beautifully written fiction set somewhere gorgeous - a family compound in CT along the Long Island sound - and was open to some darker themes and heavy focus on character development. I loved that each chapter held a different voice/perspective. McManus paints a rich picture with her writing, and through her storytelling, addresses some legitimately profound topics:
- What are the limitations of wealth? What can/cannot be fixed with money?
- Despite our best intentions, how much of our life remains out of our control?
- How do we react to failure?
- In the face of illness, death, and old age, how do we reflect on the life we've made and the legacy we've created?
- What are the limitations of wealth? What can/cannot be fixed with money?
- Despite our best intentions, how much of our life remains out of our control?
- How do we react to failure?
- In the face of illness, death, and old age, how do we reflect on the life we've made and the legacy we've created?