Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Pineapple Street

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Literary fiction about the Stocktons, a wealthy New York family, as they grapple with their identities and issues of class and personal happiness.

What you have to understand about this book is basically nothing happens. It’s slow and character driven and heavily focused on rich people’s problems. If you don’t like those vibes, you probably won’t enjoy the book.

But if you DO like those vibes (and I very much do), then you might LOVE this one (and I did). The audio narration, by the incomparable Marin Ireland, was outstanding, and I was so entertained the entire time. The characters really grew on me, and I’m actually sad that I’ve finished the book and I can’t just go and check in on them. If you want a slower moving, but deeply engaging, character driven read, then this is definitely one to pick up.

CW: Death/grief; mental health; drug/alcohol use

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juliedaffodilly's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Pros:
I love character driven novels. I loved getting to know Sasha, Georgiana, & Darley. They were compelling and well thought out. The Brady twist completed gutted me. There were many twists and turns and long standing consequences to these actions that felt real. Well done.

Cons: It wrapped up way quicker than anything unfolded. I loved the way it all shook out but I do wish each characters last chapter was given a bit more weight to the joy of the changes.

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leenzreadz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

It is an easy read and you can finish in a day or over a weekend, but I'm not sure who the target audience is. If it's the 1%, more specifically old money families, as a mirror to themselves and satire on their life then so be it. Otherwise it is not very relatable and the characters were unlikable. I found it quite tone deaf even when the characters had feelings/experiences that would make them more relatable. Not a fan, unfortunately, but if folks like to escape reality and imagine having "rich problems" this is the one for you.

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ariana3's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked this! Even though it wasn't a complex or deep read (I guess that would be a "beach read"?), I found it to be entertaining and I enjoyed reading it! About a rich family of 5 and the dynamics each family member has with others (family, friends, etc.). Each chapter is told by a different member of the family, and how wealth plays into it also.

I hated Georgiana as a character at first, but she came around towards the end. I always liked Darley and Sasha!

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bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was an entertaining read. I admit that going in i had expected something more substantive, but i think the story was well executed for what it was trying to do. i veered between sympathy and disgust for the pov characters throughout the book and thought the message the author was trying to convey was well illustrated. It didn’t get as deep into some of the issues addressed in the book as i would have liked, and the way conflict resolved themselves was not as satisfying as i would have liked

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emma_sky's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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grboph's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read this book for my sociology class, and I'm very glad I did because I likely would never have discovered it otherwise. It is a very interesting commentary on wealth and class while also being very interesting to read and having compelling (although not always loveable) characters. I really like how it explored the concept of family relationships and generational divides. I'm definitely excited to analyze it using a more sociological bent. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories about rich-people shenanigans or dysfunctional families.

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