The Nest
by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 978-1-44344-5 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 978-1-44344-5 Global Overview for this book
1 journaler for this copy...
picked up at bookclub
I am rating this book higher than 5 stars because I actually liked the way this author writes. Her structure was strong, and I enjoyed the way she used language and wrote dialogue. So I do acknowledge her skill as a writer.
But I have to confess that if I was rating this based solely on the story and the characters, it would only get 4 stars.
This is a story about 4 siblings, the Plumbs, who think they are getting a big inheritance (known as The Nest) when the youngest sibling turns 40. Except that a few months before the payout the money gets used to bail the oldest sibling, Leo, out of a legal situation when he's in a car accident and his negligence results in a serious injury to another person.
The Plumb family is dysfunctional and distant. I didn't love them. I didn't even like them. They were selfish and entitled and living beyond their means. They treated each other with an odd combination of gullibility and suspicion. Yet each of them, except for Leo, had likeable parts of them. But mostly they were people I would not have anything to do with in real life. Part of my problem is that I viewed these people as the architects of their own problems. Melody Plumb knowingly purchased a home outside of her financial means and was snobbishly turning her nose up at "state colleges" for her precious children. Jack Plumb resorts to black market art sales to save his summer home in the Hamptons. Both of them lie to their spouses about their financial habits. Puh-leeze. I get that they loved each other, in their own damaged way. But these are not nice people and I did not empathize at all with their perceived "sacrifices".
I liked the side characters better -- Nora and Louisa, Stephanie, Matilda, Tommy -- these characters caught my interest and I was interested to know what happened to them.
This is a story about how money causes problems, and for the Plumb siblings, money was certainly the root of dishonesty and deception and morally questionable decisions. As soon as they realized and accepted that there was no nest-egg coming their way, and their despicable brother was not coming to their rescue, they were able to manage their expectations and make reasonable decisions that were both within their means and considerate of everyone's interests.
I liked the way the story ended, with a new baby and a new beginning.
But I have to confess that if I was rating this based solely on the story and the characters, it would only get 4 stars.
This is a story about 4 siblings, the Plumbs, who think they are getting a big inheritance (known as The Nest) when the youngest sibling turns 40. Except that a few months before the payout the money gets used to bail the oldest sibling, Leo, out of a legal situation when he's in a car accident and his negligence results in a serious injury to another person.
The Plumb family is dysfunctional and distant. I didn't love them. I didn't even like them. They were selfish and entitled and living beyond their means. They treated each other with an odd combination of gullibility and suspicion. Yet each of them, except for Leo, had likeable parts of them. But mostly they were people I would not have anything to do with in real life. Part of my problem is that I viewed these people as the architects of their own problems. Melody Plumb knowingly purchased a home outside of her financial means and was snobbishly turning her nose up at "state colleges" for her precious children. Jack Plumb resorts to black market art sales to save his summer home in the Hamptons. Both of them lie to their spouses about their financial habits. Puh-leeze. I get that they loved each other, in their own damaged way. But these are not nice people and I did not empathize at all with their perceived "sacrifices".
I liked the side characters better -- Nora and Louisa, Stephanie, Matilda, Tommy -- these characters caught my interest and I was interested to know what happened to them.
This is a story about how money causes problems, and for the Plumb siblings, money was certainly the root of dishonesty and deception and morally questionable decisions. As soon as they realized and accepted that there was no nest-egg coming their way, and their despicable brother was not coming to their rescue, they were able to manage their expectations and make reasonable decisions that were both within their means and considerate of everyone's interests.
I liked the way the story ended, with a new baby and a new beginning.
