Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Book Brief: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

The Nest
by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Ecco, 2016
373 pages
source: ebook borrowed from the library

My thoughts:

The Nest is a classic "rich people behaving badly" story. Four adult siblings live their lives expecting an inheritance (referred to as "the nest") when the youngest turns forty. As that date approaches, distribution of the nest is in jeopardy. I tend to gravitate toward this kind of story, but what makes The Nest even more intriguing is that it's written by a debut novelist... in her mid 50s. Additionally, it instigated a bidding war and ultimately netted Sweeney a seven-figure advance.

I was already on a long waiting list at my home library, but happened to click on the Florida library's website one Friday afternoon. The timing couldn't have been better because they'd added The Nest to their digital offerings just moments earlier. I checked it out immediately.

It was easy to get involved in the book. The writing, charters, and storyline pulled me in right away and kept me turning the pages. But now, a few weeks later, I find I don't have much to say about it.

Bottom line:
The Nest  was an enjoyable beach/vacation read and I whole-heartedly recommend it for a weekend diversion.

My rating:

39 comments:

  1. Everyone's loving this one - I've got to get my hands on it.

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    Replies
    1. Kathy - It was a lot of fun. Hope you can get to it this summer.

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  2. Personally, I can't stand that sub genre of "rich people behaving badly" so it's good to know this one is one of those! :--)

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    1. Jill - In that case, you might want to avoid this one :)

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    2. Jill - On further thought, this may be more 'dysfunctional family' than 'rich people behaving badly'... without the nest, they're not all that rich ;-)

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  3. The blurb sounded a little angsty to me but the more reviews I hear the more curious I am about this one. I think this sounds like it'd be a great audio. I could definitely use a little reading in weekend diversion territory!

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    1. Katherine - This type of book usually works very well on audio for me. I see the audible ratings are very high, too. I'd be curious to hear what you think if you decide to go that route.

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  4. Sometimes you need a book that's fast and fun and doesn't require too much brain-power. At least I do every once in awhile. :)

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    1. Lark - And I do, too! The timing couldn't have been better here. I download it on a Friday afternoon and had a great weekend of reading!

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  5. I've been picking up and setting aside a lot of books this week. I think I'm looking for something memorable, so I may steer clear of this one... for a while. Glad you were entertained!

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    1. Les - This was immensely entertaining, but I don't think it qualifies as especially memorable. An excellent "weekend by the pool" kind of book :)

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  6. And your timing for this review is perfect....with two days of school remaining I am ready to return to my reading list. Thanks for the timely suggestion. sounds interesting! I hope you are having a good week.

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    1. Bonnie - This would be a great beginning to your summer reading! The last two days of school are sure to fly :)

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  7. Exactly how I felt! Enjoyable fluff that's perfect for the beach or pool, but didn't inspire tons of thoughts/feelings for me! Which is why it got a mini-review.

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    1. Sarah - And everybody needs a little enjoyable fluff now and then :) My daughter is enjoying it now.

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  8. You know there's a movie adaptation of this one in the works. Screenplay written by D’Aprix Sweeney herself. :)

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    1. Arti - Oooh, that has possibilities! Thanks for telling me.

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  9. The Globe and Mail says this is the best-selling fiction in Canada (for at least the last two weeks) so I was curious about it. Thnaks for your review!

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    1. Debbie - It's definitely one of the most hyped novels this season.

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  10. Replies
    1. Patty - Such an enjoyable read. My daughter is reading it now and feels the same way.

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  11. I enjoyed this book and agree it will make a great beach/vacay read.

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    1. Nise' - It reminds me of how I felt about The Vacationers by Emma Straub a couple of summers ago.

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  12. Replies
    1. Care - And we all need a good beach read every now and then :)

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  13. I have read both positive and negative reviews of this book. Glad to read that you enjoyed it.

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    1. Resh Susan - I've read some less than glowing reviews, too, but found it to be a very satisfying novel.

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  14. I'm glad I'm not the only one that happens to! But enjoying is enough... I have a much longer wait ahead of me for this one!

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    1. Audrey - I really lucked out getting the ebook when I did. Timing is everything! And you are right.. enjoying IS enough.

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  15. I enjoyed this one (oops! I forgot that I haven't reviewed it) but found it didn't meet all the hype that made me want to read it in the first place. I would love to happen upon a book and be first in the line of checkouts for it. I'm ALWAYS in the back of the queue; I'm #40 in line for one, now. *sigh*

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    1. Kathy - This book had everything I look for in a summer read - great characters, good writing, and a story that moves right along. I know what you mean about those library hold lists!

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  16. I hope to get to this book this summer. I'm glad you enjoyed it JoAnn.

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    1. Pat - It's really a great summer read. Hope you enjoy it, too!

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  17. A debut novelist in her mid 50s getting a 7 figure advance? Not bad at all. Wow. There might be hope for the rest of us.

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  18. JoAnn, I'm still recommending this one, especially to friends and relatives in need of a huge distraction, which I found it to be. It was fun.
    I'll be interested to hear what you have lined up for this summer.

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    Replies
    1. Judith - Surprisingly, I have made no lists for summer reading yet. Soon...

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  19. I have this in audio -- just waiting to give it a slot

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    Replies
    1. Beth F - Will be curious to see how this translates to audio.

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