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CITY PEOPLE

Name: CITY PEOPLE
Author: Elizabeth Topp
ISBN: 9781662507335

by Elizabeth Topp ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2023

An engrossing, unflinching critique of elite parenting in Manhattan.

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Seven young mothers attempt to navigate the cutthroat world of competitive parenting on New York’s Upper East Side.

The story opens as Susan Harris jumps to her death from the roof of her apartment building, leaving behind her successful husband and two young children. The oldest, Claude, goes to preschool at Woodmont, a feeder to the prestigious Kent School. A handful of children receive recommendations from Woodmont’s headmistress to Kent (though they won't all get in!), and their families form something of a clique in the wake of Susan’s death. There’s Vic, a bestselling author who’s a Kent graduate herself; Penelope, a woman from a family so wealthy she can’t imagine her annual donations won’t guarantee her child admission; Chandice, Bhavna, and Amy, who each have their own reasons for believing their children will be admitted as well as crippling insecurities about what would happen if that brass ring were denied. And then there’s Kara, who’s created an entirely fake persona and suffers a gradual breakdown when Susan’s death awakens traumatic memories from her past. As the mothers lie, manipulate, and backstab, it’s clear that not all of them can hack city life. Some of the children won’t be accepted to Kent, and those families may choose to (gasp!) relocate to Westchester or Connecticut. Told in a close third person, the chapters alternate among the women, providing glimpses into each one's deepest fears and insecurities. Topp deftly weaves a tale of interconnected characters while simultaneously revealing that they don’t really know each other at all. Painting a grim picture of what it means to be part of Manhattan’s high society, she reveals how these privileged characters manage to make themselves absolutely miserable. As Susan’s death forces the others to reexamine their priorities, the author also deftly explores issues like anxiety, financial distress, and self-doubt. Though sometimes heavy-handed, the novel’s scathing observations about Manhattan's wealthiest parents are wildly entertaining.

An engrossing, unflinching critique of elite parenting in Manhattan.

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023

ISBN: 9781662507335

Page Count: 318

Publisher: Little A

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023

Categories:

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL FICTION

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BETWEEN SISTERS

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2003

Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles...

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Sisters in and out of love.

Meghann Dontess is a high-powered matrimonial lawyer in Seattle who prefers sex with strangers to emotional intimacy: a strategy bound to backfire sooner or later, warns her tough-talking shrink. It’s advice Meghann decides to ignore, along with the memories of her difficult childhood, neglectful mother, and younger sister. Though she managed to reunite Claire with Sam Cavenaugh (her father but not Meghann’s) when her mother abandoned both girls long ago, Meghann still feels guilty that her sister’s life doesn’t measure up, at least on her terms. Never married, Claire ekes out a living running a country campground with her dad and is raising her six-year-old daughter on her own. When she falls in love for the first time with an up-and-coming country musician, Meghann is appalled: Bobby Austin is a three-time loser at marriage—how on earth can Claire be so blind? Bobby’s blunt explanation doesn’t exactly satisfy the concerned big sister, who busies herself planning Claire’s dream wedding anyway. And, to relieve the stress, she beds various guys she picks up in bars, including Dr. Joe Wyatt, a neurosurgeon turned homeless drifter after the demise of his beloved wife Diane (whom he euthanized). When Claire’s awful headache turns out to be a kind of brain tumor known among neurologists as a “terminator,” Joe rallies. Turns out that Claire had befriended his wife on her deathbed, and now in turn he must try to save her. Is it too late? Will Meghann find true love at last?

Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles (Distant Shores, 2002, etc.). Kudos for skipping the snifflefest this time around.

Pub Date: May 1, 2003

ISBN: 0-345-45073-6

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2003

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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THE CORRESPONDENT

by Virginia Evans ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2025

An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.

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A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.

Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.

An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.