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ginnygrace's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for which I am extremely appreciative. That said, this was my first ARC and I’m unsure how “complete” it is supposed to be. There were several typos, including “speack”, “five month later”, and “resilence” that really stuck out at me.
Regarding the story itself, it was fine. The characters were interesting and likable at times. Their reactions to situations occasionally baffled me and I’m not sure how intentional that was, considering the story primarily focused on the unhappy lives of a group of rather wealthy individuals.
The amount of negativity displayed by almost all the characters sometimes felt tedious, but I did constantly want to keep reading to see what they did next.
Parts of the book felt uplifting, other times it was depressing, and occasionally it was funny. In all, it wasn’t a life-changing story, but it was a mostly fun read that I will pass on to others to enjoy.
Regarding the story itself, it was fine. The characters were interesting and likable at times. Their reactions to situations occasionally baffled me and I’m not sure how intentional that was, considering the story primarily focused on the unhappy lives of a group of rather wealthy individuals.
The amount of negativity displayed by almost all the characters sometimes felt tedious, but I did constantly want to keep reading to see what they did next.
Parts of the book felt uplifting, other times it was depressing, and occasionally it was funny. In all, it wasn’t a life-changing story, but it was a mostly fun read that I will pass on to others to enjoy.
carmenere's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, a solid debut novel by Vatner but rather a slog to read. Overall, this seems to be a novel about various forms of partnerships/relationships if you will. Relationships include marriage, betrothals and just getting off the ground twosomes. Then there are the familial relationships, work relationships etc etc.
It is a very good basis for a story - it's just rather long winded and the characters didn't draw me in, some were rather predictable.
Writing about many owners in an apartment building is a tough task so I would read Vatner's next novel in the hopes he pares down his story to one or two less directions and more character development.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher an advanced copy of this book.
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It is a very good basis for a story - it's just rather long winded and the characters didn't draw me in, some were rather predictable.
Writing about many owners in an apartment building is a tough task so I would read Vatner's next novel in the hopes he pares down his story to one or two less directions and more character development.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher an advanced copy of this book.
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kelsey24's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book as a free giveaway. The book is about a group of wealthy but secretly miserable people living in a luxury apartment complex in New York City, and a few of the staff that hold secrets of their own. The book is entertaining enough and a fairly light read. The only thing I didn't like was that the characters were all utterly miserable for almost 300 pages, and then everything was suddenly solved in the epilogue. Endings are hard and it can be difficult to wrap up a long story, but it was a bit disappointing to have characters suddenly change in the last few pages.
sarahelem's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kandan's review against another edition
4.0
Carnegie Hill is a character-driven novel set in the Upper East Side neighborhood. The narration frequently shifts between four couples: Pepper and Rick, Birdie and George, Francis and Carol, and Sergei and Caleb, all of whom are connected to an expensive apartment building called the Chelmsford Arms. The book is more like a series of vignettes about each couple’s trials and tribulations, their relationships and lives at varying stages, and their unique problems. Vatner is a talented writer for his ability to communicate the subtleties of boredom, doubt, and unhappiness in marriage. He has an easy way with language that made this book a treat to read.
The vacillation between the different storylines is difficult to pull off, especially as all of the characters intersect throughout the novel. I didn’t feel like I knew the characters as well as I wanted to - I sensed that I was supposed to appreciate them for all of their wild messiness and their flaws, but I did not feel sympathetic towards them much of the time.
For those who enjoy delving into that inaccessible world of the Upper East Side, this will be a delight to read. Vatner weaves a nuanced tale about people who seem to have everything, but are not as happy as one would think.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The vacillation between the different storylines is difficult to pull off, especially as all of the characters intersect throughout the novel. I didn’t feel like I knew the characters as well as I wanted to - I sensed that I was supposed to appreciate them for all of their wild messiness and their flaws, but I did not feel sympathetic towards them much of the time.
For those who enjoy delving into that inaccessible world of the Upper East Side, this will be a delight to read. Vatner weaves a nuanced tale about people who seem to have everything, but are not as happy as one would think.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
zaineylaney's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting story about relationships; What keeps them together, what breaks them apart, and why it's important to fight for them as well as recognize the toxicity. The glimpse inside these 4 different romantic relationships is quite eye opening and for most of the book, you received a little bit of each point of view, until the end when it all comes together in the aftermath of each separate decision.
I did receive an advance copy of this book for review. My only critique was because of the way it was formatted, sometimes it was hard to see when the point of view changed from one situation to another. I don't know if this is corrected or changed in the final draft but it did make it a little hard to transition from one part of the story to the next seamlessly.
Overall, this is a good read and really does make you think about how things affect people differently and how a perspective can change due to emotions and values.
I did receive an advance copy of this book for review. My only critique was because of the way it was formatted, sometimes it was hard to see when the point of view changed from one situation to another. I don't know if this is corrected or changed in the final draft but it did make it a little hard to transition from one part of the story to the next seamlessly.
Overall, this is a good read and really does make you think about how things affect people differently and how a perspective can change due to emotions and values.
edithcazares02's review against another edition
1.0
DNF
thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book, all opinions belong to me.
I think that this book was definitely really slow, I didn’t really care for the main character. She was really hard to connect to or even make me care about what happens to her. I’ve been super pressed for time lately and I think that’s what made my decision to stop reading this book easier. I feel like why force myself when I know that there are books that I love.
thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book, all opinions belong to me.
I think that this book was definitely really slow, I didn’t really care for the main character. She was really hard to connect to or even make me care about what happens to her. I’ve been super pressed for time lately and I think that’s what made my decision to stop reading this book easier. I feel like why force myself when I know that there are books that I love.
leafy_kunoichi's review against another edition
4.0
I received Carnegie Hill by Jonathan Vatner via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and truthful review.
This is such a charming and fun book. A light read that brings joy. (A nice change from what I have been reading.)
I loved the concept of a late-bloomer coming of age story. The characters are lively and jump off the pages. If you like Sophie Kinsella, give this one a try.
This is such a charming and fun book. A light read that brings joy. (A nice change from what I have been reading.)
I loved the concept of a late-bloomer coming of age story. The characters are lively and jump off the pages. If you like Sophie Kinsella, give this one a try.
sara_levine's review against another edition
3.0
Carnegie Hill, by Jonathan Vatner, is a story centered around Pepper Bradford, a young, wealthy woman without very much direction in life who moves in with her fiance to a fancy co-op in NYC. Over the course of the novel, we see inside the lives of a few of the tenants and employees of the building, as they navigate life in the co-op.
Unfortunately, this story fell pretty flat for me. I really liked the concept of all of these people’s stories connecting in different ways, but Vatner’s execution of it was often choppy and seemed forced much of the time. The main character, Pepper, leaves so much to be desired, and her character, whom we are supposed to care about, has little redeeming qualities. Had her character development been stronger, I think that I would have become invested in the story sooner than I did.
However, although it took me longer than I would like, I did start to become more interested in Pepper’s story, and finding out how her story ended, as I read. I think that Vatner missed an opportunity to showcase Pepper as a strong female character, instead of a vapid, lost girl in her early 30s who is clueless and overwhelmed.
Ultimately, I did give this book 3 stars because it picked up towards the end and I thought many of the supporting characters were well-developed. I only wish that the same attention had been paid to the main character.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books for the free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, this story fell pretty flat for me. I really liked the concept of all of these people’s stories connecting in different ways, but Vatner’s execution of it was often choppy and seemed forced much of the time. The main character, Pepper, leaves so much to be desired, and her character, whom we are supposed to care about, has little redeeming qualities. Had her character development been stronger, I think that I would have become invested in the story sooner than I did.
However, although it took me longer than I would like, I did start to become more interested in Pepper’s story, and finding out how her story ended, as I read. I think that Vatner missed an opportunity to showcase Pepper as a strong female character, instead of a vapid, lost girl in her early 30s who is clueless and overwhelmed.
Ultimately, I did give this book 3 stars because it picked up towards the end and I thought many of the supporting characters were well-developed. I only wish that the same attention had been paid to the main character.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books for the free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.