Reviews

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

cheerbrarian's review

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4.0

Four siblings are eager to inherit what they affectionately refer to as "The Nest" from their late father. He worked hard his whole life, pinching and living a modest live, and his intention was to provide a modest bump for his children, but his investment practices and a favorable market have swollen the amount beyond what he could have imagined. But, when the eldest sibling's bad decisions finally catch up with him, they all pay the consequences, literally. Now the nest is almost depleted, and financial times are tight. Will things be made right?

This is a story of arrested emotional development in an unhealthy and emotionally distant family in New York.. Each person is their own worst enemy, and each has suffered from unfulfilled expectations. They are pretty unhappy, but largely by their own hand, and really, they have plenty to be happy about but let themselves focus on what amounts to spilled milk. Small grievances and mismanaged expectations plague them. This is quite possibly the whitest of white people tales told. All that said, I found it endlessly fascinating, a real peak into the problems of the other half, and especially felt it worked well as an audiobook.

In my quest for the Amazon prime link I learned this book is SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, as it was optioned by Amazon itself. At present Emily V. Gordon is attached to write the screenplay, i.e., she who co-wrote "The Big Sick" with her husband Kumail Nanjiani. I'm not sure it would be my cup of tea as a movie, but it seems like it has the beginnings to a good movie adaptation.

krystyn13's review

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4.0

I really enjoyed reading about these tremendously flawed characters, but I was expecting more from the ending.

dlong2031's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced

3.0

fsleineweber's review

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4.0

A great read! A good reminder that love and family comes in all different shapes and sizes and that your “fortune”may not lie where you think.

thedauner's review

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4.0

I love Cynthia’s easy reading style. I loved meeting each character from the first person. Awesome book.

jenbanks208's review against another edition

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4.0

An interesting family with a colorful cast of characters. I enjoyed the multiple stories and the weaving together of their lives.

bivie's review

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3.0

Why can't We give things half stars on Goodread??? This is solidly a 3.5. It soooo dragged in some parts. Like the plot line. But in others it was great, like when it delved into character development. I wish the author treated it more like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and spent more time on the kookiness of each family member and less time on their supposed issues in life.

jleeds's review

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5.0

It seems that my rating is higher than the average reader's. I enjoyed the novel from start to finish. Who doesn't love a book with family drama!? Well, The Nest does not disappoint! The plot features 4 siblings and their families. They were all set to receive their large inheritance money from "The Nest" but something happens...

pepsqueaks's review

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Took it back to the library unfinished, just lost interest

c3d's review

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emotional reflective 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

3.5