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Rise and Shine
A superb novel about two sisters, the true meaning of success, and the qualities in life that matter most.
From Anna Quindlen, acclaimed author of Blessings, Black and Blue, and One True Thing, a superb novel about two sisters, the true meaning of success, and the qualities in life that matter most.
It's an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice's perfect life hits a wall. A household name as the host of Rise and Shine, the country's highest-rated morning talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break–but not before she mutters two forbidden words into her open mike.
In an instant, it's the end of an era, not only for Meghan, who is unaccustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget, a social worker in the Bronx who has always lived in Meghan's long shadow. The effect of Meghan's on-air truth telling reverberates through both their lives, affecting Meghan's son, husband, friends, and fans, as well as Bridget's perception of her sister, their complex childhood, and herself. What follows is a story about how, in very different ways, the Fitzmaurice women adapt, survive, and manage to bring the whole teeming world of New York to heel by dint of their smart mouths, quick wits, and the powerful connection between them that even the worst tragedy cannot shatter.
From Anna Quindlen, acclaimed author of Blessings, Black and Blue, and One True Thing, a superb novel about two sisters, the true meaning of success, and the qualities in life that matter most.
It's an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice's perfect life hits a wall. A household name as the host of Rise and Shine, the country's highest-rated morning talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break–but not before she mutters two forbidden words into her open mike.
In an instant, it's the end of an era, not only for Meghan, who is unaccustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget, a social worker in the Bronx who has always lived in Meghan's long shadow. The effect of Meghan's on-air truth telling reverberates through both their lives, affecting Meghan's son, husband, friends, and fans, as well as Bridget's perception of her sister, their complex childhood, and herself. What follows is a story about how, in very different ways, the Fitzmaurice women adapt, survive, and manage to bring the whole teeming world of New York to heel by dint of their smart mouths, quick wits, and the powerful connection between them that even the worst tragedy cannot shatter.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2006
676 people are currently reading
3993 people want to read
About the author
Anna Quindlen
87 books4,664 followersAnna Marie Quindlen is an American author, journalist, and opinion columnist.
Her New York Times column, Public and Private, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992. She began her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter for the New York Post. Between 1977 and 1994 she held several posts at The New York Times. Her semi-autobiographical novel One True Thing (1994) served as the basis for the 1998 film starring Meryl Streep and Renée Zellweger.
Her New York Times column, Public and Private, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992. She began her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter for the New York Post. Between 1977 and 1994 she held several posts at The New York Times. Her semi-autobiographical novel One True Thing (1994) served as the basis for the 1998 film starring Meryl Streep and Renée Zellweger.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,619 reviews
November 3, 2016
In one of her interviews, Anna Quindlen explains how she puts a book together. She first decides on the issue/topic, builds the idea for a year and then starts creating the characters to fill out a plot around the issue/topic. Many authors did/ do that since the beginning of time.
In Rise And Shine the research for the book was overwhelmingly presented, but the plot simply never could stand up to it. It was a battle fought and lost. Contrived and forced. Too obvious. Too, sorry to say, blasé, clichéd, repetitive to the point of madness, and overwhelming boring. Neither the characters nor the plot could rise above the mediocrity. It is obvious that New York was the central idea of the book, with the social commentary build into characters that simply got throttled by the weight of the information. Characters were used as aliases. A pseudonym might have worked better.
Conversations, pinpointing the storyline, were forever and ever interrupted with miles-and-miles-long flashbacks in between so that the conversation itself fell flat on its back. Forced, word-dumping, rude, boring. Too much research was trying to get into the book. Big mistake. It brutally destroyed the story.
This book should have been written as a MEMOIR or travel journal and should have presented New York in all its gloomy or glorious moments. It could have been called "My New York". The story and characters should have been ditched since the background was more important in this case.
Anna Quindlen writes amazing books. She's a talented, eloquent outstanding word smith. This one was not working for her.
Do I need to spell out D.I.S.A.P.P.O.I.N.T.I.N.G. ?
Mmmm, I thought so. Thanks for reading this rant. I hate to do this to a book.
In Rise And Shine the research for the book was overwhelmingly presented, but the plot simply never could stand up to it. It was a battle fought and lost. Contrived and forced. Too obvious. Too, sorry to say, blasé, clichéd, repetitive to the point of madness, and overwhelming boring. Neither the characters nor the plot could rise above the mediocrity. It is obvious that New York was the central idea of the book, with the social commentary build into characters that simply got throttled by the weight of the information. Characters were used as aliases. A pseudonym might have worked better.
Conversations, pinpointing the storyline, were forever and ever interrupted with miles-and-miles-long flashbacks in between so that the conversation itself fell flat on its back. Forced, word-dumping, rude, boring. Too much research was trying to get into the book. Big mistake. It brutally destroyed the story.
This book should have been written as a MEMOIR or travel journal and should have presented New York in all its gloomy or glorious moments. It could have been called "My New York". The story and characters should have been ditched since the background was more important in this case.
Anna Quindlen writes amazing books. She's a talented, eloquent outstanding word smith. This one was not working for her.
Do I need to spell out D.I.S.A.P.P.O.I.N.T.I.N.G. ?
Mmmm, I thought so. Thanks for reading this rant. I hate to do this to a book.
March 5, 2008
This is quite possibly one of the worst books I've read recently. I enjoyed Black & Blue back when it was an Oprah book but this is just . . . ugh. It doesn't have characters, it has cliché after cliché. Hard career woman, perfect teen, sassy wise black women, bleeding heart social workers, crusty old cops . . . the list goes on and none of them are particularly likeable or interesting. And the "incident" that sets everything into motion was laughable.
By the end I didn't care what happened to anyone, I just wanted it to be over. I guess that's why it was on the BOGO rack at the bookstore.
By the end I didn't care what happened to anyone, I just wanted it to be over. I guess that's why it was on the BOGO rack at the bookstore.
June 27, 2007
Sad Plunge into Mediocrity
I have a very strong belief that if this were a first novel by an unknown author, it would have never seen print. The story is all premise, and the promise of a novel about sisters-- one a celebrity morning talk show host the other an obscure social worker--weathering an enormous crisis, doesn't comes to fruition. This so-called crisis (at least the situation that prevails through most of the book), while titillating and tabloid, is ultimately pitiful. And finally, what I have to assume is the climactic moment of crisis for them is both predictable and garbled.
I thought the first 60 pages were good and believed the term "potboiler" might describe this novel. This is, after all, a talented and proven author / journalist at the keyboard . . . but after the set up, after Meghan Fitzmaurice, the television star of Katie Couric proportions, loses her cool on the air and flies off to Jamaica, I had to keep looking at the book cover to remind myself who wrote this very mediocre, very boring story. The narrator, social worker sister Bridget, lapses into repetitive and dull back-story, along with stale commentary about living in and loving New York City so often, instead of the question she suggests unnamed, provincial characters ask New Yorkers: "why would you want to live (t)here?" I found myself asking instead, why do I continue reading this?
The answer is, of course, Anna Quindlen. She is a successful product of the publishing world, a name-brand Pulitizer Prize winning journalist who has certainly created some brilliant and entertaining material. Unfortunately, this book suggests a disappointing lapse into mediocrity and a scar on our literary culture. I've read hundreds of books by lesser known (even unknown) authors of much higher quality. Just one example: "Trutor and the Balloonist" by Debbie Lee Wesselmann.
Sorry, but I obviously cannot recommend.
I have a very strong belief that if this were a first novel by an unknown author, it would have never seen print. The story is all premise, and the promise of a novel about sisters-- one a celebrity morning talk show host the other an obscure social worker--weathering an enormous crisis, doesn't comes to fruition. This so-called crisis (at least the situation that prevails through most of the book), while titillating and tabloid, is ultimately pitiful. And finally, what I have to assume is the climactic moment of crisis for them is both predictable and garbled.
I thought the first 60 pages were good and believed the term "potboiler" might describe this novel. This is, after all, a talented and proven author / journalist at the keyboard . . . but after the set up, after Meghan Fitzmaurice, the television star of Katie Couric proportions, loses her cool on the air and flies off to Jamaica, I had to keep looking at the book cover to remind myself who wrote this very mediocre, very boring story. The narrator, social worker sister Bridget, lapses into repetitive and dull back-story, along with stale commentary about living in and loving New York City so often, instead of the question she suggests unnamed, provincial characters ask New Yorkers: "why would you want to live (t)here?" I found myself asking instead, why do I continue reading this?
The answer is, of course, Anna Quindlen. She is a successful product of the publishing world, a name-brand Pulitizer Prize winning journalist who has certainly created some brilliant and entertaining material. Unfortunately, this book suggests a disappointing lapse into mediocrity and a scar on our literary culture. I've read hundreds of books by lesser known (even unknown) authors of much higher quality. Just one example: "Trutor and the Balloonist" by Debbie Lee Wesselmann.
Sorry, but I obviously cannot recommend.
January 2, 2016
Total chick-lit brain candy. It kept me interested but I could not have cared less about one of the main characters, the narrator's sister, a rich morning talk show host who accidentally calls one of the guests on her show an effing asshole not realizing she was still on-air, then goes into hiding when her career tanks because of it. (That was a run-on sentence). I did like some of the other characters though. Overall it was ok but not great.
April 29, 2009
A page turner, but suffers from a lack of imagination. It was interesting to see Quindlen's world of NYC poverty. The black characters are barely realized sketches with stereotypical dialogue. The poverty, while clearly well researched, doesn't seem to motivate any of the characters in an especially realistic way.
The central conflict in the book is also not especially well resolved. Perhaps this is realism, but I call it "nothing happens." The writing is also muddled-I found myself having to re-read passages to figure out what the author was trying to say. Still the author's prose draws you in.
The central conflict in the book is also not especially well resolved. Perhaps this is realism, but I call it "nothing happens." The writing is also muddled-I found myself having to re-read passages to figure out what the author was trying to say. Still the author's prose draws you in.
June 6, 2017
You might love this book if 1) you are a celebrity groupie sort of person...can’t get enough of other people being able to sweep off the Caribbean when life lets them down, or 2) You are a sycophant for New York City and all things New York...it is is the center of the world and it would be better to be in a tiny brownstone there than a palace somewhere else. Otherwise, you might be like me and find it a bit lacking in depth.
I am a sister, and I did not find this sisterly relationship realistic. One of these women is just too extraordinary to believe and one is just too good to believe. By the time I was supposed to see the “other side” of the wealthy, beautiful, talented (use any adjective of this ilk) one, I just didn’t care. The plot took a long time developing, the struggles finally emerged, and then she resolved them all, wrapped it in cellophane, and tied a bow.
I am a fan of Quindlen, have liked her other books that I have read and truly loved Blessings, but this one just wasn’t my fare. Not that it was hard to read or to understand what she meant to be examining, just that it had so little that could be labeled as having meaning and being realistic. I suppose one of the things I have liked most about her writing is that it is, even when improbable, patently realistic. Right up to this book.
I have another of her books that I have not gotten to yet sitting on my shelf. It will sit a while longer, because this one has thrown me off her for a while.
I am a sister, and I did not find this sisterly relationship realistic. One of these women is just too extraordinary to believe and one is just too good to believe. By the time I was supposed to see the “other side” of the wealthy, beautiful, talented (use any adjective of this ilk) one, I just didn’t care. The plot took a long time developing, the struggles finally emerged, and then she resolved them all, wrapped it in cellophane, and tied a bow.
I am a fan of Quindlen, have liked her other books that I have read and truly loved Blessings, but this one just wasn’t my fare. Not that it was hard to read or to understand what she meant to be examining, just that it had so little that could be labeled as having meaning and being realistic. I suppose one of the things I have liked most about her writing is that it is, even when improbable, patently realistic. Right up to this book.
I have another of her books that I have not gotten to yet sitting on my shelf. It will sit a while longer, because this one has thrown me off her for a while.
March 6, 2008
I listened to this on tape and found myself sitting outside Nugget Grocery just to hear what would happen next. Anna Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and also writes excellent fiction that was excellently read. Rise and Shine is the story of two sisters, Meghan who is a national figure who hosts a morning TV show and her sister, Bridget, who is a social worker in the projects. Both lost their parents when Meghan was 8 and Briget was 4 and their relationship is greatly influenced by the combination of Meghan's driving personality plus this loss. Most of the action takes place in New York City, some of it with the very wealthy, some of it with the very poor, and NYC is a character in its own right. There is also an interlude in Jamaica, where Meghan flees after broadcasting a profanity across America. Some of the characters are stock players (the single mom who has turned herself around, the incredibly rich but kind industrialist, the perfect son)---but I loved them nonetheless.
August 1, 2008
I kept reading the book, hoping it would redeem itself, but alas, it only got worse.
The two main characters were selfish, juvenile, and in serious need of therapy. I was aghast at the self-serving older sister, who took and took, and was just a horrible person, yet everyone in the book excused her for one reason or another (well, except her ex-husband who I thought was the only one w/any sense).
Two things really baffled me: the name of the shelter were the younger sister worked (Women on Women - hmmm what the heck?), and if older sister made so much money, how come she didn't help out younger sister more? That just didn't make sense to me.
The "big save" at the end with regard to the older sister, and how the majority of the characters seemed okay with it, was downright disgusting ( ethically ) IMHO. That younger sister changed her view point on the whole situation was sad and showed again how they need lots of mental health help.
Was this books supposed to be a satire? Because if it was, THEN it makes sense. But I don't think the author intended it that way.
The two main characters were selfish, juvenile, and in serious need of therapy. I was aghast at the self-serving older sister, who took and took, and was just a horrible person, yet everyone in the book excused her for one reason or another (well, except her ex-husband who I thought was the only one w/any sense).
Two things really baffled me: the name of the shelter were the younger sister worked (Women on Women - hmmm what the heck?), and if older sister made so much money, how come she didn't help out younger sister more? That just didn't make sense to me.
The "big save" at the end with regard to the older sister, and how the majority of the characters seemed okay with it, was downright disgusting ( ethically ) IMHO. That younger sister changed her view point on the whole situation was sad and showed again how they need lots of mental health help.
Was this books supposed to be a satire? Because if it was, THEN it makes sense. But I don't think the author intended it that way.
November 1, 2008
A celebrated television personality's fall from grace told from the point of view of her adoring younger sister. The story firmly held my interest, a page turner to be sure. Unlike most novels I read, I was not enamored with either of the central characters, it was their co-stars who struck my fancy. Though the plot earns a sold four stars, at times, Quindlen's writing is surprisingly discombobulated. On numerous occasions a passage required a second or third reading in order for me to grasp the gist. Too, the ending is overly tidy, not in a Pollyanna, all is right with the world sort of way rather it is discordant with the likely outcome from the very human failings displayed by the characters.
April 15, 2008
I did enjoy a lot about the book, but two things irritated me. One was the author's wierd obsession with all things opulent, and the other was her continual holier-than-thou attitude about New York City. I had to wonder: was she scoffing at the lavish lifestyles as the main character did, or was this not a secret envy of those who can and do live this way? And secondly I wondered: Are all of us dummies who don't live in the Big Apple delegated to second rate comparitively?
Other than those two things, I did enjoy the sisterly relationship, and the story line in particular.
But was it a book I really enjoyed? No. Probably only the first few chapters were what drew me into the book, but I tired of it before it was over. I give it a B-.
Other than those two things, I did enjoy the sisterly relationship, and the story line in particular.
But was it a book I really enjoyed? No. Probably only the first few chapters were what drew me into the book, but I tired of it before it was over. I give it a B-.
April 6, 2016
This is the second book I've read by Anna Quindlen, and it will probably be my last. In fact, the only reason I chose to read this book was because all of the others I'm waiting for were currently checked out of the library, and this one was available immediately.
I have found that this author tends to ramble on and on... and on and on... and on and on. In both of the books I've read by her (this one and "Every Last One") she spends a ridiculous amount of time narrating the mundane events of her character's lives. It gets boring. We get it - Meghan is rich, famous, disconnected from her family, selfish, blah blah blah. Another issue I have with the writing is the character development, or lack thereof. In both books she manages to fill 75% of the book narrating their boring lives, yet somehow the reader never really gets anything beyond surface level.
In this book, the "major" event happened about a quarter of the way in to the book. The next two quarters of the book were painfully boring and drawn out with very little happening. Things start picking up and events start happening in the last quarter of the book and then - BAM - the last 10 pages thrust you four years in to the future where everyone is happy and everything is nice and tidy.
Don't waste your time with this one.
I have found that this author tends to ramble on and on... and on and on... and on and on. In both of the books I've read by her (this one and "Every Last One") she spends a ridiculous amount of time narrating the mundane events of her character's lives. It gets boring. We get it - Meghan is rich, famous, disconnected from her family, selfish, blah blah blah. Another issue I have with the writing is the character development, or lack thereof. In both books she manages to fill 75% of the book narrating their boring lives, yet somehow the reader never really gets anything beyond surface level.
In this book, the "major" event happened about a quarter of the way in to the book. The next two quarters of the book were painfully boring and drawn out with very little happening. Things start picking up and events start happening in the last quarter of the book and then - BAM - the last 10 pages thrust you four years in to the future where everyone is happy and everything is nice and tidy.
Don't waste your time with this one.
July 21, 2016
I "read" this novel by Anna Quindlen on CD and highly recommend it. I always like to keep an audio book in my car, but with this book, I often found myself sitting a few more minutes in a parking lot or in my driveway to hear just a little more.
The novel focuses on the younger Fitzmaurice sister, Bridget, a NYC social worker who has spent her life in the shadow and protection of her older sister, Meghan Fitzmaurice. Quindlen did an excellent job of weaving the back story into the telling of of the present events, giving the readers a fuller view of how these two very different yet successful women grew from young orphans into their present positions. Bridget idolizes (and resents) her sister, whose celebrity quickly turns to notoriety when she utters two very descriptive epithets on the air during her incredibly successful morning TV show, Rise and Shine.
In true NYC fashion, Irish American Bridget's love interest is older Jewish deputy police commissioner, Irving Lefkowitz. As Meghan's career and marriage deteriorate, Bridget's life becomes further complicated by events in her own life.
Readers get a peek into the contrast of the lives of the very rich and the very poor in this book, the complicated sister relationship, the predatory media and social circles, and Bridget's love for her nephew, Can't say much more for fear of spoilers, but I highly recommend this book.
The novel focuses on the younger Fitzmaurice sister, Bridget, a NYC social worker who has spent her life in the shadow and protection of her older sister, Meghan Fitzmaurice. Quindlen did an excellent job of weaving the back story into the telling of of the present events, giving the readers a fuller view of how these two very different yet successful women grew from young orphans into their present positions. Bridget idolizes (and resents) her sister, whose celebrity quickly turns to notoriety when she utters two very descriptive epithets on the air during her incredibly successful morning TV show, Rise and Shine.
In true NYC fashion, Irish American Bridget's love interest is older Jewish deputy police commissioner, Irving Lefkowitz. As Meghan's career and marriage deteriorate, Bridget's life becomes further complicated by events in her own life.
Readers get a peek into the contrast of the lives of the very rich and the very poor in this book, the complicated sister relationship, the predatory media and social circles, and Bridget's love for her nephew, Can't say much more for fear of spoilers, but I highly recommend this book.
September 28, 2007
Anna Quindlen writes this novel more as if she has a point to make than a story to tell. She manages to stretch the significance of a Janet-Jackson-Superbowl-esque incident far beyond its viability, all the while bashing us over the head with the ideas that our collective morality is purely for show, that rich people spend way too much time and money on dumb crap and that Manhattan society is... wait for it... mostly frivolous.
I'm not sure why she thinks she has anything new to contribute to the extensive mythology of a complex, center-of-the-universe New York City, but I do know I don't care. At all. Though maybe this is why the author keeps pushing the contrast between the narrator's social work in the Bronx and the excess of Manhattan's elite as though she attempting to define the word "juxtaposition": If she didn't, it would take the reader much less time to realize there is no plot or original contribution in the work.
I'm not sure why she thinks she has anything new to contribute to the extensive mythology of a complex, center-of-the-universe New York City, but I do know I don't care. At all. Though maybe this is why the author keeps pushing the contrast between the narrator's social work in the Bronx and the excess of Manhattan's elite as though she attempting to define the word "juxtaposition": If she didn't, it would take the reader much less time to realize there is no plot or original contribution in the work.
May 14, 2008
not a great book. i didn't get the story line. and the way the narrator felt/talked about her nephew really made me feel dirty. way more than parental feelings going on there. and she spent the entire novel talking down about how rich, entitled new yorkers act, but the whole time she was doing the same thing. definitely not one i would recommend to anyone. only would tell ppl who think new york is the best thing since sliced bread to read this. and i have no feelings about new york, since i've never lived there and only visited once. just felt hypocritical. and didn't get the sister's relationship. not good.
October 27, 2009
I've always liked Quindlen's columns in Newsweek, but as a novelist, she is awesome. Great character development, great plot, satisfying conclusion. It's funny, sad, interesting, educational -- I couldn't put it down.
March 23, 2021
Don't bother, hard pass.
Plus, the whole sixty-something man in a relationship with a woman half his age, having his babies (that's not the plot of the novel btw) was a bit too much, really unpalatable. He called her kid too, eww. No. Overall a dull novel. You wanna know how boring it was? I read it in 2010 and I am still mad about it.
September 18, 2007
I usually like Anna Quindlen's work, but it took everything I had not to abandon this book in the middle. I kept thinking it would get better. It didn't. The story is about two sisters, one rich and famous and the other a social worker who seems to have a hard time figuring out her life. Maybe it felt episodic because I was listening to it on CD, but I just couldn't find the rhythm of the story. And I felt like the author was trying too hard to get me to like the characters. Oh, well. Maybe next time?
June 3, 2017
3.5 stars
If there's one thing Anna Quindlen does well, and to my mind there's many things she does exceptionally well, it's bringing her characters to life. Rise and Shine was no exception. Whilst it was not my favourite Quindlen title it was a delighfully slow-paced character study where New York itself seemed to be one of the major characters. The central character Bridgette came alive for me so that it was like spending time in the company of an old acquaintance, and I adored Leo her well grounded and totally loveable nephew. Her sister Meghan a wealthy celebrity I didn't relate to quite as well yet her character was perfectly developed and I could empathise as she found herself in the midst of a personal crisis. As for New York it felt completely familiar to me even though I've only visited once for a couple of nights sone decades ago. It was as though I was rediscovering a place I'd once loved and it created a desire in me to return for a fresh look.
I'm not sure the details of this story will remain vivid in months or years to come but I don't think that really matters. I enjoyed the reading experience and for that I am more than satisfied
If there's one thing Anna Quindlen does well, and to my mind there's many things she does exceptionally well, it's bringing her characters to life. Rise and Shine was no exception. Whilst it was not my favourite Quindlen title it was a delighfully slow-paced character study where New York itself seemed to be one of the major characters. The central character Bridgette came alive for me so that it was like spending time in the company of an old acquaintance, and I adored Leo her well grounded and totally loveable nephew. Her sister Meghan a wealthy celebrity I didn't relate to quite as well yet her character was perfectly developed and I could empathise as she found herself in the midst of a personal crisis. As for New York it felt completely familiar to me even though I've only visited once for a couple of nights sone decades ago. It was as though I was rediscovering a place I'd once loved and it created a desire in me to return for a fresh look.
I'm not sure the details of this story will remain vivid in months or years to come but I don't think that really matters. I enjoyed the reading experience and for that I am more than satisfied
November 1, 2014
This was the first book I've read by Anna Quindlen, and it was mega-disappointing. I kept thinking it would get better, but it didn't and both the sisters got on my nerves. She's a good writer, but the story just sucked, stereotypes of rich and poor, too much about the rich, and just no point to the end of the story. What gets resolved? Don't waste your time. Could someone recommend a really good book for me to read? I'm not having much luck. Something like A Suitable Boy that I could sink into and stay up late reading.
July 20, 2007
I would have given up on it if it hadn't been my only book on vacation (while exercising extreme restraint and not stealing the books of others), and I would have said don't waste your time for the first half or so. Then I got drawn in. Still, though. Eh.
June 8, 2021
SECOND READING -Book Club
It appears that my tastes have changed since my first reading of this book. It seemed to plod along discussing people and activities which did not interest me. I have always enjoyed Anna Quindlen's books, but this one missed the mark for me.
It appears that my tastes have changed since my first reading of this book. It seemed to plod along discussing people and activities which did not interest me. I have always enjoyed Anna Quindlen's books, but this one missed the mark for me.
May 8, 2023
I enjoyed this story of two sisters who were raised by a loving aunt and uncle, after the tragic death of their parents. The parents were part of New York society, and the mother did little but lay in bed until it was time to go to the Club. The father made money the “New York way” or so everyone thought. Upon their death the parents were pretty much broke. Their lives as described by the daughters were not a good introduction for the reader into NY society. The older sister becomes a TV host, a morning show. She becomes part of society. The younger sister is a social worker managing a women’s organization that helps poor and abused women and children in the Bronx. What a contrast the sister’s lives were. The sisters remain close, though so different. In fact they are dependent on each other in many ways. Difficult times and tragedy provided the sisters the opportunity to show buried feelings, but they continue to love each other.
February 28, 2019
Anna you've done it again. I can't believe it took me this long to read this book. I'm so glad I found it. Loved it!
April 19, 2023
Two sisters who faced the same challenges growing up chose very different paths in adulthood. They remained involved in one another’s lives. Significant occurrences threaten careers and their relationship. Can they, should they, continue with their careers and their love?
I really enjoyed this sisters’ story.
I really enjoyed this sisters’ story.
May 3, 2022
Very very mediocre. I got this book for a dollar at a little shop with lots of random stuff. That should’ve been a sign. I figured a book about a social worker would really resonate, since I am a social worker, but there were so many cliches. I was also disappointed in some of the stereotypical descriptions of the black community or people in the projects. I know it was written in 2006, but today I think it would’ve been problematic. It took me years to finish because it just never really got interesting enough to keep me engaged. It’s an easy enough read but definitely not a book I’d read again or recommend. Only giving three stars because some information in it seemed very well-researched.
February 2, 2011
Meghan and Bridget are sisters living in New York City. They couldn’t be more opposite. Meghan is the famous host of a morning TV show, Rise and Shine, and her sister, Bridget, the dowdier and less confident one, is a social worker. You can already see where this is going, can’t you?
Although Meghan seems to have it all - a wonderful husband and a fabulous son, both of whom Bridget adores, there are cracks in her seemingly perfect life and one day she utters something wholly inappropriate on live television and her world comes crumbling down. And the problem with the book is I could care less.
What follows is 269 pages of Meghan and Bridget trying to sort through their personal baggage and come to terms with each other on a different level. And all of that was okay- not great, but okay…until the last 50 or so pages when Quindlen does what I hate….takes all the lives she’s dangled in front of us and propels them into the future giving us the ‘happily ever after’ she so clearly thinks they deserve.
Ugh.
Although Meghan seems to have it all - a wonderful husband and a fabulous son, both of whom Bridget adores, there are cracks in her seemingly perfect life and one day she utters something wholly inappropriate on live television and her world comes crumbling down. And the problem with the book is I could care less.
What follows is 269 pages of Meghan and Bridget trying to sort through their personal baggage and come to terms with each other on a different level. And all of that was okay- not great, but okay…until the last 50 or so pages when Quindlen does what I hate….takes all the lives she’s dangled in front of us and propels them into the future giving us the ‘happily ever after’ she so clearly thinks they deserve.
Ugh.
February 23, 2018
Meghan & Bridget Fritzmaurice are sisters; Meghan is the host of the morning talk show called Rise & Shine and is frequently cited as the ‘most famous woman in America’. She is in a long term marriage, has a teenage son and lives a glamorous life. Bridget is 40 something, a social worker living in the Bronx and in a relationship with an older man ho is a police officer. When Meghan makes a profane comment on a live mic on air her career goes down in flames. She runs away to telling anyone where she is, leaving Bridget to take her of her son.
This book was okay. Quindlen is a very good writer, but she tends to go into far too much detail; there is actually an entire segment devoted to “burping” Tupperware. I found it hard to muster an ounce of empathy for Meghan. I did like Bridget more, but felt she needed to stop being a doormat for her sister - which does happen later in the book; by then I didn’t really care. And there is a life changing bit thrown in toward the end that was totally unnecessary. Fortunately it was a short read.
This book was okay. Quindlen is a very good writer, but she tends to go into far too much detail; there is actually an entire segment devoted to “burping” Tupperware. I found it hard to muster an ounce of empathy for Meghan. I did like Bridget more, but felt she needed to stop being a doormat for her sister - which does happen later in the book; by then I didn’t really care. And there is a life changing bit thrown in toward the end that was totally unnecessary. Fortunately it was a short read.
January 24, 2021
I loved this book, truly. This is my second Quindlen read in as many months and I love her understanding of New York. The main character of this novel even lived on my old street! (It’s a really cool street with a lot of character.) The only reason it gets four stars from me was that I think the conflict between the sisters wasn’t fully resolved, and instead someone else got sacrificed to teach a lesson. I think it was alluded to, but skimmed in order to conclude the book. Hey, I get it. It was still a fantastic book. Recommended.
November 28, 2007
I didn't really like this one. Of course I still finished it - why do I have to do that?? I thought it might have some redeeming qualities but in the end it really just was about a tv morning show host (who cares) and New York society (annoying and overdone). And even though the characters were interesting I never cared about a single one of them.
May 6, 2009
I usually enjoy Anna Quindlan, but have to agree with some other reviews that called this mediocre and middle of the road. I had trouble digging up sympathy for the two sisters who seem more like caricatures than characters.
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