Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

By: Kathleen West

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Small Admissions, a wry and cleverly observed debut novel about the privileged bubble that is Liston Heights High - the micro-managing parents, the overworked teachers, and the students caught in the middle - and the fallout for each of them when the bubble finally bursts.

When a devoted teacher comes under pressure for her progressive curriculum and a helicopter mom goes viral on social media, two women at odds with each other find themselves in similar predicaments, having to battle back from certain social ruin.

Isobel Johnson has spent her career in Liston Heights sidestepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of anti-Americanism and a liberal agenda, she’s in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Julia Abbott, obsessed with the casting of the school’s winter musical, makes an error in judgment that has far-reaching consequences for her entire family.

Brought together by the sting of public humiliation, Isobel and Julia learn firsthand how entitlement and competition can go too far, thanks to a secret Facebook page created as an outlet for parent grievances. The Liston Heights High student body will need more than a strong sense of school spirit to move past these campus dramas in an engrossing debut novel that addresses parents behaving badly and teenagers speaking up, even against their own families.

©2020 Kathleen West (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A cutting and witty examination of modern parenting that excels in suburban relatability, West's debut novel will pique the curiosity of fans of Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette." (Booklist)

"Just as good as Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies." (Kirkus, starred review)

"Helicopter parenting and high school politics at their worst--and funniest. A smart, fast-paced, and deliciously entertaining debut!" (Meg Donohue, USA Today best-selling author of You, Me, and The Sea)

So much deeper than at first expected!

On the surface, this appears to be a light, rather satirical view of a privileged community and the school located there. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the author has so much more to impart. She has created multi-faceted characters, The kind of people we have all encountered in our every day lives. Their trials and tribulations, hopes and dreams, echo those of every person existing in the world today. This is a poignant, powerful story, one I am eager for the world to embrace.

Good read.

I loved it! At first it was hard to keep up with everyone but once I got them all down I loved it! such a good little story!

Great pace, never dull

Enjoyed the fast pace and witty story line. Fun read. It's clever & very engaging

A reflection of my experience

This story reminded me that I am not alone in my experience as a high school teacher. I quit because of intrusive parents, inept administration, and a rampant culture of "teaching to the test." At many points in this novel, my jaw dropped at the similarities. Perhaps this is not the deepest exploration of the human experience, but it made me feel heard. Julia Whelan is a masterful narrator as well. My only complaint is the clunky sentences with too many details and adjectives. Someone should tell the author that she need not be so descriptive.

No, Ms Whelan can not just read a Phone book to Me

Thank heavens this was a $5 sale book. I am going to have to try this at another time, as I have restarted this a couple of times and still can not get into the rhythm of it. Thank goodness,the chapter menu had the names of the characters. If you set it on the that you can zone out a bit and check who is providing thoughtful insight. As I do not have kids and I am not accustomed to today’s thinking teenagers or so called helicopter mom’s, this book narrative is escaping me. At least the young man involved in the school play drama realizes his mother has the “attention of a hamster “. Of course I am a newly minted Ms Whelan fan so when her reads are on sale, I take a chance on the author. This story is a satire on the kids lives today when a parent goes too far out of bounds . I have found Ms Whelan has her own style which is very appealing per her fans, but now I am starting to figure out, no reading a phone book to me is not going to cut it. Check out her read of Delicious and Girl Underwater. Flat out was also a very well done book.
Were my comments of help?

Narrator makes up for a very mundane plotline

The exceptionally talented Julia Whelan does a phenomenal job narrating the boring day to day drama of a typical helicopter mom, a tenured liberal teacher, and a fresh faced new teacher of an upper middle class high school. The book takes place in a predictable and stereotypical western Minneapolis suburb with a focus on the town’s private/charter high school’s drama department. Ironically, the book lacks significant drama and with only a few slight plot twists, it was difficult to continue to the following chapter. Saved by Whelan’s talent and expression, this book is a straight up snoozer with a very LITERAL title.

I did enjoy the attention to detail from the author in regards to the different social media platforms and just how ridiculous they have become and how pivotal of a role they play in modern society.

Loved!

Must read for fans of Big Little Lies. Though there is no murder here, I loved the author’s use of the different points of views.

Fun!

This was such a fun listen! I devoured it within 24 hrs. As a former teacher, I recognized a lot of the characters. The author did a good job of making each character's voice unique and clear; it was even easy to empathize with the "bad" guys in the story. I would say this has a similar feel to Big Little Lies, but just lighter.

Fun “page turner”...

I really wish I could come up with the term for page turner when it’s an audio book. This novel had me coming up with chores ALL DAY today so I could keep listening! It’s a fun, easy listen that is VERY close to the bone on the current state of upper middle-class parenting.

It got me..

I really enjoyed this book. There were times I actually gasped and wanted give the characters a piece of my mind. Every time I read a book like this I am sad it’s over because I get so invested in the story. It’s engaging.