The Mutual Admiration Society

A Novel

By: Lesley Kagen

Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Whistling in the Dark comes an unforgettable novel that illuminates the sweet and brittle bonds of family, the tenderness of growing up, the heartbreak of longing for what we've lost, and the poignancy of finding love.

FACT: Unbeknownst to eleven-year-old Theresa "Tessie" Finley, she's in over her head.

PROOF: After hearing a scream and catching a glimpse of a mysterious man carrying a body beneath the flickering streetlights in the cemetery behind her house, Tessie adds solving a murder case to her already quite full to-do list.

Tessie has elected herself president of the crime-stopping Mutual Admiration Society - as if dealing with her "sad madness" over the tragic drowning of her beloved father; showering tender loving care on her "sweet but weird" younger sister, Birdie; and staying on the good side of their hard-edged mother weren't enough. With partner in crime Charlie "Cue Ball" Garfield, Tessie and Birdie will need to dodge the gossips in their 1950s blue-collar neighborhood - particularly their evil next-door neighbor, Gert Klement, who'd like nothing better than to send the sisters to "homes." And, of course, there's the problem of steering clear of the kidnapping murderer if they have any hope of solving the mystery of all mysteries: the mystery of life.

A rich and charming tour de force, The Mutual Admiration Society showcases Lesley Kagen's marvelous storytelling talents. Laced with heartwarming humor and heartbreaking grief, this novel is nothing short of magical.

©2017 Leslie Kagen (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Love Lesley Kagen

Funny and heart warming. A delightful story. I am so glad this book was available on Audible.

Cute, very, very cute!! 🥰

This book was so much better than expected!!

Lovely, very funny (but also a little sad too) story about two young sisters growing up in the late 1950’s.

All kinds of time references endemic to that era which, for those of us who remember, adds to the charm. So accurate I had to check to see if the book wasn’t actually written then (I don’t think so as far as I can tell).

Awesome narration by Dara Rosenberg, a perfect choice for this story. ☺️

Surprise delight

I loved how the story unfolds through the child's perspective. The love, the losses, the mystery it all came together so nicely.

Entertaining and heart- warming

I enjoyed this trip back through childhood. there were lots of witty phrases and interesting turns in the story.

am interesting mystery

I find it interesting that this isn't considered middle grades or young adult as it features an 11-year-old as the main character. I found Tessie funny - she is solving crimes now so she will know how to be a criminal when she grows up. Though I also felt sorry for her as she has had to take on a lot of the responsibility of caring for her sister and herself. Set in an era when children could run wild in the neighborhood (and still be good kids), this was a fun mystery.

What Fun!

This story is set in the 1950's; a simpler and more innocent time when children played outside and their imaginations were encouraged and stretched. I just loved Tessie and her amazing imagination as she set about to solve crimes while caring for her younger sister, who had some sort of challenge, having repeated the 3rd grade and whom Tessie did her best to protect.

The characters are wonderful and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and more so through Audible.

Dara Rosenberg was fabulous!! The narration really made this book for me. It was wonderfully performed.

Thank you Lesley Kagen for the lovely story (in the midst of difficult circumstance) and Dara Rosenberg for the icing on the cake with your narration.

loved the story, highly recommend.

Loveds the story and couldn't stop listening,Was easy to feel like u were right there in the story!

Cute and comical.

it was a sweet story from the perspective of an 11 year old girl who is trying to solve "crimes" with her younger sister. funny and an easy listen.

Twisted metaphors funny and how.

Impressive and clever writing marks this as an enjoyable book about a young girl and her scewed outlook on her life. An aspiring gumshoe living in the late 1950's, she uses her wild imagination to get her through each day while caring for her younger sister. This is all in the wake of her young father dying and her mother's distractions. Her wildly enterprising ways of coping with their lives will keep you guessing all the way through to the end.

Painful

Imagine the most cliched episode of The Little Rascals explained to you by an annoying child. I abandoned this one early.