Rich and Pretty

A Novel

By: Rumaan Alam

Narrated by: Julie McKay

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

This irresistible debut, set in contemporary New York, provides a sharp, insightful look into how the relationship between two best friends changes when they are no longer coming of age but learning how to live adult lives.

As close as sisters for 20 years, Sarah and Lauren have been together through high school and college, first jobs and first loves, the uncertainties of their 20s and the realities of their 30s.

Sarah, the only child of a prominent intellectual and a socialite, works at a charity and is methodically planning her wedding. Lauren - beautiful, independent, and unpredictable - is single and working in publishing, deflecting her parents' worries and questions about her life and future by trying not to think about them herself. Each woman envies - and is horrified by - particular aspects of the other's life, topics of conversation they avoid with masterful linguistic pirouettes.

Once, Sarah and Lauren were inseparable; for a long a time now, they've been apart. Can two women who rarely see one another, selectively share secrets, and lead different lives still call themselves best friends? Is it their abiding connection or just force of habit that keeps them together?

With impeccable style, biting humor, and a keen sense of detail, Rumaan Alam deftly explores how the attachments we form in childhood shift as we adapt to our adult lives - and how the bonds of friendship endure, even when our paths diverge.

©2016 Rumaan Alam (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

I couldn't do it.

This is the first book on audible I just couldn't stand. I kept listening, trying to give it a chance, but it just got worse. Very disappointed. I feel terrible for writing such a bad review; however the performance just made the storyline that much worse. It was melodramatic, and the overall tone was depressing.

The story where nothing ever happens.

I kept waiting for something meaningful to happen. It never did. No climax, no substantial plot, no satisfying conclusion...nothing happens. There are none events in this book that I really cared about or found interesting. Wouldn't recommend that you take the plunge.

Empty lives

I was excited about this book because I love a good friendship story. I ended up not relating to the characters. I'm a girlfriend's girlfriend and this did not reflect what I know of a great friendship. They also seem to have such empty lives that have little meaning and even less honesty. Lauren wasnt close to her mom or family and she would go hot and cold with Sarah. Sex is kind of a throwaway thing with her. There was very little I could relate to. However I Believe it was well written and other people might find these characters more relatable than I did. I wanted to tell them to volunteer somewhere, start going to church, be interested in others and not so self focused and give grace to all those around you instead of sarcastic commentary in your head. I hope I don't sound self-righteous. I really just wanted them to have happier lives....

Don't waste your time!

Any additional comments?

This book is extremely hard to get into. Although the plot line could potentially be a hit, the chapters do not excite the reader.

The two main characters have zero personality! Although the author provides so much detail into their thoughts and feelings (way too much detail), relating to either one is impossible. The narrator only added to the flatness.

Not much happened

I was disappointed with the plot structure. I was waiting for something interesting to happen, but it never produced. It was like reading a reality T V show of random people.

Disappointing story and narration

The narrator uses up-speak which makes every statement sound like a question.

The storyline is uneventful and uninteresting.

No story

Not an interesting use of my time. Some nice descriptive passages and dialogue is fine, but certainly not to the level of literary work. Therefore I expect more story. The protagonist never won me over. Apathetic. Perhaps pretty, but by Manhattan standards, not even particularly rich - which is neither here or there, just an observation. Just so many better books with a real story.,this was a waste of time, which for a reader is our most precious commodity.

Blah blah blah

I did not enjoy this book and felt it was a list of events. This book was recommended on the Today Show as a summer read. Unfortunately it was quite boring!

Very Disappointing

What disappointed you about Rich and Pretty?

I should have heeded previous reviews of this book. It was very boring

What do you think your next listen will be?

Kirsten Power's book "The silencing:How the Left is Killing Free Speech"

Would you be willing to try another one of Julie McKay’s performances?

No. Her voice was very flat. No enthusiasm

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

None. It could have been an interesting story about childhood friendships developing into adult ones, but the details the author concentrated on were very trivial and uninteresting.

Too much

Too much gratuitous details and observations. Sometimes quirky observations can be fun, but this borders on exhausting.