The Nest

By: Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Narrated by: Mia Barron

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Leo Plumb drives off drunk from a party in a sports car with a 19-year-old waitress in tow, to the moral and legal fallout must be added the horrible inconvenience to his brother and sisters. Leo's rehab costs have severely depleted 'the nest' - the family's joint trust fund that would have cut them loose from their myriad financial issues.

For Melody, a suburban wife and mother, it was to cover both an unwieldy mortgage and her daughters' college tuition. Antiques dealer Jack has secretly borrowed against the beach cottage he shares with his husband. And Beatrice, a once-promising short story writer, can't seem to finish her overdue novel.

Brought together as never before, the Plumb siblings must grapple with old resentments, present-day truths, and the significant emotional and financial toll of the accident as well as finally acknowledging the choices they have made in their own lives.

Ferociously astute, warm and funny, The Nest is a brilliant debut chronicling the hilarity and savagery of family life.

©2016 Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic Reviews

"In her intoxicating first novel, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney has written an epic family story that unfolds in a deeply personal way. The Nest is a fast moving train and Sweeney's writing dares us to keep up. I couldn't stop listening or caring about the juicy and dysfunctional Plumb family." (Amy Poehler)
"A masterfully constructed, darkly comic, and immensely captivating tale.... Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is a real talent, and I am incredibly impressed by this book." (Elizabeth Gilbert)
"A wise, funny, compassionate family drama, full of irresistible surprises, witty conversations, and necessary emotional truths." (Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins)
"This dysfunctional family novel has best seller potential written all over it. You'll find it's certainly every bit as entertaining as a movie, too, and impossibly witty to boot." ( ELLE, 16 Novels by Women Everyone Will Be Talking About In 2016)
"Humor and delightful irony abound in this lively first novel" ( The New York Times Book Review)
"A comedy of filial greed and affection.... Sweeney knows these people well, and she captures them in short scenes that glow with the confidence of an experienced comic writer. For all the acerbic humor that Sweeney wrings from this family's self-absorption, she maintains a refreshing balance of tenderness.... HBO, if you're not considering a TV version, why not?" ( Washington Post)
"Glorious." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"In her debut, Sweeney spins a fast-moving, often-humorous narrative, and her portrait of each sibling is compassionate even as she reveals their foibles with emotional clarity. Her writing is assured, energetic, and adroitly plotted." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Her writing is like really good dark chocolate: sharper and more bittersweet than the cheap stuff, but also too delicious not to finish in one sitting." ( Entertainment Weekly)
"Hilarious and big-hearted, The Nest is a stellar debut." ( People's Book of the Week)

Dreadful reading

The book was ok though not as good as I had hoped but the reading of it was so awful that I had doubts about listening to it all the way through

enjoyable read

really original book.loved the dialogue and setting.looking forward to her next book.great narration.new York sounds wonderful in it.ending slightly a let down

Very interesting !!

Loved the story line !!! Amazing how people react to money and keeping up appearances and the consequences of not having any money !!!

Strangely captivating

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would and I have. It's a simple story based on the standard middle class fear of falling.
That said, the characters are well drawn if not entirely likeable. You stick with it as you want to see how it pans out

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The sense of dread that the inheritance was lost. The panic that set in. It was very real and human. At times the introspection became heavy going and the time jumps into the future didn't work.
That said, it was well written and I will watch for other titles from this author.

What does Mia Barron bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She is an excellent narrator, one of the best I've come across.

Was The Nest worth the listening time?

It was a gentle stroll and I don't regret buying it.

Any additional comments?

Worth the gamble!

Entertaining

This is a lovely, fairly simple story of a short period of change in a family, but very nicely done.

The characters could easily have been caricatures - the gay antiques dealer, the suburban homemaker, the quirkily dressed writer - or entirely flat, but instead were created warmly and with depth and detail.

The narration was very good also.

Overall, it's not great art, but it's entertaining and thoughtful.

unexpectedly very good

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story of a modern day family. Lght and easy listening.