My Review (4 Stars – Liked it a lot!)

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 11 hours and 6 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: HarperAudio
Audible.com Release Date: March 22, 2016

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney was not the humorous and light read I was expecting.  It was quite the opposite.

From Amazon

“

“Hilarious and big-hearted, The Nest is a stellar debut.” — People

“Humor and delightful irony abound in this lively first novel.”— New York Times Book Review

A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives.”

I’m sorry, I did not see much humor in The Nest.  This novel is much more serious.

Each chapter starts out with the focus on a particular character’s lives/issues or people in their lives.  The story progresses this way which I thought was enjoyable.

Four siblings were to inherit a lot of money that they where counting on when the youngest reached 40.  They called this ‘The Nest’.  However, the older son got into some trouble and his mother bailed him out with most of ‘The Nest’.

Each of the siblings have different lives: two with life partners, one with a husband and set of twins, and one who roamed from women to women.

It felt like there were two or more interesting, underdeveloped separate novels in this story.  However, it was overall an entertaining read.

This is the author’s debut novel and I would definitely consider reading more by her as she writes well.  The characters and their issues felt very real (nothing sugar coated) and Sweeney presented them well.

What Others Are Saying

“I love that The Nest is a debut novel by a 55 year old woman AND she got a $1 million advance!” – Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves

“The Nest  was an enjoyable beach/vacation read and I whole-heartedly recommend it for a weekend diversion.” – JoAnn @ Lakeside Musing

“The story weaves the past and the present together in such a way that I felt as though the characters were people I might meet. Even the supporting characters were fleshed out, enriching the tapestry that made each of their lives real.” – Laurel-Rain

““The book is very much about the thing that everyone inherits, which is a place in a family narrative,” Sweeney says.” – A Conversation With Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney — Kirkus Reviews

Book Trailer Link

About The Author (From the author’s website)

“Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is the New York Times bestselling author of The Nest, which has been translated into more than 25 languages and optioned for film by Amazon Studios with Sweeney writing the adaptation. She has an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children. The Nest is her first novel.”