The Nest

Narrated by:
Mia Barron

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
151
Narrator
4
Release Date
March 2016
Duration
11 hours 0 minutes
Summary
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.

Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs' joint trust fund, “The Nest,” which they are months away from finally receiving. Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems.

Melody, a wife and mother in an upscale suburb, has an unwieldy mortgage and looming college tuition for her twin teenage daughters. Jack, an antiques dealer, has secretly borrowed against the beach cottage he shares with his husband, Walker, to keep his store open. And Bea, a once-promising short-story writer, just can’t seem to finish her overdue novel. Can Leo rescue his siblings and, by extension, the people they love? Or will everyone need to reimagine the futures they’ve envisioned? Brought together as never before, Leo, Melody, Jack, and Beatrice must grapple with old resentments, present-day truths, and the significant emotional and financial toll of the accident, as well as finally acknowledge the choices they have made in their own lives.

This is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down. In this tender, entertaining, and deftly written debut, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over the course of time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love.
Reviews
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Kevin Kent

Good book. True tail of how many people react to wants and greed.

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justine shannon

There's not enough to really get into the characters. It's still a good story however, filled with a lot of ramblings which you later discover didn't build into much throughout the story. I expected more from the amount of marketing exposure this book has been getting. Great narrator.

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Anonymous

I am usually turned off by the NY "oh-woe-is-me" self-absorbed characters found in so many novels, but this one kept my interest. Although I could not bring myself to feel sorry for most of the characters (with a few notable exceptions), I found the book entertaining and interesting. I especially enjoyed the 9/11 subplot, which seemed a fitting balance for the other characters, without being forced. I very much enjoyed the ending. Had the author taken the opposite approach, I would have been disappointed. Overall, I very much enjoyed this audiobook.

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Jenny Folsom

The characters were unlikable, and hard to care about. It took me awhile to get through. The book was okay but not something I was excited to listen to every day.

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Celia Hair-Brown

Perfect for commute listening. Characters are kinda boring types but the author does a good job of portraying white, middle class spoiled urbanites. Without a clue about taking responsibility for much of anything in the world or even their city.

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Whitney Miller

It took me a while to listen to the whole thing. I did enjoy the narrator though.

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Megan Piotrowski

Eh. Like others have said, a bit cliche with mostly unlikeable characters. Narrator was good, however.

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Jessica Knapick

I had a hard time caring about any of the unlikable characters .

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Connie Fields

I enjoyed the story, but did not like the foul language. I don't understand why the F word has to be used! It is so unnecessary.

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Michele Beacom

Excellent book. Well drawn characters, well paced, well narrated. I listened to it twice back to back and enjoyed both times thoroughly.

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Jennifer Holak

Audiobook was performed well, and I did like my time listening to it, but the book itself was fairly cliche with shallow characters and too-pat endings. Every once in a while a particular moment would catch me enough to keep me hooked to the end but I'm glad I had used an audiobooks.com free trial credit on this one - I would have been disappointed spending money on it especially after all of the good reviews I've read. Solid 3 stars.

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Joni Turner

I liked how the author developed the faulty relationships in this family but they cared for one another regardless. When the family no longer had the anticipated parachute they figured out how to make it on their own.

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Connie LaTendresse

The Plumb family children were waiting for the Nest, a promised windfall that was something they were all counting on a little to much. Leo, the oldest, tripped up their hopes by getting into a car accident that had a devastating effect on not only the Nest, but also on a nineteen year old girl. I loved how this story illustrates how families are messy, but the challenges can bring out the best in them too. The narrator was excellent at depicting different people through her voice!

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Kathleen McMahon

Intertwined lives of siblings, friends and a tragic accident keep the story moving forward. This book has received many positive reviews in the press. Is worth a listen, but doesn't quite live up to the hype. I found the narrator's pace too flat and slow. These entitled characters could have used a more arch tone with the reading.

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Carter Serrett

What if I told you that you could enjoy a book full of entitled white upper middle class characters and that you would root for each of them (to various degrees). What if I told you that there was a book with such rich character development you found yourself loving even the smallest bit player? The Nest is such a book. I rarely like a book enough to review it. I have never liked a non science fiction or fantasy book enough to review it. The Nest is worth it every minute you put into it. I LOVED this book and I hate that I am finished with it.

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Donna Mik

Very good listen! Characters and storyline are well developed and interesting to see where their stories go. Enjoyed it very much

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shannon novito

The writing was interesting and the way the author moved the story line along kept me curious. Unfortunately, most of the characters were slightly unlikeable so it was hard to really connect with the story. I did like the ending.

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