Book Blurb:
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson: Darley, the eldest daughter in the well-connected, carefully guarded, old-money Stockton family, followed her heart, trading her job and inheritance for motherhood, sacrificing more of herself than she ever intended. Sasha, middle-class and from New England, has married into the Brooklyn Heights family and finds herself cast as the arriviste outsider, wondering how she might ever understand their WASP-y ways. Georgiana, the baby of the family, has fallen in love with someone she can’t (and really shouldn’t) have and must confront the kind of person she wants to be.
My Review: 3.5 stars
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson was at once a telescopic look into a typical dysfunctional wealthy family while also giving us a microscopic look into the offspring and their spouses. I loved the cover of this book, and it may, to date, be my favorite cover of 2023.
This is a character driven narrative which worked perfectly for readers who enjoy growth in the characters they’re reading about. Wealth is its own character, and it shows its blessings and greediness in equal measure. I enjoyed Jackson’s wit that was threaded through the book. Humor is always welcome in any books I read.
I appreciated the relationships between sisters, sister-in-law, brothers and brother-in-law. Many of their struggles with one another were relatable sibling misgivings, while others made me think, what would I do? Keeping secrets, philanthropy, affairs, death and understanding your own family were all topics woven into the story.
Kudos to Marin Ireland, the narrator of the audio version, for doing a stellar job bringing this book to life.