Pineapple Street
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
by Jenny Jackson
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Pub Date 13 Apr 2023 | Archive Date 21 Jun 2023
Random House UK, Cornerstone | Hutchinson Heinemann
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Description
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Escape to glamorous Pineapple Street, New York, with 2023's must-read and warmest debut about love, family, class and money, from exciting new literary voice Jenny Jackson
'Sheer escapism' HEAT
'A sparkling social commentary' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'A smart debut about wealthy New Yorkers... minutely observed and packed with one-liners' GUARDIAN
'A blissfully enjoyable novel' SUNDAY TIMES
'The literary equivalent of a hole in one' DAILY MAIL
'Marvellous - clever, funny and brilliantly well observed' INDIA KNIGHT
'It's the novel Jane Austen would have written . . . if Jane Austen lived in Brooklyn Heights in the 21st century' NEW YORK TIMES
'A smart, funny, astute skewering of class and money and money and class' SAM BAKER
'Hilarious and poignant' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of The Paper Palace
'An absorbing, acutely observed novel about class, money and love' NICK HORNBY, author of High Fidelity
'Filled with warmth and light. I was moved, engaged, inspired and charmed' DAISY BUCHANAN, author of Insatiable
'A delicious new Gilded Age family drama . . . a guilty pleasure that also feels like a sociological text' VOGUE
Old money. New family . . .
Pineapple Street in Brooklyn Heights is one of New York City's most desirable residences, and home to the glamorous and well-connected Stockton family . . .
Darley, the eldest daughter, has never had to worry about money. She followed her heart, trading her job and her inheritance for motherhood - but ended up sacrificing more of herself than she ever intended.
Sasha is marrying into the wealthy Stockton family, who are worlds apart from her own. She feels like the outsider, trying to navigate their impenetrable traditions and please her new mother-in-law - plus her hesitancy to sign a pre-nup has everyone questioning her true intentions.
Georgiana, the youngest, is falling in love with someone she can't (and really shouldn't) have - and is forced to confront the kind of person she wants to be.
Witty, escapist and full of heart, with an unmissable cast of loveable - if flawed - characters, Pineapple Street is a beautifully observed novel about the complexities of family dynamics, the miles between the haves and the have-notes, and the all-consuming insanity of first love - while also asking the age-old question, can money really buy you happiness?
Everyone is talking about Pineapple Street . . .
'The smartest and most deliciously fun novel I've read in ages' KEVIN KWAN, author of Crazy Rich Asians
'Wise, emotionally honest and such fun' HELEN FIELDING, author of Bridget Jones Diary
'Jenny Jackson turns this story of super-rich people living frustrated lives in Brooklyn into a compelling and thoughtful look at what it means to have very little agency in your own life. An excellent read' Stylist
'Killer debut about class, love and money' Grazia
'Sharp and juicy' Nita Prose, bestselling author of The Maid
'This is a story with huge heart about love and family' ***** Reader Review
'Funny, witty, and compassionate' ***** Reader Review
'I loved this book! A sharply observant, witty and perceptive look at the wealthy in New York. A complete pleasure to read from start to finish' ***** Reader Review
Advance Praise
• Jenny Jackson has written a lovely, absorbing, acutely observed novel about class, money and love. These are the themes of Henry James and Jane Austen, but they are observed with a fresh eye and a contemporary voice. Who wouldn't want to read Pineapple Street? - Nick Hornby
• Set in the windy, sun-dappled streets of Brooklyn Heights, Pineapple Street is a portrait at once searing, hilarious and poignant of a NY family straight-jacketed by their own wealth - Miranda Cowley Heller
• Pineapple Street is that rarest of gifts-a novel you don't want to put down for anything. Transporting and laugh-out-loud funny, this intergenerational story is a perfect tale for our times - J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of FRIENDS AND STRANGERS
• In this vibrant and hilarious debut, Jenny Jackson has taken a familiar tale-siblings, family money, competing interests-and given it fresh life. What binds the book together so wonderfully is Jackson's keen understanding of the beauty and difficulty of belonging, of how our desires can clash with our inherited narrative and what happens to the people we love when we need to rewrite the story. Pineapple Street is riveting, timely, hugely entertaining and brimming with truth - Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of THE NEST and GOOD COMPANY
• Full of witty and caustic observations about a privileged class of New Yorkers, PINEAPPLE STREET is a sharp and juicy satire - Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE MAID
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781529151183 |
PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
PAGES | 288 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
This would make a fantastic tv series! The book, follows three women Darcey, Sasha (sister by marriage) and Georgiana from a wealthy Brooklyn family. Each one is deeply conflicted about the familial wealth they have inherited. Darcey was born into it, Sasha has married into it, and Georgiana wants to give it all away by marrying a man she can’t have. This is a story with huge heart about love and family. It was a delight of a read!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann and the author for this riveting ARC
Inherited wealth. Does money make you happy? Or does it just bring different problems?
The Stocktons are old money in Brooklyn Heights. Darley and Georgiana born into it, Sasha married into it.
They all discover, for one reason or another, that it's not everything...
Fantastic
I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Although the characters seem superficially unlikeable, the reader is quickly drawn into their lives, and we are left feeling sympathetic towards these very privileged people, for very different reasons. This would make a cracking TV series!
I really enjoyed this book! Loved the social aspect and personal problems which arise in life! Loved the motion of the trust funds and old New York money! Perfect read for a Sunday afternoon.
I really really enjoyed this story. I thought all of the characters were really authentic and realistic. I could imagine them all existing in their crazy mum foot rubbing family dynamic! I found it interesting to read all about their separate relationship dynamics and felt very invested in the outcome for each of them. It felt like a fascinating insight into life as one of the old money families of New York and it was totally enthralling- I read it all in a day!
The story of a family - particularly 3 women within the family, and their relationship with money, how it defines them and their relationships.
The Stockton family are 'old money' Brooklyn Heights establishment. Darley, daughter of Chip and Tilda, refuses to sign a prenup so is reliant on her husband, married with 2 children. Money is ok, if sometimes tight, when her husband has a good job.
Georgina - the longest of the Stockton siblings, initially seems a spoiled brat. But her work and her relationships with colleagues force her to reconsider how she uses her wealth.
Sasha - married to Cord (the 3rd sibling) - signs a prenup and moves into the family home, which marks her out as a gold-digger to her sisters-in-law. With a different upbringing she struggles to fit in.
I enjoyed this novel and the characters grew on me as the story progressed. An interesting novel with plenty of scope for discussion
A wasp-y version of "Crazy rich asians". A light entertaining read which definitely delivers a bit of escapism in these depressing times. A peek into the first world problems of an old money intergenerational family of New yorkers and a thouroughly enjoyable light read.
I needed something to pull me out of my reading rut and Pineapple Street achieved that perfectly. I loved hearing about the 3 women and their lives and I absolutely loved the Brooklyn setting. I think the book was the perfect length and a nice easy and enjoyable read.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It’s a warm, shrewd and engaging story about class, culture and above all, family and what it means to be a family. It follows female members of an affluent family in Brooklyn Heights as various occurrences lead them to question their status in society and in the family.
All of the characters are incredibly well drawn and by the end of the novel I felt sad to say goodbye to them! It’s a book that draws you into a cost familial embrace whilst also challenging you and making you think about the structure of modern society.
‘Money, money, money
Must be funny
In a rich man’s world’ …. and the Stocktons have plenty of it. The matriarch and patriarch are Tilda and Chip, let’s just describe them as powerhouses with Tilda having an obsession with tennis and tablescapes, whatever that is! Darley their eldest daughter passes up her inheritance for love of Malcolm and motherhood.
Sasha marries in and comes from much humbler origins; she and Cord live in a four storey limestone on Pineapple Street that belongs to Tilda and Chip and they are NOT allowed to change a thing. Sasha doesn’t fit in and no matter how hard she tries she cannot penetrate the close family unit. Then there is the youngest, Georgiana, utterly coddled and totally spoilt but maybe, just maybe there’s hope for her.
This is a very incisive character driven study which shines a spotlight on a life of indulgence especially via the female line of the Stockton family. Tilda focuses on her favourite sport and shopping and simply airbrushes anything unpleasant and surely has to be the cause of so much dysfunction and tension! They are a strong unit probably because of the iron clad control and it’s no wonder Sasha finds it all very bewildering and although you wish she wouldn’t try so hard, she is genuinely likeable. On several occasions I want to yell at Cord for his words and actions and there’s even a bit of fist clenching from me!!
The character studies are excellent you realise beneath surfaces some are really messed up as you view their life and loves, their ups and downs. The story is told via Darley, Sasha and Georgiana and the three female voices seem very separate, even disparate but that is entirely the point as they have learn to plough their own furrow. You witness hurt, pain, sadness, hypocrisy and joy all told with humour and dry wit. It gets very lively when Darley’s children Poppy and Hatcher (???) are around as they are so funny!
It’s not especially fast of pace but it is an easy read and a good one at that. There are some are some uncomfortable moments especially around their enormous wealth but the author counterbalances that well with the developing storyline putting things into some kind of perspective.
I really like how it ends and overall enjoy spending time in and around Pineapple Street in Brooklyn Heights.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K./Cornerstone for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
This is a really enjoyable book regarding a rich family in New York. It’s certainly baffling the amount of wealth these people are living with on a day to day basis. The characters are well drawn and very relatable - despite their extreme wealth.
A family saga shedding light , including the ups and downs of a well to do family living what to a casual observer would appear to be a life of privilege. Using separate chapters the reader is introduced to siblings, their partners and the affluent lifestyle of families where money or lack of it has never ever arisen. Where we’ll connected families are assured of entrance to all the bast schools, universities, parties, the clubs and social circles that strengthen relationships and ensure that future partners stay within the acceptable inner circle of their sort of people. Yet several unexpected developments upset the equilibrium; an unexpected addition to the family from what to them is considered to be the wrong side of the tracks, unpredictable tragedy, unemployment and the trials of everyday life intrude on their gilded lifestyle creating friction and fractures within the family unit. A beautifully written book demonstrating that even with the luxury of untold wealth happiness is never guaranteed and misfortune is equally as debilitating. The story unfolds as we the reader becomes familiar with each background story, the trajectory of relationships nurtured, broken, and rebuilt like every family from all stations in life. A subtle addictive window into a period in one families life that leaves the reader a guilty observer of events that demonstrate the real strength and character of individuals. Many thanks to author publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
At first I really didn't think I was going to enjoy Pineapple Street because the main characters seemed pretty unpleasant and it's such an American story that I had to keep Googling things I didn't undrstand but I was so wrong. The characters are so authentic, the story so beautifully written with such attention to detail I was soon drawn in.
A story of family relationships, family values and family money, this would make a great television series.
As sweet as the 'fruit streets' that inspired its name, Pineapple Street makes people with money look appealing (more so than Succession, anyway). Sasha Rossi grows up middle-class in Rhode Island (or 'poor' in the words of her husband Cord's family). Cord is sweet and unpretentious but his sisters call Sasha a 'gold digger' and his mother is pathologically obsessed with tablescapes. Meanwhile, romantic-but-private sister Darley is keeping her husband's humiliating and undeserved firing a secret from the family, contributing to tensions between them, and little sister Georgiana, working for a non-profit that provides international aid, is about to begin an affair that will tear apart and re-shape her life. A satisfying and pleasurable read!
I couldn't put this book down, it was an absolutely riveting read that kept me gripped right from the start and I felt like I was in the pages amongst the characters. The characters were well developed although I didn't care for most of them, yet found myself unable to tear myself away from them
A question that has lasted the ages - does money really buy you happiness? The story follows 3 siblings; Cord (and wife Sasha), Darley (and husband Malcolm) and Georgiana who have come from incredible wealth and have to each fight their own battle with class, race and money.
I really enjoyed this book, and can see it being turned into a series on TV. The characters were mostly likeable, though I was infuriated by Georgiana who acted like a spoilt child throughout, and Tilda who felt up her own whatever...
I enjoyed the growth of the characters and the ending was lovely!
Pineapple street is the story of the Stockton family told from three perspectives; Darley the eldest daughter with two Children and a very happy marriage, Sasha the sister in law trying to fit in and feeling like an outsider and Georgiana the baby of the family still trying to figure out who she is.
It was a delight to read, sometimes uncomfortable yet smart and funny. Pineapple street gives social commentary to the issues of class and money and how some win the lottery at birth simply by being born into the right family. It follows how the Stockton children have grown up privileged and never wanting for anything and how this has effected their behaviour and their relationships.
The uncomfortable moments include discussions around giving away their fortune, lying about their status and gold diggers,”. One particularly uncomfortable moment is when Tilda, the matriarch, asks Sasha what it was like growing up poor, Sasha is far from poor, her dad owns a boat for goodness sake 😂
All in all Pineapple street is a good read, with laughable moments and a serious undertone that makes you stop and consider.
Thank you @netgallery and @penguinrandomhouse for this early publication of #pineapplestreet
I absolutely adored this family saga of the New York Stockton family who have wealth beyond the imagination of most of us. The novel is told from the viewpoints of two of the Stockton siblings- Darley and Georgiana and their sister in law Sasha, who is married to their brother Cord.
Apart from Sasha the family is pretty spoilt and unlikeable, but as we follow the sisters on their own journeys of different kinds of loss, I felt empathy and some understanding of their behaviour.
This reminded me of novels by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Emma Straub and it’s a beautifully written character driven novel that I was completely drawn into and raced through over a 24 hour period. I loved the descriptions of the Stockton family home, the character dissections and the insight into upper class New York life.
I was completely bereft when I finished this gorgeous novel and would love to be back in the world of Pineapple Street.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
I've been waiting to read PINEAPPLE STREET since I first saw it announced - and it did not disappoint! A wildly entertaining peak inside an extraordinarily privileged family. I was gripped.
A fantastic read from Jenny Jackson about a privileged family in New York told from 3 different family members. Each deals with their wealth differently and to be honest I loved the characters. Great unputdownable page turned loved it
I loved this book! A sharply observant, witty and perceptive look at the wealthy in New York, it centres on the close-knit Stockton family, who live a life of prestigious jobs, gourmet dinners, networking and tennis at the club. Daughter Darley gave up her career to care for her two children and now wonders if she is wasting her life, Georgiana’s forbidden love affair leads to her questioning how she wants to live, and son Chip marries outsider Sasha (called the GD- Gold Digger- by his sisters), who grew up very differently and struggles to fit in with the family’s lifestyle and expectations. I was totally absorbed in their dramas and particularly enjoyed the scenes featuring the hilarious Stockton matriarch, who sends her housekeeper to help Darley when she gets a vomiting bug and organises ridiculous themed parties. There is also some thought-provoking issue-raising about money- how it doesnt buy happiness but certainly helps, how one can put it to better use by helping others, globally and at home, how catastrophic losing it can seem when it threatens to change your lifestyle. A complete pleasure to read from start to finish.
An immersive, witty book about three American women and their relationship with money. It explores the effects of inherited wealth with warmth and with. To me, it had strong Kevin Kwan and Crazy Rich Asian vibes, but with WASP characters. If you loved Kwan, you’ll love this. An entertaining read.
I loved this book. A domestic drama. A story of family and wealth. Three women - two sisters and a sister in law overseen by the matriarch mother. I loved the background of Brooklyn Heights. I was sorry to finish this book as it felt like being in a wonderful, quirky family.
Sasha is married to Cord, what she doesn’t realise is this means marrying his family as well. They are ‘old money’ rich and she is middle class.
But money doesn’t bring a trouble free life and soon both of Cord’s sisters come to her with troubles they don’t want the rest of the family to know, not even Cord. Thinking this will make them like her Sasha keeps their secrets.
I liked the way that chapters focus on life from one person’s perspective, then move on to another chapter and another person, all in chronological order, and all in the third person so you know exactly who the chapter is about. I loved the family dynamics, the dynamics with Sasha’s family, the different of the attitudes between the sisters and relationships. I found it funny that for Cord’s family, life revolved around the tennis club! There were some very funny moments, and some very sad moments.
It was an easy, gentle read. I loved it.
Entitled and rich characters you love to hate. Set amongst the New York elite, with all their messy family lives and questionable values, I loved this book. Thanks NetGalley!
Pineapple Street is a glorious debut. I absolutely adored it. Set in the fruit streets of Brooklyn Heights, it tells the story of the Stockton family who are both utterly charming and horribly entitled. Navigating marriage, romance, tennis and class when you belong to or are marrying into wealth is no easy matter. Funny, witty, compassionate and drawn, with a deft touch this is a quietly elegant and delightful novel. I recommend it highly.
Many thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann and NetGalley for the ARC.
This was a delight of a novel. I enjoyed it so much. The story of the current generation of the ‘old money’ Stockton family based in Brooklyn, New York, it is told from the perspective of two sisters, and there third sister by marriage. Very character driven it is funny, poignant and insightful around class, money, love and family. A great read
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
The Stocktons are an incredibly wealthy New York family but money doesn't solve everything and the story follows three women in the family and their struggles - Darley the eldest daughter, Sasha the daughter-in-law and Georgiana the youngest daughter.
Wow, I absolutely loved this book and really didn't want it to end - I'd love to hear how things turn out for the characters so please could we have a sequel??!! A fantastic story of love, money, class and so much more... brilliant! Very VERY highly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
I love books with multiple points of view - and this one in particular. It's set in New York and explores the very different lives of 3 three women: two daughters of a wealthy family and one woman from the middle class who marries into this family. The main topics are money, class differences, family, and love. I especially liked the character development of the youngest daughter: throughout the book, I couldn't stand her but towards the end, she changes into a very likable person.
I loved Jenny Jackson's Pineapple Street, so readable and lively, and a great set of insights into different aspects of New York and its social strata, with vivid personalities and dynastic families showing all their qualities and flaws, vices and virtues.
Absolutely inhaled this book, a really great combination of lighthearted easy reading, whilst also looking at a more difficult topics.
3 women from the same family with loads of cash and what they go about doing with it, each with a very different perspective and lifestyle than the other. Perfect for cosy winter days reading and unputdownable
Thanks netgalley for proof copy.
Three women in a wealthy family: different stories and different upbringing. They're not very likeable and their problem are very first world problem but you cannot help finding some details or something in common.
This is a book about wealth but it's also a book about women. There's fun but there's also poignant moments.
Loved this story, loved the style of writing and the storytelling, loved the descriptions.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
I really really enjoyed this read. I liked the characters, I liked the pacing and I liked the setting. I liked the push and pull between Sasha and the Stocktons, how even though she is loved by and married to Cord it is very clear that she is an outsider. How even Cord doesn’t let her forget this. The writing feels very assured for a debut, it flits between funny, heartbreaking and social commentary all at once. I loved the difference in Georgiana especially from beginning to end, it really did feel like she grew up and came into herself as a young woman. I flew through this one, cannot recommend this book enough.
Pineapple Street is the début novel of Jenny Jackson. Set in the rich Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood of New York, the story follows the lives of the wealthy Stockton family from those born into the money – siblings Cord, Darley, and the youngest Georgiana – to those who married into this closely guarded family including; Cord’s new wife Sasha, and Darley’s husband, Malcolm for whom she gave up her inheritance in the name of love.
The novel indulges heavily in the luxuries, and pleasures of New York’s one-percenters, immersing readers in a world that so few will truly ever experience. Despite this sparking socialite thread, the story has a lot of humour and heart. On the surface, these characters are spoiled and naïve to many of the world’s realities, but beneath that, there is depth as the characters begin to grow.
What’s more, Jackson’s writing tackles some very poignant and important issues including; racism in high society, grief, relationships, and family dynamics.
What will happen when three women – one born with money who sacrificed it all, one who married into it, and one who learns the price of wealth – come together and confront what they thought they knew about money?
Sparkling with wit and warmth, Pineapple Street is a pleasurable, escapist read full of flawed but fun characters, acute observations, and deep wisdom.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was not what I expected. It was so much more, funny, witty and wonderfully written. The characters were intriguing and kept my interest throughout. A recommended read.
I didn’t expect to love this like I did. The story was well thought out, put together brilliantly and I read through so quickly. Would love a part 2 to this!
I really enjoyed this book, got me gripped from the start.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
Pineapple Street seemed right up my 'street' as I have a gaping hole where Gossip Girl left me. New York's Elite - how the other half live. Pure escapism for me and Pineapple Street delivered. Following the Stockton family through a snippet of their lives. Jenny was able to make the upper class family likeable (Bravo!) and I felt like I really was involved in their stories, some charaters were more likeable than others - Georgiana you spoilt brat!! But I love to be torn between love and hate so really loved the book, I couldn't put it down.