The Nest

By Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

‘I couldn't stop reading 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’ ELIZABETH GILBERT

A sharp and funny debut about a wonderfully dysfunctional New York family and the three grown-up siblings fighting to save the family money pot – the ‘nest’ – as their oldest brother threatens to lose it all.

When Leo Plumb drives off drunk from a party in a sports car with a nineteen-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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Apr 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9780008165086

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children. She has an MFA from Bennington.

Reviews for The Nest

[rdra1962 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am glad I read this after the hype had quieted, it was a good read, excellent character development (with a few exceptions), but nothing earth shattering in terms of a memorable read.

[jonimfisher · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not my kind of story. Only one minor character likable and the story felt episodic.

[valerieandbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lots of first-world problems amongst this dysfunctional family, but I liked this novel! Good writing. More characters than I expected, but the author didn‘t allow this to sprawl. I kind of hope there will be a sequel to this novel.

[far2manybooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting premise of how familial relationships change because of money, how expectations change people's choices, how people adjust when expectations are completely blown up.

To these siblings, losing "The Nest" egg was very similar to the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

[beth.clarke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The perfect book to read on summer vacation. I connected with the dysfunctional family and found some parts so witty, I laughed aloud. I generally don't like quick, predictable books, but this had more which appealed to me. The many POVs made the writing interesting and catching small things the author was able to weave into the storyline (The Gift of the Magi nod) made me smile. Although it didn't move quickly, I couldn't put it down. I'll be recommending this book all summer.

[mojomomma_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Four odd siblings squabble over their inheritance that their mother spent to buy off the victim of a car accident that was caused by her second oldest, ne-er-do-well son.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Cannot connect with characters

[bexaplex · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Plumb siblings, all middle-aged, become increasingly fixated on an inheritance that is being held for them in trust by their unreliable and re-married mother, and the sum that has already been disbursed to their dissipated brother for paying off an accident victim.In recent years I've taken an immense dislike to Thanksgiving and so this year I spent the holiday weekend reading a novel about a family's squabble over money. I do wish it had been a tragedy, but the characters managed to sort themselves out in the third and final section.

[aurorapaigem-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not the typical book that I would choose for myself, but since it's the book club on-the-go selection for this month at our branch, I figured at least one person at our branch should have read it.

I can see why it's a good book club selection, but there was really nothing about it that drew me in to the story. None of the characters themselves are really interesting enough to warrant their own books, but together it makes a charming tale about the follies of those perceived as wealthy in NYC.

[iambookish-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After someone I highly regard, my child, said they didn't really like this book, I let it languish on my shelf longer than normal, but I finally picked it up over the holiday weekend and ended up really enjoying it. I liked the narrative being divvied up between the four sibling characters, letting the reader see things from slightly different angles.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book about four adult siblings who are slightly out-of-touch with each other. They have been expecting a sizable inheritance (the "nest"), but about a year before it is to be paid, they discover that their mother has used most of it to bail out the oldest child (Leo) who was at fault in a car accident. And, the siblings all have plans and/or secrets they've been withholding from their spouses and others -- secrets and plans the inheritance was supposed to fix. Now what? The book is very well written and the characters all rang true. But lots of people tell me it is "darkly funny". I didn't find it funny...very entertaining nonetheless.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Oh, how I despised every character in this stroy. A story revolving around a bunch of rich, badly-behaved "I'm entitled" siblings and their alternately lousy or long-suffering spouses/children.Skip it, unless you are into masocism.

[romonko · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was mentioned as one of last year's notable books, but I happen to agree with a number of reviewers that it is a light beach read. The story is familiar - a dysfunctional family with one narcissist, one tough cookie, one hard-done by baby sister and a gay man, as well as a dippy mother. The premise behind the story is that the family of Plumb siblings have been waiting for the 40th birthday of the youngest to get a financial settlement that their father had set aside for them. The bequest has always been referred to by the siblings as "the nest". As in most families where money is held in abeyance, that is all that the siblings can think of, and each of them wants the money for their own personal needs. The story is about how the majority of the bequest had been used to bail their older brother out of a great deal of legal difficulty when he injured a young girl in a car accident and it caused her to lose her foot. Leo was high and drunk at the time. Now the other three siblings won't move on with their lives because they are looking for their money. I didn't find the characters very believable and there was really no plot to speak of. A light piece of fluff is how I'd describe this book, but I did manage to finish it, and was mildly interested to see how the siblings ended up. 2 stars

[vintagereader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would give this another half star if I could, because I think it was really better than three stars... but maybe not *quite* four. For about 2/3 of the book, I wasn't sure if I was going to finish it, but then it picked up.

I liked the writing quite a bit. I didn't like most of the characters, but I often don't like the characters in literary fiction, and that doesn't necessarily keep me from liking a book. Mainly, it just felt like it was trying to be a weightier, more important book than it was... at least until that final third, where it really seemed to hit its stride.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Plumb family--siblings Melody, Beatrice, Jack and Leo--have for years waited, dreamed about, and relied on the substantial inheritance, referred to among themselves as "the Nest," which is to be divided among them when the youngest, Melody, turns 40. Melody needs the money to finance an Ivy League college for her twin daughters, and to help with the mortgage on the charming house she and her husband bought despite its being beyond their means. Jack needs the money to shore up his faltering antigues business. Unknown to his partner, he has steeply mortgaged their beach house through unsavory lenders to keep the business going. Beatrice wants to revive her dormant literary career.Shortly before their access to the Nest is to be realized, black sheep oldest brother Leo, drunk and high on cocaine, picks up a 19 year old waitress, and crashes his car, resulting in the waitress losing her foot (but fortunately not her life). The bulk of the Nest is distributed to the waitress in order to settle any claims she may have and to avoid unpleasant publicity. The other three Plumb sibs are not happy about "their" money being used in this way, and want to know what Leo is going to do to pay them back.This is not a very good book. All the characters are thoroughly unpleasant. I can handle that. But they are also caricatures, and there is little or no character development. The novel is very formulaic--sex, money, NYC wheeler-dealers. It didn't cause me physical (or psychic) pain to read this book, but it was not really worth the time invested, short as it was.1 1/2 stars

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Nest is a light read about how the anticipation of an inheritance ("The Nest") drives the family dynamics of the members of the Plum family. The four Plumb siblings have trust funds that they will be able to tap into as soon as youngest sister Melody turns forty. However, a year before this event, the irresponsible oldest brother Leo runs off with w waitress at a family wedding and wrecks his car causing a large cash settlement to the injured waitress. Their mother, who is executor of the trust, decides that she will tap into the Nest to cover these expenses.The realization of the now diminished expectations sends the siblings into a tailspin, and each, in their own way tries to coerce Leo to make good the loss. While Leo is the most unattractive character in the book, none of the siblings possess particularly attractive personalities.However, as they come to terms with their diminished expectations they eventually grow into better people. This is a good beach read for the summer.

[annikabirgitta · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

So boring. Skimmed through most parts.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would have to say that this book is not for everyone. It's about the Plumbs who are a crazy and dysfunctional family waiting until the youngest is 40 so they can inherit their nest of money. I found the siblings to be well-developed characters that are very believable but also very flawed. They lie, cheat and steal but you still find yourself wondering what will happen to each of them. There is a lot of dark humor and lots of surprises along the way that keep you interested. I can really see a movie in the making from this book. As I have said in the beginning of my review, these shallow characters are not for everyone but if you love family sagas, then I suggest you give it a try. I would definitely look to read more from this author, as I found this debut interesting. What I have taken away from this book is: In the end, you just have to accept your family for who and what they are.

[carmenmilligan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

My take: 2 looks Egad. This book read like a season of Dallas or Dynasty, two prime time television soap operas in the 1980s. The story follows four siblings straight out of a caricature: Melody is an overachieving helicopter mom, Bea is a talented writer with no self esteem, Jack is quintessentially gay, and Leo is a larcenous cad. Cue the close-ups of each face as they discover that Leo's latest antics have siphoned their inheritance, and let the games begin. Not compelling in any way, the story is a tired one, full of shock, lies, betrayal, and slight-of-hand. Of course, it is tied up neatly in the epilogue so that everyone lives happily ever after. That gives me some hope: there will be no sequel. Not recommended.

[flourgirl49 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters, though flawed, were easy to relate to and like, except for Leo. I look forward to the author's next book.

[trayceetee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a book I've seen circulating a lot since it was released in May, 2016. It sounded pretty interesting, so I checked it out. I was pleasantly surprised that it was even better than I'd expected!I love the dynamic between the Plumb siblings! I can see similarities in the members of my own family, as well as in those of other families I know. Granted, the Plumbs have a far different background from mine, growing up privileged in New York, while I grew up very middle-middle class in the Midwest. Still, there's something about the way these siblings interact with each other and with their mother, in one-on-one situations, in a gathering of just a few, or when they are all together. I've come to notice that in my own relationships, as I've gotten older. Sometimes, it's almost palpable, the tension or strain that is automatically present in certain circumstances. The author, Sweeney, really nails the various personalities of the key characters. I feel like I actually know each person in the story, and I really grew to care about each one individually.

[nivramkoorb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Nest was my 50th and final book of 2016 and one of the best. I was very lucky to read 3 great books in the last month by first time novelists(The Nix, Homegoing, The Nest). Sweeney is a 54 year old 1st time novelist and this book was terrific. It was fast paced, lot of characters, good writing, humorous, but also filled with good insights and character growth. The basic story revolves around 4 adult siblings(2 men, 2 women) who will receive the distribution from the trust their later father set up($2 million in total). They will receive it when the youngest turns 40 which is about to occur. They have been pointing towards this date to help address each of their money concerns. The problem arrises when Leo, the oldest and most successful, but also the "bad boy" of the family gets into a problem that results in their mother lending him 90% of the trust without checking with the other siblings. The resulting ins and outs of the story are great. After just finishing 2 pretty serious novels it was nice to read a entertaining novel that touched on real issues of divorce, being gay, money etc. With the backdrop of New York, Sweeney also does a good job of poking fun at a lot of groups(yoga moms, antique dealers etc.). This is a must read for good entertainment with just enough serious stuff to balance it out.

[terris-7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

All about a dysfunctional family fighting over an inheritance....but in the end, I can't really say if I liked it or not....

[nicole_a_davis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Only 20% through, but not sure I'll finish. A family of assholes fighting over an inheritance. Do I really want to waste my time on that?Made it 44% but I don't think I'll continue. I really just hate all the characters.

[gbelik_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of a family whose lives are dominated (and stunted) by the hope of an inheritance. The money is not to be distributed until the youngest reaches 40. But the funds are now mostly gone as a result of the bad behavior of one of the siblings and each sibling must reevaluate his or her hopes and futures. It certainly moved right along. I didn't like the characters much until they became different and more likable when the hopes of a windfall was gone.

[casualfriday_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you want to feel better about your dysfunctional family in anticipation of holiday get-togethers, read this book about a pack of siblings who are thrown off-kilter when their mother uses money from the family trust (their anticipated "nest") to pay off the victim of brother Leo's drug-induced accident. Sister Melody is faced with having to sell her dream home; sister Bea is plagued by writer's block; brother Jack is hiding massive debt from his husband and tries some "creative" schemes to make up for the loss of his inheritance.It's a good old-fashioned, soapy story and an enjoyable read. Yes, it's very New Yorky and definitely a huge dose of White People''s Problems, but for all their and the author's obliviousness to their class privilege, it somehow wasn't annoying. Leo was a wonderfully portrayed heel, fun to hate, so if you're in a hating mood, as I am lately, this book is for you.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dysfunctional families are a common theme in books. What makes this one different is the characters are loveable, if too focused on trust money that has been left to them. They’ve been dreaming about using this money forever, and now with the 40th birthday of the eldest sibling coming up, the money is finally theirs, except Mother has used it all to pay for the rehab of their coke-snorting brother. In her debut novel, Sweeney has done a thorough job in creating full-bodied characters. And as they learn to share and live without the money, you’ll celebrate their happiness.

[nuigurumi-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Leonard Plumb Sr. hat etwas Geld in einem Treuhandfonds für seine vier Kinder angelegt. Auf Englisch nennt man so ein finanzielles Polster für schlechte Zeiten "nest egg" und schon bald war dieser Fonds für seine Familie nur noch "das Nest". Eigentlich war es ein eher bescheidener Betrag, aber er konnte den Immobilienboom nach seinem Tod ja nicht voraussehen und hatte auch einen sehr umsichtigen Treuhandverwalter ausgesucht, so dass seine Kinder nun viel mehr Geld erwarten können, als er geplant hatte. Er wollte nie, dass sich seine Kinder auf den zukünftigen Geldsegen verlassen, sondern sich alles selbst erarbeiten, daher soll das Geld auch erst nach dem 40. Geburtstag von Melody, der Jüngsten, an alle verteilt werden.Melodys 40. Geburtstag naht. Wie ihre drei Geschwister Leo, Bea und Jack braucht sie das Geld dringend. Doch dann benutzt ihre Mutter das Geld aus dem "Nest", um Leo zu helfen, der sich in ernst zu nehmende Schwierigkeiten gebracht hat. Vereint in der Sorge um ihr Geld fangen die Geschwister wieder an zu kommunizieren und sich zu treffen…Ich habe das Buch mit einiger Skepsis begonnen, da ich mir nicht vorstellen konnte, wie Gezanke um Geld unter Geschwistern lesenswert sein könnte. Die ersten Seiten haben meine Bedenken dann erst mal verstärkt, weil die vier Geschwister alle nicht besonders sympathisch sind und den typischen New Yorker Lebenswandel zu haben schienen. Doch ich hatte nicht mit dem Schreibtalent der Autorin gerechnet. Sie hat mich in die Geschichte und das Familienleben hineingezogen und ich kam nicht wieder heraus!Beim ersten Treffen der Geschwister verspricht Leo, sich etwas einfallen zu lassen, damit das "Nest" bis zu Melodys Geburtstag vier Monate später wieder aufgefüllt ist. Leo ist der Älteste und die anderen drei wollen ihm glauben und vertrauen – obwohl sie ihn dafür eigentlich zu gut kennen – und sie hoffen und schieben ihre Geldsorgen vor sich her. Dabei lernt der Leser alle vier Geschwister besser kennen, ihre aktuelle Lebenssituation und wie sich ihr Leben entwickelt hat, und fragt sich, was Leo wohl tun wird und welche Auswege es für die anderen drei gibt.Am Ende hatte ich fast alle Charaktere irgendwie liebgewonnen, egal wie verkorkst sie waren, und war richtig traurig, dass das Buch zu Ende war. "Das Nest" ist eine interessante Familiengeschichte über die Beziehung zwischen Geschwistern und die Autorin erzählt so, dass man als Leser den Eindruck hat, mittendrin zu sein. Die Atmosphäre und die Denkweisen sind sehr amerikanisch, darauf muss man sich einstellen.Da ich intelligente, gut geschriebene Familiengeschichten sehr mag, hat mir das Buch sehr gut gefallen und ich hoffe, dass die Autorin weitere Bücher schreiben wird.

[loranne_test_01 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've been excited to read this book for a while now, based solely on the cover design. I had no idea what it was about. In the end, I gave it two stars, which based on my rating scale, means it was not for me, but you might like it. It was a quick read.

I think the main reason I didn't give the book a higher rating is because I really didn't enjoy any of the characters. They were all, with maybe the exception of Bea, selfish and self-centered. That's not to say that selfish, terrible people can't be well-written and enjoyable, but these just weren't. None of them had anything special going on, or any really defining characteristics. (And this is just a personal pet peeve of mine, but OMG, the bland, boring character names made it impossible to remember who was who. Jack, Paul, Walker, Walter [yes, really], Nora, Louisa, Maggie, Melody... even when I was three-quarters of the way through the book, I had to keep reminding myself who each person was.

The plot itself was fine, but it felt like a lot of fuss over nothing. So Leo blew the money. Oh no! Now Melody's kids might have to go to a state school. Jack was irresponsible with the money he does have, and now he and Walter (Walker? I don't remember which one he was married to) might lose their summer house.

Seriously, these were the MAJOR PROBLEMS that the family faced. And then those problems were solved in about two sentences when Bea offered to share her money with her siblings, and they both immediately accepted. Problems solved!

Jack is an addict, which is an actual problem and could have really been explored more, but it wasn't. He got Stephanie pregnant then disappeared, but it was cool because she makes tons of money and really prefers to be a single mom anyway, so NBD. Like, that would be an actual major problem for the majority of people in the US, but nah, it's played out and wrapped up in a couple of pages, and life goes on!

There was nothing wrong with the writing. It was a quick read and I only considered abandoning it once or twice, but decided to stick it out because overall it had good reviews.

[kristi_test_02 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've been excited to read this book for a while now, based solely on the cover design. I had no idea what it was about. In the end, I gave it two stars, which based on my rating scale, means it was not for me, but you might like it. It was a quick read.

I think the main reason I didn't give the book a higher rating is because I really didn't enjoy any of the characters. They were all, with maybe the exception of Bea, selfish and self-centered. That's not to say that selfish, terrible people can't be well-written and enjoyable, but these just weren't. None of them had anything special going on, or any really defining characteristics. (And this is just a personal pet peeve of mine, but OMG, the bland, boring character names made it impossible to remember who was who. Jack, Paul, Walker, Walter [yes, really], Nora, Louisa, Maggie, Melody... even when I was three-quarters of the way through the book, I had to keep reminding myself who each person was.

The plot itself was fine, but it felt like a lot of fuss over nothing. So Leo blew the money. Oh no! Now Melody's kids might have to go to a state school. Jack was irresponsible with the money he does have, and now he and Walter (Walker? I don't remember which one he was married to) might lose their summer house.

Seriously, these were the MAJOR PROBLEMS that the family faced. And then those problems were solved in about two sentences when Bea offered to share her money with her siblings, and they both immediately accepted. Problems solved!

Jack is an addict, which is an actual problem and could have really been explored more, but it wasn't. He got Stephanie pregnant then disappeared, but it was cool because she makes tons of money and really prefers to be a single mom anyway, so NBD. Like, that would be an actual major problem for the majority of people in the US, but nah, it's played out and wrapped up in a couple of pages, and life goes on!

There was nothing wrong with the writing. It was a quick read and I only considered abandoning it once or twice, but decided to stick it out because overall it had good reviews.