A Likely Story
Books | Fiction / Family Life / General
Leigh McMullan Abramson
CBS New York Book Club with Mary Calvi and Belletrist Book Club Pick “Raw, complex, and utterly unforgettable.” —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author The only child of a famous American novelist discovers a shocking family secret that upends everything she thought she knew about her parents, her gilded childhood, and her own stalled writing career in this standout debut, perfect for fans of Pineapple Street and The Plot.Growing up in the nineties in New York City as the only child of famous parents was both a blessing and a curse for Isabelle Manning. Her beautiful society hostess mother, Claire, and New York Times bestselling author father, Ward, were the city’s intellectual It couple. Ward’s glamorous obligations often took him away from Isabelle, but Claire made sure her childhood was always filled with love. Now an adult, all Isabelle wants is to be a successful writer like her father but after many false starts and the unexpected death of her mother, she faces her upcoming thirty-fifth birthday alone and on the verge of a breakdown. Her anxiety only skyrockets when she uncovers some shocking truths about her parents and begins wondering if everything she knew about her family was all based on an elaborate lie. This “literary page-turner” (KJ Dell’Antonia, New York Times bestselling author) is punctuated with fragments of a compulsively readable book-within-a-book about a woman determined to steal back the spotlight from a man who has cheated his way to the top. The characters seem eerily familiar but is the plot based on fact? And more importantly, who is the author?
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Author
Leigh McMullan Abramson
Pages
352
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2023-03-14
ISBN
1982199261 9781982199265
Community ReviewsSee all
"This is a book about a wealthy dysfunctional family that would be perfectly fine if they learned to properly communicate and support each other. The book opens on the funeral of the Manning Matriarch and bounces between the husband ward, the daughter Isabelle, the daughter's friend Brian, an unfinished manuscript and the mother herself but obviously in the past when she was alive. Ward Manning is a famous award winning best selling author and Isabelle is broke and struggling to be an author just like her father. They are both riddled with insecurities and are very self centered. The lights of the story are Claire and Brian. They are well adjusted, kindhearted people who somehow found themselves wrapped up in the lives of Ward and Isabelle. Through the shifting narratives we learn that there are a lot of secrets between these four people and we watch as they all find there way to a happy-place. I enjoyed reading certain aspects of this book more than others, but I guess a small part of me is a bit tired of reading about self-centered rich people messing their lives up. Overall the book was enjoyable to read and really well written and I found it hard to put down. The plot was unique, cleaver and completely realistic. The characters make this story what it is, even though I disliked some of them most of the time, they came back around and I left them satisfied that things would be better for them. <br/><br/>Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book. I was too slow in reading so this book is now available for everyone so grab a copy now."
Nicole Falche
