Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson: A review

 


Are you ready for a tale of New York one-percenters who live in a world so far removed from mine that it might as well be a kids' fairy tale? Well, here ya go! Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson.

It's the story of the Stockton family, headed by matriarch Tilda and patriarch Chip. Tilda is obsessed with tennis and tablescapes and she has perfected the art of ignoring anything she finds unpleasant. 

We see events primarily through the eyes of the female characters, especially Sasha who has become a part of this powerhouse family through her marriage to son Cord. She is from much humbler origins and she is finding it very hard to find a place to fit in the family unit.  

Sasha and Cord live in the four-storey limestone building on Pineapple Street in Brooklyn Heights that is owned by Tilda and Chip. Sasha and Cord are not allowed to change anything about their apartment.

The Stocktons' older daughter, Darley, has given up her rights to inheritance for the sake of love. She is married to Malcolm and they have made a family and a life together. There is also a younger Stockton daughter named Georgiana who seems to have lived an utterly spoiled and coddled life. 

The book is made up of studies of each of the main characters and is told through the voices of Darley, Sasha, and Georgiana. They are very different individuals and so their perspectives are disparate, to say the least. I would be remiss, also, if I failed to mention Darley's two children, Poppy and Hatcher, who add a great deal of liveliness and humor to the plot.

The author, Jenny Jackson, has been an editor in a major publishing house and she joins what seems to be a trend of editors trying their hand at writing fiction. She writes with a certain amount of humor and she also seems really fond of these characters. The action is definitely character driven. The book is a quick and easy read. I don't think it is going to be nominated for any literary prizes, but I can honestly say that I did enjoy my time with the Stockton family.


Comments

  1. Captivated ReaderMarch 29, 2023 at 11:38 PM

    Glad to read your review of this novel as I've recently added it to my reading wislhlist.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzMarch 30, 2023 at 5:34 AM

    I've been curious about this book. It's a little disappointing that it's not really literary, but a good story is a good story.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lark March 31, 2023 at 5:30 PM

    I like well-written character-driven novels. Especially when there's humor.

    ReplyDelete
  4. thecuecardApril 3, 2023 at 4:00 PM

    Not sure if I can get excited about the 1 percenters. But if there's humor, it has a chance!

    ReplyDelete

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