Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Carousel Court
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
15 posts | 8 read | 1 reading | 21 to read
A fast, frightening, and thrillingly contemporary novel about marriage and money that early reviewers are calling powerful (Booklist, starred review), propulsive (Publishers Weekly), totally addictive (Bookish), and a novel of unrelenting tension (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Here is one of the most engrossing, unnerving, and exhilarating novels in recent memory. It comes to us from Joe McGinniss Jr., whose first book, The Delivery Man, was a national bestseller that critics hailed as searing (The New York Times Book Review), compelling (The Washington Post), and reminiscent of Joan Didion (Janet Fitch). Now, after spending the better part of a decade at work, McGinniss returns with another viscerally absorbing look at the seductiveand destructivecutting edge of modern life, this time through the lens of marriage. Carousel Court is the story of Nick and Phoebe Maguire, a young couple who move cross-country to Southern California in search of a fresh start for themselves and their infant son following a trauma. But they arrive at the worst possible economic time. Instead of landing in a beachside property, Nick and Phoebe find themselves cemented into the dark heart of foreclosure alley, surrounded by neighbors being drowned by their underwater homes who set fire to their belongings, flee in the dead of night, and eye one another with suspicion while keeping shotguns by their beds. Trapped, broke, and increasingly desperate, Nick and Phoebe each devise their own plan to claw their way back into the middle class and beyond. Hatched under one roof, their two separate, secret agendas will inevitably collide. Combining the excruciating honesty of Richard Yatess Revolutionary Road with the social urgency of George Packers The Unwinding, Carousel Court is a blistering and unforgettable vision of contemporary life. It has the ambition of our most serious literary work and the soul of a thriller, managing to be simultaneously sexy, scary, and powerfully moving. Most of all, it offers an unflinching portrait of modern marriage in a nation scarred by vanished jobs, abandoned homes, psychotropic cure-alls, infidelity via iPhone, and ruthless choices. No matter what kind of relationship you are in, it will leave you simultaneously gutted and grateful for your own good fortuneif perhaps curious what your partner is really up to on that electronic device across the living room.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
review
keithmalek
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image
Panpan

Repetitive and boring. This novel was a waste of time.

review
Erinreadsthebooks
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image
Pickpick

It took me forever to read this (really well-written) book. There's an underlying train wreck effect. I found myself not wanting to read it because the characters were such horrible people, the neighborhood was bordering anarchy, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was going to happen. I'm a rule follower and I like order, which wasn't happening in this book. That being said, I could visualize every part of this book and it kept my interest.

Leelee.reads Great review! 7y
25 likes1 comment
blurb
Erinreadsthebooks
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

Yikes! These characters are the worst...really well written but would make horrible humans 🙈

blurb
Erinreadsthebooks
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

The last beach read of the summer 🐠🐟🐬🌊

blurb
librarypoweruser
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

I am loving the Libby app from Overdrive. Just discovered it this week and it's so much better than the original Overdrive app. It's also adorable.

Aleida I like it too. 7y
moranadatter So true. It's a huge improvement. 7y
Litsi I'll try it. The original app was wonky. Libby! Love it? 7y
See All 7 Comments
Smangela Hm, so will this replace overdrive? How is it different? :) 7y
librarypoweruser @Smangela yes I think that is the plan! The UX is a lot better and much easier to use on a phone / tablet. And good at recommending titles too! 7y
litmuggle Me too I think its more user friendly. 7y
SilversReviews I downloaded Libby but didn't know it was going to replace Overdrive. Thanks for the information. 7y
43 likes7 comments
blurb
MaryAnn1
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

I've had enough inaugural coverage. Escaping with a blanket, a fire and a juicy read.🇺🇸🗽🔥📚 #ANEWAMERICA #READINGINTHERAIN

39 likes1 stack add
review
mauveandrosysky
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image
Pickpick

This is a book about failed investments. Not just one couple's doomed investment in a suburban California home, but the different ways that we become invested in the various aspects of our lives—whether it's a marriage or a career—and the ease with which it can all fall apart. It's a scathing, brutal account of the modern American Dream. Like a trainwreck, you want to look away but you just can't.

Cinfhen Nice review💕📚👍🏻 8y
Notafraidofwords Got this at the library today after seeing your post. 8y
mauveandrosysky @Notafraidofwords awesome! I hope you like it. 8y
Notafraidofwords @mauveandrosysky we have similar taste in books, so I trust your judgment! 8y
40 likes5 stack adds5 comments
quote
mauveandrosysky
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

I've never encountered a literary couple who loathe each other as much as these two do. 😳This is intense!

SusanInTiburon Sounds wild! For more in marital hatred, I recommend 8y
MyNamesParadise Dang...I may have to stack this one!! 8y
mauveandrosysky @SusanInTiburon awesome, I'll check it out! 8y
See All 6 Comments
mauveandrosysky @MyNamesParadise it's DARK. But I'm liking it! 8y
MyNamesParadise @mauveandrosysky I like DARK so yay!! That sounded weirder than I meant it so sound 😜🤓 8y
mauveandrosysky @MyNamesParadise oh I'm totally with you! 8y
32 likes3 stack adds6 comments
blurb
mauveandrosysky
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

Today in badass epigraphs.

MrBook 😎👍🏻 8y
34 likes2 comments
blurb
mauveandrosysky
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss

A friend of mine who just read this described it as a "brutally depressing" book that left her "full of anger and fire" and cautioned to "only read this if you want a harrowing, infuriating but very real read." Sooooo...needless to say I ordered it immediately.

TrishB Lol 😄😄 8y
Ericmanciniwriter People surprised: 0 8y
mauveandrosysky @Eamann I am nothing if not completely predictable 😬 8y
See All 6 Comments
Notafraidofwords That would be me too! 8y
mauveandrosysky @Notafraidofwords yay for depressing books! 8y
reneelyons Be right back, have to order this immediately! 8y
30 likes2 stack adds6 comments
blurb
Carolineleavitt
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss

I raved about this in the San Francisco Chronicle. He shifts tone effortlessly and thr book is audaciously brilliant.

CherylDeFranceschi The Delivery Man just destroyed me. It was amazing. 8y
9 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
girlaboutlibrary
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

#currentlyreading #carouselcourt by joe mcginnis. This book hits the shelves today! I'm only about 100 pages into it and I'm already spooked by the dark portrayal of marriage and the ruthless nature of those struggling to "have it all". Have you read it? Let me know what you think! I have a feeling I'll fly through this one! Blog post up soon at http://girlaboutlibrary.blogspot.com ??????@simonandschuster @simonbooks #book #books

4 likes1 stack add
blurb
NikkiA
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image

100 books down & still four months to go! It's been a great year so far...

Cinfhen Wow!!! That's impressive👍🏻 8y
BookishFeminist Fantastic job!! 🏅 8y
Darthdad Unreal, congrats so cool 8y
See All 6 Comments
JanuarieTimewalker13 Wow!!! That's great!! 8y
Eyelit 👏📚💚 8y
Reviewsbylola Amazing!! 8y
75 likes6 comments
blurb
NikkiA
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss

100 books down & still four months to go! It's been a great year so far...

review
NikkiA
Carousel Court: A Novel | Joe McGinniss
post image
Pickpick

Bleak, sad and brutally honest. By no means an easy or uplifting read, but ultimately the perceptive, engaging and confronting writing makes this well worthwhile.

50 likes2 stack adds