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Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty
Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty | Ramona Ausubel
85 posts | 66 read | 225 to read
From the award-winning author of No One Is Here Except All of Us, an imaginative novel about a wealthy New England family in the 1960s and '70s that suddenly loses its fortuneand its bearings.Labor Day, 1976, Martha's Vineyard. Summering at the family beach house along this moneyed coast of New England, Fern and Edgarmarried with three childrenare happily preparing for a family birthday celebration when they learn that the unimaginable has occurred: There is no more money. More specifically, there's no more money in the estate of Fern's recently deceased parents, which, as the sole source of Fern and Edgar's income, had allowed them to live this beautiful, comfortable life despite their professed anti-money ideals. Quickly, the once-charmed family unravels. In distress and confusion, Fern and Edgar are each tempted away on separate adventures: she on a road trip with a stranger, he on an ill-advised sailing voyage with another woman. The three children are left for days with no guardian whatsoever, in an improvised Neverland helmed by the tender, witty, and resourceful Cricket, age nine.Brimming with humanity and wisdom, humor and bite, and imbued with both the whimsical and the profound, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty is a story of American wealth, class, family, and mobility, approached by award-winner Ramona Ausubel with a breadth of imagination and understanding that is fresh, surprising, and exciting.From the Hardcover edition.
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hike.read.repeat
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Mehso-so

Te Araroa kilometers tramped: 1852.7 of 3005.3

Days on trail: 78

Books completed on trail: 34

My second book by this author. Takes place in the 60s and 70s and tells the story of an old money family. #hoopla

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PNWBookseller85
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Pickpick

My third book by Ramona Ausubel. Her writing is so solid. This book wasn‘t as polished as her first. The pacing was difficult at times. The characters a little thin. But I liked it a lot. The themes - family, wealth, guilt - were expertly handled. The whole ride was made more meaningful by the ending.

81 likes1 stack add
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PNWBookseller85
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Book ✔️ Sand ✔️ Ocean ✔️ No kids ✔️ 😌

Chelsea.Poole Perfect! I hope to look just like this soon 😊 5y
OriginalCyn620 Awesome! 😎 5y
Mtroiano 🙌🏼 5y
CarolynM Enjoy! 5y
123 likes5 comments
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Zelma
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Bailedbailed

Unfortunately, I have been on a roll with bailed reads and books that just aren‘t working for me. I like the idea of this but not far in, I realized I hated main characters and was only interested in the flashbacks of their parents‘ stories. I might have stuck it out with unlikeable characters but their actions made so sense so I‘m moving on.

akckitty Hope you find one that works out! 5y
Zelma @akckitty thanks! I mined my shelves and decided on The Heart‘s Invisible Furies. So up my alley; I expect I‘ll like it. 5y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KarenUK
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#abbainaugust #moneymoneymoney
Not a book for everyone- but I do love me some 'rich white people problems' in the summer.... This book is as if 'fates and furies' and 'the affair' had a baby... Gorgeous prose, unlikeable yet complex and compelling characters, and endlessly quotable lines... I could have underlined something on every page. 💕

Mdargusch I was not a fan of Fates and Furies but this has me interested. 🤔 6y
emilyhaldi You had me at "fates and furies"!!!! 6y
Cinfhen I need to try this one again, I bailed last summer but it seems like the type of book I‘d like 6y
Reviewsbylola I love reading about rich people problems too! 6y
Meredith3 @emilyhaldi omg as soon as I read where she said it was a mix of fates and furies.. I immediately thought of you! 😹 6y
54 likes4 stack adds5 comments
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mrozzz
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Mehso-so

This was really disappointing. The writing is out-of-this-world beautiful, lyrical, masterful. And yet the story spent 11 hours running in place. The back & forth and back & forth of the characters— sometimes labeled with a year, sometimes not— was so confusing I stopped caring about half way through but held out hope for a big finale. Alas. I usually love stories where nothing really happens, but this was all background but no progress. Sigh.

minkyb I ended up giving this a pick when I read it because of the incredible writing but I know where you are coming from with your review. 👍🏻 6y
mrozzz I was so torn! @minkyb 6y
88 likes2 comments
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JennyM
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4 | #HeatOfJuly

Fern, Edgar and their 3 kids are dripping in wealth and live a high and #fancy life. But one phone call brings it all crashing down and leads to rather unexpected circumstances for the family.

A slow-burn, with quips of humour and simple insight, it was good once I got into it.

@Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB Sounds good! 6y
Cinfhen I bailed on this one last year 🙄I found the MC‘s so pretentious but I could tell the book would be good if I stuck with it 6y
JennyM @Cinfhen I nearly bailed too. Definitely a slow build. 6y
leigha_land I love that zebra pillow!! 6y
Leftcoastzen Pretty picture! 6y
65 likes5 comments
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Cinfhen
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#SundayFunday starting a new book ☀️⛱🏊🏼‍♀️😊

Megabooks These characters drove me nuts!! 7y
LeahBergen That library book looks MIGHTY close to the pool! 😬😂 7y
KarenUK I liked this one.... hope you enjoy it 👍💕 7y
See All 8 Comments
Reviewsbylola Pretty tile. I wish I were reading by the pool right now! 7y
Cinfhen I fell asleep on the raft @Reviewsbylola @LeahBergen the book isn't looking too good 😬😬😬 7y
minkyb Curious how you react to this one. She is a beautiful writer. 7y
Cinfhen @minkyb @KarenUK I should be loving this book, but it hasn't grabbed me yet...at the moment besides being very soggy (🙄) it's overwhelmingly pretentious 7y
minkyb Keep going. This is one where the characters, some more than others are strangle-able. 7y
102 likes8 comments
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jennw1212
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Next up!

11 likes1 stack add
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Skybariline
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Pickpick

Great writing, lots of complicated family dynamics: parent-child, spousal, and siblings. Political and social issues of the 1960s and 1970s provide a backdrop for the main family story. Gender roles in a marriage are featured prominently, both stereotypical and evolving.

Cinfhen Nice review! Was on the fence but your review has made it a stack😀 8y
Skybariline @Cinfhen Seems like a wide range of reviews on this one, but the writing pushed it over the top for me! 8y
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
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TongueTiedSLP11
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Sunday night reading accompanied by U2

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post! Martha's Vineyard, Labor Day, 1976. Fern & Edgar are prepping a family birthday party. Then they find out there's no money left. Including in Fern's recently deceased parents' estate. Which was their stream of income. Things unravel fast. She goes on a road trip with a stranger. He goes on a sailing voyage with another woman. Which leaves their 3 kids guardianless for days. Enter Cricket, age 9. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Cinfhen Has anyone read this one yet? Thoughts! I have it as a library request but I'm a bit skeptical 8y
Soubhiville Ok you talked me into it, sounds fun. 8y
Notafraidofwords @Cinfhen I read it. It's a quick read. It's good, but not excellent or mind bending. 8y
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Cinfhen Thanks @Notafraidofwords I heard mixed reviews! I'll keep it as a library request 💙 8y
minkyb I ultimately am glad to have read it because the writing was very beautiful in parts. 8y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 8y
92 likes11 stack adds6 comments
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h_harrison
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#siblings #tightAF ❣️❣️❣️

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Lola
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Cock-a-doodle-doo!! The Morning News has announced the 120 book long list for the 2017 Tournament of Books. I've read 12, have a bunch more in my TBR, and as always, see a few I've never heard of. They've posted a Google Doc spreadsheet of the list, too. #TOB #TOB2017 #TheRooster #Tournamentofbooks #morningnews http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-year-in-fiction-2016

Lindy Thanks for posting this. I enjoy the judges' comments so much during the tournament. 8y
Lola @Lindy You're welcome! And me, too. Often the comments give me something new to think about or remind me of why I really liked (or really didn't like) a book. 8y
charl08 I love the spreadsheet! 8y
cariashley Ooh yay I'm so excited! Every year I want to tackle their list, maybe this will be the time 😁 8y
43 likes4 comments
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BittersweetBooks
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Fern was the lonely keeper of these memories, and it made her feel almost crazy, insisting all the time on moments recollected by no one else 🌾

Lucylovesreading I started this the other day and couldn't get into it. I opted to return it to the library and once my holds are less crazy I'll get it again. 8y
BittersweetBooks @Lucylovesreading I was disappointed in this one myself. I kept hoping it would get better, but it was hard to care about either of the main characters. Let me know if you give it another shot! 8y
14 likes1 stack add2 comments
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capriciousreader
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Pickpick

November, you were fabulous.

RealLifeReading Awesome month! 8y
30 likes1 comment
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capriciousreader
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I've had a migraine for most of the day but am starting to be able to tolerate light. This is great because I don't want to put this book down! #amreading #migrainessuck

Megabooks Sorry about the migraine! ☹️ 8y
HardcoverHearts Migraines are the worst! It kills me to be in bed and otherwise fine but unable to read. Freaking curse. I hope you feel better soon! 8y
dastevensish Hope you're feeling better now, Sweetie! 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I'm sorry you're in the (sadly very large) #litsymigrainebookclub. Me too. Hope it's been better since your post. 8y
31 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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SarahK
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Pickpick

#richpeopleproblems. A really good book about trying to figure out what you want and what matters.

Michelle_mck Going on my TBR! 8y
27 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JennyM
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Enjoying this so far!

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bellasocks
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..Saturday morning reading with a nice cup of tea and knitting #literaryknitter

7 likes1 stack add
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amandaeyreward
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Loved this book!

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anwade88
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Pickpick

I've never so empathized with and so loathed characters at the same time as this book. A book about money, class, love, and what really defines us. Loved it.

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bethsdog
Mehso-so

This was a nice quick read. What happens when a family suddenly loses their free stream of income? Crazy stuff that's what..

HiddenGemBooks Beth, your reviews are LITERALLY EVERYTHING!!😂 8y
3 likes1 comment
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jessdean
Pickpick

Ugh! These characters!?? SO many "what the heck!?" moments for me. I was freaking out about the kids?
I really enjoyed her writing. I love getting a back story on multi characters. I would've loved to know more about some of the characters. Overall I enjoyed this completely dysfunctional ride!

13 likes1 stack add
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jennicakes
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Guys, this is too real right now #baberuthdiet 🍺🌭

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jennicakes

Guys, this is too real right now #baberuthdiet 🍺🌭

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jessdean
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#bookphotochallenge - this what I'm currently reading. I'm trying to make up for lost time this month. And thankfully not much going this wkend. 😃📚💚 Have a happy reading wkend!

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GuninActOne
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Pickpick

Oh how I despised Edgar and sometimes Fern and yet loved this story. Gorgeous writing and such selfish people.

9 likes1 stack add
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Laura_Kaihoi
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Feeling like a daughter of ease and plenty starting this beauty

7 likes1 stack add
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Cathleennh

Ugh! Too many stories of the very wealthy, one after another; Rich and Pretty, We Could have been beautiful, and now this. I could not get through it. Sorry, a poor review, but it reminds me to switch topics, even if your library hold is in!

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TheWellReadOwl
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When work sucks and it's Friday, it's all about a good book and a glass (or two!). 😊🍷

LauraBeth Or bottle... 8y
TheWellReadOwl @LauraBeth 😊😊😊 8y
katedensen @LauraBeth Seconded. 🍷🍷🍷 8y
See All 6 Comments
RealLifeReading Sounds good 8y
BethFishReads Or three 🍷🍷🍷 8y
Megabooks 👍🏻👍🏻 8y
122 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Christina__Cox
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Pickpick

Best book I've read this summer.

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Cathleennh
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Sometimes your book buddy says " enough with the pages, what about me?"

MrBook 😻 8y
CherylDeFranceschi Well, yeah. What about your buddy? C'mon. 8y
britt_brooke Cute pup! 8y
Desha Mine do that too! Such a cute baby! ❤️🐾🐾❤️ 8y
12 likes4 comments
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Lola
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I used to think that wine at Starbucks was silly-until I had to wait out soccer practice while my girlfriends wait for me to join them for dinner. Bonus-I got some reading in on a night when I have social plans. #itsthelittlethings #winwin 📚🍷

LauraBeth It's silly brilliant is what it is! 😀 8y
MrBook 😎👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👌🏻 8y
41 likes2 comments
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Lola
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GREAT ADVICE!!!

saguarosally With air conditioning! 8y
Eyelit 😆 8y
SharonGoforth Works for me😬 8y
See All 8 Comments
Owlizabeth Yes!! 8y
Laalaleighh 😂 how is that book? It's in my Amazon cart I just haven't committed to hitting purchase yet! 8y
Lola @Laalaleighh I am halfway thru and really enjoying it. There's a sort of dreamy quality to the narrative that is really working for me. 8y
Laalaleighh That sounds about how I hoped it would be @lola I haven't seen many people talking about this one yet but I thought it looked so interesting. 8y
MrBook 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 8y
47 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Lola
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"Love could not temper fear and fear could not temper love." So many good lines in this book. Getting in some outdoor reading before the predicted record heat hits. #Saturday

27 likes1 stack add
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thesquirrelnextdoor
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Pickpick

I'm glad I read this one after reading The Nest-although both different in my opinion. This was so much more about marriage and loss and was captured very well! There were maybe a few parts where I maybe zoned out (the deer incident and Native American imaginings, I totally skimmed!). Overall, I'd definitely recommend this especially for those who loves characters that are steeped in humanity and flawed. Also #richpeopleproblems

LiteraryinPA Which did you like better between this and The Nest? I read the latter and liked it but was on the fence about reading this one. 8y
thesquirrelnextdoor @LiteraryinLititz Hmmm I think I preferred the Nest, mostly because I felt like I connected with the characters more, but If you are looking for something in the same vein as The Nest I would definitely say to give this a read! 8y
MrBook Love this review and pic! 😋 8y
9 likes1 stack add3 comments
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KarenUK
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Pickpick

I do love me some #richpeopleproblems in the summer.... This one made me think of if 'fates and furies' and 'the affair' tv show had a baby... Gorgeous prose, unlikeable yet complex and compelling characters, and endlessly quotable lines... I could have underlined something on every page....

jessdean Yay! Just for it from the library!:) 8y
22 likes1 stack add1 comment
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thesquirrelnextdoor
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That moment when allllll of your holds come in at the same time 🤓😬📖

Reviewsbylola Ugh that happened to me. I have three ebook holds that I need to get to ASAP. 8y
thesquirrelnextdoor @Reviewsbylola I swear, when I worked for the public library it actually happened even more! It puts the pressure on to read more though! 👊🏻 8y
MrBook When it rains it pours 😎👍🏻. 8y
BookishMarginalia If it helps, Vinegar Girl is a fun, quick read 🤓 8y
thesquirrelnextdoor @BookishMarginalia I've heard so many mixed things about it--but I am looking forward to something quick so I can finish all of these before they are due! Haha 8y
9 likes5 comments
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Rhee
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Pickpick

My current read. Really enjoying it so far.

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KarenUK
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Next up..... Not sure why, but love me some #richpeopleproblems in the summer :)

jessdean Hope it's good! Just saw my library has it ready for me to pick up😊 8y
28 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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ElizabethSensa
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"Glory was tall and had the ragged lips of someone who'd been kissing all night in a cold car, in winter." P. 10

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Love that puppy!! 8y
britt_brooke That face is adorable! 8y
ElizabethSensa Thank you! She really didn't want me to enjoy reading! 8y
MrBook 😻👍🏻 8y
13 likes4 comments
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Suetara
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My second vacation read. I've gotten through about half of it today and wish that I had my own copy. I rarely underline/mark up books, but there are a bunch of lines I wish I could have underlined.

ElizabethSensa I'm loving it too!! 8y
9 likes1 comment