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Kim
Rating:
Review
Narrator Bridget has an incredibly close relationship with her older sister, Meghan, or so she thinks. Meghan is the host of New York City's morning television program, Rise and Shine, and when she makes a profane comment about her guest that should have been off-the-air, the fur flies between Meghan, her network bosses, and the FCC, culminating in complete chaos for Meghan, both professionally and personally. While Meghan seeks time away from all the hubbub, Bridget is left to try to make sense of her sister's unraveling. Bridget has her own full and hectic life to deal with, so when Meghan finally does confess that she has been unhappy for a long time, a large part of Bridget's world is turned upside down. I must admit that I liked the characters in this book quite a lot, including minor players Leo and Tequilla, but the ending was too Hollywood for me. I also don't agree with The New York Times assessment that this book is Ms. Quindlen's "best so far". I liked Black and Blue more.
Best Line:
"And yet as I spoke, all I could think of was how much we lie to one another with all the best intentions, how nearly every conversation has somewhere within it, often throughout it like veins in marble, obfuscation or avoidance or the kind of shading that shaves off the hard edges of the truth."
Suzanne
Rating:
Review
Just like Seinfeld and Sex and the City, Rise and Shine highlights people in Manhattan who are preoccupied with their image, rather than with whether or not they're actually happy. This shallowness is exemplified by Meghan Fitzmaurice, a seemingly perfect superstar morning talk show host whose fame runs her life in a dog-eat-dog, chauvinistic kind of world. Surprisingly, she is still in nearly daily contact with her more down-to-earth sister, Bridget, who's a social worker in the Bronx. The initial catalyst that jumpstarts the plotlines is brilliant: Meghan messes up big time and calls her interviewee a nasty name before the station's cut to a commercial break is complete. Her image is shattered. I thought exposing the unreality and surreal disconnectedness of Meghan's life, and the comparisons with Bridget, had a lot of potential. And I especially enjoyed just the theme of sisters' relationships in general. Unfortunately, the story starts out strong but finishes weak – I was disappointed with the ending.
Best Line:
"Karma is a boomerang."
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