Carnegie Hill by Jonathan Vatner

A collection of love stories that cross age, religion, race and sexuality - and how to prevent secrets from destroying them. ​

I am not from New York and I think I didn't quite grasp the concept of the featured block of apartments and the committees that run them. I am definitely missing something from this respect. From the story I gather that Carnegie Hill is an affluent area of New York that appeals to the very wealthy and very white population. So then, this is a book about rich folk's marriages with a couple of staff thrown in for good comparison.

For a long while the point of this story is not clear: is it about the thirty-something woman who is about to have her dream wedding to her gorgeous, flash and slightly fake fiance, the running of apartment building or the secrets the staff hold?

Carnegie Hill is all those things. It makes a nice change to read about love and marriage in such detail, for people in their eighties (gives us all hope!) It looks at an array of secrets and why couples feel they should have them and what happens when these secrets are shared. Anecdotes about what is good to tolerate in a relationship and when values indicate that it's time to bail. Plenty of romantic fiction here.

There are several interesting characters and life or death issues plus a significant racial incident. The writing is clear and generally easy to follow, even the little bit of time jumping works effectively. As everyone's story concludes, the paragraphs from different characters meant re-reading is required, thus losing the impact. However, overall, a pleasant and thoughtful read.

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Published by Thomas Dunne Books on 20 August 2019.
​Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.