Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2009
400 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Brooklyn's famed Park Slope neighborhood has it all: sprawling, majestic Prospect Park; acclaimed public schools; historic brownstones; and progressive values. Among bohemian bourgeois breeders, claiming a stake in Park Slope has become a competitive sport.
In the park, at the coffee shops, and on the playgrounds of the neighborhood, four women's lives come together during one long, hot Brooklyn summer. Melora Leigh, a two-time Oscar-winning actress, frustrated with her career and the pressures of raising her adopted toddler, feels the seductive pull of kleptomania; Rebecca Rose, missing the robust sex life of her pre-motherhood days, begins a dangerous flirtation with a handsome neighborhood celebrity; Lizzie O'Donnell, a former lesbian (or "hasbian"), wonders why she is still drawn to women in spite of her sexy husband and adorable baby; and Karen Bryan Shapiro finds herself consumed by two powerful obsessions: her four-year-old son's well-being and snagging the ultimate three-bedroom apartment in a well maintained, P.S. 321-zoned co-op building. As the women's paths intertwine (and sometimes collide), each must struggle to keep her man, her sanity...and her playdates.
From the perennially hot author and columnist Amy Sohn comes a smart, sexy, satirical peek into the bedrooms and hearts of Prospect Park West.
"Starred Review. Sure to appeal to fans of sophisticated chick and mommy lit, this is just too much fun, and the pages turn like the wind. Bring on a sequel! " - Library Journal
"There is an undeniable fascination in seeing [the characters'] lives unfold.... Sohn will attract many new followers." - Booklist
"There are moments of brutal honesty, but they're far too few to allow readers to muster an ounce of sympathy for a crew of caricatures so broadly drawn and sadly conceived." - Publishers Weekly
"All these women live in Park Slope, and their bemused 'only in Park Slope!' observations are the novel's most annoying feature....one-upmomship on the playground to the libido-less marriage, have been well documented beyond the confines of brownstone Brooklyn." - Kirkus Reviews
This information about Prospect Park West was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Craig LaCourt
Amy Sohn is the New York Times–bestselling author of several novels, including Prospect Park West, Motherland, and The Actress. A former columnist at New York magazine, she has also written for Harper's Bazaar, Elle, The Nation, and the New York Times. She has been a writing fellow at Headlands Center for the Arts, Writers Omi, and the Studios at MASS MoCA. A native New Yorker, she lives in Brooklyn with her daughter.
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