Tag: Amy Poeppel

Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel (Romantic Comedy)

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5
I liked this fun and uplifting story about two of the members of a piano trio continually struggling to find a third to keep the gigs coming. The larger story brings in all the extended family (and almost family) with their issues, desires, and intricacies of life. Bridget, the cello player and daughter of the wealthy Edward Stratton — the pushing 90, well-known conductor; her best friend Will, piano player and arranger; her daughter Isabelle, who just quit her 80-hour/week job in Hong Kong; and her son Oscar, who arrives home having left his husband over a suspected infidelity. Plenty of other quirky characters and situations appear in this romantic comedy taking place in Bridget’s Connecticut country home making the whole thing a fun, upbeat read.

I like Poeppel’s writing a lot and I was very happy with this quick read where an upbeat ending was ensured by the implied “romantic comedy” contract. In truth I liked her later novel — The Sweet Spot — a little better as I felt like it offered some serious lessons in addition to the comedy that I didn’t really find in Musical Chairs. An added thought — I did enjoy the musical references and the details about their musical lives — I would have been happier with more depth along those lines as that is an area of interest for me, but the book probably included just enough for a seeker of comedy rather than a serious musically oriented reader like myself.

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel (Literary Fiction)

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4/5

I enjoyed every minute reading this book. It’s one of those books that you’d turn to rather than most other activities on offer. On the surface (ie the cover) it just looks like a light hearted romantic comedy — which it sort of is — but largely due to the stellar writing it is also a set of lovable and realistic characters, great dialog, and a variety of relationship styles that bear further study.

The stated plot focuses on a baby who lands in the laps of three women — Lauren, a ceramic artist who just got her big break; Melinda, recently dumped after 30 years of marriage and raging for revenge — unfortunately applying said revenge in all the wrong places; and Olivia, the daughter of the bar owner who rents the basement of Lauren’s Greenwich Village brownstone for a song. It’s funny, full of characters who are deeply interesting rather than quirky on the surface, and steeped in New York city culture and habitats. Lots of fun — I can’t remember where I heard about it, but I’ll certainly go back and read some of her other books.