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    The Smart One
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    The Smart One
    Unavailable
    The Smart One
    Ebook400 pages4 hours

    The Smart One

    By Ellen Meister

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Bev is the Smart One, who finally leaves her artistic ambitions in chalk dust (and her humor-impaired husband in the arms—and legs—of his nubile protégée) to become a schoolteacher. Clare is the Pretty One, who married well and seems to be living a designer version of the suburban dream. Joey is the Wild One, struggling to stay clean and sober now that she's used up her fifteen minutes of fame as a one-hit-wonder rock star.

    They love each other but mix like oil, water, and hundred-proof gin . . . a combination that threatens to combust over family tensions, suspected infidelities, a devastating accident, a stunning confession, and the sudden reappearance of their handsome, now all-grown-up former neighbor, Kenny Waxman, who's back in town making his mark as a TV comedy writer.

    It seems they'll never understand where their differences begin and their own destructive tendencies end. Then it happens: the sisters discover a decades-old body stuffed inside an industrial drum and begin a bold, heartbreaking, and sometimes hilarious journey that will either bring them together . . . or tear them apart for good.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061873195
    Unavailable
    The Smart One
    Author

    Ellen Meister

    Author of The Rooftop Party, Love Sold Separately, Dorothy Parker Drank Here, Farewell Dorothy Parker, and other novels, Ellen Meister is also an editor, book coach, and contributor to Long Island Woman. She has been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere, and has appeared on NPR. Ellen teaches creative writing at LIU Hutton House Lectures. More at ellenmeister.com.

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    Reviews for The Smart One

    3.5/5

    28 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I waited a LONG time to get this book. My husband ordered it from Copperfield's Books for Valentine's Day.

      The first thing that intrigued me about this book is it's about three sisters. As a sister who was considered "The Smart One" by my teachers (although my mother kept reminding me "The Talented One" had a much higher IQ than I did, although she did not apply herself), I immediately identified with Bev who is 35 and a compulsive failure. But how can she not be a failure when the whole world expects nothing less than the best from her?

      I read an excellent article in MORE magazine almost a year ago about overachievers and phenoms who encounter a mid-life crisis once they discover they have grown up to become ordinary individuals. They did not enter the Football Hall of Fame or win the Pulitzer or an Academy Award. They may have a list of achievements but nothing that would warrant a headline in a newspaper. And they feel like failures. That's how the story opens with Bev feeling like a failure.

      But her sisters also feel the limitations of their own lives and encounter their own crises.

      Ultimately, the novel explores the juxtaposition of how others view us and how we view ourselves.

      It is an excellent book for women (and men) who want to enjoy an entertaining read while learning a bit about themselves and their relationships with those they love.
    • 3/5
      The book started off okay, actually, it drew me in. There were the cliche's of trio sisters, the smart one, the beauty and the wild one.the book explored the pitfalls of buying into the stereotypes, and the relationships that are harmed because of them within a family, as well as individually.My gripe with the book as a whole is that when a story line (their were several) sought to bring attention to the pinnacle in said story line, it was generally, with a person ending up in the hospital, or at least needing medical attention. Dad, mom, smart sister, wild sister, neighbors dad...they all required medical intervention for the author to highlight the "moment". It's a bit of a stretch, and seemed afternoon soap opera"ishy"
    • 2/5
      I am a fan of books about relationships and self-discovery and overall I thought this was a great book and would recommend this book to someone else who may have had doubts in their own life. Makes you wonder who "The Smart One", "The Wild One", and the "Pretty One" is in your own family! Thanks Ellen for sending me an early reviewer’s copy of the book.
    • 3/5
      The story is of three sisters: the smart one, the pretty one, and the rebellious one. The Smart One views herself as the failure in the family, not having anything to show for herself as she has drifted in and out of jobs. Each sister is struggling with their own battle of looking for something that "completes" them such as the parent's praise, sexual satisfaction, or finding one's self. This time in their lives is a turning point in this search for completion.