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ISBN: 9780698153813
An irresistible, deftly observed novel about the secrets, joys, and jealousies that rise to the surface over the course of an American family’s two-week stay in Mallorca. For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. The sunlit island, its mountains and beaches, its tapas and tennis courts, also promise an escape from the tensions simmering at home in Manhattan. But all does not go according to plan: over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated. This is a story of the sides of ourselves that we choose to show and those we try to conceal, of the ways we tear each other down and build each other up again, and the bonds that ultimately hold us together. With wry humor and tremendous heart, Emma Straub delivers a richly satisfying story of a family in the midst of a maelstrom of change, emerging irrevocably altered yet whole.
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Summary
Summary
A New York Times bestseller
A Los Angeles Times bestseller
A June 2014 Entertainment Weekly “Must Read”
Selected for the June 2014 Indie Next List
A Pop Sugar Pick for 9 Audiobooks to Listen to on Your Next Long Roadtrip
An Amazon Best Book of the Month for June 2014
A Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week, May 2014
A BookPage Top Pick, July 2014
A BookPage Best Book of 2014
For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. The sunlit island, its mountains and beaches, its tapas and tennis courts, also promise an escape from the tensions simmering at home in Manhattan. But all does not go according to plan: over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated.
This is a story of the sides of ourselves that we choose to show and those we try to conceal, of the ways we tear each other down and build each other up again, and the bonds that ultimately hold us together. With wry humor and tremendous heart, Emma Straub delivers a richly satisfying story of a family in the midst of a maelstrom of change, emerging irrevocably altered yet whole.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Irresistible novel about simmering family tensions. —Town and Country
Full of Warmth and Wisdom . . . a frothy beach read. —NPR
Funny, poignant, and beautifully observed. —Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You, via Twitter
I would read anything Emma Straub writes. She’s a natural talent and a gorgeous and witty storyteller, who makes each sentence look not only easy, but perfectly real. I came to care so deeply about every single character in this great novel that I found myself unable to go to sleep at night until I was certain they had all landed safely. And they will linger with me, this richly imagined family, long into the future. —Elizabeth Gilbert
Witty, big-hearted, and packed with wisdom, this novel is a breezy read that sneaks in its emotional wallops and leaves you smiling for days. —Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Too compelling to leave your chaise lounge! —In Style
[A] warm, witty story —Good Housekeeping
A psychologically astute comic novel. . . . Picturesque and filled with the solvable problems of the privileged, this is the kind of novel Franny or Sylvia might take on a trip to read poolside. It’s good company. —The Boston Globe
Emma Straub’s bustling new novel is about a New York family’s two-week idyll in a house on the Spanish island of Mallorca. It’s also about a different kind of break: infidelity. . . . The story’s women are so well drawn that they seem instantly familiar. . . . Witty. —The New York Times
The Vacationers takes readers on an affecting, funny ride. —The Miami Herald
Straub has a knack, reminiscent of Lorrie Moore, for writing beautiful prose about ordinary situations. . . . The Vacationers really is perfect summer reading: a beautifully written story that’s neither too depressing nor too charming. —AV Club
Charming and absorbing, this is a novel that demands to be read in long, satisfying gulps. —Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements
The Vacationers is a beautifully told story that walks the tightrope of family angst and connection with hilarity and truth. Get ready for the Post family drama, where the near empty nest collides with the dreams of the new generation. Emma Straub's writing is deft, clear and wise in ways that will surprise and delight you. It's a beyond the beach read. It's Ms. Straub at her dazzling best. —Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker’s Wife
A novel that is both a lot of fun to read and has plenty of insight into the marital bond and the human condition. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Sharply observed and funny, Straub’s domestic-drama-goes-abroad is a delightful study of the complexities of family and love, and the many distractions from both. —Booklist (starred review)
The pacing is quick but satisfying and the characters themselves feel genuinely complex, interesting, and knowledgeable. . . . A pleasant, readable journey. —Publishers Weekly
Straub’s characters are suffused with humor and humanity, their relationships every bit as fragile and flawed–but also resilient–as we know to be true of real life…This novel is an utter delight and the perfect read for a sunny afternoon. It rings with truth and shines with the confidence of a writer hitting her stride. —BookRiot
Straub has created long lost friends through whom she explores the ways in which love cuts us and prompts us to grow throughout our lives. —Bloggers Recommend
Emma Straub's second novel is funny and yet also surprisingly substantial. —Christian Science Monitor
Few writers can infuse a sentence with as much wit as Straub can. . . . A near-perfect high-brow summer novel. —Grantland
Expertly observed…offers such psychologically astute portrayals of the characters that it is hard not to feel fondly towards even their least appealing quirks. It’s a delightful, breezy read in every way but one—it’s a vacation that’s hard to leave behind. —Elle
Did Emma Straub just get a little John Cheever-esque with her latest novel? Take the WASPy family on vacation, with all their little underlying issues coming to the surface, combined with Straub’s witty and colorful writing, and The Vacationers is the type of book just about anybody can read and enjoy. We guarantee this will be on every single list of summer beach reads come next month. Just you watch. —Flavorwire
Funny and tender . . . the perfect lighthearted beach read. —Pop Sugar
In The Vacationers, Emma Straub, a master observer of human emotion, once again dazzles her readers with this richly imagined travelogue, a fun, witty story about family relationships—their evolution and strength. With its lush, scenic setting and its exciting cast of characters, The Vacationers is certain to be your newest beach accessory. —Bustle
For those unable to jet off to a Spanish island this summer, reading The Vacationers may be the next-best thing. . . . [A] gorgeously written novel . . . When I turned the last page, I felt as I often do when a vacation is over: grateful for the trip and mourning its end. —The New York Times Book Review
There’s nothing more addictive than a darkly funny dysfunctional domestic drama. Straub’s novel–set during a fraught family vacation in Mallorca–is pretty much the perfect beach read. —Entertainment Weekly
Delicious . . . richly riveting . . . The Vacationers offers all the delights of a fluffy, read-it-with-sunglasses-on-the-beach read, made substantial by the exceptional wit, insight, intelligence and talents of its author. —People (four stars)
“I would read anything Emma Straub writes. She’s a natural talent and a gorgeous and witty storyteller, who makes each sentence look not only easy, but perfectly real. I came to care so deeply about every single character in this great novel that I found myself unable to go to sleep at night until I was certain they had all landed safely. And they will linger with me, this richly imagined family, long into the future.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of The Signature of All Things
Set down on the idyllic island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea, the Posts confront that universal complaint of vacationing families everywhere: There is nothing to do but get on one another’s nerves. Still, that’s plenty of activity for Straub to spin one beguiling scene after another, exposing spots of annoyance slathered with sunscreen. Much of the comedy springs from the tension between being required to have the best time in the world and wanting to stab someone with an ice pick. . . . In these pages — so funny, so wise and, yes, even so sweet — she’s created the best feel-good story of the summer. —The Washington Post
Those who love novels featuring sly humor, sun-drenched islands, and family drama will fall fast and hard for this one. A nearly perfect read, beach or otherwise. —O, The Oprah Magazine
Emma Straub puts the fun back in dysfunction. —San Francisco Chronicle
“Witty, big-hearted, and packed with wisdom, this novel is a breezy read that sneaks in its emotional wallops and leaves you smiling for days.” —Maria Semple, New York Times bestselling author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
“The Vacationers is a beautifully told story that walks the tightrope of family angst and connection with hilarity and truth. Get ready for the Post family drama, where the near empty nest collides with the dreams of the new generation. Emma Straub’s writing is deft, clear and wise in ways that will surprise and delight you. It's a beyond the beach read. It's Ms. Straub at her dazzling best.” —Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Supreme Macaroni Company
“Charming and absorbing, this is a novel that demands to be read in long, satisfying gulps.” —Maggie Shipstead, New York Times bestselling author of Seating Arrangements
“Expertly observed…offers such
psychologically astute portrayals of the characters that it is hard not to feel
fondly towards even their least appealing quirks. It’s a delightful, breezy
read in every way but one—it’s a vacation that’s hard to leave behind.” —Elle
“[A] warm, witty story.” —Good Housekeeping
“Delicious…richly riveting…The Vacationers offers all the delights
of a fluffy, read-it-with-sunglasses-on-the-beach read, made substantial by the
exceptional wit, insight, intelligence, and talents of its author.” —People (four stars)
“Those who love novels featuring
sly humor, sun-drenched islands, and family drama will fall fast and hard for
this one. A nearly perfect read, beach or otherwise.” —O, The Oprah Magazine
“There’s nothing more addictive
than a darkly funny dysfunctional domestic drama. Straub’s novel–set during a
fraught family vacation in Mallorca–is pretty much the perfect beach read.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Here’s the funny thing about
family: there’s no one you love more than your relatives, and yet they’re also
the people who push your buttons the most. Emma Straub has captured this
dilemma in her pitch-perfect second novel The
Vacationers…The novel is warm--not just for the sunny beaches that surround
Mallorca, but for the compassion and humor that Straub imbues in her
characters. The Vacationers is a
summer read for sure, but you’d be hard pressed to find a smarter one.” —Amazon.com, editorial review
“Gorgeously written…the novel’s joy
and humor are infectious. Straub may be an heir to Laurie Colwin, crafting
characters that are smart, addictively charming, delightfully misanthropic, and
fun…When I turned the last page, I felt as I often do when a vacation is over:
grateful for the trip and mourning its end.” —New York Times Book Review
“Set down on the idyllic island of
Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea, the Posts confront that universal complaint
of vacationing families everywhere: There is nothing to do but get on one
another’s nerves. Still, that’s plenty of activity for Straub to spin one
beguiling scene after another, exposing spots of annoyance slathered with
sunscreen. Much of the comedy springs from the tension between being required
to have the best time in the world and wanting to stab someone with an ice pick…In
these pages—so funny, so wise and, yes, even so sweet—she’s created the best
feel-good story of the summer.” —Washington Post
“A psychologically astute comic
novel…Picturesque and filled with the solvable problems of the privileged, this
is the kind of novel Franny or Sylvia might take on a trip to read poolside.
It’s good company.” —Boston Globe
“Emma Straub puts the fun back in
dysfunction.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“The Vacationers takes readers on an affecting, funny ride.” —Miami Herald
“Few writers can infuse a sentence
with as much wit as Straub can. . . . A near-perfect high-brow summer novel.” —Grantland
“A novel that is both a lot of fun
to read and has plenty of insight into the marital bond and the human
condition.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Spongy and dear, sharply observed
and funny, Straub’s domestic-drama-goes-abroad is a delightful study of the
complexities of family and love and the many distractions from both.” —Booklist (starred review)
“The pacing is quick but satisfying
and the characters themselves feel genuinely complex, interesting, and
knowledgeable…A pleasant, readable journey.” —Publishers Weekly
“Straub’s second novel is perfect
vacation reading, combining a warm-weather locale with complicated family drama…Secrets
and longings are revealed, and relationships shift into new configurations—with
unexpected hopefulness in the story’s conclusion. Verdict: An examination of
fidelity, passion, and the vagaries of relationships, this is summer reading
with some sizzle and seriousness.” —Library Journal
“Audiobook listeners have all the
luck. Narrator Kristen Sieh has transformed Emma Straub’s entertaining
summertime novel into a thoroughly captivating listen… Sieh’s pleasant, clear
narration moves the story along, and her chameleon ability to inhabit anyone
from a Puerto Rican aerobics instructor to an older male New Yorker adds nuance
and meaning to what might otherwise have been a simple confection.” —AudioFile
Author
Author Bio: Emma Straub
Emma Straub is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels and the short story collection Other People We Married. Her books have been published in twenty countries. She and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York.
Details
Details
| Available Formats : | Digital Download |
| Category: | Fiction |
| Runtime: | 6.66 |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
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