A posh New York apartment building on Park Avenue is home to the rich and famous: Sidney Sapphire, the blond anchorwoman of ABC News; Angela Somoza, the gorgeous Nicaraguan jet-setter; Bob Horowitz, the former chairman of the United Jewish Appeals; and the usual collection of banking and industrial CEOs, Wall Street magnates, and white-haired philanthropists. Vinnie Ferretti, the Brooklyn-born doorman, joins the ranks when he becomes a major fashion designer.
The co-op board, rich as clotted cream, sips gin in the afternoons and devises ways to keep out anyone deemed "inappropriate." Stifled resentments come to a head when some suspect the board of more discrimination toward prospective buyers than might be legal.
Better Homes and Husbands is a stylish, richly woven novel about class feuds during the tumultuous period of social change between 1970 and 2000.
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"The title of this book makes it sound sleazier than it is. It's a really good read, a series of short stories following the occupants of one particular NYC building through the years. Nicely done and moving at times. " — Jessica (4 out of 5 stars)
"The title of this book makes it sound sleazier than it is. It's a really good read, a series of short stories following the occupants of one particular NYC building through the years. Nicely done and moving at times. "
“Leff’s debut has all the elements of an Austenian novel of manners.”
“A novel of manners written with skill and heart and powers of observation as sharp as a boning knife—my idea of heaven.”
“Battles of race, religion, and ideology give an edge to this cozy chronicle. Leff provides plenty of glittering details, but she doesn’t neglect the lives of the building’s service people…Her protagonists are types, but Leff is skilled at teasing out their small idiosyncrasies. Sedate and slightly old-fashioned, this is a warmhearted, generously imagined New York story.”
" Love love love. A world I'll never be a part of and a great visit! "
" The author's characters were more like caricatures in this series of interlocking stories in a white glove co-op building on the UES. And most annoying, a few of the story lines were left unresolved! Two stars only because of my obsession with the rich and WASPy. "
" I just wasn't charmed by this book. 980 Park Avenue is for Manhattan's elite. Each chapter is about one of the particular residents. Overall, I didn't care much about any of them. I had a hard time remembering how each person was related and I just wasn't impressed by the characters. "
" I thought this would be summer fluff and chose it for that reason, but it was actually a well-written social commentary on New York's Upper East Side during the last 50 years. Class issues, antisemitism are themes. "
" The title of this book makes it sound sleazier than it is. It's a really good read, a series of short stories following the occupants of one particular NYC building through the years. Nicely done and moving at times. "
" I had a hard time staying with this book. I never felt any connections to the building or the residents. "
" I enjoyed how the characters were all somehow connected, I just would have appreciated an update on the resolutions to the situations they found themselves in. Eh. "
Valerie Ann Leff grew up at 1040 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where she is codirector of the Great Smokies Writing Program at the University of North Carolina–Asheville.
Carrington MacDuffie is a voice actor and recording artist who has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, received numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has been a frequent finalist for the Audie Award, including for her original audiobook, Many Things Invisible. Alongside her narration work, she has released a new album of original songs, Only an Angel.
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