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Rich and Pretty: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
This irresistible debut, set in contemporary New York, provides a sharp, insightful look into how the relationship between two best friends changes when they are no longer coming of age but learning how to live adult lives.
As close as sisters for twenty years, Sarah and Lauren have been together through high school and college, first jobs and first loves, the uncertainties of their twenties and the realities of their thirties.
Sarah, the only child of a prominent intellectual and a socialite, works at a charity and is methodically planning her wedding. Lauren—beautiful, independent, and unpredictable—is single and working in publishing, deflecting her parents’ worries and questions about her life and future by trying not to think about it herself. Each woman envies—and is horrified by—particular aspects of the other’s life, topics of conversation they avoid with masterful linguistic pirouettes.
Once, Sarah and Lauren were inseparable; for a long a time now, they’ve been apart. Can two women who rarely see one other, selectively share secrets, and lead different lives still call themselves best friends? Is it their abiding connection—or just force of habit—that keeps them together?
With impeccable style, biting humor, and a keen sense of detail, Rumaan Alam deftly explores how the attachments we form in childhood shift as we adapt to our adult lives—and how the bonds of friendship endure, even when our paths diverge.
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“Julie McKay’s narration ebbs and flows with the novel’s short sentences, fragments, and phrases. McKay gives emotion to the descriptions of reunions and wedding planning in New York City and Connecticut…[in] this tongue-in-cheek romance.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
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“Alam’s portrait of two childhood best friends…is vividly rendered.”
— Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author -
“Beautifully frames the nuances of female friendship…Pitch perfect and wise.”
— Elle -
“Written with humor and an impeccable ear for girlfriendly conversation—by a man, no less!—Rich and Pretty is a sparkling debut.”
— People -
“Alam creates characters who are grappling with their adult identities while securing their childhood bond.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Alam transforms a whimsical beach read into compelling literary prose.”
— Associated Press -
“This novel astutely and honestly captures all of those feelings we all have but can’t quite articulate.”
— Bustle -
“A sweet yet cutting exploration of the bonds of friendship.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This debut novel full of warmth and humor will appeal to anyone who has experienced a similar bond.”
— Library Journal -
“Captures something truthful and essential about the push-pull of friendship—the desire for closeness as well as the space to define ourselves.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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An Elle Magazine Pick of Summer Books That Everyone Will Be Talking About
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An O Magazine Pick for Summer Reading, 2016
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A Miami Herald Favorite Book for Summer Reads
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A Wall Street Journal Great Reads Pick for Summer 2016
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A Newsday Pick of Summer Reads
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An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick for Beach Reads
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A Bustle Pick for Most Anticipated Reads
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New York Times Editor’s Choice
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About Rumaan Alam
Rumaan Alam is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Leave the World Behind, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and adapted into a major motion picture, as well as two other novels. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, and elsewhere.
About Julie McKay
Julie McKay is a voice talent and audiobook narrator. She has a degree in music and a background in classical theater. As an actor, she has worked at Shakespeare festivals and regional theaters across the country as well as off-Broadway in New York.