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Twelve Rooms With a View
How would it feel to go overnight from living in a trailer park to a twelve-room apartment overlooking Central Park in a landmark Victorian building?
This is what happens to housecleaner Tina Finn, who, with her sisters, Alison and Lucy, suddenly comes into possession of the Livingston Mansion Apartment at the Edgewood. The Finn sisters inherit the $11 million property fro...more
This is what happens to housecleaner Tina Finn, who, with her sisters, Alison and Lucy, suddenly comes into possession of the Livingston Mansion Apartment at the Edgewood. The Finn sisters inherit the $11 million property fro...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
May 4th 2010
by Crown
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It's difficult for me to say I'm disappointed with this book, because it does have many redeeming qualities, but the ending left me feeling so empty that it almost feels impossible to recover from that.
Let's get the other bad stuff out of the way: the narrator read almost exactly like another character of Rebeck's, 14 year old Ameila Heller from 'Three Sisters and a Brother.' In fact, there were a lot of similarities in theme and style, though I liked the latter so I didn't think much of her bo...more
Let's get the other bad stuff out of the way: the narrator read almost exactly like another character of Rebeck's, 14 year old Ameila Heller from 'Three Sisters and a Brother.' In fact, there were a lot of similarities in theme and style, though I liked the latter so I didn't think much of her bo...more
Tina Finn is has been living in an old trailer and cleaning houses to make ends meet. When her mother dies, she borrows the money to go to the funeral, and there, she sees her two sisters that she hasn't seen in ages.
They inform her that their mother had died intestate, no will, so they would be inheriting a fabulous eleven million dollar apartment. They figure possession is nine-tenths of the law, so her sisters, move Tina in right away!
Tina is entranced with the apartment, trying to understa...more
They inform her that their mother had died intestate, no will, so they would be inheriting a fabulous eleven million dollar apartment. They figure possession is nine-tenths of the law, so her sisters, move Tina in right away!
Tina is entranced with the apartment, trying to understa...more
I bought this for 50p new in a discount shop, so I suppose I shouldn't really have expected much. After all, if a discount chain have got hold of them then it means that no-one else wants them.
The cover makes it look quite chick-lit-like and there are a couple of quotes included that make it sound great. Unfortunately I didn't feel the same as the critics.
The novel is about Tina Finn who inherits a third of a New York apartment overlooking Central Park when her mother dies. However, the sons of...more
The cover makes it look quite chick-lit-like and there are a couple of quotes included that make it sound great. Unfortunately I didn't feel the same as the critics.
The novel is about Tina Finn who inherits a third of a New York apartment overlooking Central Park when her mother dies. However, the sons of...more
Tina Finn is a screw up. Her mother dies suddenly and leaves no will. Tina and her two sisters - Lucy & Alison - find themselves inheriting an Upper West Side apartment with a view of Central Park. In order to stake their claim on the apartment, Tina is forced to move in. Her mother's step sons wan the apartment for themselves and cannot understand why their father left the apartment to his second wife - who was his housekeeper. The co-op board for the building wants to split up the apartmen...more
I really had high hopes for this book, the plot just grabbed me straight away (3 sisters hoping to inherit a fabulous mega million huge apartment in NYC after their mother dies, and they stick one sister in the apartment basically to squat there while fighting with their mother's deceased husband's sons for the apt.) This book started slow and choppy for me, developed into a page turner partway through, then a rather plain vanilla ending. Often I found myself wanting to reach through the book an...more
I was really looking forward to reading the second adult novel by the Alex Award winning author of Three Girls and their Brother. And I wasn't disappointed! Tina is thrust into a huge outdated apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City when her mother suddenly dies. Tina has always been the outcast of the family--she's beautiful but chooses horrible men to date. She doesn't get along very well with her siblings either. One sister is too bossy and commanding while the other sister is a p...more
After a few hours of debating how I felt about this book, I'm going to have to go with, 'I liked it'. Tina is the problem child of three sisters. She has questionable morals and a habit of finding the worst outcome in a given situation. She's also the most likable of the sisters by a fair bit. There are no really good guys. There's only one really bad guy.
For most of the book Tina is living in this fabulous location and trying to stay out of trouble. Some parts did seem to drag a bit. At times...more
For most of the book Tina is living in this fabulous location and trying to stay out of trouble. Some parts did seem to drag a bit. At times...more
The thing I loved most about this book in the very beginning was the cover. New York in Autumn is probably my favorite place on earth and I envy Tina everytime I look at this book cover because as cruddy as her life was before she inherited this apartment she still had possibilities. Most of us these days can't say that.
Anyway I really enjoyed some of the story lines in the book and although many of the building residents were wearisome to think about knowing it presented a realistic picture of...more
Anyway I really enjoyed some of the story lines in the book and although many of the building residents were wearisome to think about knowing it presented a realistic picture of...more
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Wow! I really enjoyed this book. The first couple chapters were able to really hook me in. There are some spoilers that follow, so stop reading now if you haven't read the book yet.
I quite enjoyed Tina and I felt like she deserved better than her sisters being complete b***hes to her all the time. The whole book I kept thinking that I would be beyond furious if my mother died and my sisters kept things about her life and passing from me. Honestly I felt like 'The Building' and all that it could...more
I quite enjoyed Tina and I felt like she deserved better than her sisters being complete b***hes to her all the time. The whole book I kept thinking that I would be beyond furious if my mother died and my sisters kept things about her life and passing from me. Honestly I felt like 'The Building' and all that it could...more
I am imagining that Rebeck's other writing was better than this - or at least that her characters were. I didn't think that anyone in this book was likable, or wonderfully unlikable (maybe the Vince guy).
I though Tina's character was bizarrely immature - she would have been more believable if she had been 25 or under - but 32? Wake up and smell the coffee, lady.
I stuck with the book, but was underwhelmed most of the way.
I will give something else of hers a try - maybe this one just didn't resona...more
I though Tina's character was bizarrely immature - she would have been more believable if she had been 25 or under - but 32? Wake up and smell the coffee, lady.
I stuck with the book, but was underwhelmed most of the way.
I will give something else of hers a try - maybe this one just didn't resona...more
I tried and tried to get into this book, but couldn’t. If I had been reading this book rather than listening to it on CD, I would have put it down early on, but letting it play during my commute didn’t seem as much of an investment. I wanted to find out how it ended, hoping there’d be a good twist in the plot, but the ending also ended up being a disappointment. The characters lacked depth and none of them had redeeming qualities and the plot left much to be desired. Skip this book..
I got this book for free from Read it Forward. It was ok. The story is about 3 sisters who inherit a multimillion dollar apartment overlooking Central Park from their estranged mother...or so they think. The 2 sons of their mother's husband claim the apartment is rightfully theirs. This story meanders all over the place and I didn't feel connected to the main character Tina at all. I did like how the story wrapped up....but didn't really enjoy the journey to get there. I would give this author a...more
"I was actually standing at the edge of my mother's open grave when I heard about the house." That rim-shot opening line against the pleasant cover portraying a slim blond thoughtfully gazing out over Central Park doesn't give a clue about what a dysfunctional mess she is, or the outrageous situation she steps into. This story was a sublime surprise--in plot, characters and turns of phrase. I wish I had 100 more like it waiting for me!
I don't know if I liked this book or not. I started off cringing because the narrator just grated on my every never, but the more I listened the more i wanted to know what happened and by the end I think I decided I liked the story. The main character is very, well I don't even no what, but she slowly grows on you and you actually begin o understand her insanity. Don't pick this audio book up if you are looking for something soothing, the reader does a great job of making he character as annoyin...more
Jul 25, 2012
Amblingbooks.com
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks,
humorous
In this new novel by the darkly comic author of Three Girls and Their Brother, a woman who inherits an extravagant apartment overlooking Central Park is reduced to squatting to fend off the people who attempt to seize the inheritance themselves.
Listen to Twelve Rooms With a View on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Listen to Twelve Rooms With a View on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
There is something addictive about Theresa Rebeck's characters even though most of them are not very nice. You just can't look away.
Tina Finn and her sisters have just lost their estranged Mother but may be getting the extraordinary twelve room apartment with a view that was left to her. Tina, who has been cleaning people's homes and living in a trailer house, moves into the apartment much to the dismay of the building residents. From there it begins to get complicated.
Ms. Rebeck is a playwright...more
Tina Finn and her sisters have just lost their estranged Mother but may be getting the extraordinary twelve room apartment with a view that was left to her. Tina, who has been cleaning people's homes and living in a trailer house, moves into the apartment much to the dismay of the building residents. From there it begins to get complicated.
Ms. Rebeck is a playwright...more
I had trouble getting into this book and I almost put it down but I decided to read on and give it a chance. It did take some time for me to get interested and for a bit in the middle and near the end I felt it getting better but the the ending was just a disappointment for me. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and my first thought after closing the book was 'I stayed up reading for that?'.
Also I was quite put off by the foul language in the book. To me it seemed like it came out of nowhe...more
Also I was quite put off by the foul language in the book. To me it seemed like it came out of nowhe...more
This book was a little hokey for my taste. There were a few too many non-believable moments in a book that is otherwise billed as reality, like the ax-murder bit in the greenhouse. Then, suddenly, all the loose ends are tied up in a neat little bow in the last 5 pages. Meh. I was also a little irritated that the narrator was as incredible naive and, frankly, stupid as she was.
Cute story. Audio book reader is very good.
Liked that Tina was a bit of a pee-wee. Nice change from the usual tall long legged heroine.
Found the story funny with humor similar to Mary Kay Andrews.
Liked the characters even Tina in spite of the fact that they aren't all the best quality people.
The story did drag in parts and then wrapped up too fast.
Liked that Tina was a bit of a pee-wee. Nice change from the usual tall long legged heroine.
Found the story funny with humor similar to Mary Kay Andrews.
Liked the characters even Tina in spite of the fact that they aren't all the best quality people.
The story did drag in parts and then wrapped up too fast.
I wanted to like this book, with its clever, quirky plot, but I just couldn't get past the fact that I just did not like a single one of the characters. They all seemed relentlessly nasty or silly or stupid or all three at once. Not a one behaved in a way that seemed reasonable or believable to me. But I surely would love to see that apartment.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The author did a great job in setting the scene. I still have a vision of the apartment in my head...the main character was a bit unbelievable, though endearingly rebellious at the same time. I felt the author got a bit sloppy in parts, rambling at times and shot off on tangents in others.
Delightful! I simply loved Tina and her weird family trying to cling to their inheritance of a delapidated, but grand apartment. Characterization is excellent. Although not particularly memorable or poignant, it offers a few hours of absolute merriment.
This is a very light book -- definitely summer reading. There is a certain Nancy Drew element in the way the protagonist snoops around the building, looking for clues and secret passages. But first person narrative is kind of witty, which helps keep you reading.
I would give this 3.5 stars. I really liked it. At times the descriptive writing was.... well, too detailed, but she captures NYC and the craziness about an apartment perfectly. And Tina is an interesting character. Flawed, but somehow you root for her. The family dynamic was interesting. All in all a good read.
Interesting look at family dynamics and what is and isn't really important in life when the survivors of a second marriage fight over who gets possession of an eleven million dollar apartment property in New York City.
Just started it, but it is comical, sassy, and catchy---hard to put down...not deep but entertaining. (Later) Well, the early part was as good as it got. It was more of the same for the rest of the book...not much of a beach read even.
Could not put this book down. Great quirky characters and a fine story of the gossip and greed between people in a luxury co-op building in Manhattan. A few surprises, some intrigue and a little romance.
A complex story about inheritance. Children from two different families fight for the right to inherit and sell a Manhattan apartment. Rebeck does not reveal much and her plot intrigues. There are some gem quotes in her book, too.
One if the worst books I have ever read. None of the characters are likable. The situations are ridiculous and outlandish. I can honestly say there is nothing about this book that I liked.
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Theresa Rebeck is a playwright. She also works as a television writer. Her input went into popular shows such as Dream On, Brooklyn Bridge, L.A. Law, American Dreamer, Maximum Bob, First Wave, and Third Watch.
She also wrote and produced Canterbury’s Law, Smith, Law and Order: Criminal Intent and NYPD Blue.
Ms. Rebeck has an MFA in Playwrighting and a PhD. in Victorian Melodrama, from Brandeis Univ...more
More about Theresa Rebeck...
She also wrote and produced Canterbury’s Law, Smith, Law and Order: Criminal Intent and NYPD Blue.
Ms. Rebeck has an MFA in Playwrighting and a PhD. in Victorian Melodrama, from Brandeis Univ...more
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Jul 08, 2010 06:01am