I just finished this New York Times best seller by Anna Quindlen yesterday and I am still not quite sure how I felt about it. Perhaps it's the daughter of an English teacher or the introspective writer in me that has trouble getting excited about books that do not have layer upon layer of meaning under the surface. maybe I had trouble connecting with the characters and the New York City lives they lived. Regardless, this was not a book I would 'write home' about (although I will, as mom lent it to me after I gifted her with it for Christmas).
The plot itself was intriguing and I did at times get lost in the lives of the characters. Quindlen does a great job of developing her characters, casting one sister as a foil to the other.The one area I was able to connect to in this novel was the relationship between the sisters. Though our characteristics and lifestyles differ greatly from those of Megan and Bridget, my sister and I are also very different people with opposite strengths and the ability to drive one another crazy. However (like Bridget's Megan) my sister is the only person that truly 'gets' me. She can read a twitch of the eye, a quiet sigh or a shift in position and know exactly what I am thinking.
I enjoyed that Quindlen's story transported me into a lifestyle so outside my own. She exposed two sides of New York City life and neither has much in common with the small city life I live.
Overall, Rise and Shine was an enjoyable read, but likely not one I would read again. It was nice to have a novel to 'escape' into but I am hoping for more depth in the next book I decide to read.
