If you have ever lived in a condo or coop and were frustrated by the goings on of communal living arrangements, this novel will be a fun read and a reminder of just how ridiculous and petty those boards can be. The characters are drawn from real life and the particular neighborhood of the upper east side of Manhattan comes all too readily to life in this novel. Highly recommended.

Carnegie Hill appealed to me because I’ve always found stories about New York apartment blocks strangely interesting, and this book ticked every box in the stereotypes I expected. The focus is on Pepper, a wealthy young woman who moves into a fairly exclusive building with her fiancé. Having gained a seat on the board Pepper gets to know some of her older neighbours and the novel weaves through their stories over a period of about two years.

The timeline jumped around a bit, and I think it could have been tighter, but I did enjoy the unfolding drama in the characters’ lives. I initially thought none of them were particularly likeable, but appreciated the way most of them found a form of redemption by the end of the novel, without the ending being too cliched.