Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was really lovely actually, and I’m ending it with some Sunday night book thoughts.

I have seen this book everywhere and was quite excited to get to it. Told through the perspectives of 2 sisters and their sister in law. All in different stages of their lives, but all living a wealthy lifestyle. I enjoyed the characters and found their flaws and ideas quite relatable. I also liked the writing style and the conversational and casual way the words flowed.

However, like with all character driven novels, I found myself a bit underwhelmed by the end. Kind of a “oh, that’s all it was about” sort of feeling. I think that’s honestly just me and my need for something more exciting, I know this yet I always get swayed by others rave reviews for these kinds of stories. If you like family sagas this one will probably be right up your alley!

Thank you to @penguinrandomca for my advanced copy! Like @sarahgreatbooktoread I’m sure this will be chosen as a book club pick and it will be a popular one this spring.

How the rich are different...

This is a very engaging read! This novel explores the differing attitude to inherited wealth of three siblings, their spouses/children and their parents. The plot is good, the characters very interesting and the reader can wonder how they would act if in the same situation. I really enjoyed reading this book!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a tie-constrained e-arc via netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion

The following review was posted on my blog today, on Tuesday, March 7th, the day of publication. It will not be shared on Instagram as to not push out low-rating reviews, but has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.






“Oh, no! I left my Cartier bracelet in Lena’s BMW and she’s leaving soon for her grandmother’s house in Southampton!”

Genre: General Fiction
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A
Content Warnings: Discusses grief and death, mental illness and panic attacks.

That one quote, right at the start of this novel, in the Prelude, tells you all you need to know about this almost-satirical story. “Pineapple Street” follows the old-money (rich rich rich) Stockton family, as the members in said family, particularly the ladies, slowly diverge from what’s perhaps expected from them. Live (or read) the lives of the one-percenters in this funny, New York City family novel.

The main reason this book didn’t have as high of rating was because I am not the biggest fan of character-driven stories, particularly when I don’t even like the characters so much. I found Sasha to be the most relatable character at times, but even then, the way these people thought and lived just didn’t sit well with me.

Have you seen or read “Crazy Rich Asians” and loved it, tho? Then “Pineapple Street” is the book for you. If you enjoy stories told through different points of view, filthy rich characters, and character-driven novels, then don’t hesitate and grab this general fiction read.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

How and where does one fit in the world…

From the perspective of three very different New Yorkers, their stories were, in turn, funny and heartfelt. From the very rich to the rich-adjacent, they were muddling through their lives just like everyone else. Regardless of their bank account balance, they wanted to fit in, to love, to be accepted. The journey for all of them made for a highly entertaining read.

Did the rich folks come across as snobby, arrogant and out of touch? Yes, yes they did. And yet that stereotype had a gloss of understanding and acceptance too and made them that less unlikable. Especially when it was family. Of course that didn’t always work and not letting folks get away with things they shouldn’t (including yourself) was part of the characters’ growth and (in my eyes) redemption.

This read was highly entertaining in its character development, humour and embracing of all things New York. Looking forward to more from this author!

*I happily reviewed this story
**Thank you to NetGalley

PINEAPPLE STREET by Jenny Jackson is a contemporary, adult, stand alone work of fiction focusing on the affluent Stockton family on Pineapple Street.

Told from third person perspective PINEAPPLE STREET follows the lives of the three Stockton children, heirs to the Stockton fortune: Darley and her husband, investment banker Malcolm; Cord (who works for his father’s real estate investment firm) and his Korean wife Sasha; and Georgiana, who is employed at a not-for-profit aid foundation. Tilda and Chip Stockton come from old money and successful real estate ventures, and as such have influenced their now adult children’s ideas and ideals about money and class. The residents of the ‘fruit streets’ of Brooklyn Heights come from old money, and none more so than our story line family but money doesn’t equate to happiness, and the small cracks in the family’s foundation quickly grow into a chasm of haunting lies.

The Stockton family are elitist, classist, pretentious aristocratic snobs but none more so than the matriarch Tilda Stockton. Wealth equates social class, and the children are representative of a system of capitalism, racism, affluence and money but the Stockton children are about to come face to face with reality as each of their lives begins to crumble with the weight of keeping up appearances in the face of secrets, and the fall out of misery, pain, betrayal and loss.

Jenny Jackson pulls the reader into a thought provoking and intense, reflective commentary of the uber-rich; the one percenters who control ninety-nine percent of the world’s commodities and wealth, and the abuse of power and control between the have and the have-nots.



THE READING CAFE: https://www.thereadingcafe.com/pineapple-street-by-jenny-jackson-a-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5368766268


AMAZON CA: https://www.amazon.ca/review/R3DT2KJ4ZGEV20/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0B3HHF1HL


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2789392102


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This story is centered around wealth and how it impacts the lives of three family members:
Darley, the eldest Stockton sister who has never given her amazing life too much thought until her husband loses his job.
Sasha, who married into the Stockton family, but her new family won't accept her as one of their own as they think she's after money.
Georgiana, the youngest Stockton sister who works at a non-profit organization, is clueless on the world around her and is content to live off her trust fund rather than make a real difference

This story is heavily focused on wealth and privilege, and unfortunately, it completely missed the mark for me!

The characters come across as unlikeable, upper class brats, with petty problems that could be solved if they all just talked to one other. Instead, it's all dragged out with a heavy focus on elaborate parties and trust funds.

This book was great! It took me a little while to get into it but once I did, I couldn't put it down!

The characters are all so interesting. They're complex with positive and negative character traits. Sasha was consistently my favourite. But I have to say I do have quite a soft spot for Tilda's tablescapes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada!

I really enjoyed reading Pineapple Street, a novel about a rich family who lives on a historical street in Brooklyn Heights. The story is told from the perspective of the daughters of the family: Darley, married with children, who chose to forfeit her inheritance in favour of not signing a prenuptial agreement; Georgiana, younger than the rest of her siblings by 10 years, who falls in love with someone completely unsuitable and questions everything about her existence; and Sasha, who comes from a middle-class background, married into the family, and is referred to as "the gold digger."

I didn't realize when I first started reading this book that the author, Jenny Jackson, is also a successful editor. It's obvious that she knows her way around words. The writing style had me hooked from the very first pages. I found the writing humorous and witty, and I flew threw the pages enjoying every moment. I would definitely recommend this book for readers of contemporary fiction, for readers who like reading about families and their dramas, and for readers who like to escape into the lives of people who have more money than they know what do with.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson, published by Penguin Random House Canada
I loved this novel, the characters, the setting, the story line, all fabulous. I didn't want to put this book down
It's written from three perspectives. Chip and Tilda have three children, it's told from their two daughters perspectives and their daughter in law. They are filthy rich, they come from old money. Own property, have investments, belong to clubs. However they don't all come across as entitled. It was fun to read and see how the characters developed and interacted. The realization that money doesn't buy happiness but is a necessity to live.
Cord is the son, married to Sasha and they now live in the parents "old home", Sasha is still trying to feel like part of the family. Darley is married to Malcolm and they have 2 children, Georgiana is the youngest.
One of my favorite lines from the novel is...
"Sasha comes to realize she is just a receptacle for her sister In-Laws emotional outbursts."
Such a great book, I'm hoping the author writes more, I will gladly read them.

I had a hard time getting into Jenny Jackson’s debut novel, Pineapple Street, but only because there wasn’t much of anything happening, but there’s much more focus on character growth. Sasha, Darley and Georgiana are all so different and it was quite interesting to see their feelings about money and class.
I didn’t like how the Stockton’s closed ranks, and treated Sasha who married in as an outsider - however I did like how their relationships were kind of tied up in the end.
While the three female protagonists aren’t particularly likeable, their character development was impressive.

Pineapple Street follows the affluent Stockton family who live on the fruit streets of Brooklyn Heights and have made their money for the last three generations in real estate. The book is told through the eyes of the family’s millennial women:
- Darley is the eldest daughter and regrets giving up her career and trust fund to raise her children and avoid a pre-nup. Her husband Malcolm travels constantly for work and his Asian non-WASPy parents are an amazing support system while her own parents are emotionally constipated.
- Sasha is married to the Stockton son and middle child, Cord. She is a middle class New Englander and artist. Upon marriage her in-laws gifted them the family home on Pineapple Street, but removed none of the furniture (including their bed) and her mother-in-law won’t let her replace a thing. Meanwhile her sisters-in-law call her the Golddigger and constantly show up to the house and let themselves in to their childhood bedrooms, still full of all of their crap they refuse to take with them.
- Georgiana is the baby of the family, a decade younger than her siblings, she has lived a charmed life, but when tragedy strikes she reconsiders her privilege and contemplates how she can use it to better the world.

The book was fun and a quick read (finished in one sitting). It is an interesting character study on wealth, class, love and family. There is drama and tension, but it’s just enough to keep the book interesting while still maintaining a light hearted quality.

This is a fabulous character driven story.   The story of a very rich family in New York.   It is told from the view of the siblings;  their outlook on life ; their trials and tribulations.  It is sad and funny and quite entertaining.

Pineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson, is a truly endearing book told from the perspective of three women: Darley and Georgianna, two sisters raised in the uber-wealthy Stockton family, and Sasha, who came from a middle class upbringing, but married Colt, their older brother.

It is a story that takes a humorous and thoughtful look at not just the lifestyle of the very wealthy living in Brooklyn Heights, but the impact that this wealth has on how the characters perceive their family, their friends, the world in which they live, and themselves.

This book grabbed my attention from the first page and kept me engaged until the last page. I really loved it.

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

The synopsis looked intriguing and it seems to have been lauded by the marketing team but I could do it folks. It tells of the WASP super wealthy Stockton family and I know it's meant to be a commentary and reflection a lot of the scenes in the beginning really made me cringe and eye roll to the point where at chapter 3, which is VERY EARLY in a book, it made me want to stop reading as I was getting extremely annoyed and angry reading about these characters. I could not relate nor was there much about them that made them compelling. Okay maybe Darley for a bit but I just felt so bad for Sasha. And so I skipped and went ahead to the midpoint and end, and I'm glad I did because I feel like I caught on the plot of the book in its entirety and missed the oblivious right white people richness of Chip and Tilda.

I found the writing style to be quite visually descriptive and I can totally see this being a movie, but this book was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to give my honest review.

This book wasn't for me. I had contemplated DNFing the book at about 70%. But I pushed through. This book was more character driven than plot driven. This normally wouldn't bother me but I just didn't feel connected to the characters to be invested or care enough to read more about them. I did find the writing to be well done as it was funny and witty.

This just wasn’t the book for me. I found the characters uninteresting and there was little to no plot. Even though there was dramatic events, they were often second hand or background conversations that didn’t really lead anywhere.

Oh my, this book! I just absolutely adored it - and I wasn’t expecting to. As someone who cannot remotely relate to the 1%, I expected to be a bit pissed off at this book - but it was totally fun and escapist. I didn’t take it too seriously, I laughed a lot, and there were some emotional parts that definitely hit the mark. It also really made me want to visit NYC

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this novel. This is a story about a a well to do family, that seems to put their wealth and money above everything. It's also a story where they learn that money doesn't always buy everything.
Being spoiled, with money doesn't make you a nice person. But, even spoiled rich people, bleed, fall in love, get dumped and eventually learn to be better people. And anyone marrying into this family, you don't have to change to fit in. Be true to yourself. I give this book a 3.5 out of 5.
Not normally my genre, but I did like it.

I really wanted to love this book but I just felt bored and kept thinking something big was going to happen. The biggest thing happened at the half way point.

I do enjoy reading about the lives of the wealthy

Maybe people have this book 5-7 stars but I just couldn’t get into it.

Life isn't easy, even for the 1%.
Jenny Jackson takes a look at the qurky, mixed up, entitled lives of two sisters and their sister-in-law. Pineapple Street made me laugh and sometimes tore at my heartstrings. The characters are texturally rich and well developed. They're all strong women with very different personalities and interrelationships that will make you think about some of the relationships among your friends and family but mostly, it will make you smile as you discover that even though they live a life most of us couldn't even imagine, family is family, and when it comes right down to it, we're not so very different, regardless how big our bank account.
Pineapple Street is a great story you shouldn't miss.