Rise and Shine: A Novel

by Anna Quindlen

Book Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A superb novel about two sisters, the true meaning of success, and the qualities in life that matter most from beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen "The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812977815
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
• Length: 279 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.9" x 0.6" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Guys, read this book

85 per cent of the fiction that is read in this country is read by women. Women are smart. Guys, get a clue. (I'm a guy). We have a lot to learn! This is the story of two sisters. One is famous, she hosts a morning news show on national TV (think Diane Sawyer or the former Katie Couric). The story is narrated by the other, unfamous sister, a social worker in the Bronx. The famous sister flips out on TV, she tells this rich jerk what she really thinks of him. The rest of the story is about the repercussions of this truthful act, how the sisters deal with it, and other life dilemmas. It is sweet, and good, and tragic, a lot like life, as we know it. Well done!

What Matters Most

In another mesmerizing novel by Anna Quindlen, we meet sisters Meghan and Bridget Fitzmaurice, living entirely different lives in New York but inextricably connected and dependent on each other. Meghan is 4 years older, the highly successful and recognized host of the morning TV Show, "Rise and Shine", with a seemingly perfect life featuring a wealthy, successful committed husband, perfect apartment, and well-adjusted teenage son, Leo. Meghan is a 43-year old poorly paid social worker in a women's welfare clinic in the Bronx. She tries indefatigably but with limited success to help some of the battered women and children of the projects keep their lives on an even keel against overwhelming odds. Meghan is childless and not married but in a long-term relationship with Irving, a police detective 24 years older who adores her. Meghan has always looked after Bridget as the big sister helping to raise her after the early death of their parents. In spite of their differences and social status, they have a close, confiding relationship and are very much involved in each other's lives. But Bridget has always felt a bit inferior and over-shadowed by the perfection of Meghan, until Meghan's career and life starts to crumble as a result of an on-air flub in which she muttered an epithet into a live mike. Meghan flees to a Caribbean island and drops out of her life for a time to regroup, while Bridget carries on a long-distance relationship with her (mainly by fax) and tries to coax her back to New York. Tragedy strikes the family in a chilling manner and Meghan is back in an instant, trying to find a way back into her old life, or maybe an improved version of it. Meghan's challenges remind us that no amount of success, wealth, or notoriety can immunize us and ensure a charmed life. Throughout the novel, the sisters' relationship is explored, altered and strengthened as a result of these trials. Their brutally honest relationship with each other, while not always cordial and loving, is the connection that we yearn for with our sisters and best friends. Anna Quindlen writes frankly, articulately and believably about female relationships, which are the core of her novels. I look forward eagerly to reading all of Quindlen's fiction and non-fiction works as well as her columns. Her written voice resonates in a way that few modern authors can match.

Another great story by Anna Quindlen

A magnificent story teller, Anna Quindlen gives us a wonderful, sad, heartbreaking, funny, adventurous tale of two sisters. The comparisons, contrasts and flashbacks provide a rich context for the main story line. As with her other books you'll want to read every word and enjoy the way she puts it all together.

Precarious view of celebrity life

I have liked all of Anna Quindlen's books and this is no exception. When the book began, I was concerned that she had "sold out" and I was going to discover a trite story based on a popular newscaster (ala Katie Couric) and her celebrity world. Instead, except for Meghan's view of "this isn't a real life", referring to her stardom and influence, you will read a realistic dissection of her character. The story was told from the point of view of her vigilant, altruistic sister Bridget. Both Meghan and Bridget were orphaned when their rich parents both died in an accident and were subsequently raised by a childless aunt who gave them unconditional love and strong self-images. Now, Bridget, the childless aunt, is telling the story of her sister Meghan, husband Evan, son/nephew Leo and boyfriend Irving. She details her own occupation as a director of a homeless shelter. Both sisters are intelligent and perceptive. Without giving away the plot, the climax and ending are unexpected and tie the themes together. The title is important and well thought out as the interactions of all the characters.

Quindlen nails it again...incredible!

First, Anna Quindlen's writing is a joy to read, so when I read/review one of her books, it is difficult not to be effusive. Ms. Quindlen is nothing if not a teacher, one who provides the path to a lesson or moral within her wonderful prose. Ms. Quindlen's newest offering, RISE AND SHINE, opens by introducing Meghan Fitzmaurice, "the most famous woman on television, which means that she is probably the most famous woman in America." Immediately, my mind replaces the name Meghan Fitzmaurice with Katie Couric...it just fits and, of course, the timing has ironic overtones. However, after interviewing an internet titan, one Meghan abhors, she lets fly a missive better suited for off-air exposure except...her microphone was still on, and the viewing audience became jaw-dropped. Meghan immediately becomes the storybook pariah, and vanishes faster than flashpaper. Ms. Quindlen's places the view of this story as one told from Meghan's younger sister, Bridget. Bridget is the more wholesome and earthy of the sisters, toiling as a social worker in the Bronx at a women's shelter. However, when Meghan disappears somewhere on the island of Jamaica, Meghan becomes the keeper of her sister, and endeavors to locate her. Bridget enlists the help of one Irving Lefkowitz, the deputy police commissioner, to help her find her now infamous sister. To say that Lefkowitz becomes an endearing character to Quindlen would be an understatement. Ms. Quindlen weaves the story with brilliance and simplicity. The back story here is a view of the people of New York, and New York itself, post-9/11. The fairness with which Ms. Quindlen allows each character to speak, regardless his/her rung on the socioeconomic ladder of life, is refreshing and real. Inasmuch as New York City is a potpourri of nationalities and races, this becomes something special as Ms. Quindlen allows each individual reader the opportunity to envision each character in one's own mind's eye. This is a story that is real, a story of two sisters, moving between disparate social environments during childhood, and placing them in disparate social landscapes as adults. The story then brings the sisters full circle, back to the beginning, when family is what counts. However, Ms. Quindlen does not let the storyline go adrift; this is not a fairy tale and not one for Pollyanna's. She has written this from the viewpoint of realistic optimism, hoping that the characters in her book, each and every one of them, strive to make their lives and those around them better. This sounds somewhat sappy, but then, I certainly can't write like Anna Quindlen. This is a first rate read, and one I highly recommend.