Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson @JennyeJackson @MarinIreland @PRHAudio

the setup…
Welcome to the Stockton family, an old-money member of the one-percenters, living in a coveted Brooklyn community with fruit named streets. Chip and Tilda own a large home on Pineapple Street and have three children. Darley is their oldest, married to Malcolm and they are parents of Poppy and Hatcher. Cord is the only son and is married to Sasha who comes from a Rhode Island middle class family. Georgiana is the youngest who works for a non profit and struggles to connect with her parents’ world but finds it equally difficult to separate herself from its values.

the heart of the story…
Darley, Sasha and Georgiana provide the narratives and they offer three unique insights into the Stockton family world. Darley had a highly successful career at Goldman Sachs before she threw the towel in after she became pregnant with her second child. What’s remarkable about her is that rather than ask Malcolm to sign a prenup, she gave up her inheritance (which will ultimately go to her children). She sees the world she was raised in with incredibly clear eyes, understanding the realities of the class system and navigates it extremely well without disturbing either side. Georgiana likes to think of herself as above the system, one with good values and a sense of fairness but finds herself in a relationship that speaks otherwise. While she may see herself this way, she’s so much a part of that world she’s viewed by those on the outside of it as its biggest example. Sasha provides the most illuminating view as she valiantly tries to fit in with the family until she realizes the futility of it. It’s even more difficult when she and Cord move into the Pineapple Street house and can’t change a thing about it.

the narration…
Ireland delivers a strong performance, giving distinctive voice to three very well developed and unique characters, as well as the society driven Tilda. Her storytelling was compelling as she shifted seamlessly between the mindsets of the three points of view. This story is served best on audio!

the bottom line…
I expected a story that would shine some light on the world of people like the Stocktons. What I didn’t expect was how insightful and relevant it would be in understanding some of the current world issues we are now in the midst of and struggling for reckoning. The psychology and culture is deeply ingrained through generations. Tilda is the stereotypical character we imagine who embraces the trappings of the old-money world (think Emily Gilmore with far less skills); Darley and Georgiana know that there’s something fundamentally wrong with the growing chasm between the haves and have nots but both approach their ideas of the solutions very differently. Sasha provides the most objective view, coming into the family with little bias that changes dramatically as she comes frustrated with her failure to be accepted. This is a far more complex story than is presented. You just have to listen for it.

Book Info

• Release Date: March 7, 2023
• Narrator: Marin Ireland
• Audio Length: 8 hours, 32 minutes
• Publisher: Penguin Audio

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