The Bottom Line
- Rise and Shine examines life & relationships through a somewhat interesting story
- Rise and Shine gains momentum toward the end of the novel
- Rise and Shine reads like commentary on life in NYC at several points
- At times the narrative flow is confusing
Description
- Rise and Shine is about the sister of the anchor of the most popular morning news show on TV.
- Bridget watches her sister Meghan's life fall apart and realizes perhaps she never had it together.
- Life in NYC is used as a metaphor for relationships and vice versa. This is a story about the city.
Guide Review - Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen - Book Review
The main character in Rise and Shine, Bridget, is interesting. I enjoyed the parts about her job in the Bronx a lot. I also liked her assistant, Tequila. The parts of the book when Bridget was dealing with work, her romantic relationship or her surrogate mother role to her nephew, Leo, were good reading.
The novel revolves, however, around Bridget's famous sister, Meghan. I was never convinced that Meghan's on-air mistake would be as huge a deal as it is written to be. Meghan also was underdeveloped, making her impact less than it needed to be in order to understand Bridget's transformation.
The passing of time in the book is also confusing. It sometimes read as if a day or two had passed and then suddenly someone would mention it was a month later. This made it hard to follow.
This is not Quindlen's best.
