Customer Reviews

The Smart One

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I couldn't put this book down. Meister's writing is deft and witty, and the characters are engrossing and the plot is compelling. Meister proves Wolfe wrong -- and Kansas's famous Dorothy correct -- you can go home again. And then she mines that concept for gold. When Bev Bloomrosen, the "smart" sister, is cornered into living in her parents' home for the summer, it starts a series of snowballing events that are either going to destroy her family or cement their bonds. An old flame breezes into town, charming Bev (and readers) with his nonstop wisecracks just as Bev and her sisters make a ghastly discovery practically in their own backyard.

I absolutely fell in love with Bev, who manages to hold her own when it comes to funny one-liners, and was more than enamored with the rest of her family, too. Meister manages to masterfully mix a dark mystery with sizzling romantic entanglements and heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking) family drama. I know plenty of people are going to call this a "beach read" because it is a riveting, engrossing pageturner, but it's also blessed with a charm and intelligence that make it resonate with class and soul. Just like its main character, this book is one of the smart ones.

The main thing this book has going for it is the strong writing skills of the author, Ellen Meister. She has a knack for believable, natural dialog and good timing when it comes to humor. It's a quick, easy read--a great way to pass time on an airplane, which is where I got through most of this novel.

This is the story of Bev, the "smart one" of three sisters. Her older sister, Clare is the pretty one and her younger sister, Joey, is the wild one. If anything, Meister nails the common stereotypes of sibling labeling and relationships, and it's easy to believe these characters act the way they do in this story. Additionally there's the boy next door, Kenny, who is the funny one, I suppose--the angry youth turned studly romantic interest. He uses hackneyed humor to cope with his anger over a no-good father, whose past actions are central to the plot. Kenny's strings of jokes about little people and his behavior toward Bev really take his character over the top, making him highly unlikable. One wonders how "the smart one" can continue to want him.

Overall the story is predictable. I was able to predict nearly every plot point and would have preferred to be surprised. But I stuck with it because I enjoyed Meister's first book, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA. The ease of her writing style made the hours I spent with this story a pleasant experience.

Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club and A Line Between Friends

Sibling rivalry, the 'burbs, murder, sex and very funny one-liners: what's not to like about The Smart One?

I read this book with the same gusto with which I might have consumed one of the confections on the cover, but the writing's too smart to consider it Empty Calorie fare. The sisters Bev, Clare and Joey are real human beings, and Meister draws and colors them with love, humor and an artistic ease worthy of her protagonist. As much as they might bicker, intrigue, misstep and want to shake each other, they are never boring. Meister's prose seems effortless--testimony to how very well she writes--and her grasp of family dynamics is adept and rings true.

IMHO, it's even better than Confessions of the Applewood PTA--more mature and grounded, even while maintaining the same excellent sense of humor. Buy it; enjoy it; pass the word.


Susan O'Neill, Author: Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Vietnam

a book i did not want to put down. most of us will be able to relate to many aspects of the interactions between the sisters and parents at some time in our probably more youthful days.

Ellen Meister, has done it again with her second novel, THE SMART ONE. Much like her debut novel, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA, she has beautifully navigated the treacherous human waters in which we all tread. Waters with dangerous predators like love and hate. Waters filled with the riptides of lust, envy and deceit. Our familial waters.
How we feel about our families is a complicated thing and the characters in this novel could be any one of us. No, I dare say, have been each and every one of us at one time or another. And not since the days of J.D. Salinger's Holden Caulfield have I fallen so deeply in love with such deliciously flawed characters.
So, thank you, Ellen, for once again setting the bar higher for intelligent women's literature.

I have been waiting for my preordered copy of THE SMART ONE for several months. What a treat to have it arrive yesterday. I had trouble putting it down once I started and spent the entire day devouring each and every page today. It's a wonderful intertwining tale of 3 sisters...3 different sisters...The Pretty One, The Wild One and The Smart One. Having never had a sister, I thought I might be an outsider looking in, but I really understood the dynamics of sibling rivalry regardless of gender. It made me think of the relationships and roles among me and my two brothers and how important our relationships are.

Need a great read for the beach, your next plane ride or vacation? This is the perfect book. It has suspense, mystery, romance, volatile relationships and great characters. Yet, it is also down to earth making it seem that you and I could also be characters in this novel.

Kudos to Ellen Meister for another fun, delightful and worthy summer read. Plus, the cover graphics alone are deliciously tempting enough to send you to the nearest bakery to enjoy a baked good while eating through this yummy novel.

Joanna Keating-Velasco, Author
A Is for Autism F Is for Friend: A Kid's Book for Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism
In His Shoes, A Short Journey Through Autism

My mother always told me, "Friends may come and go, but a sister is forever." She had six sisters, so she knew what she was talking about. My father had four sisters and I have three. I grew up in a world of sisters and feel like I have a pretty good handle on sisterhood, and so does Ellen Meister.

At the core of her charming, thrilling, and often hilarious new book--The Smart One--are sisters. Three sisters to be exact--Bev, Clare, and Joey--each playing the role she thinks is expected of her. It seems the sisters hide behind these roles of smart, pretty, and wild, especially when they are together.

It is only when they bond together to try to solve a decades old mystery that they learn the truth about each other: and that is that they no longer need these labels. In fact, maybe they are all smart, pretty, and wild. What's most important is that they love each other and they are there for each other (even when irritated with each other).

Like Ellen herself, this book has a lot of heart and these characters will stick with you long after you have finished reading. Like sisters to you, they are forever.

Read this book.

I read this book incredibly fast. It was funny, engaging and suspenseful at times. This book made me a big fan of the author.

Recently read this book for my book club and having previously read Ms Meister's first book, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the family dynamics. It did offer much to discuss in a book club venue.I will admit,i did like her first read The Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTE much more the The Smart One...Secret Confessions was screaminly funny, but offered alot of depth to the characters...Looking forward to her next book.Love to order through Amazon, so easy and convenient..

This book was great. About 3 jewish sisters growing up on Long Island. Since I am one of 3 jewish sisters from Long Island, this book really spoke to me. That is the only reason why I took away a star. I think I am biased towards this book because of my background. That being said, this book was a lot of fun with lots of different twists and turns. I read it in one day--couldn't put it down.