Manhattan Triptych

by Catherine Butterfield

Three women meet as young actresses in a summer stock production of "Fiddler on the Roof," and go on to be the best of friends for the next four decades. Their lives diverge as they experience love, marriage, illness, adultery, loss, and even a devastating betrayal, yet somehow the friendship persists -- until one of them unexpectedly drops out of sight. Alarmed for her well-being, the other two return to Manhattan, the site of memories both euphoric and painful, to search for her. In the process of looking for her, they come to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and their actions in the past.

The story travels back and forth in time much the way memory does, piecing together the women's friendship against the background of the AIDS crisis, the savings and loan debacle, the World Trade Center tragedy, the California wildfires, and the ever-changing face of Manhattan.

363 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2025

About the author

Butterfield's first career was as an actress, with an emphasis on Shakespeare and the classics. She performed in New York and regional theatre, but soon decided she wanted to try her hand at writing plays. Her first play, "Joined at the Head," was a hit at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Eventually, events led her writing for film and TV in Los Angeles. ("The Ghost Whisperer," "FAME LA," "Party of Five." ) Two years ago as a result of an inspiring trip to France, she wrote her first novel, "The Serpent and the Rose." Her second novel, "Manhattan Triptych," is contemporary fiction.

Website: Catherinebutterfield.com

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Manhattan Triptych is the story of three women who develop a life-long friendship when they first meet on the summer-stock production of "Fiddler on the Roof". It is meant to have this sardonic look at the lives of these women as they navigate the ups and downs of their separate lives, yet manage to reconnect quite regularly to support one another when things become difficult. And while it does have this grimly mocking tone to it, I do feel it is mostly superficial as the character development doesn't go deep enough to really bring out that truly sardonic feel that I think was intended in such a novel.

First of all, I really did enjoy how the author interwove some interesting historical events into the story and into the personal lives of the women. Yes, there was mention of the AIDS epidemic and how it took some of their acting friends over the years, there was the World Trade Center tragedy, the fight to keep historical buildings from being destroyed in Manhattan to make way for new hotels and apartment buildings, and the wildfires in California as well as the COVID epidemic. Yet, no matter how interesting all of these events were to the lives of the women, all of it was discussed on a superficial level and I never really felt the impact these events would have had on these women personally, even when they were involved in some of the events.

The story revolved around three women, Diane, Nikki, and Orla, and while the story jumped back and forth from the present to the past so we could understand how the women formed their friendship and how it developed over the years, I personally never really understood how they were still friends after forty years. Again, this has nothing to do with leading different lives or living in different parts of the country as I have friends like this, but we are still connected through similar activities and loyalty above all. Loyalty and honesty did not exist within this friendship, that's for sure. And yes, I can be as judgmental as I want because if one of my closest friends did what Diane did to Nikki, I would never want to see her again in my life. And I was supposed to feel sorry for Diane? Hell no. And Orla was just as bad, being the secret keeper of both Nikki and Diane's secrets. And this is where I differed in my opinion of the character development as I thought it was one-dimensional, without a lot of depth to any of these women. None of them changed an iota throughout the book, but just became older images of the younger selves. I would have liked to have seen some personal growth, some development, some compassion for what others were going through, but these women were very much about themselves.

Manhattan Triptych was interesting in the sense the story was woven around some very unique times in Manhattan, and as a history buff, I always love reading about those changing times. But the plot was slow and the character development was non-existent. And I love to read sardonic stories; I devoured Terry Pratchett, Dorothy Parker, Evelyn Waugh, and Tom Holt so reading something with sardonic humour was definitely not the issue. Personally, I felt the commentary just wasn't wry enough, nor sardonic enough and the lack of character development to make the characters more sympathetic affected the overall tone of the book.

I received a copy of this book.

[Emily Dacho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Butterfield’s Manhattan Triptych poignantly tells a story of friendship, relationships, dreams, life’s most trying times and death. It follows three women–Diane, Orla and Nikki—who look out for each other even as their lives go in different directions. Friends betray each other, or go against each other, and these three are no exception. Life gets in the way, but these three women remain inseparable. Years also pile up, but these women still remain a pact. When Orla’s whereabouts become disturbingly unknown, Diane and Nikki start looking for her.

Manhattan Triptych is told from the perspective of the three female protagonists, and the plot is non-linear; thus, it delivers a smooth, beautiful cohesion of past and present. There are also equally important characters, such as Sunjay, whom we get to hear from directly; Gordon, who contributes meaningfully to the story; and Oscar, who ‘had his soul destroyed by numbers.’ In addition, the story features the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly influencing the three friends.

This book brought me so much laughter, and there were times when I was closer to tears than I had ever been, overwhelmed by the darker times as faced by the three ladies. Diane returns to New York years later, which she now observes with a clear lens: “It (New York) was old, it was a bit battered, and that’s what she liked about it. Old and battered, like her, she thought with a laugh.” As the ladies pray for their sick loved one, their fear is palpable, and it’s devastated that death still triumphs.

Incredibly done are the dialogue and characterization. As they talk, their feelings come to the surface:
“Yeah,” responded Janita. “Her father, I think, was small.” This statement confused Orla. It was the first time she had heard anything definitive about her father, and yet the “I think” threw her. Wouldn’t you know if a person was small or not?​

As Mimi (Ray) asks her parents for a sit-down, the tension builds up, and I find myself on the edge of my seat, and Gordon’s strange reaction to Mimi’s declaration is justified. That scene is vividly delivered, forever to be remembered.

And these characters, they have secrets to keep, strengths and weaknesses. Orla says her name means vomit, comes from a humble background, where the mother was uncharacteristically different, and Orla is the voice of reason, besides being the keeper of her friend’s burdens. Diane is riddled with guilt because she loves someone she shouldn’t. She’s more politically minded than her friends. Nikki, unlike the others, is a mother and wife.

Overall, I unequivocally recommend Manhattan Triptych to not only romance readers but everyone who enjoys a well-crafted, touching story.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki, Diane and Orla have been friends since they played sisters in a production of Fiddler on the Roof.  As time passed, the friends moved away but always stayed connected.  Nikki marries a real estate tycoon after a successful run of a show and then becomes a mother.  Diane experiences ups and downs in her screenwriting career, and Orla settles into a job at a travel agency.  After surviving the AIDS epidemic that took many of their theatre friends, an economic crash, the attacks on the World Trade Center, COVID-19, and devastating California wildfires, Nikki and Diane learn that Orla is missing.  They set off to Manhattan to find their friend. 

Manhattan Triptych is a story about life, friendship and overcoming loss. Nikki, Diane and Orla are all very realistic characters with imperfections and flaws; they all seem like friends I might know.  The writing shows the messy realities of life and how the three friends navigate different challenges whether by meeting them head-on, pretending they don't exist, or escaping to a new reality.  The timeline hops back and forth through time slowly revealing secrets, motivations and what happened to Orla. Nikki, Diane and Orla's stories strongly display the power of friendship across time, distance, and trauma. 

This book was received for free in exchange for an honest review. 

[Gilbert Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Butterfield so successfully evokes a particular period and place that as I read her marvelous new novel memories of my own came rushing back to me. But those were swiftly supplanted by my growing fascination with the nuanced examination of her character's lives as they grow older, face disappointment, find love, lose touch with some things, and regain what is important.

Butterfield's poised, incisive prose style is always a pleasure. This book is so much fun and so acutely observed that I recommend it without reservation.

[Mary Portser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, engaging story of three women’s friendship over the years, with a lot of wonderful detail. I love how seamlessly the author goes back and forth in time, dropping in on pivotal moments in the women’s lives, as well as in the cities they inhabit. New York is a star player and well captured here. Having lived there myself during the decades covered, the memories flood in.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started the book unsure if I would like it. As I made my way through, I found that the characters came to life and I felt their feelings with them. Highly recommend this book!