What do you think?
Rate this book
The Admissions
The Admissions brilliantly captures the frazzled pressure cooker of modern life as a seemingly perfect family comes undone by a few desperate measures, long-buried secret —and college applications!
The Hawthorne family has it all. Great jobs, a beautiful house in one of the most affluent areas of Northern California, and three charming kids whose sunny futures are all but assured. And then comes their eldest daughter’s senior year of high school . . .
Firstborn Angela Hawthorne is a straight-A student and star athlete, with extracurricular activities coming out of her ears and a college application that’s not going to write itself. She’s set her sights on Harvard, her father’s alma mater, and like a dog with a chew toy, Angela won’t let up until she’s basking in crimson-colored glory. Except her class rank as valedictorian is under attack, she’s suddenly losing her edge at cross-country, and she can’t help but daydream about a cute baseball player. Of course Angela knows the time put into her schoolgirl crush would be better spent coming up with a subject for her English term paper—which, along with her college essay, has a rapidly approaching deadline.
Angela’s mother, Nora, is similarly stretched to the limit, juggling parent-teacher meetings, carpool, and a real estate career where she caters to the mega-rich and super-picky buyers and sellers of the Bay Area. The youngest daughter, second-grader Maya, still can’t read; the middle child, Cecily, is no longer the happy-go-lucky kid she once was; and their dad, Gabe, seems oblivious to the mounting pressures at home because a devastating secret of his own might be exposed. A few ill-advised moves put the Hawthorne family on a collision course that’s equal parts achingly real and delightfully screwball—and they learn that whatever it cost to get their lucky lives it may cost far more to keep them.
Sharp, topical, and wildly entertaining, The Admissions shows that if you pull at a loose thread, even the sturdiest lives start to unravel at the seams of high achievement.
The Hawthorne family has it all. Great jobs, a beautiful house in one of the most affluent areas of Northern California, and three charming kids whose sunny futures are all but assured. And then comes their eldest daughter’s senior year of high school . . .
Firstborn Angela Hawthorne is a straight-A student and star athlete, with extracurricular activities coming out of her ears and a college application that’s not going to write itself. She’s set her sights on Harvard, her father’s alma mater, and like a dog with a chew toy, Angela won’t let up until she’s basking in crimson-colored glory. Except her class rank as valedictorian is under attack, she’s suddenly losing her edge at cross-country, and she can’t help but daydream about a cute baseball player. Of course Angela knows the time put into her schoolgirl crush would be better spent coming up with a subject for her English term paper—which, along with her college essay, has a rapidly approaching deadline.
Angela’s mother, Nora, is similarly stretched to the limit, juggling parent-teacher meetings, carpool, and a real estate career where she caters to the mega-rich and super-picky buyers and sellers of the Bay Area. The youngest daughter, second-grader Maya, still can’t read; the middle child, Cecily, is no longer the happy-go-lucky kid she once was; and their dad, Gabe, seems oblivious to the mounting pressures at home because a devastating secret of his own might be exposed. A few ill-advised moves put the Hawthorne family on a collision course that’s equal parts achingly real and delightfully screwball—and they learn that whatever it cost to get their lucky lives it may cost far more to keep them.
Sharp, topical, and wildly entertaining, The Admissions shows that if you pull at a loose thread, even the sturdiest lives start to unravel at the seams of high achievement.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2015
735 people are currently reading
7020 people want to read
About the author
Meg Mitchell Moore
12 books1,908 followersMeg Mitchell Moore is the author of eight novels. Her ninth, MANSION BEACH, will be published in May 2025. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and whichever of her three high school- and college-aged daughters is home, as well two golden retrievers who shed a lot and don't read at all.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 787 reviews
January 17, 2016
A memory.....
Gabe and Nora meet for the first time at a bar..."The Shamrock"...an Irish Pub
in Noah valley, in San Francisco. (I've been myself: causal funky old fashion pub)....
The atmosphere is warm, friendly, and socially fun, ( lots of drinking). Concerns
about children's achievements and where to shop at the best bakery to purchase
pastries for a grade school function, don't enter anyone's thoughts.
Two decades later, Gabe and Nora Hawthorne are living in Marin County, (Mill Valley), with three daughters.
Author Meg Mitchell Moore has written an absorbing book...a realistic portrait of a
'Results-Driven-Culture'......[the setting being in Mill Valley, is perfect]. It could also have been in Los Altos Hills where our daughters attended schools....
but, almost anywhere in Silicon Valley, works for this 'cautionary tale' on modern life.
I'm very impressed with Meg Mitchell Moore. She's extremely observant...wrote an intelligent novel capturing the authenticity and heart of the 'Trying-To-do-it-Right' financially well-to-do-hard-working-modern-family'.
I found it hard to put this book down, and felt like I knew every member of this tribe.
Depending on WHO you are ...WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING...YOUR AGE....YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE of family-modern-rat-race-rushed-living....(burning the candle at both ends),....YOUR OWN VALUE OF IVY LEAGUE EDUCATION....a HAPPY CHILDHOOD...or come from a DYSFUNCTIONAL -ABANDONED-CHAOTIC- family with critical parenting...(important to make things better for your kids today), might make the difference to whether or not you see this story to be 'satire' or 'reality'.
Satire & reality were so closely blended ... it was hard to separate for me. I was a product of this 'culture' with my own growing children. ( it felt like satire & reality back then, too). It was not easy to avoid this 'rushed-pressed-stressed' lifestyle, when my daughters attended a private High School where '100%' of the kids went to a four year university - or Ivy League College. I used to teeter totter between resisting the game,
and competing in it. ( watching my kids do the same).
A student once asked a friend of mine who worked in the Stanford admissions for many years.. "Is it better to get an A in a regular class or a B in an AP class"?
Answer: only an A in the AP class matters. The same student then asked....
"What if grades were low the Freshman year of High School, but then turned their
Academic Record around ..and got all A's the next 3 years?"
Answer: "Sorry, there just is no room for even 1 bad year, as the competition is too stiff".
Back to "The Admissions"....(definition: "A statement acknowledging the truth of something... Confession.... Acceptance").....noting the title of this book is 'not' only about getting into college. ( plenty of surprises).!
Gabe works as a business consultant in the Bay Area. Nora sells Multi million dollar homes.
Angela is a senior in high school:. Straight A student, valedictorian. She is over- extended as high achieving kids are today on the 'fast-track' train. There are cross country meets, various school clubs to participate in, the 'require' community service hours, AP exams, and college interviews. It's been a 'family' dream for Angela to go to HARVARD...her dad's Alma mater. Angela adopted her father's dream as a young girl and worked hard toward her goal.
Are you wondering what Angela does for pure enjoyment? Or what types of books she reads for her 'pleasure comfort'? Keep wondering... You'll find out!
Cecily, the 10 year old, loves to dance ( Irish dancing). I was hoping she might entertain at 'The Shamrock' for her parents anniversary ...( a family celebration gathering...light fun)
But...not so lucky... $2,000+ dollars instead for a costume they pay to get made , they got to see their daughter dance in an Irish dance COMPETITION. Things at the dance competition is a day to remember. BUT... what to make of it all???
Parents living vicariously through their kids start early. I've seen mothers get inside
the sandbox with their toddlers and 'say'.... "I'm a hands-on mom"....
Those same mothers had tutors for their High School kids - at 'the house' a few times a week - after school ( already paying 20 grand a year for a private college prep education), so there would be no chance in hell their child wouldn't get all A's in their AP Chem classes, AP Physics, AP History, etc. These kids had basketball practice, swim meets, theater productions, etc. Guess what? I know one mother who hired a tutor for her daughter when she went to the University of San Diego. At that point...I was 'really' shaking my head. I told my kids... 'You'll never see me pay a private tutor' on top of the tuition we were already paying. They never asked. Lol...They did just fine.
Maya, 8 years old is not reading yet. ( hire the best tutor )... AND....maybe?? discover another hidden secret Nora has been afraid to talk about.
EVERY FAMILY member has at least one secret ...( this is what adds extra flavor in the storytelling -for me)....because without the secrets & lies... I had already lived much of this story. ( it's a Silicon Valley leading song).
If I were sitting in the same room with the author ( imagining an author event), the question I would ask her ( I'd bet my ass she'd say yes), did she entertain having
one of daughters having an eating disorder? The book didn't need it...( glad she didn't include it)... but I'm sure she 'considered' the disorder in her novel.
The 'star' character ....IMO....( because Meg Mitchelle Moore nailed' her character),
is *Nora*.
Nora is the perfect 'can-do-all'...(breaking at the seams), perfect modern -mother,
career women- wife- family & community devotee. I began to have empathy not only for Nora but ( forgive me), but for that young mother I once was too, juggling driving kids to school, teaching physical education at the school, piano lessons, dance, swim meets, Hebrew school, theater productions,
Cooking, cleaning, laundry, running the youth group at my temple, ...and I didn't work as a realtor selling expensive homes to picky buyers either. Whew... Pure exhaustion ...(we had perfect straight A kids)....
like many other kids in this valley....And then things 'often' begin to break.
Actually..even though I vote Nora as standout character...I think that 'everyone' in this family was written with a valuable purpose to this entire story.
There 'is' LOVE in this family...( sometimes hard to get to), but we feel it. ITS THERE!!!
Much like another book I recently read which takes place in the SF Bay Area...
"ALL STORIES ARE LOVE STORIES".
Conclusion: HARD TO PUT DOWN! You'll think about your family,
our culture, the logistical headaches of managing home - work - wife - mother- friend- exercise -self time - and pure 'goof-off' pleasures.
The couple of excellent books I recommend if you see yourself 'anywhere' caught in the same traps of modern family life as this family...producing perfect kids...to the point that there is no room for small mistakes ....
Is, after READING THIS BOOK, ( you'll get sucked in immediately and enjoy it),
THEN....
I suggest reading: "NurtureShock", by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman
and
"Bringing Up Bebe"....One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting
Book club excellent pick? YOU BET!
Gabe and Nora meet for the first time at a bar..."The Shamrock"...an Irish Pub
in Noah valley, in San Francisco. (I've been myself: causal funky old fashion pub)....
The atmosphere is warm, friendly, and socially fun, ( lots of drinking). Concerns
about children's achievements and where to shop at the best bakery to purchase
pastries for a grade school function, don't enter anyone's thoughts.
Two decades later, Gabe and Nora Hawthorne are living in Marin County, (Mill Valley), with three daughters.
Author Meg Mitchell Moore has written an absorbing book...a realistic portrait of a
'Results-Driven-Culture'......[the setting being in Mill Valley, is perfect]. It could also have been in Los Altos Hills where our daughters attended schools....
but, almost anywhere in Silicon Valley, works for this 'cautionary tale' on modern life.
I'm very impressed with Meg Mitchell Moore. She's extremely observant...wrote an intelligent novel capturing the authenticity and heart of the 'Trying-To-do-it-Right' financially well-to-do-hard-working-modern-family'.
I found it hard to put this book down, and felt like I knew every member of this tribe.
Depending on WHO you are ...WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING...YOUR AGE....YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE of family-modern-rat-race-rushed-living....(burning the candle at both ends),....YOUR OWN VALUE OF IVY LEAGUE EDUCATION....a HAPPY CHILDHOOD...or come from a DYSFUNCTIONAL -ABANDONED-CHAOTIC- family with critical parenting...(important to make things better for your kids today), might make the difference to whether or not you see this story to be 'satire' or 'reality'.
Satire & reality were so closely blended ... it was hard to separate for me. I was a product of this 'culture' with my own growing children. ( it felt like satire & reality back then, too). It was not easy to avoid this 'rushed-pressed-stressed' lifestyle, when my daughters attended a private High School where '100%' of the kids went to a four year university - or Ivy League College. I used to teeter totter between resisting the game,
and competing in it. ( watching my kids do the same).
A student once asked a friend of mine who worked in the Stanford admissions for many years.. "Is it better to get an A in a regular class or a B in an AP class"?
Answer: only an A in the AP class matters. The same student then asked....
"What if grades were low the Freshman year of High School, but then turned their
Academic Record around ..and got all A's the next 3 years?"
Answer: "Sorry, there just is no room for even 1 bad year, as the competition is too stiff".
Back to "The Admissions"....(definition: "A statement acknowledging the truth of something... Confession.... Acceptance").....noting the title of this book is 'not' only about getting into college. ( plenty of surprises).!
Gabe works as a business consultant in the Bay Area. Nora sells Multi million dollar homes.
Angela is a senior in high school:. Straight A student, valedictorian. She is over- extended as high achieving kids are today on the 'fast-track' train. There are cross country meets, various school clubs to participate in, the 'require' community service hours, AP exams, and college interviews. It's been a 'family' dream for Angela to go to HARVARD...her dad's Alma mater. Angela adopted her father's dream as a young girl and worked hard toward her goal.
Are you wondering what Angela does for pure enjoyment? Or what types of books she reads for her 'pleasure comfort'? Keep wondering... You'll find out!
Cecily, the 10 year old, loves to dance ( Irish dancing). I was hoping she might entertain at 'The Shamrock' for her parents anniversary ...( a family celebration gathering...light fun)
But...not so lucky... $2,000+ dollars instead for a costume they pay to get made , they got to see their daughter dance in an Irish dance COMPETITION. Things at the dance competition is a day to remember. BUT... what to make of it all???
Parents living vicariously through their kids start early. I've seen mothers get inside
the sandbox with their toddlers and 'say'.... "I'm a hands-on mom"....
Those same mothers had tutors for their High School kids - at 'the house' a few times a week - after school ( already paying 20 grand a year for a private college prep education), so there would be no chance in hell their child wouldn't get all A's in their AP Chem classes, AP Physics, AP History, etc. These kids had basketball practice, swim meets, theater productions, etc. Guess what? I know one mother who hired a tutor for her daughter when she went to the University of San Diego. At that point...I was 'really' shaking my head. I told my kids... 'You'll never see me pay a private tutor' on top of the tuition we were already paying. They never asked. Lol...They did just fine.
Maya, 8 years old is not reading yet. ( hire the best tutor )... AND....maybe?? discover another hidden secret Nora has been afraid to talk about.
EVERY FAMILY member has at least one secret ...( this is what adds extra flavor in the storytelling -for me)....because without the secrets & lies... I had already lived much of this story. ( it's a Silicon Valley leading song).
If I were sitting in the same room with the author ( imagining an author event), the question I would ask her ( I'd bet my ass she'd say yes), did she entertain having
one of daughters having an eating disorder? The book didn't need it...( glad she didn't include it)... but I'm sure she 'considered' the disorder in her novel.
The 'star' character ....IMO....( because Meg Mitchelle Moore nailed' her character),
is *Nora*.
Nora is the perfect 'can-do-all'...(breaking at the seams), perfect modern -mother,
career women- wife- family & community devotee. I began to have empathy not only for Nora but ( forgive me), but for that young mother I once was too, juggling driving kids to school, teaching physical education at the school, piano lessons, dance, swim meets, Hebrew school, theater productions,
Cooking, cleaning, laundry, running the youth group at my temple, ...and I didn't work as a realtor selling expensive homes to picky buyers either. Whew... Pure exhaustion ...(we had perfect straight A kids)....
like many other kids in this valley....And then things 'often' begin to break.
Actually..even though I vote Nora as standout character...I think that 'everyone' in this family was written with a valuable purpose to this entire story.
There 'is' LOVE in this family...( sometimes hard to get to), but we feel it. ITS THERE!!!
Much like another book I recently read which takes place in the SF Bay Area...
"ALL STORIES ARE LOVE STORIES".
Conclusion: HARD TO PUT DOWN! You'll think about your family,
our culture, the logistical headaches of managing home - work - wife - mother- friend- exercise -self time - and pure 'goof-off' pleasures.
The couple of excellent books I recommend if you see yourself 'anywhere' caught in the same traps of modern family life as this family...producing perfect kids...to the point that there is no room for small mistakes ....
Is, after READING THIS BOOK, ( you'll get sucked in immediately and enjoy it),
THEN....
I suggest reading: "NurtureShock", by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman
and
"Bringing Up Bebe"....One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting
Book club excellent pick? YOU BET!
August 21, 2015
“It’s hard for everybody in some way, right?” Meg Mitchell Moore, The Admissions
Seemingly perfect at a passing glance, the Hawthorne family in Moore’s newest novel, “The Admissions” is actually desperately trying to hold on and keep everything together in their upscale, uber-competitive Bay Area community. Nearly every member of the family is hiding something – a secret, a mistake, a joke gone too far, their true feelings – but none can voice it, lest the whole house of cards come tumbling down.
Far from being another “life in the suburbs isn’t so grand” sort of book, I think Moore has really honed in on a new angle with this story. She accurately captures the extreme pressure high school students face with enormous amounts of homework, extra-curricular activities, and cut-throat college admissions mania. She also shines an unflinching light on competitive workplace practices, where one mistake can cost a person his or her job. She covers these realistically, and they are the reality for many people today.
The Admissions is simultaneously compelling, funny, uncomfortable, honest, and timely. 4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review
Seemingly perfect at a passing glance, the Hawthorne family in Moore’s newest novel, “The Admissions” is actually desperately trying to hold on and keep everything together in their upscale, uber-competitive Bay Area community. Nearly every member of the family is hiding something – a secret, a mistake, a joke gone too far, their true feelings – but none can voice it, lest the whole house of cards come tumbling down.
Far from being another “life in the suburbs isn’t so grand” sort of book, I think Moore has really honed in on a new angle with this story. She accurately captures the extreme pressure high school students face with enormous amounts of homework, extra-curricular activities, and cut-throat college admissions mania. She also shines an unflinching light on competitive workplace practices, where one mistake can cost a person his or her job. She covers these realistically, and they are the reality for many people today.
The Admissions is simultaneously compelling, funny, uncomfortable, honest, and timely. 4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review
July 8, 2015
Bursting with both humor and tragedy, Meg Mitchell Moore’s The Admissions is a riveting book that had me on the edge of my seat. Through her smart, flawless writing and perfect pacing, Moore holds a mirror up to our over-ambitious, over-stressed, results-driven culture and shows a realistic portrait of a family in turmoil.
Set in Mill Valley, California, the story is about the Hawthorne family whose oldest daughter Nora is on a sisyphean (SAT word) quest to get into Harvard early admission. In addition to being a straight-A student and chronic over-achiever, she has the advantage of having an alumnus in the family (dad, Gabe). That should certainly give her an edge, right? Her mother is a high-powered realtor who is stretched to max both at work and home. The two younger Hawthorne daughters are embroiled in their own dramas, but it seems that the family’s hopes and problems ride on Nora getting into Harvard.
Rarely do you find a book in which all of the main characters are so completely rendered. I felt like I knew these people. I was cheering for these people. And I was very glad that I wasn’t one of these people even though I thoroughly enjoyed going along on their ride.
Set in Mill Valley, California, the story is about the Hawthorne family whose oldest daughter Nora is on a sisyphean (SAT word) quest to get into Harvard early admission. In addition to being a straight-A student and chronic over-achiever, she has the advantage of having an alumnus in the family (dad, Gabe). That should certainly give her an edge, right? Her mother is a high-powered realtor who is stretched to max both at work and home. The two younger Hawthorne daughters are embroiled in their own dramas, but it seems that the family’s hopes and problems ride on Nora getting into Harvard.
Rarely do you find a book in which all of the main characters are so completely rendered. I felt like I knew these people. I was cheering for these people. And I was very glad that I wasn’t one of these people even though I thoroughly enjoyed going along on their ride.
January 24, 2016
(Please note: The spoiler in this review is NOT a spoiler of the actual book - it's just a spoiler of a movie that I mention in the review. The review will spoil nothing of the book itself.)
So remember that scary movie When a Stranger Calls (I'm thinking of the old version; I can't speak to the remake), and the poor babysitter is besieged by all these ominous phone calls chiding "have you checked the children...?" and then finally learns that all her efforts to protect them have been completely misguided because .
This book is kinda like that. The members of the Hawthorne family (and I don't think that name is an accident) have become so respectively Mesmerized by that Will-O-The-Wisp of Success, Achievement, and Protection from Failure that they have been led completely astray, distracted from the true danger at hand, which they have in fact invited across their very threshold: they have been so consumed by upper-aspirational striving that they are all profoundly unhappy and exhausted and joyless and completely out of touch with themselves. Ensconced in upper-class Marin County, mom, dad, and oldest and middle daughters Angela and Cecily have respectively signed their souls over to the ruthless demands of upper-eschelon real estate sales; high-powered tech consulting; exclusive high school academics and extra-curriculars, as a means to the end of Ivy League Admissions; and even the frenzied Riverdance of competitive Irish dance. Even little Maya, only 7 or 8, is becoming an outcast for her inability to hang on level with her second-grade reading group. This is an extremely privileged household under siege by the specter of Never Enough, which has infiltrated the home and their brains and is now hiding out inside them all, endlessly chiding. And this chastising gremlin voice drives many family members to commit moral transgressions that (again with the Hawthorne) threaten to destabilize their place in society - or do they?
So you well may ask: What book these days is NOT about this "problem?" And you're right: this isn't new territory whatsoever. This book certainly does deal with wealthy, suburban, white families' "problems," so if that's a deal breaker for you, then probably don't read this. However, the book is certainly aware and critical that the Hawthorne family problems are not in fact real problems, and in fact stem from priorities that should not be priorities; indeed, this is the point of the book. Still, why read this one when so many other books chart and critique this territory? What sets this book apart is Moore's knowing good humor and especially her big-heartedness. It's so damn easy to just bitterly, grimly ridicule, deride, or satirize the hell out of this population, but Moore leverages her critique in a completely different and refreshing, accessible way - in fact, perhaps even a way that would allow her observations to be heard and absorbed instead of just coming across as a scornful You People Just Suck.
Moore's writing is effortless and playful (she sets up a situation that climaxes on the Golden Gate Bridge, and sets it up so well that when time comes for the reveal, you have no idea what is about to happen, and to whom, but many different seeds have been planted). Moore is observant, empathic, and hopeful, writes effortlessly, and creates lovely and sympathetic, well-drawn characters - especially in the case of the children, Angela, Cecily, and Maya. I don't have a high-achieving teen daughter or anything close to it - my dog is pretty damn complacent and unambitious - but if I had one, I'd bet I'd really appreciate this book's sensitive portrayal of what it feels like to be a kid caught up in all that culture of Being Special. The theme of this book is Chillax: Special is Played Out. Special is a dead end, no-win sitch. Special is a random unremarkable elusive weed that has been awarded an inexplicably prestigious status. Time to figure out something else. Maybe start by reading an enjoyable book like this one!
So remember that scary movie When a Stranger Calls (I'm thinking of the old version; I can't speak to the remake), and the poor babysitter is besieged by all these ominous phone calls chiding "have you checked the children...?" and then finally learns that all her efforts to protect them have been completely misguided because .
This book is kinda like that. The members of the Hawthorne family (and I don't think that name is an accident) have become so respectively Mesmerized by that Will-O-The-Wisp of Success, Achievement, and Protection from Failure that they have been led completely astray, distracted from the true danger at hand, which they have in fact invited across their very threshold: they have been so consumed by upper-aspirational striving that they are all profoundly unhappy and exhausted and joyless and completely out of touch with themselves. Ensconced in upper-class Marin County, mom, dad, and oldest and middle daughters Angela and Cecily have respectively signed their souls over to the ruthless demands of upper-eschelon real estate sales; high-powered tech consulting; exclusive high school academics and extra-curriculars, as a means to the end of Ivy League Admissions; and even the frenzied Riverdance of competitive Irish dance. Even little Maya, only 7 or 8, is becoming an outcast for her inability to hang on level with her second-grade reading group. This is an extremely privileged household under siege by the specter of Never Enough, which has infiltrated the home and their brains and is now hiding out inside them all, endlessly chiding. And this chastising gremlin voice drives many family members to commit moral transgressions that (again with the Hawthorne) threaten to destabilize their place in society - or do they?
So you well may ask: What book these days is NOT about this "problem?" And you're right: this isn't new territory whatsoever. This book certainly does deal with wealthy, suburban, white families' "problems," so if that's a deal breaker for you, then probably don't read this. However, the book is certainly aware and critical that the Hawthorne family problems are not in fact real problems, and in fact stem from priorities that should not be priorities; indeed, this is the point of the book. Still, why read this one when so many other books chart and critique this territory? What sets this book apart is Moore's knowing good humor and especially her big-heartedness. It's so damn easy to just bitterly, grimly ridicule, deride, or satirize the hell out of this population, but Moore leverages her critique in a completely different and refreshing, accessible way - in fact, perhaps even a way that would allow her observations to be heard and absorbed instead of just coming across as a scornful You People Just Suck.
Moore's writing is effortless and playful (she sets up a situation that climaxes on the Golden Gate Bridge, and sets it up so well that when time comes for the reveal, you have no idea what is about to happen, and to whom, but many different seeds have been planted). Moore is observant, empathic, and hopeful, writes effortlessly, and creates lovely and sympathetic, well-drawn characters - especially in the case of the children, Angela, Cecily, and Maya. I don't have a high-achieving teen daughter or anything close to it - my dog is pretty damn complacent and unambitious - but if I had one, I'd bet I'd really appreciate this book's sensitive portrayal of what it feels like to be a kid caught up in all that culture of Being Special. The theme of this book is Chillax: Special is Played Out. Special is a dead end, no-win sitch. Special is a random unremarkable elusive weed that has been awarded an inexplicably prestigious status. Time to figure out something else. Maybe start by reading an enjoyable book like this one!
September 11, 2015
A pleasant-enough novel about a stressed family living in posh Marin County, CA. Moore seems to feel guilty that her characters are loaded; there's tons of self-deprecation and fretting about people starving in Third World countries, plus sneering at the (other) rich characters who are, we are told, more despicable than the family we're following, who are sooooo down-to-earth and not into yoga despite their wealth. Lots of unfortunate references to the caramel- and latte-colored skin of nonwhite characters. Lots of cliffhanger chapter endings. I did race through to find out whether Angela plagiarizes, though.
October 27, 2018
I'm not sure if I've recently read anything I've loved more fully than Meg Mitchell Moore's The Admissions. As soon as I finished, I added her other work to my TBR list.
I don't want to give too much away regarding the story, because it's really a treasure that should be discovered for itself, so I'll just provide a little synopsis.
The Admissions is essentially a drama centered around the frazzled Hawthorne family - Nora, Gabe, and their two daughters Angela and Cecily (and their youngest daughter, Maya.) Angela's in the process of applying to college, Nora is trying to handle difficult real estate clients, Gabe has a huge secret in the he's attempting to keep shuttered and Cecily is struggling to maintain her typically sunny exterior. The title refers not only to Angela's application process but also to the family members' revelations and realizations to themselves and to each other.
You'll notice that I almost mentioned Maya as an afterthought and, in some respects, that's exactly how she reads. This is not meant as a slight on the character or the author for that manner, but it is how Maya functions in the story.
The story centers around the Hawthornes' inabilities to control - and even deal with - the many different facets of their everyday lives. Nora, Gabe, Angela and Cecily are pulled in multiple directions and essentially, are doing what they can to survive. Of course, they each make mistakes resulting from their distracted and terrible judgment. They are so distracted that they each cannot see how strained their loved ones are until it all comes to ahead and it's too late to change.
I adored The Admissions! I will be singing its praises to whomever will listen. It's such a beautiful, honest and pure look at a loving American family collapsing under the weight of modern expectations and time constraints.
There is so much love between the Hawthornes' and that it's so evident is such a testament to Moore's talent. It would so simple for the affection to be hidden and boggled down by the drama and tragedy of this tale. In the hands of a lesser talent, it would be difficult to really see the family's connections. Nora and Gabe are loving, if not attentive parents. It's so easy to see that they love their girls and care so much for them, but that their own problems blind them to their daughters' pains.
What Meg Mitchell Moore has crafted here is a thing of absolute beauty. The Admissions works not just because the writing is lovely and clear or because the characters are so interesting. It novel works so incredibly well because it is so very real. I often find, even in contemporary literary fiction, that even there is a lack of plausibility. Additionally, even with the most plausible situations, at times, there is such an artifice. I didn't see that with The Admissions. It just feels so real. I graduated college in 2008 and Angela's dilemma reminded me of my own. I loved The Admissions because its real and true and pure. I'm in love.
It should be noted that I received a free copy of The Admissions from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait until it's released because I'm going to purchase a copy. I want Meg Mitchell Moore to have my money. She deserves it!
**This review has also been posted at my blog**
I don't want to give too much away regarding the story, because it's really a treasure that should be discovered for itself, so I'll just provide a little synopsis.
The Admissions is essentially a drama centered around the frazzled Hawthorne family - Nora, Gabe, and their two daughters Angela and Cecily (and their youngest daughter, Maya.) Angela's in the process of applying to college, Nora is trying to handle difficult real estate clients, Gabe has a huge secret in the he's attempting to keep shuttered and Cecily is struggling to maintain her typically sunny exterior. The title refers not only to Angela's application process but also to the family members' revelations and realizations to themselves and to each other.
You'll notice that I almost mentioned Maya as an afterthought and, in some respects, that's exactly how she reads. This is not meant as a slight on the character or the author for that manner, but it is how Maya functions in the story.
The story centers around the Hawthornes' inabilities to control - and even deal with - the many different facets of their everyday lives. Nora, Gabe, Angela and Cecily are pulled in multiple directions and essentially, are doing what they can to survive. Of course, they each make mistakes resulting from their distracted and terrible judgment. They are so distracted that they each cannot see how strained their loved ones are until it all comes to ahead and it's too late to change.
I adored The Admissions! I will be singing its praises to whomever will listen. It's such a beautiful, honest and pure look at a loving American family collapsing under the weight of modern expectations and time constraints.
There is so much love between the Hawthornes' and that it's so evident is such a testament to Moore's talent. It would so simple for the affection to be hidden and boggled down by the drama and tragedy of this tale. In the hands of a lesser talent, it would be difficult to really see the family's connections. Nora and Gabe are loving, if not attentive parents. It's so easy to see that they love their girls and care so much for them, but that their own problems blind them to their daughters' pains.
What Meg Mitchell Moore has crafted here is a thing of absolute beauty. The Admissions works not just because the writing is lovely and clear or because the characters are so interesting. It novel works so incredibly well because it is so very real. I often find, even in contemporary literary fiction, that even there is a lack of plausibility. Additionally, even with the most plausible situations, at times, there is such an artifice. I didn't see that with The Admissions. It just feels so real. I graduated college in 2008 and Angela's dilemma reminded me of my own. I loved The Admissions because its real and true and pure. I'm in love.
It should be noted that I received a free copy of The Admissions from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait until it's released because I'm going to purchase a copy. I want Meg Mitchell Moore to have my money. She deserves it!
**This review has also been posted at my blog**
October 8, 2015
Something about this book just resonated with me. While I don't have any children old enough to be applying to college, I can definitely relate to the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality, especially coming from a real estate background. I loved how the viewpoints kept changing throughout but still managed to propel the story forward. It was hard to stop reading about this family as bit by bit they started unraveling at the seams. I really enjoyed it. 4.5.
December 6, 2022
Second book I’ve read by her (first was The Arrivals which I also really enjoyed). Both were heartbreaking, with female lead characters that you can’t help but love. Both books have enough light heartedness and humor to balance the realistic, universal, day to day heartbreak that we have all experienced and will continue to experience for all time. Having a daughter and two nieces this one hit extra though♥️
December 7, 2015
In the midst of Meg Mitchell Moore’s novel The Admissions, Angela, a senior in a high-pressure high school in a high-income neighborhood just outside San Francisco, runs a cross-country race. We hear her labored breathing as she, whose life has been shaped by her father, her school, her peer group, and the culture of Marin county, CA runs beyond her limits to attempt to win the ultimate prize: no, it isn’t a gold medal at the end of the race; instead, it’s a spot at Harvard.
Angela’s labored breathing gets worse with each step. She struggles to keep up with the runners around her. This tortured sound serves as a metaphor for those students now applying to the most selective colleges and universities in the world. The race --one long exercise in pain and lack of oxygen-- is just one of the recurring metaphors for the way the upper middle class culture has embraced what Freud called “the death drive” as a response to keeping up with the Stepfordesque neighbors in terms of schools, houses, jobs etc. Which college one goes to what business one works for what neighborhood one lives in all have life and death consequences. Or so some think.
This cross-country race, in addition to being a metaphor, comes to us with specific details--the shape of a hair braid of the runner in front of Angelica-- bounces in front of her and the readers' eyes in close up. The way teens talk just before the gun goes off has the glibly bland flatness of real dialogue. For those who like details, carefully chosen and woven into the tapestry of each chapter, they will not be disappointed by the descriptions throughout the book. The author is, to be sure, talented in crafting a plot and giving us the details that make the multiple storylines move along. We are drawn in and care about the fates of Angelica, her family and friends.
Overall, there are very few flat characters. One intern who will resort to almost anything to gain a job is an exception, but almost all the others are, at some level, civil, urbane, and generous and far more ethically rooted than the family whose unraveling we get to peek in on and then get to enjoy the often excruciatingly detailed self-flagellations that come afterward. One “character” that has, if not a starring role, then at least a best supporting one, is The Golden Gate Bridge. I won’t spoil why the bridge shows up throughout the book except to say it is also a symbol of something that has great beauty but also has a dark side too.
Ms. Moore has talent, no doubt about it. The plot is tightly woven, a bit like the hair braid that Angela sees as she runs her race. Each chapter has an arc and each of the plot lines unfolds logically but also with some useful misdirection so that we as readers are surprised by some of the things that happen by the end. The book has the edges and shadows of a tragedy—how kids’ lives are in danger given all that they go through to get into top colleges, but ultimately the book is a comedy of manners.
As the book unfolds we gradually begin to understand that the title refers not simply to the admission process that Angela must endure as she and some of her friends apply to Harvard. The subtitle could well have been Crimes and Misdemeanors. Ultimately, the admissions refers to confessions that characters must make for transgressing the bounds of what is ethical or at times legal. The book has a moral arc that fiction must have if it is to appeal to its targeted audience—those hyper stressed students applying to elite schools, the moms and dads pushing the kids to go to these schools and all the educators and others who have been keeping up with stories coming out almost weekly on how bad these kids have it who hope to get in to schools that turn down 95% of those who apply.
I hope I have made it clear that the book is a good read. Several people who have read the novel have posed the question to me that I want to answer here. How accurate is the portrayal of the stress that kids are under who attend secondary schools in communities composed of successful professionals? In other words, does the author get it right when talking about what these kids and families are going through?
Ms. Moore does underscore the stress in ways that many would say are accurate. To give just one example, Julie Lithcott Haimes’ book, How To Raise an Adult, has, as its thesis, the unhealthy approach that parents in these kinds of communities take to raising children: "I understand that the systemic problem of overparenting is rooted in our worries about the world and about how our children will be successful in it without us. Still, we’re doing harm. For our kids’ sakes, and also for our own, we need to stop parenting from fear and bring a more healthy— a more wisely loving— approach back into our communities, schools, and homes."
Julie Lythcott-Haims,.How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. Henry Holt and Co. This book, a Cri du Coeur, might well serve as the non-fiction bookend to The Admissions. Lythcott-Haims has children in Gunn high school, the school that many of the Mountain View companies in California send their children to. It has a record for getting students in to great colleges but it also has a record for student falling apart or worse. The cover story in most recent issue of The Atlantic focuses on student suicides at Gunn High School.
"The Silicon Valley Suicides Why are so many kids with bright prospects killing themselves in Palo Alto?" (Full disclosure: Julie and I are part of a podcast put out by Slate called Getting In. Julie hosts the show and I contribute commentary on the state of admission as it exists today. She and I agree that there is far too much emphasis on name rather than fit). The Admissions shows just how far certain people are willing to go to try to get into top schools. It also shows what some students think or do when their dreams of Ivy don’t work out.
The intersection of fact and fiction, of life imitating art and art imitating life ,underscore how parents around the US and the world as well, may be hurting the way their children navigate their way through the world. The Admissions does this without making it too much of a novel based on a moral although the center of the book's ethical core does ask us to judge parents who sell their souls for looking good to others The parents need a personality and maybe even a geographical adjustment.
While I laud Ms. Moore for writing a readable novel about the stress that pervades the tony neighborhoods around the country, I also have to point out that she really does not know how bad it really is for kids who expect to get in to places like Harvard. I am not trying to be an alarmist or make things more stressful for those who read this but the author simply has the parents and students in this book miss stuff that no self-respecting Ivy fixed group would.
Nevertheless, I believe that Ms. Moore actually misleads readers about what students really need to do to get accepted at the most elite schools. It is not that she is hyperbolic about everything that Angela and her family should think and do; actually, she does not have Angela do the things virtually any student applying to Harvard from a community she is in would do.
I will give just a few examples. Angela seems unaware that her friends are paying big money for SAT prep until the topic comes up in the fall of her senior year. A kid with a Harvard obsessed dad and a school of Ivy hopefuls would all know the best prep programs for SAT,ACT, SAT 2 and AP course before 11th grade started. No matter how smart the students are parents will enroll students at these kidns of prep programs if they think it will help their kids' chances. The family is also clueless when it comes to college counseling. They do not obtain the services of an independent consultant , something many in these communities do, and they act as though it is a huge surprise that some of Angela’s friends are doing this. It also comes as a surprise to the parents that drug use is all too common at the school. The drug I am referring to is not weed, although I am sure there is a pretty fair amount of kids that get high in schools like this; instead it’s Adderall, the study drug of choice among high school and college students especially during exam periods.
To portray parents who are ivy obsessed but also clueless about many of these issues seems to fail my test of willing suspension of disbelief. It is also unfortunate that we do not see the whole list of schools Angela is applying to. In the book it appears she has applied to almost nowhere else except Harvard. No kid would do this today. The kids today see the previous group of seniors, the stars of the school, get dinged at top schools. Watching the top student not get in is one of the lessons kids learn from as they embark down the dark tunnel of admission. The college counselor in the book underscores the competitive landscape but the father simply dismisses it and the mother does not really seem to care all that much about it. This too strains credulity.
Finally, anyone who has been showing off his Harvard alum status for as long as the father does in the book would at least at some point play the name game once a week with someone who knew someone when he was a college student. The alum status would also get him an unending stream of mail from the schools asking for money and letting him know how his fellow student have done since leaving . In other words the dad should be showing everyone his Harvard stuff in more ways than he does. Angela's talk with Harvard admission Dean also stretches things a bit far, but I won't say much else about this as it it still a good scene within the scope of a fictional world.
The non-fiction world students live in, to sum up, is even more tightly wound than Ms Moore seems to know. In an interview Ms. Moore said the book came out of a year spent on the West Coast with her family. Her children are young and so she did not actually get to hear how obsessed everyone really is at a place like Gunn except second hand. Her kids were not old enough to be in the mix. For those who have had students go through the process in recent years, I am not sure you will think that the author got it right when she tries to tell it like it is. And yet, despite all that, the moral of the book still dovetails with what Julie says in her book too. There is far too much pressure on kids and far too much parental involvement in making sure their children do not have negative outcomes of any sort. But challenges are endemic to living and some of the students, the real ones applying this year, are not well-prepared for the emotional turmoil from not having their dreams come true about the school they wish to attend. The Admissions takes us close to the edge of what is happening but it also gives us a chance to back away and see there are things far more important than Harvard.
Angela’s labored breathing gets worse with each step. She struggles to keep up with the runners around her. This tortured sound serves as a metaphor for those students now applying to the most selective colleges and universities in the world. The race --one long exercise in pain and lack of oxygen-- is just one of the recurring metaphors for the way the upper middle class culture has embraced what Freud called “the death drive” as a response to keeping up with the Stepfordesque neighbors in terms of schools, houses, jobs etc. Which college one goes to what business one works for what neighborhood one lives in all have life and death consequences. Or so some think.
This cross-country race, in addition to being a metaphor, comes to us with specific details--the shape of a hair braid of the runner in front of Angelica-- bounces in front of her and the readers' eyes in close up. The way teens talk just before the gun goes off has the glibly bland flatness of real dialogue. For those who like details, carefully chosen and woven into the tapestry of each chapter, they will not be disappointed by the descriptions throughout the book. The author is, to be sure, talented in crafting a plot and giving us the details that make the multiple storylines move along. We are drawn in and care about the fates of Angelica, her family and friends.
Overall, there are very few flat characters. One intern who will resort to almost anything to gain a job is an exception, but almost all the others are, at some level, civil, urbane, and generous and far more ethically rooted than the family whose unraveling we get to peek in on and then get to enjoy the often excruciatingly detailed self-flagellations that come afterward. One “character” that has, if not a starring role, then at least a best supporting one, is The Golden Gate Bridge. I won’t spoil why the bridge shows up throughout the book except to say it is also a symbol of something that has great beauty but also has a dark side too.
Ms. Moore has talent, no doubt about it. The plot is tightly woven, a bit like the hair braid that Angela sees as she runs her race. Each chapter has an arc and each of the plot lines unfolds logically but also with some useful misdirection so that we as readers are surprised by some of the things that happen by the end. The book has the edges and shadows of a tragedy—how kids’ lives are in danger given all that they go through to get into top colleges, but ultimately the book is a comedy of manners.
As the book unfolds we gradually begin to understand that the title refers not simply to the admission process that Angela must endure as she and some of her friends apply to Harvard. The subtitle could well have been Crimes and Misdemeanors. Ultimately, the admissions refers to confessions that characters must make for transgressing the bounds of what is ethical or at times legal. The book has a moral arc that fiction must have if it is to appeal to its targeted audience—those hyper stressed students applying to elite schools, the moms and dads pushing the kids to go to these schools and all the educators and others who have been keeping up with stories coming out almost weekly on how bad these kids have it who hope to get in to schools that turn down 95% of those who apply.
I hope I have made it clear that the book is a good read. Several people who have read the novel have posed the question to me that I want to answer here. How accurate is the portrayal of the stress that kids are under who attend secondary schools in communities composed of successful professionals? In other words, does the author get it right when talking about what these kids and families are going through?
Ms. Moore does underscore the stress in ways that many would say are accurate. To give just one example, Julie Lithcott Haimes’ book, How To Raise an Adult, has, as its thesis, the unhealthy approach that parents in these kinds of communities take to raising children: "I understand that the systemic problem of overparenting is rooted in our worries about the world and about how our children will be successful in it without us. Still, we’re doing harm. For our kids’ sakes, and also for our own, we need to stop parenting from fear and bring a more healthy— a more wisely loving— approach back into our communities, schools, and homes."
Julie Lythcott-Haims,.How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. Henry Holt and Co. This book, a Cri du Coeur, might well serve as the non-fiction bookend to The Admissions. Lythcott-Haims has children in Gunn high school, the school that many of the Mountain View companies in California send their children to. It has a record for getting students in to great colleges but it also has a record for student falling apart or worse. The cover story in most recent issue of The Atlantic focuses on student suicides at Gunn High School.
"The Silicon Valley Suicides Why are so many kids with bright prospects killing themselves in Palo Alto?" (Full disclosure: Julie and I are part of a podcast put out by Slate called Getting In. Julie hosts the show and I contribute commentary on the state of admission as it exists today. She and I agree that there is far too much emphasis on name rather than fit). The Admissions shows just how far certain people are willing to go to try to get into top schools. It also shows what some students think or do when their dreams of Ivy don’t work out.
The intersection of fact and fiction, of life imitating art and art imitating life ,underscore how parents around the US and the world as well, may be hurting the way their children navigate their way through the world. The Admissions does this without making it too much of a novel based on a moral although the center of the book's ethical core does ask us to judge parents who sell their souls for looking good to others The parents need a personality and maybe even a geographical adjustment.
While I laud Ms. Moore for writing a readable novel about the stress that pervades the tony neighborhoods around the country, I also have to point out that she really does not know how bad it really is for kids who expect to get in to places like Harvard. I am not trying to be an alarmist or make things more stressful for those who read this but the author simply has the parents and students in this book miss stuff that no self-respecting Ivy fixed group would.
Nevertheless, I believe that Ms. Moore actually misleads readers about what students really need to do to get accepted at the most elite schools. It is not that she is hyperbolic about everything that Angela and her family should think and do; actually, she does not have Angela do the things virtually any student applying to Harvard from a community she is in would do.
I will give just a few examples. Angela seems unaware that her friends are paying big money for SAT prep until the topic comes up in the fall of her senior year. A kid with a Harvard obsessed dad and a school of Ivy hopefuls would all know the best prep programs for SAT,ACT, SAT 2 and AP course before 11th grade started. No matter how smart the students are parents will enroll students at these kidns of prep programs if they think it will help their kids' chances. The family is also clueless when it comes to college counseling. They do not obtain the services of an independent consultant , something many in these communities do, and they act as though it is a huge surprise that some of Angela’s friends are doing this. It also comes as a surprise to the parents that drug use is all too common at the school. The drug I am referring to is not weed, although I am sure there is a pretty fair amount of kids that get high in schools like this; instead it’s Adderall, the study drug of choice among high school and college students especially during exam periods.
To portray parents who are ivy obsessed but also clueless about many of these issues seems to fail my test of willing suspension of disbelief. It is also unfortunate that we do not see the whole list of schools Angela is applying to. In the book it appears she has applied to almost nowhere else except Harvard. No kid would do this today. The kids today see the previous group of seniors, the stars of the school, get dinged at top schools. Watching the top student not get in is one of the lessons kids learn from as they embark down the dark tunnel of admission. The college counselor in the book underscores the competitive landscape but the father simply dismisses it and the mother does not really seem to care all that much about it. This too strains credulity.
Finally, anyone who has been showing off his Harvard alum status for as long as the father does in the book would at least at some point play the name game once a week with someone who knew someone when he was a college student. The alum status would also get him an unending stream of mail from the schools asking for money and letting him know how his fellow student have done since leaving . In other words the dad should be showing everyone his Harvard stuff in more ways than he does. Angela's talk with Harvard admission Dean also stretches things a bit far, but I won't say much else about this as it it still a good scene within the scope of a fictional world.
The non-fiction world students live in, to sum up, is even more tightly wound than Ms Moore seems to know. In an interview Ms. Moore said the book came out of a year spent on the West Coast with her family. Her children are young and so she did not actually get to hear how obsessed everyone really is at a place like Gunn except second hand. Her kids were not old enough to be in the mix. For those who have had students go through the process in recent years, I am not sure you will think that the author got it right when she tries to tell it like it is. And yet, despite all that, the moral of the book still dovetails with what Julie says in her book too. There is far too much pressure on kids and far too much parental involvement in making sure their children do not have negative outcomes of any sort. But challenges are endemic to living and some of the students, the real ones applying this year, are not well-prepared for the emotional turmoil from not having their dreams come true about the school they wish to attend. The Admissions takes us close to the edge of what is happening but it also gives us a chance to back away and see there are things far more important than Harvard.
January 25, 2016
The Hawthorne family is ready to implode due to all the pressures of college admissions, and maintaining an upper middle class lifestyle. I know, I know....who wants to read a book about how tough it is for the fortunate among us? And it's a subject that has been done before. What makes this one shine above the rest is the author made every character sympathetic and relatable. That's not always an easy feat for an author but Ms. Moore pulls it off.
High-pressure jobs for both parents, balancing work and home, the stress and strain of juggling all the balls that keep a busy, high-achieving family afloat...how does it all get done? And what happens when a ball is dropped? Or expectations aren't met? But the book isn't all stress and strain, there's also a large dose of warmth and humor.
The title is a play on words. The eldest daughter is trying to get into Harvard, but every character has a secret they need to admit. Each chapter is told from a different characters POV. I loved the voices of the characters and the thoughts running through their heads. The SAT words were a very clever device, as was mom Nora's e-mails to her sister. The wife's boss and his wife have a heartbreaking secret, with a sub-plot that we don't always know what goes on in someone's life and we shouldn't make assumptions. What we think we know can turn out to be so wrong.
The author made the characters come to life on the page and I was invested in the outcome. This is a fresh take on modern family life that I found easy to read and thoroughly engrossing. There were a few instances that maybe didn't quite ring true (only one college application?) but it didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying the read.
High-pressure jobs for both parents, balancing work and home, the stress and strain of juggling all the balls that keep a busy, high-achieving family afloat...how does it all get done? And what happens when a ball is dropped? Or expectations aren't met? But the book isn't all stress and strain, there's also a large dose of warmth and humor.
The title is a play on words. The eldest daughter is trying to get into Harvard, but every character has a secret they need to admit. Each chapter is told from a different characters POV. I loved the voices of the characters and the thoughts running through their heads. The SAT words were a very clever device, as was mom Nora's e-mails to her sister. The wife's boss and his wife have a heartbreaking secret, with a sub-plot that we don't always know what goes on in someone's life and we shouldn't make assumptions. What we think we know can turn out to be so wrong.
The author made the characters come to life on the page and I was invested in the outcome. This is a fresh take on modern family life that I found easy to read and thoroughly engrossing. There were a few instances that maybe didn't quite ring true (only one college application?) but it didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying the read.
August 5, 2015
I received this book for free through Goodreads First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
I can say in all honesty that I LOVED THIS BOOK! I could NOT put it down. I read it in a day. This is a MUST READ!
While written in a form of ever changing point of views, it was easy to follow along, it flowed nicely. The story gripped you. As a reader, it was no problem placing yourself in the characters shoes. It was easy to picture the characters and situations as yourself, or someone you know. It was REAL.
SPOILER ALERT:
It was also remarkably refreshing to have this tale end with everyone staying together and actually working things out!
WELL DONE!
I can say in all honesty that I LOVED THIS BOOK! I could NOT put it down. I read it in a day. This is a MUST READ!
While written in a form of ever changing point of views, it was easy to follow along, it flowed nicely. The story gripped you. As a reader, it was no problem placing yourself in the characters shoes. It was easy to picture the characters and situations as yourself, or someone you know. It was REAL.
SPOILER ALERT:
It was also remarkably refreshing to have this tale end with everyone staying together and actually working things out!
WELL DONE!
September 1, 2015
Beautiful but flawed family
This book is so wonderful because it's so honest about this modern day family and the problems they face in this very difficult world. The character development was lovely, I hated and loved each person at different times throughout this book
This book is so wonderful because it's so honest about this modern day family and the problems they face in this very difficult world. The character development was lovely, I hated and loved each person at different times throughout this book
October 11, 2015
Nora is a Realtor at an upscale brokerage in Marin County in the Bay Area. She sells homes worth millions, the kinds of homes with views of the bay, with picky buyers, and annoying, high-maintenance sellers who require a lot of hand-holding and expensive open houses. As the mother of three daughters, Nora’s life is one juggled task after another: rides to school, dance lessons and competitions, and business meetings. Sleepless nights begin when she realizes she left an important disclosure out of a closed deal. Late night emails to her east coast sister reveal little bits and pieces of her present day dilemmas, and the guilt-ridden mistake involving her youngest daughter, Maya, that she has kept secret for far too long.
Gabe works at a large firm, and has a secret of his own—one that threatens to spoil everything if it gets out. Abby, a particularly odious intern, lets him know she knows about it, and is not above blackmail to further her career.
Angela, Nora and Gabe’s gifted eldest, is about to graduate high school and hopefully gain admission to Harvard, the school her father has pushed her to strive for. Every moment of her life is structured and centered on this dreamed of goal.
As a former real estate agent myself, I felt Meg Mitchell Moore captured the tenor of an agent’s day, the stressors and exhaustion, with surprising veracity. Intelligent, thoughtful Women’s fiction, the writing is above average for the genre, flawlessly paced, and the characters and storyline avoided cliché pitfalls they could easily have fallen into. The Hawthornes are a family hovering on the edge of disaster, while trying to maintain their upscale lifestyle in one of California’s most competitive communities. This one didn’t set me on fire, but I did enjoy it, from the grabby beginning to the quietly perfect end.
Read and reviewed for She Reads.
Gabe works at a large firm, and has a secret of his own—one that threatens to spoil everything if it gets out. Abby, a particularly odious intern, lets him know she knows about it, and is not above blackmail to further her career.
Angela, Nora and Gabe’s gifted eldest, is about to graduate high school and hopefully gain admission to Harvard, the school her father has pushed her to strive for. Every moment of her life is structured and centered on this dreamed of goal.
As a former real estate agent myself, I felt Meg Mitchell Moore captured the tenor of an agent’s day, the stressors and exhaustion, with surprising veracity. Intelligent, thoughtful Women’s fiction, the writing is above average for the genre, flawlessly paced, and the characters and storyline avoided cliché pitfalls they could easily have fallen into. The Hawthornes are a family hovering on the edge of disaster, while trying to maintain their upscale lifestyle in one of California’s most competitive communities. This one didn’t set me on fire, but I did enjoy it, from the grabby beginning to the quietly perfect end.
Read and reviewed for She Reads.
August 23, 2015
The Admissions
By
Meg Mitchell Moore
My " in a nutshell" summary...
The adventures as well as the misadventures of a seemingly normal San Francisco family as they live their lives but are also consumed by getting their oldest daughter into Harvard.
The Cast Of Characters...
Gabe and Nora...parents...will a tiny little flower and a lie bring them down?
Angela...oldest daughter applying for Harvard in the fall...under enormous pressures?
Cecily...the middle daughter...known for her Irish dancing.
Maya...she can't read...is it because of Nora's little secret?
My thoughts after reading this book...
This book was so funny and sad, too. The secrets just kept piling up on top of each other. I love when the chapters are named by the characters they are about. Everyone's truths and everyone's secrets were gradually enticingly exposed. I continued to ask myself what would happen next. Everyone wanted to share their secrets...the secrets that were agonizing...and yet no one did.
What I loved about this book...
I loved this family...seriously...they were so normal at first and then as pressures mounted...they were the opposite of normal.
What I did not love about this book...
It was hard for me to live with their issues...issues that could have been avoided if these family members had only told the truth...seriously...tell the truth, people!
Final thoughts...
I found this to be an absorbing look about a normal family who just kept getting themselves into really weird situations. Readers who love books filled with dysfunctional characters...should love this book! I loved this book! It was every bit as wonderful as her first book...The Arrivals!
By
Meg Mitchell Moore
My " in a nutshell" summary...
The adventures as well as the misadventures of a seemingly normal San Francisco family as they live their lives but are also consumed by getting their oldest daughter into Harvard.
The Cast Of Characters...
Gabe and Nora...parents...will a tiny little flower and a lie bring them down?
Angela...oldest daughter applying for Harvard in the fall...under enormous pressures?
Cecily...the middle daughter...known for her Irish dancing.
Maya...she can't read...is it because of Nora's little secret?
My thoughts after reading this book...
This book was so funny and sad, too. The secrets just kept piling up on top of each other. I love when the chapters are named by the characters they are about. Everyone's truths and everyone's secrets were gradually enticingly exposed. I continued to ask myself what would happen next. Everyone wanted to share their secrets...the secrets that were agonizing...and yet no one did.
What I loved about this book...
I loved this family...seriously...they were so normal at first and then as pressures mounted...they were the opposite of normal.
What I did not love about this book...
It was hard for me to live with their issues...issues that could have been avoided if these family members had only told the truth...seriously...tell the truth, people!
Final thoughts...
I found this to be an absorbing look about a normal family who just kept getting themselves into really weird situations. Readers who love books filled with dysfunctional characters...should love this book! I loved this book! It was every bit as wonderful as her first book...The Arrivals!
September 12, 2015
This book grabbed me and never let go. It is not that my life is like the Hawthornes, a high-flying couple with money who have given their three daughters every advantage in life. It is not that I have a child who is in the process of applying for college with the expectation that she get into Harvard. Not even close. But I do know what it is like to feel anxious and frightened about what the future will hold for her in this time of uber competition, fragmented work and instability. There are decisions that I have probably made based on these fears that have been misguided. And that is the power of the book. This family is so human, so flawed, so full of fear and love that I was immediately drawn into to their story. Each character was complex and it was easy to feel empathy for them as they slowly, but surely, began to fall apart from the demands that they thought they must meet and the secrets that they kept from each other, The daughter, Angela was especially well-drawn as she struggles to meet expectations yet retain some sense of self and her mother, a real estate agent, who is able to see how these expectations hurt her daughter but unable to see how having to be the top dog real estate agent is just as destructive is likable, funny and at times maddening. I cannot recommend highly enough this fast paced, sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching and thrilling ("what will happen next!?") book.
Thank you to Edelweiss for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
Thank you to Edelweiss for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
November 22, 2015
The Hawthornes look like the perfect family. They have smart and talented daughters: Angela, 17; Cecily, 10; and Maya, 7. Their eldest daughter is on track for early admission to Harvard. Cecily excels at dance, but Maya struggles in reading.
Nora, the mother, grew up in Rhode Island, and sometimes longs for home, but the life she and Nate have built in Marin County is filled with the wonderful things she always dreamed of. However, her life is hectic, and all their lives seem totally focused on getting Angela into Harvard.
Nora excels at selling high end properties, but an oversight could bring her whole career down. Additionally, Nora is holding tight to a secret that could undermine everything.
Gabe is a partner in a consulting firm, but when a new intern is brought on, a secret he has kept for years threatens to come out.
Narrated by multiple characters, The Admissions held my interest from the very beginning. I loved the setting…who doesn’t love Marin County? I could relate to some of what the characters were experiencing, except for the kinds of secrets that were churning away at their insides and threatening their existence. I enjoyed the e-mail messages Nora wrote to her sister Marianne, as we catch a glimpse of how she thinks and feels in these exchanges.
The pace kept me reading and turning pages, wondering how it would all come apart, as it was obvious that the “perfect” lives were destined to unravel. A book I recommend for those who enjoy family stories. 4.5 stars.
Nora, the mother, grew up in Rhode Island, and sometimes longs for home, but the life she and Nate have built in Marin County is filled with the wonderful things she always dreamed of. However, her life is hectic, and all their lives seem totally focused on getting Angela into Harvard.
Nora excels at selling high end properties, but an oversight could bring her whole career down. Additionally, Nora is holding tight to a secret that could undermine everything.
Gabe is a partner in a consulting firm, but when a new intern is brought on, a secret he has kept for years threatens to come out.
Narrated by multiple characters, The Admissions held my interest from the very beginning. I loved the setting…who doesn’t love Marin County? I could relate to some of what the characters were experiencing, except for the kinds of secrets that were churning away at their insides and threatening their existence. I enjoyed the e-mail messages Nora wrote to her sister Marianne, as we catch a glimpse of how she thinks and feels in these exchanges.
The pace kept me reading and turning pages, wondering how it would all come apart, as it was obvious that the “perfect” lives were destined to unravel. A book I recommend for those who enjoy family stories. 4.5 stars.
March 20, 2016
As April 1 (April Fools Day!) approaches, it only means one thing to highschool seniors around the country, college decision time is here. The Admissions, by fabulous author Meg Mitchell Moore, follows the Hawthorne family through this harrowing ordeal. Dad, a successful businessman; Mom, hanging out her real estate shingle and their kids Maya, Cecily and Angela. They seem like an average busy American family living in one of the most competitive expensive areas in the country, northern California. Angela is fiercely fighting for her place as track team star, valedictorian and successful highschool senior while maintaining good daughter, sister and friend status and is at her wits end. As Angela navigates this slippery slope she finds dangerous ways to stay up later, run faster and fight harder, the only thing on her mind is Harvard, Early Decision. Her battle for this position strains the entire family and their perfect picture begins to crumble. If this sounds like an exaggeration or dramatic play on college applications, it most certainly is not. It is an accurate measure of the insanely scary process tempting even the most conservative, protective parents who swear they will never subject their children to this over the top behavior. The possibility of the lottery like effect is too tempting even to the most concerned parents. Absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this amazing new novel. Hilarious at times and heartening at others, I could not put this fabulous read!
January 17, 2016
3.5 rounded up. This was an entertaining book but it also really zeroed in on all the pressures of society today, from working moms to college applicants to even grade-schoolers. I really loved all the details Moore puts in the book--since the Hawthorne family is saving for three college tuitions (probably at Ivy Leagues) the mother at times will say things like "having Angela (the oldest) at home to watch the younger girls will save $80)--but later she'll say that a dress for an Irish dancing competition cost $2300!
I remember when I was in 5th grade or so, and Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond were on the charts and They Were My Age. How could that possibly be? Now of course the bars are raised higher for younger kids. At some point we all hit that wall and realize we're not as smart, fast, pretty, etc as others and it's time to hang it up, just do our best and let the rest go. This book covers when multiple members of a family hit that wall at the same time.
Family members also realize that competing for the next round (sports, college, internships, jobs, promotions, referrals) really doesn't end for decades and we have to pace ourselves for the long haul. Perhaps retirement will really come to mean the time of life we can do what we want without worrying about putting the "right" things on our resumes and college applications!
I remember when I was in 5th grade or so, and Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond were on the charts and They Were My Age. How could that possibly be? Now of course the bars are raised higher for younger kids. At some point we all hit that wall and realize we're not as smart, fast, pretty, etc as others and it's time to hang it up, just do our best and let the rest go. This book covers when multiple members of a family hit that wall at the same time.
Family members also realize that competing for the next round (sports, college, internships, jobs, promotions, referrals) really doesn't end for decades and we have to pace ourselves for the long haul. Perhaps retirement will really come to mean the time of life we can do what we want without worrying about putting the "right" things on our resumes and college applications!
September 18, 2015
THis book is about a lot more than the cover would imply (and some of the reviewers above seem to have missed that.) Secrets, lies, family stress- it doesn't matter how much money a family has or where they live, the pressures we place on our kids and ourselves these days are immense. Moore captured that desperation on the part of everyone in the Hawthorne family, right down to little Maya's struggle with reading. I was especially taken with Cecily and her Irish dance. Bravo to Moore and also to the Fairfax Cty. Public Library for spending some of its scant funds to by this book, which should resonnate quite well here in one of the richest counties in the nation.
December 18, 2015
4 Stars - This review is of the audio book and narrator. I enjoyed the storyline but the narrator didn't do the book justice. I would lose track of what was going on because the narrator didn't interest me. I am glad that I chose to continue to listen regardless of my dislike of the narrator as I did enjoy the story.
4.5 Stars - Oh, you know, one must jump through hoops to keep up with the Joneses and then hope that those hoops don't break but the truth always comes out. When the truth does come out, everything comes crashing down at once. This book was so well written that you felt like you knew the characters and were experiencing the drama right along with them.
4.5 Stars - Oh, you know, one must jump through hoops to keep up with the Joneses and then hope that those hoops don't break but the truth always comes out. When the truth does come out, everything comes crashing down at once. This book was so well written that you felt like you knew the characters and were experiencing the drama right along with them.
November 21, 2015
This is really 3.5 stars. This story of an upper middle class family that is hurtling towards their goal of having their oldest, incredibly bright daughter getting into Harvard (hence the title). This proves a tipping point as each family member is carrying secrets that like a snowball rolling down the hill, get bigger and bigger until something has to give (hence the title). This is a domestic drama that describes life in this fast lane a little too clearly, a little too close to home, a little too possible. Though not as funny, it reminds me a little of Where'd You Go Bernadette.
December 3, 2015
This is really the wrong book for me. I can't deal with pitiful, whining people. The events in this novel depict exactly why I chose not to have that kind of life. What's with the boring detail. Why would I want to read an entire 9 yo report on the bridge? There was no added benefit by describing all the HS student extracurricular activities. The ending is so corny it's stupid.
September 23, 2015
Very disappointed in this book. Way too much boring narrative. I found myself skimming the pages looking for meaningful dialogue. I wanted to slap Nora-Bora (that nickname got old in a hurry) upside the head and send her daughters to counseling. I won't even bother to talk about Gabe.
August 29, 2015
Really enjoyed this book. Liked the story, the characters, the setting. Loved the writing. Absolutely perfect for book discussions. Instant Staff Pick at the Merrick Library. Please Ms. Moore, can we have some more?
March 13, 2025
Exceptional. I read it in two days, rushing to read it when I got home from work. The novel has multiple POVs of a layered family, all of them written with a clever, fitting, individual voice that shows the unique stressors in multiple stages of life. So incredibly well done. More than once I wondered to myself “what would have I done in this situation?” And I truthfully have no idea- things get away from us sometimes, and I found the characters in this book to be accurately human. 5 stars.
January 27, 2021
Very good! The author does a great job of pulling back the curtain on a family that seems to have it all and in reality, they are just like the rest of us. Although their problems that regular people would take in stride shatters their lives. I really enjoyed listening to this book and will be looking for more by Ms. Moore! :)
February 5, 2017
I was lucky to discover Moore scrolling through titles on-line. I was looking for a new author and was thrilled to discover a combination of a new-to-me author with a familiar feel. From the first chapter I knew I was going to relate to the story of Nora, her husband, Gabe and their three daughters. First off, Nora is from Rhode Island (I'm from Massachusetts) living in California far from her family (I'm in Chicago also away from all my family). She's raising three girls (another similarity) in the competitive world of academics, sports and extracurricular activities all in hopes of acceptance at the best colleges. Her oldest daughter is a senior in high school applying to Harvard and Harvard only, she 's so sure that's all she - or is it her dad - has ever wanted. The middle daughter is wrapped up in the world of Irish Dance while the youngest struggles to read and Nora secretly feels she caused the delay.
The pressure on each of them explodes not once, but multiple times with small, then large consequences. Past secrets and unspoken fears all come to a head and the family finds themselves at a cross roads. They must chose to unite or fall apart.
I really enjoyed all the characters and the pace kept me engaged the whole way through. I related to a lot of moments and some had me wondering how much pressure I too may be putting on my kids either directly or indirectly.
Fans of Liane Moriarty will enjoy this story.
The pressure on each of them explodes not once, but multiple times with small, then large consequences. Past secrets and unspoken fears all come to a head and the family finds themselves at a cross roads. They must chose to unite or fall apart.
I really enjoyed all the characters and the pace kept me engaged the whole way through. I related to a lot of moments and some had me wondering how much pressure I too may be putting on my kids either directly or indirectly.
Fans of Liane Moriarty will enjoy this story.
September 16, 2021
AUDIOBOOK
THE ADMISSIONS starts off like a delicious satirical story of privilege and the desire for *more* in an upscale San Francisco family before veering into overly dramatic Lifetime Movie before ending like a Hallmark Channel story. I wish Meg Mitchell Moore had chosen a lane and stuck with it. If not for pitch perfect narration, THE ADMISSIONS would be one star.
THE ADMISSIONS starts off like a delicious satirical story of privilege and the desire for *more* in an upscale San Francisco family before veering into overly dramatic Lifetime Movie before ending like a Hallmark Channel story. I wish Meg Mitchell Moore had chosen a lane and stuck with it. If not for pitch perfect narration, THE ADMISSIONS would be one star.
March 12, 2016
"Eine fast perfekte Familie" habe ich eher durch Zufall entdeckt, allerdings haben mich Kurzbeschreibung und Cover schnell angesprochen, sodass ich dem Buch sehr gerne eine Chance geben wollte. Obwohl ich zunächst ein wenig skeptisch war, wurden meine Zweifel sehr schnell weggespült, denn der Roman hat mich fast durchweg unterhalten.
Die Autorin hat für ihren Roman einen angenehmen, flüssigen Schreibstil verwendet, der sich rasch lesen lässt und mich zum Nachdenken anregen, aber durchaus unterhalten konnte. Die Kapitel sind so gestaltet, dass jedes Familienmitglied dabei zu Wort kommt, was mir besonders gut gefallen hat, da man diese dadurch alle gut kennen lernt und sich in sich hineinversetzen kann. Dazu muss gesagt werden, dass die Charaktere facettenreich gezeichnet wurden, sodass hier für jeden Leser etwas dabei sein dürfte.
Hier geht es in erster Linie um die Familie Hawthorne. Diese scheint auf den ersten Blick nahezu perfekt zu sein: Die Eltern im Job erfolgreich, die Kinder allesamt beliebt und - nach außen hin - fast schon Wunderkinder. Dass es jedoch bei ihnen anders sein kann, ist auf den ersten Blick nur schwer vorstellbar, allerdings hat es die Autorin geschafft, den Figuren so viele Ecken und Kanten einzuverleiben, dass man schnell merkt, dass sie eben doch nicht perfekt sind und schon gar nicht immer eitler Sonnenschein bei ihnen herrscht. Besonders auffällig ist dabei, dass sie sich selbst und anderen etwas vorspielen, ohne es stellenweise überhaupt zu bemerken. Man findet zwar schnell heraus, dass sich keiner von ihnen wirklich wohl fühlt, allerdings wird erst im Laufe der Geschichte ersichtlich, wie sehr einige von ihnen unter der Außendarstellung leiden.
Die Covergestaltung ist schlicht, aber doch so passend, sodass dies an sich doch ganz ansehnlich ist. Ebenfalls gelungen ist die Kurzbeschreibung, die mir spontan zugesagt hat, sodass ich dem Buch sehr gerne eine Chance gegeben habe.
Kurz gesagt: "Eine fast perfekte Familie" ist ein unterhaltsamer Roman, der einen sehr guten Einblick in eine fast perfekte Familie gibt und mich stellenweise auch zum Nachdenken anregen konnte. Ich bin begeistert und kann das Buch somit nur empfehlen.
Die Autorin hat für ihren Roman einen angenehmen, flüssigen Schreibstil verwendet, der sich rasch lesen lässt und mich zum Nachdenken anregen, aber durchaus unterhalten konnte. Die Kapitel sind so gestaltet, dass jedes Familienmitglied dabei zu Wort kommt, was mir besonders gut gefallen hat, da man diese dadurch alle gut kennen lernt und sich in sich hineinversetzen kann. Dazu muss gesagt werden, dass die Charaktere facettenreich gezeichnet wurden, sodass hier für jeden Leser etwas dabei sein dürfte.
Hier geht es in erster Linie um die Familie Hawthorne. Diese scheint auf den ersten Blick nahezu perfekt zu sein: Die Eltern im Job erfolgreich, die Kinder allesamt beliebt und - nach außen hin - fast schon Wunderkinder. Dass es jedoch bei ihnen anders sein kann, ist auf den ersten Blick nur schwer vorstellbar, allerdings hat es die Autorin geschafft, den Figuren so viele Ecken und Kanten einzuverleiben, dass man schnell merkt, dass sie eben doch nicht perfekt sind und schon gar nicht immer eitler Sonnenschein bei ihnen herrscht. Besonders auffällig ist dabei, dass sie sich selbst und anderen etwas vorspielen, ohne es stellenweise überhaupt zu bemerken. Man findet zwar schnell heraus, dass sich keiner von ihnen wirklich wohl fühlt, allerdings wird erst im Laufe der Geschichte ersichtlich, wie sehr einige von ihnen unter der Außendarstellung leiden.
Die Covergestaltung ist schlicht, aber doch so passend, sodass dies an sich doch ganz ansehnlich ist. Ebenfalls gelungen ist die Kurzbeschreibung, die mir spontan zugesagt hat, sodass ich dem Buch sehr gerne eine Chance gegeben habe.
Kurz gesagt: "Eine fast perfekte Familie" ist ein unterhaltsamer Roman, der einen sehr guten Einblick in eine fast perfekte Familie gibt und mich stellenweise auch zum Nachdenken anregen konnte. Ich bin begeistert und kann das Buch somit nur empfehlen.
October 28, 2015
A perfect family living a perfect life in upscale Marin County, Northern California. A mother, father, three daughters all with straight white teeth living in a wonderful home, but underneath, slowly, a pressure cooker …
“Was everything going to continue to come toward these kids earlier and earlier so that they emerged from the womb with their teeth wired, wearing glasses and helmets, scheduling math tutors?”
THE ADMISSIONS (Doubleday) is Meg Mitchell Moore’s novel about the frazzled upper-class Hawthorne family, carrying long-buried secrets and what happens when those secrets begin to unravel. Mom, Nora is a successful real-estate agent, Dad, Gabe works at a tech firm, Angela is completing her senior year of high-school and Harvard bound as Daddy’s legacy, 10-year old, Cecily is a disciplined Irish dancer and second-grader, Maya needs a tutor because she can’t read.
But as much as everyone in the family is striving for perfection, they’re out of touch with one another’s needs. Appearances seem to matter most in many situations, and that takes a toll on people after a while. The story is funny at times, but mostly sad. Moore taps into this generations need to succeed, and belief that each individual is special, despite many’s lack of depth. There are heart breaking lessons to be learned in THE ADMISSIONS, and Moore’s prose and complex story-telling skills guide the reader through the wonderful novel.
And once you finish THE ADMISSIONS, you’ll want to go back and read Meg’s previous novels.
In THE ARRIVALS, Ginny and William’s grown-up children come home with their grown-up problems and prove the old adage, once a parent, always a parent.
In SO FAR AWAY, a 13-year old finds help from being cyber-bullied in the archives of an 1920s journal written by an Irish immigrant.
megFor all things MEG, check out her website site http://www.megmitchellmoore.com She’s also on twitter. Thanks to BookSparks http://www.GoBookSparks.com for including Thoughts on This ‘n That on the Fall Reading Challenge 2015 #FRC2015 #bookshelfie We have many more exciting books coming up in the challenge, so keep checking back!
“Was everything going to continue to come toward these kids earlier and earlier so that they emerged from the womb with their teeth wired, wearing glasses and helmets, scheduling math tutors?”
THE ADMISSIONS (Doubleday) is Meg Mitchell Moore’s novel about the frazzled upper-class Hawthorne family, carrying long-buried secrets and what happens when those secrets begin to unravel. Mom, Nora is a successful real-estate agent, Dad, Gabe works at a tech firm, Angela is completing her senior year of high-school and Harvard bound as Daddy’s legacy, 10-year old, Cecily is a disciplined Irish dancer and second-grader, Maya needs a tutor because she can’t read.
But as much as everyone in the family is striving for perfection, they’re out of touch with one another’s needs. Appearances seem to matter most in many situations, and that takes a toll on people after a while. The story is funny at times, but mostly sad. Moore taps into this generations need to succeed, and belief that each individual is special, despite many’s lack of depth. There are heart breaking lessons to be learned in THE ADMISSIONS, and Moore’s prose and complex story-telling skills guide the reader through the wonderful novel.
And once you finish THE ADMISSIONS, you’ll want to go back and read Meg’s previous novels.
In THE ARRIVALS, Ginny and William’s grown-up children come home with their grown-up problems and prove the old adage, once a parent, always a parent.
In SO FAR AWAY, a 13-year old finds help from being cyber-bullied in the archives of an 1920s journal written by an Irish immigrant.
megFor all things MEG, check out her website site http://www.megmitchellmoore.com She’s also on twitter. Thanks to BookSparks http://www.GoBookSparks.com for including Thoughts on This ‘n That on the Fall Reading Challenge 2015 #FRC2015 #bookshelfie We have many more exciting books coming up in the challenge, so keep checking back!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 787 reviews