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A Terribly Private Club
You might be wondering how I went from promising Dartmouth art history graduate to nameless federal inmate in just a few short years. Which vice did me in? Well, greed and ambition are different sides of the same coin. But then again, it’s never that simple.
Wide-eyed Kate Sullivan is thrilled when she scores a job as the assistant to the fabulous yet slightly unhinged Brazilian art dealer, Rafaela de Souza. Struggling in her new position, fish-out-of-water Kate is on the verge of being fired when she catches the eye of both "it artist" Kodi Best and charming dealer Cole Beaumont. Suddenly her career takes off, and she’s swept into the murkier depths of the art market, where she must question how far she’s willing to go to make the illustrious career she imagined a reality. The heroine of A Terribly Private Club is an unforgettable narrator, detailing her journey from small-town Ohio to the glamorous world of multimillion-dollar paintings and New York high society, and then, finally, to her prison cell at the Danbury Federal Correctional Institute.
Sweetbitter meets Anna Delvey in this captivating debut novel about a young woman who’ll do whatever it takes to make it in the cutthroat, decadent, and sometimes criminal world of New York City’s art scene.
Wide-eyed Kate Sullivan is thrilled when she scores a job as the assistant to the fabulous yet slightly unhinged Brazilian art dealer, Rafaela de Souza. Struggling in her new position, fish-out-of-water Kate is on the verge of being fired when she catches the eye of both "it artist" Kodi Best and charming dealer Cole Beaumont. Suddenly her career takes off, and she’s swept into the murkier depths of the art market, where she must question how far she’s willing to go to make the illustrious career she imagined a reality. The heroine of A Terribly Private Club is an unforgettable narrator, detailing her journey from small-town Ohio to the glamorous world of multimillion-dollar paintings and New York high society, and then, finally, to her prison cell at the Danbury Federal Correctional Institute.
Sweetbitter meets Anna Delvey in this captivating debut novel about a young woman who’ll do whatever it takes to make it in the cutthroat, decadent, and sometimes criminal world of New York City’s art scene.
- GenresContemporaryAudiobook
Audiobook
Published August 20, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 29, 2020
Thank you to the author for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
It was a very enjoyable listen! Kate is a good woman taken in by a cutthroat art world. We start the story with Kate in prison and we go back and find out the story of how she got there. Most of the story was easy and I found pretty fast-moving, only slowed down a few times by very detailed art information.
The narrator was good. I only had trouble with her differentiating between the woman voices sometimes, but she was very believable as naïve Kate Sullivan. I also loved that the audiobook chapters weren't all long. It was great for stopping points. Overall, an interesting story! I would recommend that it's worth the Audible credit.
It was a very enjoyable listen! Kate is a good woman taken in by a cutthroat art world. We start the story with Kate in prison and we go back and find out the story of how she got there. Most of the story was easy and I found pretty fast-moving, only slowed down a few times by very detailed art information.
The narrator was good. I only had trouble with her differentiating between the woman voices sometimes, but she was very believable as naïve Kate Sullivan. I also loved that the audiobook chapters weren't all long. It was great for stopping points. Overall, an interesting story! I would recommend that it's worth the Audible credit.
October 11, 2020
A Terribly Private Club was a really fun read (or, I should say, listen)!
The story follows Catherine Sullivan, a young art history graduate who's initially working at an entry-level job in the art world (or, as the book refers to it, "A Terribly Private Club"). In the prologue, we find out that she's landed up in jail, and then the rest of the book rewinds two years and tells you the story of how she got there.
It's narrated in first person, and the protagonist's head is an enjoyable one to be in -- over the course of the story, she's at times funny and awkward, smart and naive, generous and petty. Some of the other characters that come up are very colourful, which kept the story interesting -- although they are generally not as well-fleshed out.
My favourite part was the depiction of something I knew nothing about before reading this book -- the art world, from its eccentric characters and opulent events, to the perspective of entry-level employees trying to make their career in it. Many of the scenes are very vivid and fun, and the level of detail would clearly have been impossible without the author's lived experience.
My one complaint is that the ending felt all-too-sudden.
Overall, highly recommend if you're looking for a fairly quick, entertaining read which gives you a glimpse into the insides of the art world.
PS: This was the first time I've listened to fiction in an audiobook, and while I still prefer reading over listening, I did enjoy it. The narrator did a good job -- she was very clear, varied her tone perfectly, and gave the characters different voices/accents, which really helped parse blocks of dialogue.
The story follows Catherine Sullivan, a young art history graduate who's initially working at an entry-level job in the art world (or, as the book refers to it, "A Terribly Private Club"). In the prologue, we find out that she's landed up in jail, and then the rest of the book rewinds two years and tells you the story of how she got there.
It's narrated in first person, and the protagonist's head is an enjoyable one to be in -- over the course of the story, she's at times funny and awkward, smart and naive, generous and petty. Some of the other characters that come up are very colourful, which kept the story interesting -- although they are generally not as well-fleshed out.
My favourite part was the depiction of something I knew nothing about before reading this book -- the art world, from its eccentric characters and opulent events, to the perspective of entry-level employees trying to make their career in it. Many of the scenes are very vivid and fun, and the level of detail would clearly have been impossible without the author's lived experience.
My one complaint is that the ending felt all-too-sudden.
Overall, highly recommend if you're looking for a fairly quick, entertaining read which gives you a glimpse into the insides of the art world.
PS: This was the first time I've listened to fiction in an audiobook, and while I still prefer reading over listening, I did enjoy it. The narrator did a good job -- she was very clear, varied her tone perfectly, and gave the characters different voices/accents, which really helped parse blocks of dialogue.
August 27, 2020
3.5
I picked this one up willy-nilly as I have no desire of reading thrillers recently (to me, all premises are the same) and although this book did kind of started as a "Gossip Girl thriller", I enjoyed it a lot.
It sure lacked in character development (most of the characters were pretty flat.) but it was fun and easy, most of the twists, in the end, were predictable but there were few who weren't.
I picked this one up willy-nilly as I have no desire of reading thrillers recently (to me, all premises are the same) and although this book did kind of started as a "Gossip Girl thriller", I enjoyed it a lot.
It sure lacked in character development (most of the characters were pretty flat.) but it was fun and easy, most of the twists, in the end, were predictable but there were few who weren't.
August 4, 2021
Initially intrigued by the premise, I started listening to this book with only sponsored reviews to go off of.
It started off interesting with the main character in jail telling us about her start in the art world which later leads to her landing in jail. It's well narrated and the topic is interesting. I didn't know anything about the art world prior to reading this and the author did a good job balancing between giving information so that you can understand what's going on and not at all being lecture-y about it. Surprisingly well done.
The issue I had, which majorly affected how difficult it was to get through this book, was that the main character has no backbone. She has so little confidence or assuredness in herself and her work that she's constantly second-guessing what she should do and taking action simply because she thinks her cooler and more knowledgable coworkers would do it. Such actions include allowing herself to be used as human furniture, heavily drinking at work, taking cocaine, and doing a nude photoshoot while drunk and high because the artist who supplied all the substances said "he'd keep them private". Eye-roll.
People can be naive, that's fine. But this goes far beyond simple naïveté. The main character only takes action that other people suggest because she has so little confidence in herself to assess if she wants to or even should take that action. Not a surprise she ends up going to jail because a hot art dealer gave her some attention and then asked for her complicity in some shady shit.
That said, the narrator was great. She had a good pace and it was easy to differentiate between voices.
If you're interested in a peek into the art world and its shadier underbelly, and don't mind a spineless protagonist (there are other interesting, fun, and fleshed-out characters, to be fair), this is the book for you.
If, like me, you need a story where the MC's actions have some level of being driven by anything other than their insecurities, save your money and find something else.
It started off interesting with the main character in jail telling us about her start in the art world which later leads to her landing in jail. It's well narrated and the topic is interesting. I didn't know anything about the art world prior to reading this and the author did a good job balancing between giving information so that you can understand what's going on and not at all being lecture-y about it. Surprisingly well done.
The issue I had, which majorly affected how difficult it was to get through this book, was that the main character has no backbone. She has so little confidence or assuredness in herself and her work that she's constantly second-guessing what she should do and taking action simply because she thinks her cooler and more knowledgable coworkers would do it. Such actions include allowing herself to be used as human furniture, heavily drinking at work, taking cocaine, and doing a nude photoshoot while drunk and high because the artist who supplied all the substances said "he'd keep them private". Eye-roll.
People can be naive, that's fine. But this goes far beyond simple naïveté. The main character only takes action that other people suggest because she has so little confidence in herself to assess if she wants to or even should take that action. Not a surprise she ends up going to jail because a hot art dealer gave her some attention and then asked for her complicity in some shady shit.
That said, the narrator was great. She had a good pace and it was easy to differentiate between voices.
If you're interested in a peek into the art world and its shadier underbelly, and don't mind a spineless protagonist (there are other interesting, fun, and fleshed-out characters, to be fair), this is the book for you.
If, like me, you need a story where the MC's actions have some level of being driven by anything other than their insecurities, save your money and find something else.
September 27, 2020
𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: 𝐀 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬
Thank you to author Ashley Sands for the gifted audible exclusive book and cute tote bag!
I love listening to audio books when I go on walks, do household chores or ride the bike at the gym.
In this debut novel, we meet Kate Sullivan who is itching to break into the art industry. She lands an assistant role to the eccentric and somewhat mean-spirited, Rafaela de Sauza. What ensues is a deep dive into the politics, baggage and criminal side of the art world. Kate must face how far she is willing to go to get ahead and be "successful".
This was incredibly fun to listen to on audio - the perfect mix of plot, character development and art industry details for someone not at all familiar with it.
Definitely check this one out if you get a chance! Also, swipe to see the cute tote bag!
This was my first audible exclusive book!
Thank you to author Ashley Sands for the gifted audible exclusive book and cute tote bag!
I love listening to audio books when I go on walks, do household chores or ride the bike at the gym.
In this debut novel, we meet Kate Sullivan who is itching to break into the art industry. She lands an assistant role to the eccentric and somewhat mean-spirited, Rafaela de Sauza. What ensues is a deep dive into the politics, baggage and criminal side of the art world. Kate must face how far she is willing to go to get ahead and be "successful".
This was incredibly fun to listen to on audio - the perfect mix of plot, character development and art industry details for someone not at all familiar with it.
Definitely check this one out if you get a chance! Also, swipe to see the cute tote bag!
This was my first audible exclusive book!
September 7, 2020
Exceptional reader!
I purchased this audiobook only because of the reader. When I saw Anna Baryshnikov as the name of the artist reading this book I had to listen to this. I love ballet, and I knew Anna Baryshnikov was an actress, and I was very curious to listen to her interpret any book.
This book was not a bad one, but it was not a great one either. I would rate it a 3* mainly because I saw everything coming from a mille and had my eyes rolling when the main character fell for all of it.
But Anna Baryshnikov was the one who kept me going. She was excellent and I will be looking out for other books she might read in the future.
Note: this work is not available in paper or as an ebook. Only the audiobook is available.
I purchased this audiobook only because of the reader. When I saw Anna Baryshnikov as the name of the artist reading this book I had to listen to this. I love ballet, and I knew Anna Baryshnikov was an actress, and I was very curious to listen to her interpret any book.
This book was not a bad one, but it was not a great one either. I would rate it a 3* mainly because I saw everything coming from a mille and had my eyes rolling when the main character fell for all of it.
But Anna Baryshnikov was the one who kept me going. She was excellent and I will be looking out for other books she might read in the future.
Note: this work is not available in paper or as an ebook. Only the audiobook is available.
August 14, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up! I was drawn in right at the beginning, wondering what landed Kate, a successful Dartmouth art history graduate, in federal prison. Fresh out of college, Kate lands a measly job working as the assistant for a famous art dealer. Eventually, her career takes off - but at what cost? There were parts of this story that had me hooked, while others I found a bit slow. I think the storyline was woven together quite nicely, though I wish there was more tidbits about Kate’s life in prison. I found the main character to be relatable and realistic. Overall this was a great audiobook, definitely check it out!
September 12, 2020
Well this is a brand new world for me, books written to be listened to rather than published and read.
A Terribly Private Club came across somewhere between The Devil Wears Prada and The Goldfinch. I never really cheered for the protagonist or didn't care what happened to her, but I felt the same way about the protagonist in The Goldfinch. I think it's the first person narration that makes it difficult sometimes to feel empathy for someone when you hear and can judge their every thought. I also appreciated gaining a better understanding of galleries and the way they represent and market artists.
A Terribly Private Club came across somewhere between The Devil Wears Prada and The Goldfinch. I never really cheered for the protagonist or didn't care what happened to her, but I felt the same way about the protagonist in The Goldfinch. I think it's the first person narration that makes it difficult sometimes to feel empathy for someone when you hear and can judge their every thought. I also appreciated gaining a better understanding of galleries and the way they represent and market artists.
August 31, 2020
A TERRIBLY PRIVATE CLUB takes listeners right into the heart of the cutthroat New York City art scene where everyone has an agenda and nothing is as it seems. Featuring a diverse and memorable cast of characters, this was a fast-paced and incredibly enjoyable listen that I never wanted to end. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to see what Sands will write next.
September 4, 2020
“Art is what you can get away with.” -Andy Warhol
Quick Summary: A Terribly Private Club follows Kate Sullivan, a wide-eyed Dartmouth art history grad, as she navigates the cutthroat art world of New York City and ultimately lands herself in prison.
Thank you to the author for providing this free Audible listen!
I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to shy away from fictional audiobooks. Oftentimes, they don’t hold my attention and I lose track of what is going on. This didn’t happen with A Terribly Private Club! The story was intriguing and had hints of a Gossip Girl type of vibe which I loved. The chapters were pretty short which also helped hold my attention.
I’ve never read a book about the cutthroat NYC art scene so this was a little out of my comfort zone but I’m so glad I gave it a listen! The cast of characters ranged from the naive Kate to a (low key) crazy Brazilian art dealer named Rafaela. Some characters are more likable than others but that’s what makes this book so fun!
I recommend this book for people looking for a fast-paced, addictive audiobook. I’d also recommend this for fans of Gossip Girl and Still Lives by Maria Hummel.
Quick Summary: A Terribly Private Club follows Kate Sullivan, a wide-eyed Dartmouth art history grad, as she navigates the cutthroat art world of New York City and ultimately lands herself in prison.
Thank you to the author for providing this free Audible listen!
I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to shy away from fictional audiobooks. Oftentimes, they don’t hold my attention and I lose track of what is going on. This didn’t happen with A Terribly Private Club! The story was intriguing and had hints of a Gossip Girl type of vibe which I loved. The chapters were pretty short which also helped hold my attention.
I’ve never read a book about the cutthroat NYC art scene so this was a little out of my comfort zone but I’m so glad I gave it a listen! The cast of characters ranged from the naive Kate to a (low key) crazy Brazilian art dealer named Rafaela. Some characters are more likable than others but that’s what makes this book so fun!
I recommend this book for people looking for a fast-paced, addictive audiobook. I’d also recommend this for fans of Gossip Girl and Still Lives by Maria Hummel.
August 30, 2020
Brilliant. Out of my usual book style. But I found it addictive. The characters were so easy to get along with. The writer makes you want to cheer on the main character.
Such a subtle story.. but full of emotion.
Brilliant read.
Such a subtle story.. but full of emotion.
Brilliant read.
October 30, 2020
I usually don't write reviews but this book taught me a life lesson about how thin the line between good and evil is. A cautionary tale. It was a good story. Another lesson, "there are no permanent friends or enemies when it comes to business."
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews