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Emma's Table: A Novel
From the moment Emma Sutton walks into the FitzCoopers auction house, the disgraced media darling knows exactly what she an antique dining table. What she gets is a chance to set things right. Fresh from a yearlong stretch in prison, Emma finds her life just as she left it—filled with glittering business successes, bruising personal defeats, rolling television cameras, and awkward Sunday dinners at home. She needs a clean slate—a second chance that might be provided by two unlikely Benjamin Blackman, a terminally charming social worker and Emma's part-time assistant, and one of Benjamin's most heartbreaking wards, an overweight little girl from Queens named Gracie.
304 pages
First published July 29, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 10, 2017
Described as "delicious" by Vogue and a "touchingly bittersweet comedy of urban existence" by USA Today, I found it to be neither.
The story revolves around Emma, a woman who is clearly inspired by Martha Stewart, Emma's family, and Emma's series of assistants. Emma is just out of prison and is trying to get back to life, and there are personal and professional issues she must work through. The story itself is okay and I can see that there would be an audience who would eat it up and be intrigued. But, spoilsport that I am, I had one huge issue with it: The way the author treated the daughter of one of the minor characters.
The daughter in question is named Grace and she is a child in elementary school. She is overweight, which you will never, ever forget reading this book because the author insists on mentioning it every single time the girl is brought up. He talks about her like she's just this gargantuan person who has to walk sideways through doors, then later specifies that she's 20 pounds overweight. I mean, I know she's a kid, but still -- that's hardly the shocking obesity he insists it is. I mean, for real, these are just a few of the many, many examples of the way the author describes this girl:
"He remembered the first time he'd seen her, standing at his office door -- as wide as a penny that had been left out on the train tracks flattened to twice its normal size by the force of a locomotive roaring through."
"She was huge, he saw, when she appeared at the door."
"Gracie barely fit into her swimsuit from the summer before. There were big handfuls of flesh, like yeasty dough, popping out from the edges of her Lycra suit -- a fleshy jack-in-the-box all around."
A stranger asks how old her daughter is and her mother responds thusly, "'Almost ten,' Tina told her, as nicely as she could manage. 'Aren't you, Gracie?' she said, placing her hands on her daughter's puffy shoulders, pressing down through the marshmallow of coat to the fat girl beneath."
Later, we get even more information about the size of this girl, "Her nine-year-old daughter, barely four and a half feet tall, had weighed in at one hundred and fourteen pounds." THE HORROR.
I don't want to go on too much about how that's not even that overweight, because I don't want to give the impression that if this girl were actually very overweight, that it would be okay to talk about her like that, but it's even more ridiculous when you're talking about a chubby girl.
Needless to say, I won't be recommending this book to anyone.
The story revolves around Emma, a woman who is clearly inspired by Martha Stewart, Emma's family, and Emma's series of assistants. Emma is just out of prison and is trying to get back to life, and there are personal and professional issues she must work through. The story itself is okay and I can see that there would be an audience who would eat it up and be intrigued. But, spoilsport that I am, I had one huge issue with it: The way the author treated the daughter of one of the minor characters.
The daughter in question is named Grace and she is a child in elementary school. She is overweight, which you will never, ever forget reading this book because the author insists on mentioning it every single time the girl is brought up. He talks about her like she's just this gargantuan person who has to walk sideways through doors, then later specifies that she's 20 pounds overweight. I mean, I know she's a kid, but still -- that's hardly the shocking obesity he insists it is. I mean, for real, these are just a few of the many, many examples of the way the author describes this girl:
"He remembered the first time he'd seen her, standing at his office door -- as wide as a penny that had been left out on the train tracks flattened to twice its normal size by the force of a locomotive roaring through."
"She was huge, he saw, when she appeared at the door."
"Gracie barely fit into her swimsuit from the summer before. There were big handfuls of flesh, like yeasty dough, popping out from the edges of her Lycra suit -- a fleshy jack-in-the-box all around."
A stranger asks how old her daughter is and her mother responds thusly, "'Almost ten,' Tina told her, as nicely as she could manage. 'Aren't you, Gracie?' she said, placing her hands on her daughter's puffy shoulders, pressing down through the marshmallow of coat to the fat girl beneath."
Later, we get even more information about the size of this girl, "Her nine-year-old daughter, barely four and a half feet tall, had weighed in at one hundred and fourteen pounds." THE HORROR.
I don't want to go on too much about how that's not even that overweight, because I don't want to give the impression that if this girl were actually very overweight, that it would be okay to talk about her like that, but it's even more ridiculous when you're talking about a chubby girl.
Needless to say, I won't be recommending this book to anyone.
September 4, 2017
What a sh*tty little book. Nothing but tedious minutiae of selfabsorbed idiots.
January 2, 2023
This was a “discard” book that I picked up at the library just before the holidays. The word “discard” often leads me to believe it isn’t going to be a a good thing but I am always willing to give anything a chance and this was a freebie. My first impression of this book was that it was based on Martha Stewart around the time that she was imprisoned for securities fraud in the early 2000s. The protagonist is Emma and she is a celebrity designer with an ex-husband who comes back into her life after her incarceration, a promiscuous daughter who can never live up to her mother’s expectations and a part time assistant who has his own problems as a school social worker and a new girlfriend. The reviews on this book weren’t that great but I was pleasantly surprised and almost gave this a four star. It was a light read that was filled with humour and wit as the cast of characters all start to mesh and end up at Emma’s Nalashima table that she acquires at a recent auction using underhanded means when she realizes there is someone else very interested in purchasing the same table. We are also introduced to 9 year old Gracie, an overweight little girl who is bullied and lives with her single mom, Tina. All in all, this was a perfect read for the holidays as I put up my feet and followed those interesting characters and their relationships to each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2026
One of those stories where you are way more connected to one character story than the others.
This story follows an interior designer who went to prison for tax fraud, their assistant, and a young girl named Gracie.
Gracie is a student to Benjamin, the local elementary school principal, but also Emma's assistant. Gracie gets bullied every day because of her weight and tries so hard to be happy.
The story had no real ending, and Gracie did not get her happy ending. I'm not sure if anything happened in this story- other than Emma buying a table.
This story follows an interior designer who went to prison for tax fraud, their assistant, and a young girl named Gracie.
Gracie is a student to Benjamin, the local elementary school principal, but also Emma's assistant. Gracie gets bullied every day because of her weight and tries so hard to be happy.
The story had no real ending, and Gracie did not get her happy ending. I'm not sure if anything happened in this story- other than Emma buying a table.
August 4, 2018
Was a bit of a struggle. There were a few characters that I was interested in finding out their ending but overall I didn't really like most of the characters including the main one - that made for kind of tough reading. There really didn't really seem to be much of a story here.
June 15, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. A pleasure to read. An interesting tale of our times, flows along smoothly, engaging characters and a solid plot line. I bought an extra copy for friends.
May 11, 2015
I went through an emotional roller coaster reading this book but Surprisingly I Really enjoyed this book even though it resembles somewhat of Martha Stewart's life. The book started off Immediately letting us know that the main character, Emma Sutton,a sixty-two-year-old "tarnished queen of interior design," was a media darling going to prison for a Tax Evasion.The Good thing about Emma was that for the most part she was pretty successful in her furniture business(Interior Design) before incarcerated .The way the first chapter started off really confused me. It just had a feel that didn't really connect to the rest of the book. The chapter opened up with Emma at an auction house where she was set on purchasing a new dining room table and won it than to Benjamin. Throughout the auction Emma mentions how 25 years of hard work in her furniture business was for nothing since now she doesn't even run it. All she does now is post next to her furniture in magazines and take pictures. I found it pretty funny how one of the potential buyers said her dining room table belonged at Target. It kind of gave me a sense of the type of life she had before she went to prison, due to the buyer's her business still had. Although this chapter was still very irrelevant to the whole book, we get introduced to Benjamin Blackman, Cassy, Tina Santiago, Gracie Santiago and Bobby. Benjamin is Emma's assistant who is also a social worker at an elementary school in Queens that kind of sort of has a thing for Emma. This man is so determined to (...) and has a great heart; he is probably one of the main reasons why I kept reading. Cassy is Emma's 34 year old rebellious daughter who will do anything for Her mother's attentions and approval even if it means drugging herself up or disappearing to clubs all night just to make her mom worry! This character really bothered me for various reasons. First of all, she’s 37 acting like a pre-teen getting jealous and mad at her dad (Bobby) for getting any type of attention from Emma, and to top it off her cattiness and unnecessary comments just really bothered me throughout the book. Gracie is a nine year old, 114 pound obese third-grader who gets bullied on by kids in her school but refuses to turn anyone in for it. Throughout the book young Gracie shows great emotional and physical abuse from being overweight thanks to Her mother Tina who seems to not know a thing about raising a child and just shoves junk food down her throat. Tina is a young single mom who CLEARLY has no idea how to raise a child but tells everyone how great of a mom she is and how Gracie is on a strict diet, lies obviously. To top everything off, Bobby Emma’s spineless ex-husband is also thrown in the mix, of “what the hecks”. Bobby goes through the normal man episodes of wanting to work it out and then randomly not wanting to work it out which is totally understandable for someone who still casually sees his ex-wife walking around the house in the house that a divorced couple live in. Once all the characters are brought in we get introduced to Emma's New Goal of bettering herself and doing better as a person and herself, which is when the story begins to unfold all her flaws as well as everyone else's, especially cassys ! What I really enjoyed about this book, was that it has very strong characters who were all so different with a variety of personalities that made the book so emotional for me especially towards the end but I really do hate that it was formatted in such a “cause and solution” format. Since everything negative was pointed out at the begging of the book i knew that everything was going to solve itself out towards the end which kind of made the book almost too predictable. It didn't bother me as much as it bothered others that this book had a Martha Stewart life feel, i was never really into her, i just knew her story so to me it wasn't that big of a deal. Don't let that get in the way of reading this book! It has great characters that really help balance out the book and emotions of each individual's own personal life story and you'll be surprised how great the end of this story is! Depending on your preference of story endings of course
February 20, 2017
Was a little scattered. Almost everything described by color was navy and the word "still" was way overused. Sweet ending though.
January 19, 2010
Galanes' second novel revolves around Emma Sutton, once the queen of interior design who appeared regularly on Oprah, now a newly released convicted felon. Emma is determined to regain her balance -- personally and professionally -- but her old habits are hard to resist. The story opens at an auction, where she gets an antique table by misleading a Japanese diplomat who wants it for better reasons. From this less than stellar start, her week goes wrong as she deals with her ex-husband (who wants to try again), her adult daughter (a mass of insecurities and bad habits), guilt and shame. At the same time her weekend assistant, Benjamin Blackman, is not coping very well with his girlfriend Melora, his day job as a grade school social worker, or a troubled, overweight third grader called Gracie Santiago. In particular he missteps with Gracie's mother, Tina, who is desperate to help her daughter but losing ground fast. When Emma decides that she has brought her woes upon herself and can get rid of them the same way, the story lines collide for a neat conclusion. A thoughtful, placid novel, with some interesting reflections on mother- daughter relationships, but somewhat overpopulated given the minimal plot.
February 20, 2009
After her release from prison for tax evasion, Emma Sutton, obviously modeled after Martha Stewart, finds herself disenchanted with the empire she had build from the ground up. The turning point comes at an auction, where Emma, in a moment of egotistical, cut-throat maneuvering purchases a table out from under a fellow bidder.
As the story progresses, Emma’s guilt, felt for the first time in many years, drives her to make amends with the gentleman. While Emma is not transformed into a perfect person during the span of the novel, she does grow, surprising not only her family and friends, but herself as well. She’s still brash and controlling, but she’s learning the importance of other people and ultimately the power of forgiveness. This is another novel that will be enjoyed by those who like happy endings for each of the characters.
As the story progresses, Emma’s guilt, felt for the first time in many years, drives her to make amends with the gentleman. While Emma is not transformed into a perfect person during the span of the novel, she does grow, surprising not only her family and friends, but herself as well. She’s still brash and controlling, but she’s learning the importance of other people and ultimately the power of forgiveness. This is another novel that will be enjoyed by those who like happy endings for each of the characters.
July 31, 2014
I honestly don't even know what to say about this book. What was the point of it? It really just seemed like we got to look in on a week in the life of a cold hearted Martha Stewart. I mean the little girl was cute and really the only reason I soldiered on, but I want to know what was wrong with her. In fact I deserve to know after suffering through this book! And there was so much time spent whining about problems with parents/ the conflict between Emma and Cassy, so you'd think there would be a resolution there or even a glimmer of hope? Nope! Not to mention it was confusing going back and forth from this character's point of view to the that's to present to past and breaks even in the same characters view. I'm not asking for much, but we don't need to see everything from every person's point of view. I don't know, this book just bugged me so so much.
March 18, 2010
Meh. I want to say that this book was horrible, but that is a strong reaction and I don't really have a reaction. So just meh. I didn't feel for the characters they were dry. Except for the 2 daughters. Them I wanted to feel for and relate to, but the author didn't develop them or anyone else for that matter. The characters had potential, but the story line not so much. At least not on Emma's part. I didn't get her.
The characters didn't cross each others path until the very end, but nothing happened. And without giving the ending away, what did happen kinda just made me think "That's it? Huh."
I read that this was the authors second book, if this one is like his first one I don't know how he got published in the first place. Seriously.
The characters didn't cross each others path until the very end, but nothing happened. And without giving the ending away, what did happen kinda just made me think "That's it? Huh."
I read that this was the authors second book, if this one is like his first one I don't know how he got published in the first place. Seriously.
January 3, 2012
A sweet and funny story - the main character is a Martha Stewart-type queen of style coming off a year of prison after a tax cheat, with a drunk daughter, an ex-husband who still hangs around, and a personal assistant who really wants to please. She is domineering and imperious, yet the author finds and shows her vulnerability, and in the end paints a sympathetic picture. I only wished the book were a little longer.
April 12, 2012
This book is not about cupcakes. Instead, it's about a barely fictionalized Martha Stewart character, her daughter, an assistant/school counselor, a woman who works in a candy factory and her morbidly obese 10 year old child. All of the various story lines start very separate from one another, and wind up together at the end. And Nakashima tables play a role as well- while I appreciate the beauty of a true Nakashima, I don't understand why they are worth upwards of $40K.
September 4, 2008
The book was well written and the character development was good, but I didn't get really excited by any character. It came full circle in the end, but I was constantly hoping for more and it never came.
October 1, 2008
This is a thinly veiled book about a Martha Stewart like person. There are some surprise personal growth and insight by the characters as they interact even with Emma (aka Martha). Good if you like dogs, interior decorating, and an ensemble of people who become like a family.
August 24, 2009
Not much to say about this book. There was no real depth - the story line & characters were okay (the main character has a lot of Martha Stewart traits that have been portrayed in the media). Easy weekend read.
June 27, 2018
It was o.k. - the Martha-wanna-be was a cute idea but the only part I really cared about was the puppy and that wasn't until 30 pages from the end. Got free at an after-library-sale luckily. Only picked it up because of the dog on the cover.
August 12, 2010
I'm not sure this book even deserves one star. Felt like a poorly fictionalized account of Martha Stewart, which barely scatched the surface of the otherwise potentially interesting charcters in the book. Wouldn't recommend this one unless you are look for a fast, mindless read.
July 15, 2013
A very fluffy read, but mildly entertaining. Not sure why she left the obese child subplot dangling in the wind. The book seemed to end abruptly and inconclusively. Not my favorite, but an okay beach read.
July 12, 2014
Wow - I feel sorry for the world the author inhabits.
Apparently, it is normal for everyone to be horrified by fat people and for almost everyone to have severe psychological problems. There is no other good explanation for his characters.
I did love the puppy though! :^)
Apparently, it is normal for everyone to be horrified by fat people and for almost everyone to have severe psychological problems. There is no other good explanation for his characters.
I did love the puppy though! :^)
January 14, 2015
I did enjoy the characters and the the stories told from each character's perspective. My one complaint is that things tied up neatly and quickly in the last chapter, and also I would have liked to have an epilogue, or know what happens to the characters going forward.
February 2, 2009
A fluffy book, but fun to read, and you have to love that the object of desire is a Nakashima table...without a single picture.
October 1, 2008
In retrospect and in light of conversation with lovely Ruthie I had to admit that this book might be one of the worst I read all year, even given that I read it at the pool. Pretty thin.
Currently Reading
August 29, 2008I just started reading this and am excited.
November 4, 2008
I could only identify with one character from this book and that was 9 year old Gracie. Emma is ala Martha Stewart and the rest are shallowly developed characters.
January 7, 2009
I actually really liked this book...it's a quick read and if you are a fan of Martha Stewart it is a fun read although the story is fairly predictable.
November 5, 2009
Dry. It was almost like 2 books in 1. I kept waiting for the characters to cross paths - once they did, there was only about 20 pages or less left and it all wrapped up way too quickly for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews