Gossip
- ISBN-10
- 0857899821
- ISBN-13
- 9780857899828
- Series
- Gossip
- Category
- Female friendship
- Pages
- 278
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2013
- Publisher
- Atlantic Books (UK)
- Author
- Beth Richardson Gutcheon
Description
This novel follows the friendship and support among a group of five women on Manhattan's Upper East Side. "Did you know that the origin of the word gossip in English is 'god-sibling'? It is the talk between people who are godparents to the same child, people who have a legitimate loving interest in the person they talk about. It is talk that weaves a net of support and connection beneath the people you want to protect." This is a novel about all the ways we talk about one another, the sometimes fine line between showing concern and doing damage, and the difficulty of knowing the true obligations of friendship. The main character, Loviah "Lovie" French owns a small, high-end dress shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Renowned for her taste and discretion, Lovie is the one to whom certain women turn when they need "just the thing" for major life events like baptisms and balls, weddings and funerals, or when they just want to dish in the dressing room. Among the people who depend on Lovie's confidence are her two best friends since boarding school: Dinah Wainwright and Avis Metcalf. Outspoken and brimming with confidence, Dinah made a name for herself as a columnist covering the doings of New York's wealthiest and most fabulous. Shy, proper Avis, in many ways Dinah's opposite, rose to prominence in the art world with her quiet manners, hard work, and precise judgment. Despite the deep affection they both feel for Lovie, they have been more or less allergic to each other since a minor incident decades earlier that has been remembered and resented with what will prove to be unimaginable consequences. Dinah's favorite son and Avis's only daughter fall in love and marry, and these uneasy acquaintances become unwillingly bound to each other. On the surface, Nick and Grace are the perfect match, a playful, romantic, buoyant, and beautiful pair. Over the years, as their marital commitment is strained by time and change, career setbacks, reckless choices, the birth of a child, jealousies, and rumors. Secrets surface and friendships alter, having a shattering effect on all their lives. At the center of their orbit is Lovie, who knows everyone's secrets and manages them as wisely as she can. Which is not wisely enough, as things turn out. This story is a tale of intimacy and betrayal, trust and fidelity, friendship, competition, and motherhood that explores the myriad ways we use and abuse "information" about others, be it true, false, or imagined, to sustain, and occasionally destroy, one another.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue
By Matthew C. MitchellBut what does God say about gossip? In Resisting Gossip, Pastor Matt Mitchell not only outlines the scriptural warnings against gossip, but also demonstrates how the truth of the gospel can deliver believers from this temptation.
-
Idol Gossip
By Alexandra Leigh YoungOffered a spot at the Star Academy, one of the biggest K-pop companies, seventeen-year-old singer Alice Choy must navigate culture clashes, egos and extreme training practices to come out on top, despite the efforts of an influential ...
-
Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer
By Cecily von ZiegesarJust as in the original story, Serena returns from boarding school hoping to make amends with her BFF Blair Waldorf--things just haven't been the same since Nate Archibald came between them.
-
Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language
By Robin Ian MacDonald DunbarHere, the author examines gossip as a form of 'verbal grooming', and as a means of strengthening relationships.
-
Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity
By Neal GablerThe New York Times ' Harrison Salisbury said , “ It was all we could do to keep up with him . ” Though sixty - three , Walter stayed up until five each morning , asking questions of the press and conducting interviews with officials .
-
Gossip: Ten Pathways to Eliminate It from Your Life and Transform Your Soul
By Lori PalatnikThe purpose of this book is to extinguish the fire of evil speech and help us live in a gossip-free environment. The result? Positive interactions with the people around us, the healing of relationships and a more complete self.
-
Gossip Girl 2: You Know You Love Me
By Cecily von ZiegesarIt's a luxe life, but someone's got to live it.' This is the second book in the internationally bestselling series - now a major TV series.
-
The Gossip
By Nancy BushInvestigating the murder of a local woman, Mackenzie Laughlin goes up against a relentless killer who, targeting former high school classmates, has been waiting to teach them the lessons they should have learned long ago -- that gossip and ...
-
Pheme the Gossip
By Joan Holub, Suzanne WilliamsPriding herself on having the most up-to-date information about everyone at Mount Olympus Academy, gossipy Pheme sends VIP messages that linger in cloud letters above her head, a habit that raises the ire of her fellow goddesses.
-
Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit
By Joseph EpsteinThis is an erudite and witty read from “a master observer of humanity’s foibles” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). “Epstein defines categories of gossip, from personal to celebrity, workplace, and political, and discusses how gossip ...