Minor Dramas  Other Catastrophes, Kathleen West
Minor Dramas  Other Catastrophes, Kathleen West
1 Rating(s)
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

Author: Kathleen West

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Unabridged: 11 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 02/04/2020


Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Small Admissions, a wry and cleverly observed debut novel about the privileged bubble that is Liston Heights High—the micro-managing parents, the overworked teachers, and the students caught in the middle—and the fallout for each of them when the bubble finally bursts.

When a devoted teacher comes under pressure for her progressive curriculum and a helicopter mom goes viral on social media, two women at odds with each other find themselves in similar predicaments, having to battle back from certain social ruin.
 
Isobel Johnson has spent her career in Liston Heights sidestepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of Anti-Americanism and a liberal agenda, she’s in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Julia Abbott, obsessed with the casting of the school’s winter musical, makes an error in judgment that has far-reaching consequences for her entire family.
 
Brought together by the sting of public humiliation, Isobel and Julia learn firsthand how entitlement and competition can go too far, thanks to a secret Facebook page created as an outlet for parent grievances. The Liston Heights High student body will need more than a strong sense of school spirit to move past these campus dramas in an engrossing debut novel that addresses parents behaving badly and teenagers speaking up, even against their own families.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Deanna

My reviews can also be seen at: [URL not allowed] This was a clever and entertaining read about parents behaving badly. I really liked the cover of this book and the description was intriguing. So many books about high school seem to be about students misbehaving. This one is d......more

Goodreads review by Susanne

3.75 Stars When Gossip runs Amok. Amok, Amok, Amok! Ah, High School. For Julia, the ultimate ‘Helicopter Parent’ and for Isobel the wronged English Teacher, all is not well. Julia's life has revolved around her children, especially her son Andrew, who recently tried out for a part in the school play......more

Entertaining, engaging, relevant. Cathleen West’s debut was such a great read! Adults behaving badly... yes please! I really do enjoy these books about over the top helicopter parents. I was both a dance mom and a baseball mom and I know how easy it is to get caught up in all of it. I can always see......more


Quotes

"A wry, engaging debut."--People magazine, on Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

More praise for Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

"Just as good as Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies."--Kirkus (starred review)

"Fans of Where'd You Go Bernadette will flip for this clever, drama filled debut novel."--Woman's World

"A smart and delightful story of entitlement, friendship, and overparenting, with page-turning twists galore. West writes across lines of class and generation with grace and ease. A big-hearted debut."--Bruce Holsinger, author of The Gifted School

"As intriguing as it is timely. West provides a funny and shocking glimpse into American parenting through the lens of an out-of-control stage mother who has lost all sense of boundaries."--Amy Poeppel, author of Limelight

"A cutting and witty examination of modern parenting that excels in suburban relatability, West's debut novel will pique the curiosity of fans of Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette."--Booklist

"Helicopter parenting and high school politics at their worst--and funniest. A smart, fast-paced, and deliciously entertaining debut!"--Meg Donohue, USA Today bestselling author of You, Me, and The Sea