The 6 have all known each other forever, have issues ( with themselves and each other ) and worries, foibles, stresses, quirks and things that irritate each other 😃😃 Money is emotion. A life-centered financial plan, when completed, brings the individual to a new place of contentment. It can create positive upward momentum in all areas of one’s life. It can allow the person to live more in the present and even discover new (or old) passions to explore. As Ted and Juliette begin to try and piece the puzzle together, Ted begins to question everyone's motives...even his wife's. Then another death occurs!

Dinner Party: A Tragedy by Sarah Gilmartin | Goodreads Dinner Party: A Tragedy by Sarah Gilmartin | Goodreads

So what is ‘Dinner Party’? First and foremost, it’s a close exploration of the dynamics of family, written in a series of non-chronological set-pieces spread over several decades. The initial set-up, revealed during the eponymous dinner party, might recall Marina Carr’s ‘Portia Coughlan’ – a surviving twin in a dysfunctional midlands family is haunted on every anniversary of the death of her teenage sibling. But there the comparison ends. Gilmartin’s prose is far more in the tradition of Anne Enright, particularly in its tight focus on the problematic mother-daughter relationship. It’s an exploration, written in close-third, of (among other things) survivor guilt – Kate, the quieter, less-favoured twin has outlived her more feisty, extrovert sister, Elaine. In later years, this guilt manifests itself in anorexia and other confidence- and body-issues. There’s an excruciating scene of depilation enough to put the stoutest heart off lasering! I don't know what I was expecting - but a contemporary novel involving a Jewish family prepping for Pesach! I wanted to read it. Bernadette needs to be the centre of attention; she needs to be not merely the best at everything whether it be scone baking or championing her daughter's horse-riding career, but to be KNOWN to be the best. She cannot stand to lose at anything, not an argument nor a tennis match. She can be cruel and vindictive, and often is. Challenge her at your peril.As an aside the Party I think has a couple of false notes - a Baked Alaska incident which is perhaps a little too resonant with the Bake-Off #Bingate, and some funny Brownies

The Dinner Party” by Mona Gardner - Plainview “The Dinner Party” by Mona Gardner - Plainview

DELICIOUS🍴So, I bought this book last summer and purposely waited until this week to read it....and what a beautiful story! Of course, this tale of a Connecticut family’s Passover Seder (and so much more!) can be read any time of the year, but it was delightful to read it now, and to learn more about a faith and holiday that was pretty unfamiliar to me. Janowitz writes fabulous contemporary fiction, and THE DINNER PARTY is my favorite of her books so far ~ she completely nails the complexity of family dynamics with grown children, including in-laws, potential in-laws and the sometimes hilarious mishaps that come at family gatherings. When two of the guests are found dead the next morning, the others are left with unimaginable guilt for many reasons. Could the game have caused a terrible fight which lead to murder? Do they tell the investigators about this crazy game they played? What I admired about this book is how every character is flawed, yet you love each one anyway. While some are extreme versions, I did see my own family and my own Passover seders at my grandmother's house in this story.Henry didn’t attend school - was expelled from Florida State for cheating - didn’t work - didn’t do charity work - wasn’t embarrassed- nor ashamed .... Brenda Janowitz has woven together a beautiful tale about family, secrets, and forgiveness in a manner that only a master storyteller can do. I will say this...at the next dinner party I attend, when someone suggests playing a game...that is going to be my cue to leave! This fast paced psychological thriller hooks you from the very first sentence. The story so well told I gave up trying to figure out who did it and just enjoyed the twists and turns and surprises with an I did not see that coming ending which will make you think...wait what?? Wow!

The Dinner Party by Brenda Janowitz | Goodreads The Dinner Party by Brenda Janowitz | Goodreads

The ending was the only thing that makes me not one-star this book. It was interesting and unexpected, although a little too convenient. But I didn’t like how Marie and Candice were dismissed altogether from the epilogue. Beth, Sarah and Marie have been friends since school. Now, once a month, they and their husbands, that truly don't have anything in common except their wives being friends, meet at one of their places for a dinner party, that usually run without mishaps and in a nice atmosphere. However, this time, when it's Beth and Chris's turn, he forgets to tell his wife that he has invited his new friend Simon. Simon and his wife have just split up and he's been since heartbroken. To be honest, nobody is too happy with the new addition but when he arrives, the three female friends find themselves drawn to him, which doesn't go unnoticed by their husbands. As the time goes on and the dinner parties as well, Simon becomes more part of their lives, however his presence also causes chaos and misunderstandings that eventually lead to a very dramatic finale. Janowitz, 42 and a mother of two married to a pediatric cardiologist, was a lawyer before making the switch to writing. She published her first novel at 33. I found every single character to be delightful in his or her own quirky way–even Sylvia. I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. The ending is delish–pure chocolate babka to those faux latkes presented in Seder #1.And as Simon becomes more involved with the group, his presence changes everything these three couples thought they knew about each other, leading to a final dinner party that no-one will ever forget. Ted rang Juliette, still nothing so he rang the babysitter asking if she heard from Juliette but no she’s heard nothing, and Juliette finally answers, she acted like she was at home but ted knew she wasn’t, so he gets up and leaves the station.

The Dinner Party: The most addictive, twisty, psychological thriller of The Dinner Party: The most addictive, twisty, psychological

I only had one niggle with this book. For whatever reason, Sarah, Marie, Tony and Duncan confused me for most part of the story. I kept forgetting who was married to who and who worked where. I don’t know why the 4 had me mixed up. I remember standing over the kitchen sink yesterday thinking about the book, not the story but trying to remind myself who the 4 were. Something I should have know given that I was actually 50% into the story but my mind simply refused to differentiate them until the final chapters. Now I know Sarah is married to Tony and Marie to Duncan. Not sure why mind just couldn’t remember that. All the dinner guests, especially the women, are empathetic about Simon's plight, and - as things play out - the ladies offer sympathy, advice, a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, and maybe a bit more (wink wink). Dinner Party is truly a character-driven story. We are easily drawn into the personalities and characteristics of each one in the group. There is a fair amount of humor in this story - let's just mention Chris and his obsession with dips. Yeah, definitely humor. However, it certainly is not the laugh-out-loud sort. As the connections are made with each character, there is also a fair amount of sadness, especially concerning specific individuals. This is an easy and pleasant read. I was able to enjoy this book and do look forward to reading more of Tracy Bloom in the future. Some things reveal I enjoyed this one. It didn't blow me away or anything, and it was quite far-fetched, but it kept me entertained throughout. 👍Most likely memories will surface for many Jews... from years of Passover dinners themselves... it did for me.... The next day two guests are dead and suddenly the accusing finger is pointing at the remainder of the dinner guests. Was it something to do with the trust game they played the previous evening? Did they have financial worries that just became too much? It was enthralling to delve into the guest’s secrets. Each chapter brought me a little closer to the edge of the precipice. The closer we got; Ted found himself swimming further away from the life he knew. Just as I thought I had it figured out, it kept slipping through my fingers. This ended up being quite a delightful read. There were four main dinners held and each one proved to be explosive. Secrets were revealed while boundaries were crossed. New relationships were formed while old ones had to be reexamined. All this happened over the aroma of a variety of foods. Dip kept being mentioned at the dinners and people were a bit crazy over different types of dip. I don’t know what Dip is but it sure does sound delicious. Well, well, well... remind me never to attend a dinner party with Richard J. Parker. His party games start with lies, add in a little betrayal, how about MURDER, followed by suicide, and you know, maybe some more MURDER.