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    The Antiques: A Novel
    The Antiques: A Novel
    The Antiques: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Antiques: A Novel

    Written by Kris D'Agostino

    Narrated by Amy McFadden

    3/5

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    About this audiobook

    On the night of a massive hurricane, three estranged siblings learn that their father is dying. For the first time in years, they convene at their childhood home in Upstate New York, where the storm has downed power lines, flooded houses, and destroyed the family's antique store.

    The Westfalls are no strangers to dysfunction. But never have their lives felt so out of control. Armie is living in their parents' basement. In Manhattan, Josef, a sex-addicted techie, is struggling to repair his broken relationship with his daughters. Their sister, Charlie, who works in Hollywood as a publicist for a wayward young actress, just learned that her son has been expelled from preschool. Amid the storm, they come together to plan their father's memorial service, only to learn his dying wish-they must sell his priceless Magritte painting. As their failures are laid bare, they discover that hope often lurks in the darkest of places. And so, too, can hilarity.

    A rollicking tableau of life in all its messy complexity, The Antiques is a heartbreaking, nimble, laugh-out-loud funny send-up of modern family life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 7, 2017
    ISBN9781515988052
    Author

    Kris D'Agostino

    Kris D’Agostino holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He is the author of The Antiques and The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac. He lives in Brooklyn.

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    Reviews for The Antiques

    3/5

    25 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A week in the life of the dysfunctional Westfall family. Elder parents, George and Ana, grown children Josef, Charlie (daughter) and Armie, all scattered and living their own lives. As I started to read, I thought I would not enjoy this book and was sure I'd stop at the end of the chapter. But it was tantalizing enough that I read another chapter and then became invested in the characters, although I really didn't care for any of the children. Anyway, Dad dies. Children flock home, family all together for first time in years, revealing all the angst, love, trauma and memories that brought them to that point. Other ancillary characters add to the mix. It was just an entertaining story, serious and funny. The last chapter ended with the mother trying to make sense of what family is, how it is shaped, how you change or don't change, and how you cope and survive.
    • 3/5
      In The Antiques, by Kris D’Agostino, a storm comparable to Superstorm Sandy bears down on the mid-Atlantic coast, just as the storms within the lives of the Westfall family gather steam and hit. One sex addicted sibling is trying to complete a sale of his most recent start up that will make or break him. One sibling must balance a child’s probable autism, her superstar client’s demands, and her husband’s suspected infidelity. The third sibling is still living in his parents’ basement. As the storm hits, their father dies, and they must work together to decide whether they ever have been, or can continue to be, a family. The characters are well drawn, and the narrative moves along briskly. My biggest complaint is that there are no characters I truly liked, or with whom I could relate. But perhaps that’s what makes the Westfall family like one’s own family. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
    • 3/5
      I listened to the audio version of this book which I won from Librarything. Maybe I’m not the author’s target audience, but I was very disappointed in the book. I didn’t like any of the characters, especially Josef, nor did I find the humor that I expected. I’ve read other books with similar scenarios and liked them all better than this one. I also thought the audio narration wasn’t the best; I thought several words were mispronounced (i.e. “door” for “dour”). The book really wasn’t well-suited to being read aloud anyway because of the number of repetitive “he said” “she said” conversations. I do not recommend this book.
    • 2/5
      I received this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.Well, these people are all basically the worst. I found the conclusion of the painting story line to be obvious and I really didn't care much about what happened to any of the characters. I suppose it was diverting enough, but I'm not sure I feel better or happier for having read it.
    • 3/5
      I would classify this book as literary fiction. It was heavily character driven and light on plot. The language wasn’t exceptional but the writing was good. The book has five main characters, each with a point of view. The problem for me was the transition between characters. There is only one narrator telling each of the stories but there is no chapter heading or introduction to know which story is being told. This was confusing in places and distracting to the overall flow of the book. The best part for me was the narration. Amy McFadden is one of my favorite narrators and the reason I wanted to listen to this particular book. Her ability to bring life to a story is remarkable. I enjoyed listening to this book but I’m not sure I would recommend it.
    • 3/5
      Amy McFadden does an exceptional job narrating this audio book, giving each character in this gloomy family drama a unique voice. Unfortunately, most of the characters were shallow, and their self-involvement and squabbling were exhausting. So a 4 for the narration and a 2 for the story.Thanks to Tantor Media and the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for providing a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Kris D'Agostino starts the The Antiques with a rather gloomy, George Westfall has previously lost 25 feet of intestines due to cancer. He cannot be operated on again, the cancer has spread too much. His wife is a devout Catholic but he is not a believer so he does not want a funeral. He has been sick so long that his adult children are used to but maybe not the reality of loosing him. George has three adult children. Armie, who lives in the basement and is incredibly shy around Audrey Pan who he has always loved. He is not a self starter when it comes to employment. He secretly makes beautiful furniture. Joseph is a divorced sex addict. He is seeing a therapist but there doesn't seem much progress with his problem. Charlie is in on the West Coast working as personal assistant to ditsy movie star who has incredibly bright son. Charlie's own son Abbott, is a raging boy stuck on My Little Pony's and gets out of hand often. Their stories converge with their mother's story after George's death. Not only are the children messes in their own ways but they are also in the way that they relate to each other. TAbout a third of the way through this story, the people start behaving more and more absurd, as they do the scenes get funnier and funnier. he narrator, Amy McFadden brought this story to life. Without her timing and delivery of lines, I would not have been laughing so hard that I had to hold back my tears. I received a finished copy of a MP3d on a CD, as a win from LibraryThing from the publishers in exchange for a fair book review. My thoughts and feelings in this review are my own.
    • 4/5
      D’Agostio’s humorous debut focusses on one tumultuous week in the life of the Westfall family. Patriarch George, is dying of cancer, a massive hurricane is bearing down on New York State, and his three grown children are each facing their own crossroads. Called back ultimately for his funeral they find in each other outrageous aggravation and tremendous support. They’re not all the most likeable people but even the most childish in the story have their good points. This was a title I had a really hard time getting into as a book but Amy McFadden’s narration made it more real and offered some quality to each of the characters that kept me in the story. Her comedic timing through the chaotic journey of this family plays well and her delivery offers some hope that things will balance out for the remaining Westfalls.