The Wise Women: A Novel
Description
A Good Morning America Buzz Pick and one of Read With Jenna's Most Anticipated Books of 2022
"I laughed and shook my head in recognition as the three Wise women crashed through love relationships, terrible advice, and delightful moments of connection. The Wise Women is a smart and tender novel about how hard—and vital—it is to find the place where we belong." —Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters and The Lifeguards
A witty and wildly enjoyable novel, set in New York City, about two adult daughters and their meddling advice columnist mother, for readers of Meg Wolitzer, Cathleen Schine, and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.
Popular advice columnist Wendy Wise has been skillfully advising the women who write to her seeking help for four decades, so why are her own daughters’ lives such a mess? Clementine, the working mother of a six-year-old boy, has just discovered that she is actually renting the Queens home that she thought she owned, because her husband Steve secretly funneled their money into his flailing start-up. Meanwhile, her sister Barb has overextended herself at her architecture firm and reunited semi-unhappily with her cheating girlfriend.
When Steve goes MIA and Clementine receives an eviction notice, Wendy swoops in to save the day, even though her daughters, who are holding onto some resentments from childhood, haven’t asked for her help. But as soon as Wendy sets her sights on hunting down her rogue son-in-law, Barb and Clementine quickly discover that their mother has been hiding more than a few problems of her own.
As the three women confront the disappointments and heartaches that have accumulated between them over the years, they discover that while the future may look entirely different from the one that they’ve expected, it may be even brighter than they’d hoped.
Praise for The Wise Women: A Novel
"Witty and wise." — People, "The Best New Books"
"Fast-paced and charming." — Good Morning America, Buzz Pick
"Cheerful and full of heart." — Washington Post, "13 Feel-Good Books to Brighten Your Summer"
"Gina Sorell’s very entertaining new novel, The Wise Women, does something even better, letting us into the not-so-perfect private life of one of those all-knowing advice columnists. . . . Real-life issues are dealt with here—infidelity, gentrification, regret, affordable housing, aging—but because of the bright prose and offbeat cast, I was never too worried. . . . I was always happy to return to The Wise Women, safely amused by the witty dialogue and disasters, confident that things would work out in the end." — New York Times Book Review
“If this winsome novel were a movie, it would be by the late Nora Ephron." — Zoomer magazine
"I laughed and shook my head in recognition as the three Wise women crashed through love relationships, terrible advice, and delightful moments of connection. The Wise Women is a smart and tender novel about how hard—and vital—it is to find the place where we belong." — Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters and the upcoming The Lifeguards
"This charming page turner about a big old knot of family ties that only the Wise women can unravel is so smart about family dynamics, so warm, so heartfelt, I want to marry into the Wise family, myself." — Courtney Maum, author of Touch and Costalegre
“Gina Sorell’s The Wise Women is about the exorbitant price of city real estate, yes, but it’s also about the high cost of family, love, personal and professional growth—and the rich rewards of all of the above. This tale of the three Wise women making their way in the world is so warm, witty, and, well, wise, that I found myself wanting to pick it back up immediately each time I set it down. I won’t forget these ladies and the colorful cast of characters accompanying them on their journeys any time soon.” — Meg Mitchell Moore, author of The Islanders and Two Truths and a Lie
"All hail the Wise Women! The Wise Women hums along with a lively tale of New York real estate, the powers of marketing and the non-stop stress of making it in the big city. But the heart of the story is the complicated relationship between the three Wise women, filled with old resentments, new realities, good and bad advice and genuine love." — Lian Dolan, author of The Sweeney Sisters
"A witty and heartfelt examination of the multi-layered love triangle that is the mother-daughter-sister relationship. The three Wise women will keep you guessing, laughing and turning pages as they navigate all that is thrown their way." — Jane L. Rosen, author of Eliza Starts a Rumor
"Gorgeous, witty and so alive that you’ll swear the pages are breathing, Sorell’s The Wise Women sets two extraordinary grown sisters and their controlling mother on a collision course when the bottom falls out for them personally and professionally. About the price of real estate, the power of aging, class, parenting, family and, of course, love, The Wise Women is at heart about finding your personal True North. I'd follow these three women anywhere." — Caroline Leavitt, author of With or Without You
“A witty novel. . . . a breezy, fun read with just enough heft.” — Booklist
“Lots of human complexity and daily-life detail. . . . The characters are warm and quirky in an enjoyably familiar way. . . . a fine addition to the collection.” — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Mothers and Other Strangers: "Sorell reveals herself as an author to watch... Left me wanting to read whatever Sorell writes next." — The Globe and Mail
"Riveting." — Good Housekeeping
“A fascinating look at a unique and fractured parent-child relationship . . . engaging and tense.” — Kirkus Reviews
"A memorable first novel, a delightfully twisty gothic with the strange and eerie urgency of a fable or a dream." — Dan Chaon, National Book Award nominee and author of Ill Will
“A stunning debut, Mothers and Other Strangers grips from page one. It’s a perfect weave of suspense and of insight about how people love and hurt one another, and sometimes heal, and sometimes cannot. I highly recommend this novel and look forward—impatiently—to Gina Sorell’s future work.” — Robin Black, author of Life Drawing
