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A Likely Story
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
16 posts | 11 read | 10 to read
The only child of an iconic American novelist discovers a shocking tangle of family secrets that upends everything she thought she knew about her parents, her gilded childhood, and her own stalled writing career in this brilliantly observed standout debut. Growing up in the nineties in New York City as the only child of famous parents was both a blessing and a curse for Isabelle Manning. Her beautiful society hostess mother, Claire, and New York Times bestselling author father, Ward, were the citys intellectual It couple. Wards glamorous obligations often took him away from Isabelle, but Claire made sure her childhood was always filled with magic and love. Now an adult, all Isabelle wants is to be a successful writer like her father but after many false starts and the unexpected death of her mother, she faces her upcoming thirty-fifth birthday alone and on the verge of a breakdown. Her anxiety only skyrockets when she uncovers some shocking truths about her parents and begins wondering if everything she knew about her family was all based on an elaborate lie. Wry, wise, and propulsive, A Likely Story is punctuated with fragments of a compulsively readable book-within-a-book about a woman determined to steal back the spotlight from a man who has cheated his way to the top. The characters seem eerily familiar but is the plot based on fact? And more importantly, who is the author?
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review
SheilaChew
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Pickpick

Five stars. Loved it!

This book is about a young author and her famous father. It is also about a marriage, and about being a wife and mother. It‘s also a story within a story.

Set in New York City and a house in the Hamptons, the story moves between present day daughter and father narratives and past mother narrative. Thrown in is one of their novels. It works so well. And I loved the ending - not tidy, but hopeful.

July 25, 2024

20 likes1 stack add
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Kboltz
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Pickpick

Found this and loved the cover. A family that hides feelings and needs from each other. A mother who loves, a father that loves his notoriety as a writer and a daughter who cannot find her way in life. If you are a writer this book has to affect your thoughts on writers block. A book within a book. Good first novel by this author.

10 likes2 stack adds
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MommyWantsToReadHerBook
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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I liked the premise from a Litsy review and found it on Scribd but I just can't. The writing reminds me of the terrible novella I'm trying to translate - using the characters's names too much, each sentence not bad in any specific way I can pinpoint, just... Mediocre.

BiblioLitten More like an unlikely story 🙃 1y
44 likes1 comment
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theokiereader
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Pickpick

Full review and Recipe that matches the book: https://bakingthroughbookclub.com/2023/06/19/where-credit-is-due/

A Likely Story is a tale of egotism, self-absorption, plagiarism, and the different paths love can take. It's filled with unlikeable characters, but you can't help but feel sorry for each one at different points. Even the strongest, most self-assured people are crying out for acceptance and love on the inside.

14 likes1 stack add
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Cinfhen
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Mehso-so

#MoreMehThanYeah #BorrowNotBuy Isobel has grown up in the shadow of her father‘s literary achievements & more than anything she wants to prove she‘s as talented a writer as he his. Unfortunately as she nears 30 literary fame is still eluding her. When her mother dies suddenly, Isobel is left with a secret that has the power to change both her career and her father‘s too. This book had so much potential but it just fell mostly flat for me.

Megabooks I was in the mood for messy family, so this caught me as a pick, but I would‘ve loved more from Clare and Brian! 1y
79 likes1 comment
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Megabooks
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Pickpick

This is another twist on the messy, rich family trope. It was an enjoyable read but nothing special. Isabel wasn‘t a very exciting character. I would‘ve liked more from her best friend or mom.

Isabel has always wanted to write, but she‘s lived in the shadow of her award-winning author father. When her mom, the soul of the family passes, Isabel feels unmoored. But her mother leaves a surprise inheritance that changes Isabel‘s career.

BarbaraBB It doesn‘t sound too special indeed 1y
Cinfhen So funny, I started this on audio a few days ago…it‘s ok definitely a #BorrowNotBuy (edited) 1y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB definitely not! 1y
83 likes4 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Thank you Christine for the awesome #Bookmail!! I think it will be cool to try a new book subscription! #Aardvark I‘m looking forward to reading this one!!

#LitsyLove

TheBookHippie I hope you like it! Your welcome! 2y
55 likes2 comments
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peaKnit
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Pickpick

This first deck read of summer was good, sad, a bit twisty.

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Mdion1993
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Panpan

Budding author, Isabelle Manning, learns her late mother ghost wrote her father‘s best selling novels.

Ambition✨ Legacy ✨ Deception

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Branwen
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Getting in some reading with Rumpel before heading in to work today! 💕📚 Has anyone else read this one yet? I really like it so far! Some of the characters are remarkably unlikable but I still can't stop reading! #catsoflitsy #littenkitten #rumpel

IndoorDame 😻😻😻 2y
RaeLovesToRead RUMPEL!!!! 🥰🥰🥰 Sending Boops! 2y
ShelleyBooksie Rumple ♡♡♡ 2y
Bette ❤️🐱😊 2y
56 likes5 comments
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Hooked_on_books
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Pickpick

This is a story of family, expectations, ego, and the literary world (aspects of which are skewered thoroughly). The POV is constantly rotating, so we see the story unfold from many perspectives. I really liked this—the echoes that are present between a couple characters really worked instead of feeling repetitive.

65 likes1 stack add
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AardvarkBookClub
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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“She could almost hear her daughter laughing: Oh please, Mom, that‘s a likely story. Well, there was one way to prove it.”
#aardvarkbookclub #alikelystory

57 likes1 stack add
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Soubhiville
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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This is the fastest delivery I‘ve had for my #aardvarkbookclub box so far! I picked this one partly for the great cover, and partly from the first page glimpse on the ap. Looking forward to it!

AmyG I so want to hear what you think about this one. 2y
Soubhiville I‘ll tag you in my eventual review @AmyG 😊. It might be a month or two though. 2y
AmyG Ha…no rush! 2y
AardvarkBookClub Happy reading!!!! ☺️❤️ 2y
Hooked_on_books I‘m planning to listen to the audio of this one. It sounds really good! 2y
72 likes1 stack add5 comments
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swishandflick
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Well at least ONE of my first round of guesses still holds for the new #aardvark clues today! 👏🏽

Hooked_on_books I sure hope you‘re right about this one, as it sounds interesting! (edited) 2y
Megabooks I‘m interested in this! 2y
50 likes2 comments
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swishandflick
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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#Aardvark released their first round of clues and DAMN is this hard, haha. More clues coming tomorrow, but based on these settings my first guesses are:

1. A Likely Story
2. Some Desperate Glory
3. The Half Moon (this is a shot in the dark since it would be an early release!)
4. American Mermaid (??)
5. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library

What do you think? Any "books set in bars" released in March/April that come to mind?

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ashw21
A Likely Story: A Novel | Leigh McMullan Abramson
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Pickpick

I really liked this family drama/ wealthy people behaving badly story set in NYC but there were more deeper themes of how it is like to be a child of a very successful parent, in this case an author.. also it gave great insight into the publishing world.