Ms. Demeanor

A Novel

By: Elinor Lipman

Narrated by: Piper Goodeve

Finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor

“Ms. Demeanor is a complete and utter delight. Of course it is. What Elinor Lipman novel isn’t?”—Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and Chances Are . . .

“Who knew house arrest could be sexy and fun? Not me, at least not until I read Ms. Demeanor. Written with Elinor Lipman’s signature wit and charm, this breezy, engrossing novel tells the story of two people who make the most of their shared confinement.”—Tom Perrotta, New York Times bestselling author of Tracy Flick Can’t Win

“When a neighbor’s complaint about consensual al fresco sex turns into house arrest and a suspended legal license, Jane’s recipe for survival involves cooking for another home-arrested tenant (could this be a match made in confinement?) while trying to figure out the whys and hows of her mysterious accuser. Filled with food, family, romance and intrigue, Lipman’s novel cooks up a bounty of delights as sparkling as prosecco and as deeply satisfying and delicious as a five-star meal.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You

From one of America’s most beloved contemporary novelists, a delicious and witty story about love under house arrest

Jane Morgan is a valued member of her law firm—or was, until a prudish neighbor, binoculars poised, observes her having sex on the roof of her NYC apartment building. Police are summoned, and a punishing judge sentences her to six months of home confinement. With Jane now jobless and rootless, trapped at home, life looks bleak. Yes, her twin sister provides support and advice, but mostly of the unwelcome kind. When a doorman lets slip that Jane isn't the only resident wearing an ankle monitor, she strikes up a friendship with fellow white-collar felon Perry Salisbury. As she tries to adapt to life within her apartment walls, she discovers she hasn’t heard the end of that tattletale neighbor—whose past isn’t as decorous as her 9-1-1 snitching would suggest. Why are police knocking on Jane’s door again? Can her house arrest have a silver lining? Can two wrongs make a right? In the hands of "an inspired alchemist who converts serious subject into humor” (New York Times Book Review)—yes, delightfully.

©2023 Elinor Lipman (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Entertaining and Fun

Loved the NY setting and the quirky storyline about two educated, professional 40 yr olds who find themselves drawn together due to their home confinement. The dialog was fast paced and the additional characters and subplots held enough interest to keep the reader engaged through the end.
Eleanor Lipman’s NY based stories are always entertaining - probably because her characters just have an air of familiarity about them .

Really good book

I really enjoyed this book. It catches you on the first page and keeps your interest throughout the entire story.

Solid 4 stars

Enjoyed the quirky story and unconventional love story about two people on house arrest in the same building in NYC. Cooking and sex bring the main characters together. Lots of fun descriptions of food, absolutely no descriptions of the sex. That felt odd. It’s very much a story of wealth that sometimes made me want to roll my eyes. But overall I enjoyed it.

Rom-com/mystery

Very entertaining without resorting to profanity and sex for the titilation, in spite of the main characters felonious start. No spoilers, but the ending left a few loose ends. They're not enough to ruin the whole story, but with one more chapter, the tale could have been complete. Overall I liked it and so dud the rest of my book club.

a real. nyc treat

found it very interesting and enjoyable. as a new york broker ,resident, and photographer found it of interest reflecting some of the craziness of the big apple🌆🏙️

Meh

Narrator was fair but mispronounced rather famous names multiple times Overall story not very believable

It is sweet!

Don’t listen to the cynics who left bad reviews, this book is sweet and worth the listen!!

Smart story

Just love her writing—smart and interesting and funny—just always good. Performance was A+ as well

Quirky romance

I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky, irreverent, contemporary romance. The directness of the main character and others was refreshing and the plotline, with its surprising little twists, kept me engaged and entertained. The only predictability was the conclusion, a tad trite, but this was a rimance, so not entirely unexpected.

Ms Demeanor

I appreciate Elinor Lipman’s humor, her characters, and her gift as a storyteller. Usually I listen to her books as I enjoy the readers.