We Could Be Beautiful: A Novel

by Swan Huntley Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

Overview

A spellbinding psychological debut novel, Swan Huntley's We Could Be Beautiful is the story of a wealthy woman who has everything-and yet can trust no one.

Catherine West has spent her entire life surrounded by beautiful things. She owns an immaculate Manhattan apartment, she collects fine art, she buys exquisite handbags and clothing, and she constantly redecorates her home. And yet, despite all this, she still feels empty. She sees her personal trainer, she gets weekly massages, and occasionally she visits her mother and sister on the Upper East Side, but after two broken engagements and boyfriends who wanted only her money, she is haunted by the fear that she'll never have a family of her own. One night, at an art opening, Catherine meets William Stockton, a handsome man who shares her impeccable taste and love of beauty. He is educated, elegant, and even has a personal connection-his parents and Catherine's parents were friends years ago. But as he and Catherine grow closer, she begins to encounter strange signs, and her mother, Elizabeth (now suffering from Alzheimer's), seems to have only bad memories of William as a boy. In Elizabeth's old diary she finds an unnerving letter from a former nanny that cryptically reads: "We cannot trust anyone . . . " Is William lying about his past? And if so, is Catherine willing to sacrifice their beautiful life in order to find the truth? Featuring a fascinating heroine who longs for answers but is blinded by her own privilege, We Could Be Beautiful is a glittering, seductive, utterly surprising story of love, money, greed, and family.

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2016 - AudioFile

Catherine West’s generous trust fund allowance means that she’s never wanted for anything material. But, still single and childless at 43, she feels her life is incomplete until she meets William Stockton at an art gala. Narrator Cassandra Campbell voices Catherine with a slight Valley Girl cadence that emphasizes her immaturity and selfishness. As Catherine’s life with William begins to unravel, Campbell’s narration varies between tones of childish petulance and outright desperation, giving emotional heft to the novel’s many twists and red herrings. Her attention to character is excellent. With subtle vocal variations—from William’s formal delivery to the barely masked confusion of Catherine’s Alzheimer's-stricken mother—she clearly depicts the cast without becoming cartoonish. A delicious listen is buoyed by Campbell’s confident performance. E.C. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Posh Manhattanite Catherine West has everything but the family she's always wanted. But when she falls for the man of her supposed dreams, she unravels a web of deception that upends life as she knows it… Mesmerizing… As elegantly plotted as it is—and it is—Huntley's debut stands out not for its thrills but rather for her hawkish eye for social detail and razor-sharp wit. It is more than a classic psychological thriller: it is also a haunting—and weirdly moving—portrait of love and family among Manhattan's flailing upper crust. An intoxicating escape; as smart as it is fun.”
—Kirkus (STARRED REVIEW)

"Here's a thriller we can sink into. Deeply psychological and nuanced, Huntley's We Could Be Beautiful follows one wealthy Manhattan woman who has nearly everything. The one thing she lacks, however, is a relationship. That is, until her white knight comes along one evening. But it never quite works out that way, does it? (Not in a book like this, certainly.) Huntley's novel is a twisting, turning, secret-filled story that's worthy of your precious summer reading time."
—Meredith Turits, Elle

“We Could Be Beautiful is a sexy psychological thriller about wealth and class and the endless mysteries of romantic engagement. At the heart of Swan Huntley’s sly and witty debut is the unsettling question that anyone who’s ever been in love has wondered about the person they've given their heart to: Who are you?”
—Dennis Lehane

“Sharp, hilarious and thrillingly unsettling. This well-crafted page-turner about a woman trapped in a gilded cage of her own creation is a sheer pleasure to read; it's also complex and multilayered, much like the characters that inhabit it.”
—Stephanie Clifford, New York Times bestselling author of Everybody Rise

"A terrifically smart, funny, tender debut from the absurdly talented Swan Huntley. With astonishing acuity and compassion, she locates all the foibles and frailties and unexpected moments of courage that make us human. Beautiful, indeed."
—Stacey D'Erasmo, author of Wonderland
 
"We Could be Beautiful is a hilarious look at the wealth and excess of Upper East Side families and the secrets they keep. Part satire, part page-turner mystery, it skewers first, then reveals a yearning heart pounding at its core."
—Diane Cook, author of Man V. Nature

Library Journal

04/15/2016
Catherine West lives the perfect life in Manhattan. She has plenty of money, left to her in a trust from her father, keeps a fabulous apartment, and basically does what she wants when she wants. But what Catherine doesn't have is the marriage and family she's always longed for. This fact puzzles her. After all, she's attractive and smart and has everything, so why hasn't she been able to make that connection? Enter William Stockton, the answer to her prayers. He's handsome and urbane and seems to fall as hard for her as she does him. Certainly, she has a few reservations, ones that are exacerbated by her Alzheimer's-afflicted mother, who appears to remember something very bad about William. Despite her misgivings, Catherine charges headlong into love and an engagement.—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2016-03-31
Posh Manhattanite Catherine West has everything but the family she's always wanted. But when she falls for the man of her supposed dreams, she unravels a web of deception that upends life as she knows it. "I was rich," begins Huntley's mesmerizing debut. "I owned a small business, I had a wardrobe I replaced all the time. I was toned enough and pretty enough. I moisturized, I worked out." And yet, despite the West Village apartment, the trust fund, the weekly massages, and the occasional soup kitchen shift ("I was also a really good person," she promises), Catherine feels existentially incomplete. So when she encounters William Stockton —at an art gala, obviously—she believes she's found her missing piece: handsome, well-bred, adoring, if oddly reserved, he is the man she's been waiting for. Plus, she wants children, and at 43, "the hourglass was running out of sand." But immediately, there is something amiss about stately William Stockton; just the mention of his name causes her ailing mother to slam shut. Then again, Catherine reasons, "even pre-Alzheimer's" her mother "had a tendency to hate people for no apparent reason." And so, within months, the pair is engaged. And still, Catherine cannot ignore the increasingly unsettling signs. Why won't her mother speak of him? Why is William so alarmed when Catherine sifts through his stash of innocuous childhood photos? And what is the meaning of the note from her former nanny, neatly taped in her mother's old diary—"we cannot trust anyone to care for us fully"? As elegantly plotted as it is—and it is—Huntley's debut stands out not for its thrills but rather for her hawkish eye for social detail and razor-sharp wit. It is more than a classic psychological thriller: it is also a haunting—and weirdly moving—portrait of love and family among Manhattan's flailing upper crust. An intoxicating escape; as smart as it is fun.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171849597
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	06/28/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos