Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid

One of the biggest stars in the world, Mick Riva is loved by everyone.  Everyone, that is, except for his children, who he abandoned and hasn’t seen for years.  After years of struggle, they have found successes of their own, leading to a yearly party that has grown along with their status in the enclave of Malibu.  1983 promises to be the biggest party yet, but with each child reaching a turning point in their lives, can the re-emergence of their father cast a pall over where they are going next?

I first became acquainted with the work of Taylor Jenkins Reid last year with Daisy Jones & The Six, which was one of, if not the best book I read all year.  Malibu Rising is the follow-up to that book and again brings us behind the scenes of the rich and famous, focusing on the family left behind when someone becomes a big star.  Reid has an ability to bring the past to life, whether it’s the underdeveloped Malibu of the 1950s and ’60s or the home of the rich and famous it would become by the early ’80s.  I definitely look forward to whatever is next from her.