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lurker_stalker's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars for this one.
Very good! I fell in love with this family a bit. The author did a great job of bringing them all to life and making me care. Even though there are a lot of POVs and the book is nearly 17 hours long, I stayed involved throughout and had to force myself to stop listening last night.
Very good! I fell in love with this family a bit. The author did a great job of bringing them all to life and making me care. Even though there are a lot of POVs and the book is nearly 17 hours long, I stayed involved throughout and had to force myself to stop listening last night.
erinnejc's review
3.0
I am a huge fan of Monica McInerney's novels, and while I did enjoy this novel and have enjoyed all of Monica's previous books I felt a little let down with this one as I felt all the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more.
I realise it would have made a big book, but may be some of the other areas, the whole confabulation section could have been edited more. I would have liked to have seen more repercussions from the Christmas letter instead of the few asides via email. And the glossing over of the email by family members. No-one really got into it about what was said.
I realise it would have made a big book, but may be some of the other areas, the whole confabulation section could have been edited more. I would have liked to have seen more repercussions from the Christmas letter instead of the few asides via email. And the glossing over of the email by family members. No-one really got into it about what was said.
obxer7's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
linz's review
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was really surprised at how quickly I finished Hello From the Gillespies, considering it was 600+ pages long. I'm not one to be daunted by long books, but it does usually take a few days to finish them. This one, however, just begged to be read. I couldn't wait to get home from work just so I could read more of it. It's been quite a while since I've been that eager to finish a book.
Angela Gillespie sends her annual Christmas letter to her friends and family every year on December 1st. It always paints a pleasant, if not entirely accurate, picture of a perfect family. This year, however, Angela tells the truth, and while the recipients of the letter are amused and intrigued, her immediate family is definitely not. No one is spared the bitter truth - not even her ten-year old son, Ig. In addition to dealing with her persistent headaches, she also has to worry about her family - her three adult daughters have just returned home after having their own meltdowns, and her husband has become gradually distant. She never intends to actually send the email, but in a stroke of bad luck, it's sent anyway. Her children come to terms with it fairly quickly, but it does nothing to help her reconcile with her husband.
I don't want to say too much more, as I think the plot twists involved are better left unspoiled, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was truly invested in these characters, and wanted everything to work out for all of the Gillespies in the end. In a cast of characters this large, it's sometimes hard to keep everyone straight, especially at the beginning, but that was never a problem with Hello From the Gillespies.
Set in the Australian outback, Monica McInerney does an incredible job of describing the landscape. I feel as though I've seen a picture of the Gillespies' station, as it seems almost indelibly fixed in my memory.
I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in contemporary novels dealing with the complexities of familial relationships.
I was really surprised at how quickly I finished Hello From the Gillespies, considering it was 600+ pages long. I'm not one to be daunted by long books, but it does usually take a few days to finish them. This one, however, just begged to be read. I couldn't wait to get home from work just so I could read more of it. It's been quite a while since I've been that eager to finish a book.
Angela Gillespie sends her annual Christmas letter to her friends and family every year on December 1st. It always paints a pleasant, if not entirely accurate, picture of a perfect family. This year, however, Angela tells the truth, and while the recipients of the letter are amused and intrigued, her immediate family is definitely not. No one is spared the bitter truth - not even her ten-year old son, Ig. In addition to dealing with her persistent headaches, she also has to worry about her family - her three adult daughters have just returned home after having their own meltdowns, and her husband has become gradually distant. She never intends to actually send the email, but in a stroke of bad luck, it's sent anyway. Her children come to terms with it fairly quickly, but it does nothing to help her reconcile with her husband.
I don't want to say too much more, as I think the plot twists involved are better left unspoiled, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was truly invested in these characters, and wanted everything to work out for all of the Gillespies in the end. In a cast of characters this large, it's sometimes hard to keep everyone straight, especially at the beginning, but that was never a problem with Hello From the Gillespies.
Set in the Australian outback, Monica McInerney does an incredible job of describing the landscape. I feel as though I've seen a picture of the Gillespies' station, as it seems almost indelibly fixed in my memory.
I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in contemporary novels dealing with the complexities of familial relationships.
wilygecko's review
3.0
I enjoyed this especially her Christmas letter that tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
fictionophile's review
3.0
I began reading this novel the first week of December when I should have been writing my own Christmas letters. I have to give credit to Monica McInerney for holding my interest because I have never taken so long to read a novel. First it was Christmas letters, then Christmas cards, the usual festive socializing, decorating, baking, shopping and wrapping that comes with the Christmas season. But… whenever I had a spare moment, I would pick up this novel and read.
The Gillespie family were an endearing lot. They faced many challenges and troubles but their love for each other was such that nothing could destroy their closeness. Sometimes the lack of communication was like a comedy of errors, but still I read on…. Angela was a matriarch in the truest sense. She was the stalwart head of the family around which the others revolved. An unfortunate circumstance led to Angela being separated from her family and a great deal of the novel centered upon how the family coped and grew during her absence from them.
For my complete review see: https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/
The Gillespie family were an endearing lot. They faced many challenges and troubles but their love for each other was such that nothing could destroy their closeness. Sometimes the lack of communication was like a comedy of errors, but still I read on…. Angela was a matriarch in the truest sense. She was the stalwart head of the family around which the others revolved. An unfortunate circumstance led to Angela being separated from her family and a great deal of the novel centered upon how the family coped and grew during her absence from them.
For my complete review see: https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/
kellitea_reads's review
3.0
The strength of this book is in its examination of the relationships we surround ourselves with and how they change us, our understanding of who we are and what we want. The Gillespie family was a vibrant portrait of the modern family and its struggles to recognize itself.
The book's weakness was its length. Even with its well plotted development and character studies it was about 1/3rd longer than it needed to be. From a personal preference standpoint I thought it wrapped up a little too neatly, and it could have resolved with a little tension left for the reader to grapple with.
The book's weakness was its length. Even with its well plotted development and character studies it was about 1/3rd longer than it needed to be. From a personal preference standpoint I thought it wrapped up a little too neatly, and it could have resolved with a little tension left for the reader to grapple with.
kathryn08's review
3.0
I don’t think I’ve read a Monica McInerney that I haven’t enjoyed - they are easy reads, that keep the story flowing easily. Having said that, this was not as good as the last one I read of hers - [b:The House of Memories|15780550|The House of Memories|Monica McInerney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343811284s/15780550.jpg|21495788] - and I am in two minds about it.
On the one hand, I liked the premise of the story, and the twist that happened about half way through. I also liked the setting - mostly on a rural South Australia station that used to run sheep but is now experiencing a bit of a slump, partly due to the drought and partly due to other factors. What I felt didn’t really ring true was some of the characters. I know I’ve read a couple of other reviews along these lines and have to agree that the supposedly grown-up children in the story generally seem quite immature. They’ve all moved back into the family home, which is fine, but the youngest, Lindy, who is about 28 years old, seems terribly needy, always seeking approval from her parents for the littlest thing, and I admit she rather got on my nerves. The others, twins, just over 30 years old, were a little better, but they had their moments as well, often seeming to be depending on their mother to wait on them hand and foot. I found it unlikely that 3 young women who had lived out of home would be quite so dependent on their parents if they moved back home.
Things improved half way through, when the three girls were obliged to step up and pitch in more than they had been previously, but there was still some very immature behaviour that just made the characters seem less believable, in my opinion.
Still, it was a fun read and I will happily read the next Monica McInerney published! 3.5 stars for this one.
On the one hand, I liked the premise of the story, and the twist that happened about half way through. I also liked the setting - mostly on a rural South Australia station that used to run sheep but is now experiencing a bit of a slump, partly due to the drought and partly due to other factors. What I felt didn’t really ring true was some of the characters. I know I’ve read a couple of other reviews along these lines and have to agree that the supposedly grown-up children in the story generally seem quite immature. They’ve all moved back into the family home, which is fine, but the youngest, Lindy, who is about 28 years old, seems terribly needy, always seeking approval from her parents for the littlest thing, and I admit she rather got on my nerves. The others, twins, just over 30 years old, were a little better, but they had their moments as well, often seeming to be depending on their mother to wait on them hand and foot. I found it unlikely that 3 young women who had lived out of home would be quite so dependent on their parents if they moved back home.
Things improved half way through, when the three girls were obliged to step up and pitch in more than they had been previously, but there was still some very immature behaviour that just made the characters seem less believable, in my opinion.
Still, it was a fun read and I will happily read the next Monica McInerney published! 3.5 stars for this one.