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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I thought the writing was only so-so. The story is interesting - following a few years in the life on an alcoholic woman - and so I finished it, but I did skip paragraphs that were superfluous to the storyline because I found her prose elementary.
Boring and predictable. It's almost a three though. The author has a way with words but the vehicle she uses to tell the story has been around the block a few times.
This book can be read on a couple of levels: if you want it to be a no-brainer beach book, it can be, but it's also a deeply thoughtful book about families and addictions and denial.
Set on Boston's North Shore, a descendent of one of the women found to be a witch at the Salem Witch trials, Hildy Good is in denial--denial about her alcoholism and its impact on her family, denial about her love for a man she's known all her life (he's the local garbage man, so that denial is understandable:)), and denial about all of the changes being forced upon her small town.
The author has created a cast of quirky characters, who are undeniably authentic to small town New England and then crafted a tale that is also authentic. Ordinary people struggle with choices and obstacles and make decisions that impact themselves and their neighbors and families.
This book was a chance find, but I'm awfully glad that it found me.
Set on Boston's North Shore, a descendent of one of the women found to be a witch at the Salem Witch trials, Hildy Good is in denial--denial about her alcoholism and its impact on her family, denial about her love for a man she's known all her life (he's the local garbage man, so that denial is understandable:)), and denial about all of the changes being forced upon her small town.
The author has created a cast of quirky characters, who are undeniably authentic to small town New England and then crafted a tale that is also authentic. Ordinary people struggle with choices and obstacles and make decisions that impact themselves and their neighbors and families.
This book was a chance find, but I'm awfully glad that it found me.
Now this is a book that HBO should make into mini-series.
This book took me completely by surprise. Hildy is a fascinating character - engaging, tragic and absolutely hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud at her antics and at her steadfast denial of her alcohol addiction even in the face of mounting evidence that she has a bigger problem than she's telling us. The narrator, Mary Beth Hurt takes a great book and makes it even better, adding a great comic edge to the delivery. I'd love to hear more by her.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very interesting read for anyone that's struggled with addiction. I admit I wasn't expecting much when my sister-in-law recommended this to me (60 year old real estate agent that drinks too much? There's a BOOK in that??) but it turned out to be a very interesting and complex read about addiction set in a charming small town that I couldn't put down.
At first I didn't think I was going to care for this, but it kept building and really grew on me. The lead character, Hildy Good, is a "recovering" alcoholic who tells herself (and us) that she really doesn't have a problem. Of course she's obviously deluding herself, and she drinks on the sly to satisfy family members who staged an intervention. I thought this would wear thin, but the plot picks up when she becomes increasingly involved with a new friend who's having an affair. Complications build, and I found myself rooting for Hildy more and more even though she's really messed up. It also becomes increasingly hard to tell just who the good guys and bad guys are. I found the ending a bit ambiguous, which many readers might not like, but it suited the story pretty well. Not a five-star read, but I really enjoyed it.
I really liked this book. I was sympathetic to Hildy's struggle with alcoholism. I also enjoyed the rich tapestry of characters that were woven into this New England novel.