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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
If I write too thorough of a review, I might give away the best parts of this novel—so I won’t do that. I’ll only say I’ve never read a character so refreshingly flawed (and completely unreliable) as Hildy Good. She was someone that I really got into, and by the end of the book, I was rooting for her (despite everything that happens); that’s how I know it was a really good story.
This was a quick read, but I'm left feeling like the characters didn't go anywhere in the end. So it was somewhat unsatisfying for me.
At the end of the story I was left wondering why I wasted all of those hours listening. There was no real plot, no real progression, nothing that captured my interest enough to keep me thinking about it afterward.
I often like unreliable narrators, and Hildy is a great one. The key to enjoying this book is being on Hildy's side enough to still root for her as she makes some unfortunate life choices, and I did, I loved the old gal. I was hooked from the very beginning by the novel's tone--casual, conspiratorial and funny. And the sense of place is fantastic. I felt as though I was totally living in this salty old New England town. Ann Leary writes with a townie's point of view and devotion to the place where she grew up, and the rough and tumble nature of the characters feels real. The word that often gets tossed around in describing characters of the book in reviews is "flinty," and it's fitting.
I just read that the book has been optioned as a movie with Meryl Streep to play the lead, and I admit, I'm hugely relieved that for once I read the book first, because I fear otherwise it would have become "just" another great Streep movie character first and I wouldn't realize what a great character Hildy is on paper and what fun the book was even before Ms. Streep got to it.
I see from the amazon reviews people complaining that there's nothing funny about alcoholism, and I'm sorry, I have to disagree. Of course it's a disease that needs serious treatment, but the sheer joy that Hildy gets out of drinking and the machinations she goes through to keep her secret little world of drinking alone secret ARE funny. But it's not like we don't know that Hildy is a flawed character. Being inside her head we get the feeling from the very beginning that she's not being completely honest with herself, and therefore with us, but that is part of what makes taking the journey with her so worthwhile.
And bravo to Leary, too, for the judicious use of that New England jewel "wicked." But it is a wicked good book.
I just read that the book has been optioned as a movie with Meryl Streep to play the lead, and I admit, I'm hugely relieved that for once I read the book first, because I fear otherwise it would have become "just" another great Streep movie character first and I wouldn't realize what a great character Hildy is on paper and what fun the book was even before Ms. Streep got to it.
I see from the amazon reviews people complaining that there's nothing funny about alcoholism, and I'm sorry, I have to disagree. Of course it's a disease that needs serious treatment, but the sheer joy that Hildy gets out of drinking and the machinations she goes through to keep her secret little world of drinking alone secret ARE funny. But it's not like we don't know that Hildy is a flawed character. Being inside her head we get the feeling from the very beginning that she's not being completely honest with herself, and therefore with us, but that is part of what makes taking the journey with her so worthwhile.
And bravo to Leary, too, for the judicious use of that New England jewel "wicked." But it is a wicked good book.
This was an audiobook for me and was quite the adventure!
I was semi-interested and occasionally bored by the first 2/3rds of this story and then reeled in an totally hooked!
The story centers around Hildy Good, a divorced realtor who lives in the fictional town of Wendover, MA which is out near the Cape. Hildy has lived in Wendover all of her life. She is 60 yrs old and knows the history and comings and goings of just about everyone in town. She also proudly claims she has a relative that was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. As the story starts, Hildy is a recovering alcoholic who seems like she has learned her lessons when it comes to her alcohlism as she continues to sell luxury homes on the Cape. She rekindles an old romance with her high school crush, Frankie Getchell. Life seems good for Hildy and one gets the initial impression Hildy is a pretty reliable narrator.
But, as the story unfolds, we begin to learn Hildy Good is not a reliable narrator at all. Hildy is privy to a somewhat lurid affair between 2 townspeople, of which one seems slightly unhinged. A young autistic boy goes missing and this is where the story is "off to the races" and hooked me in. Unfortunately, that is not until about the last third of the story.
I went from strongly disliking this story to hooked and loving it rather quickly. The parts where Hildy sort of rambles on about the history of some of the families and homes in the area is where I would lose interest and felt the story is more about local gossip than anything. But, I learned, this story is somewhat of a slow burn.
Also, the narrator is Mary Beth Hurt, and all I can say is this is one of the most spot-on narrations of a character of any audiobook I've listened to which is also one of the reasons I kept listening despite occasional boredom.
This was written in 2013 and made into a film starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline in 2021 - probably going to watch it tonight.
Before this story hooked me in, I was going to rate it 3.5 but once it hooked me in, I upped it to 3.9. However, the narration by Mary Beth Hurt is a solid 5 stars!!!
I was semi-interested and occasionally bored by the first 2/3rds of this story and then reeled in an totally hooked!
The story centers around Hildy Good, a divorced realtor who lives in the fictional town of Wendover, MA which is out near the Cape. Hildy has lived in Wendover all of her life. She is 60 yrs old and knows the history and comings and goings of just about everyone in town. She also proudly claims she has a relative that was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. As the story starts, Hildy is a recovering alcoholic who seems like she has learned her lessons when it comes to her alcohlism as she continues to sell luxury homes on the Cape. She rekindles an old romance with her high school crush, Frankie Getchell. Life seems good for Hildy and one gets the initial impression Hildy is a pretty reliable narrator.
But, as the story unfolds, we begin to learn Hildy Good is not a reliable narrator at all. Hildy is privy to a somewhat lurid affair between 2 townspeople, of which one seems slightly unhinged. A young autistic boy goes missing and this is where the story is "off to the races" and hooked me in. Unfortunately, that is not until about the last third of the story.
I went from strongly disliking this story to hooked and loving it rather quickly. The parts where Hildy sort of rambles on about the history of some of the families and homes in the area is where I would lose interest and felt the story is more about local gossip than anything. But, I learned, this story is somewhat of a slow burn.
Also, the narrator is Mary Beth Hurt, and all I can say is this is one of the most spot-on narrations of a character of any audiobook I've listened to which is also one of the reasons I kept listening despite occasional boredom.
This was written in 2013 and made into a film starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline in 2021 - probably going to watch it tonight.
Before this story hooked me in, I was going to rate it 3.5 but once it hooked me in, I upped it to 3.9. However, the narration by Mary Beth Hurt is a solid 5 stars!!!
3.5 stars: an entertaining read and one that kept my attention, but I definitely had some problems with it. I think the biggest one was the narrator, who seemed very unreliable and at times rather unlikable. Also, there were many side-plots in the book that didn't exactly mesh with each other, yet somehow did in a manner that was a bit contrived and forced.
4.5 stars. I really liked this book. It’s books like this that make me wish I were in a book club because there’s so much to talk about. Hildy is a wonderful character in some ways the reading experience reminded me of Lolita. In that you get swept along with this character — whom you really like! — and over the course of the book you’re left to deal with the more and more unsavory facets of the character’s life and choices.
Plus it is refreshing to watch a mature relationship evolve.
Oh and this was a listen. I can’t imagine a better voice actor for this book than Mary Beth Hurt. She was amazing.
Plus it is refreshing to watch a mature relationship evolve.
Oh and this was a listen. I can’t imagine a better voice actor for this book than Mary Beth Hurt. She was amazing.
This was an interesting read. You got insight into to life as an alcoholic in denial. I think it achieved what it aimed for.
Great Audiobook - The narrator of this book was superbly matched and lends a voice to the main character I definitely would’ve missed in the print edition. An interesting look at a small town through the lens of a lifelong resident overlaid by her alcoholism.
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes