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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Book #86 Read in 2012
The Good House by Ann Leary
Hildy Good is a descendant of Sarah Good, Salem witch. Hildy's curse is alcoholism. Her family stages an intervention and sends her to rehab. Little do they know that after rehab, Hildy drinks alone at night from the bottles in her cellar, while declaring herself alcohol free. But Hildy cannot pull off this farce forever, and it eventually all catches up to her. Along with Hildy's story, the novel also details an affair between Peter and Rebecca, the trials of a couple with an autistic son and the other happenings of the small town.
I liked the writing of this book. Leary is good at description of both character and setting. Hildy was a character that I went back and forth between liking and hating. Liking won out in the end. The book was a bit slow in the middle but quickly accelerated and kept my interest until the end.
I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse for review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
The Good House by Ann Leary
Hildy Good is a descendant of Sarah Good, Salem witch. Hildy's curse is alcoholism. Her family stages an intervention and sends her to rehab. Little do they know that after rehab, Hildy drinks alone at night from the bottles in her cellar, while declaring herself alcohol free. But Hildy cannot pull off this farce forever, and it eventually all catches up to her. Along with Hildy's story, the novel also details an affair between Peter and Rebecca, the trials of a couple with an autistic son and the other happenings of the small town.
I liked the writing of this book. Leary is good at description of both character and setting. Hildy was a character that I went back and forth between liking and hating. Liking won out in the end. The book was a bit slow in the middle but quickly accelerated and kept my interest until the end.
I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse for review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
emotional
funny
reflective
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
The audiobook narrator did an excellent job! It took me awhile to get used to the voice of Hildy, so shrill. But that is Hildy! I can’t imagine her any other way. I should also mention this book is hilarious.
3 1/2 stars, rounded to 4 because Mary Beth Hurt is AMAZING as the audiobook narrator. If there is a movie she should play Hildy because I can't imagine anyone else voicing her.
Wherever I heard about this (can't remember where), they made it sound like a mystery. So I kept waiting for some mystery to happen. If you read/listen, set that aside. It's a character study. All told in the first person narrative of Hildy Good. It takes place in a North Shore Massachusetts WASPy town - the author said she grew up in Marblehead - and it feels very accurate to that setting (without the attempt at Massachusetts accents thank God). I enjoyed it but wouldn't rush to recommend it to everyone, because not a whole hell of a lot happens.
Wherever I heard about this (can't remember where), they made it sound like a mystery. So I kept waiting for some mystery to happen. If you read/listen, set that aside. It's a character study. All told in the first person narrative of Hildy Good. It takes place in a North Shore Massachusetts WASPy town - the author said she grew up in Marblehead - and it feels very accurate to that setting (without the attempt at Massachusetts accents thank God). I enjoyed it but wouldn't rush to recommend it to everyone, because not a whole hell of a lot happens.
Audiobook. Such a great listen. The actress did a phenomenal job and made the character come alive. Loved Leary’s prose.
Well-written and full of surprises, keeping me turning the pages.Like many movies, this book was touted as "wickedly funny" but I connected much more with the main character's pathos.
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I saw this book on the library shelves, I was immediately intrigued at its overall premise. Three chapters in I almost put this book down, but I decided to stick with it. Wow oh wowww did past-life-Macaylah make a bummer decision LOL. The main plotline in this story looped again and again until the last 50 pages or so when the big conflict we're building to the entire time finally took place. Additionally, this book was very character-heavy. As a result I felt disconnected from everyone, even the main character. This was a very disappointing read, as I mentioned earlier I had high hopes!
Fantastically well written. Not so much a story for telling but a person worth meeting. Hilda Good is as wildly hilarious as she is wildly an alcoholic. Funny, witty, and definitely a book to read this summer!