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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Listened to audio version and loved it. This is a stunningly realistic story about an alcoholic in denial.
As good of an audiobook as any I’ve ever listened to.
It's not often I come across a book that I'm not too keen on, but unfortunately with this book that's exactly how I felt. I simply couldn't connect with the storyline at all and I definitely couldn't connect with the main character, Hildy Good. In fact a couple of times whilst reading this book I just wanted to reach out and give Hildy a good hard shake and tell her to wake up to herself.
I feel like I'm on the outer with this one as many people loved and enjoyed this book, but I guess that's the fantastic thing about reading is that we all have different views. So PLEASE don't let my review put you off from reading this book because you might really enjoy it as many other readers have. Give it a go and decide for yourself.
I feel like I'm on the outer with this one as many people loved and enjoyed this book, but I guess that's the fantastic thing about reading is that we all have different views. So PLEASE don't let my review put you off from reading this book because you might really enjoy it as many other readers have. Give it a go and decide for yourself.
This story had a very conversational tone to it. the character of Hildy certainly rang true with the denial of alcoholism. Was glad to see that she took action in the end.I;m sure that many upper-end small towns are like the author describes but I think that most Americans would have a hard time identifying with people who are paying millions for their homes. I thought the couple with the autistic boy were very believeable.
I really enjoyed this story about a fictional New England town from the perspective of Hildy, life long resident and real estate agent. She’s also a heavy drinker prone to blackouts so she is a very unreliable narrator. I’ve become a little tired of this type of character in mystery/thriller novels I’ve read in recent years but Hildy was a hoot. I loved the audio narrated by Mary Beth Hurt.
I really loved this unloveably flawed main character. It had some heartbreak but also some funny misperceptions and everything that life brings in-between with small town complications.
I hadn't read a "grown up" book for a bit and I think I might have expected a bit too much from this. The characters were interesting and lively, but as the novel wore on the informal tone started to annoy me. I think if I had been expecting the informal tone things would have been fine, but I got it in my head it was a more literary book. This is a good read for people interested in alcoholics in denial, real estate agents, and people who live around Boston.
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The basics: Hildy Good is a real estate agent near Salem, Massachusetts. She went to rehab at the behest of her two grown daughters, but she's not an alcoholic.
My thoughts: The Good House is one of those books many were quietly raving about most of 2013, but yet it never seemed to really get much attention. I'm pretty sure I checked it out of the library in January when it came out and finally read it in the final days of 2013 (I know, I am a library book hoarder.) I was instantly entranced with this novel. Hildy is a dynamic narrator. I'm tempted to call her an unreliable narrator, but I'm not convinced that's completely accurate. Hildy's unreliability comes in two forms: first, she is not always forthcoming with the reader. She doesn't necessarily lie, but she carefully chooses how to share and when. In reality, this behavior is what we all do. We don't lead with the faults others find with us that we don't quite believe, yet when Hildy first acknowledge such a trait, my first thought was suspicion.
The second trait of unreliability has as much to do with Hildy's honesty with herself as it does with her honesty with the reader. While linked with the first, it becomes indicative of so much more. In a pinch, I would probably call Hildy unreliable, but it's this very trait, and Leary's unconventional use of it, that makes Hildy so fascinating to read about. As much as I enjoyed seeing other characters, Hildy stole this book for me.
The verdict: The Good House captivated me as I read. Hildy was a fascinating character, and I loved seeing her world through her eyes, or at least as much as she would show. As much as this novel is Hildy's story, Leary smartly builds up the town and its motley crew of characters to be just as dynamic.
The basics: Hildy Good is a real estate agent near Salem, Massachusetts. She went to rehab at the behest of her two grown daughters, but she's not an alcoholic.
My thoughts: The Good House is one of those books many were quietly raving about most of 2013, but yet it never seemed to really get much attention. I'm pretty sure I checked it out of the library in January when it came out and finally read it in the final days of 2013 (I know, I am a library book hoarder.) I was instantly entranced with this novel. Hildy is a dynamic narrator. I'm tempted to call her an unreliable narrator, but I'm not convinced that's completely accurate. Hildy's unreliability comes in two forms: first, she is not always forthcoming with the reader. She doesn't necessarily lie, but she carefully chooses how to share and when. In reality, this behavior is what we all do. We don't lead with the faults others find with us that we don't quite believe, yet when Hildy first acknowledge such a trait, my first thought was suspicion.
The second trait of unreliability has as much to do with Hildy's honesty with herself as it does with her honesty with the reader. While linked with the first, it becomes indicative of so much more. In a pinch, I would probably call Hildy unreliable, but it's this very trait, and Leary's unconventional use of it, that makes Hildy so fascinating to read about. As much as I enjoyed seeing other characters, Hildy stole this book for me.
The verdict: The Good House captivated me as I read. Hildy was a fascinating character, and I loved seeing her world through her eyes, or at least as much as she would show. As much as this novel is Hildy's story, Leary smartly builds up the town and its motley crew of characters to be just as dynamic.