Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
After reading a little over 500 books, I can't remember the last time I was in a situation like this with a book. On paper, no pun intended, this book is absolutely not for me. It has nothing in it that I should like. It's plot is like "What if my great aunt was an alcoholic and real estate mogul." The main character is pretty awful at times and never really redeems herself. She is an alcoholic, mean spirited, classist, and self centered person. The setting is in a rich New England town where a bunch of rich New Englanders wonder if they can sell their $300,000 mansions or not and whether they are in love with their therapists as they go horseback riding in their private stables. I mean, why do I like this book again?
I guess the reason I liked it was because it was well written. I am not sure. It was just as bad as it sounds at first, but I admit I slowly got sucked in to the sordid gossip and drama in the small New England town. It was like an episode of Desperate Housewives or Sex in the City, but in a good way I guess? Again I don't know entirely why I liked this book. I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. It is kind of awful in some ways. But it is what it is. I am processing my feelings while I write this, and I normally don't have to do that with a book because usually it will fall in line in my head as either good, bad, or so bad it's good. This book is none of that. It's both good and bad at the same time somehow.
Either way, at the end of the day I don't think I'd recommend it unless you are the kind of person who loves stories about older lady drama and wine. There is a definite demographic for that, but it isn't me. I know at the end of the day I gave this book four stars, but I don't think I'll be reading any other books by Ann Leary anytime soon.
I guess the reason I liked it was because it was well written. I am not sure. It was just as bad as it sounds at first, but I admit I slowly got sucked in to the sordid gossip and drama in the small New England town. It was like an episode of Desperate Housewives or Sex in the City, but in a good way I guess? Again I don't know entirely why I liked this book. I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. It is kind of awful in some ways. But it is what it is. I am processing my feelings while I write this, and I normally don't have to do that with a book because usually it will fall in line in my head as either good, bad, or so bad it's good. This book is none of that. It's both good and bad at the same time somehow.
Either way, at the end of the day I don't think I'd recommend it unless you are the kind of person who loves stories about older lady drama and wine. There is a definite demographic for that, but it isn't me. I know at the end of the day I gave this book four stars, but I don't think I'll be reading any other books by Ann Leary anytime soon.
Audio. Kind of slow, but different enough to be funny and interesting. I like plucky narrators like Hildy.
As I searched for a new audio book, this was as standout as there were no negative reviews. The many faceted praise was well deserved, and I’m so glad I listened rather than read, because the narrator was excellent! A good reader adds a whole new dimension! Set in a small, New England coastal town, the story revolves around a potentially alcoholic protagonist, Hildy Good. Colorful, feisty Hildy is a descendent of Sarah Good,, who had been hanged as a witch in Salem centuries earlier. The townspeople and potential clients find this aspect quite fascinating, and Hildy doesn’t hesitate to take full advantage! The rich plot ripples along with humor, nostalgia, romance and a bit of suspense! Enchanting! I find myself missing crafty, endearing Hildy and her colorful world. Five stars, easily.
I devoured this audiobook - the narration by Mary Beth Hurt brought the main character to life. An absolutely incredible performance
There is a lot to like about this book, but for me the best part was the fantastic and difficult unreliable narrator.
You really need to listen to this. Mary Beth Hurt is an excellent narrator.
“The Good House” by Ann Leary was a good read, a very quick read. It was unexpectedly funny, with the reader constantly cheering for our wayward protagonist, even as we were cringing with others by what she was doing. There were points in this book where the main character had just done something so embarrassing, that I literally had to put down the book, because I was nervous for her, about what the outcome of her actions would be. The author did an excellent job of slowly building the character’s drinking problem, so that it took, at least for me, a while to jump on the bandwagon and finally understand what was really happening. This narrator was definitely unreliable, but she was supposed to be unreliable. Who can tell the story of their own lives in any kind of truthful fashion?
The parts that I didn’t necessarily understand, or am still confused by…were those underlying references to witches, or magic. For me, it served no purpose in forwarding the book, and while the references came and went in short bursts, it was still distracting enough to draw one’s attention away from the heart of the story, and to make the reader question what exactly was the point. Overall, the main character was the champion of the story, she was the story itself. I would have read about her sitting in her house over the weekend, she was that interesting. I don’t believe that the author trusted her enough to carry it, and that’s really the only shame in the book.
The parts that I didn’t necessarily understand, or am still confused by…were those underlying references to witches, or magic. For me, it served no purpose in forwarding the book, and while the references came and went in short bursts, it was still distracting enough to draw one’s attention away from the heart of the story, and to make the reader question what exactly was the point. Overall, the main character was the champion of the story, she was the story itself. I would have read about her sitting in her house over the weekend, she was that interesting. I don’t believe that the author trusted her enough to carry it, and that’s really the only shame in the book.
I picked this up solely because Meryl Streep’s been cast in the adaptation. It’s…okay. Should be enough for a 20th Oscar nomination, without being in contention for a win…sometimes you can tell, like when I read August Osage County it read as a possible Oscar win for Streep while Hope Springs definitely did not read like an Oscar-nominated work.
It’s mainly the protagonist who holds my attention, even though she’s not really that well-written or original. Still, an alcoholic who has crying jags, yelling arguments, and a Climactic Oscar Scene isn’t boring. I think Meryl could make her more human and sympathetic during these moments than Leary manages, as there are moments when Hildy’s so irritating that I put the book down for awhile. She came off the most likable to me near the beginning when she takes someone’s pulse and reads his eye movements…but that’s cuz it immediately reminded me of A Scandal in Belgravia, so that’s more a credit to Sherlock than Leary’s writing.
The structure of the book annoys me somewhat; it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes me generally stay away from stories about small-town living from the perspective of a long-time resident. Hildy looks back on so many memories that the ones which are relevant to plot/characterization or provoke thought get lost in the shuffle of “Oh, great, more exposition.” I will say that it does make sense for Hildy to occasionally piece together what happened the previous night of the narrative, since she has a tendency towards blackouts when drinking, but it can be hard to tell when Leary’s actively using this device on account of over-flashbacking/remembering.
The closest thing the book has to a storyline aside from the generally alcoholism of Hildy is a stupid romance between two flat, annoying characters. Oh, and I guess it kinda overlaps with a clumsily put-together plot point about a boy with a disability that exists solely so that when he becomes important near the end the reader can be like “Oh so that’s why Leary paid a disproportionate amount of attention to him earlier.”
It’s mainly the protagonist who holds my attention, even though she’s not really that well-written or original. Still, an alcoholic who has crying jags, yelling arguments, and a Climactic Oscar Scene isn’t boring. I think Meryl could make her more human and sympathetic during these moments than Leary manages, as there are moments when Hildy’s so irritating that I put the book down for awhile. She came off the most likable to me near the beginning when she takes someone’s pulse and reads his eye movements…but that’s cuz it immediately reminded me of A Scandal in Belgravia, so that’s more a credit to Sherlock than Leary’s writing.
The structure of the book annoys me somewhat; it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes me generally stay away from stories about small-town living from the perspective of a long-time resident. Hildy looks back on so many memories that the ones which are relevant to plot/characterization or provoke thought get lost in the shuffle of “Oh, great, more exposition.” I will say that it does make sense for Hildy to occasionally piece together what happened the previous night of the narrative, since she has a tendency towards blackouts when drinking, but it can be hard to tell when Leary’s actively using this device on account of over-flashbacking/remembering.
The closest thing the book has to a storyline aside from the generally alcoholism of Hildy is a stupid romance between two flat, annoying characters. Oh, and I guess it kinda overlaps with a clumsily put-together plot point about a boy with a disability that exists solely so that when he becomes important near the end the reader can be like “Oh so that’s why Leary paid a disproportionate amount of attention to him earlier.”