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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
well written and engaging, but the story was somewhat torturous to read at times.
Hildy's family has lived in this seaside Massachusetts town for generations. She's related to the first woman to be hanged as a witch. She can read people - not as a psychic, just by paying attention. She's also a drunk. This is about Hildy and her relationships with her family, with her friends, but mostly with alcohol. Her constant justification for drinking is realistic and frustrating.
The Good House is hilarious. I enjoyed the main character, even as I cringed for her and some of her decisions.
Too, it made me want to drink a glass of wine.
Too, it made me want to drink a glass of wine.
This was surprisingly humorous and engaging for a book that puts the reader in the shoes of an alcoholic living in denial. At first, you can clearly see her thinking errors, but they become more complicated as events unfold. Really well done. I especially loved that it's set on the north shore of Boston because I used to live there and know all the area well. I just wish she'd picked a real town name instead of making one up (is Wendover a combination of Wenham and Andover? She says it's based on Marblehead.) This is one that should be read on audio- Mary Beth Hurt really brings the character Hildy to life.
It has been years since I've read such a deeply character driven novel. My preferences generally run toward the plot heavy, but this was a lovely departure. Narrated by a "recovering" alcoholic, you feel the unreliability of her voice, and far from being disruptive to the flow of the novel, it adds an extra dimension to what would otherwise be a rather unsurprising novel.
Classified as a romance, I found this to (thankfully) be less about finding/falling in love and more about self acceptance, and the face of reality being just as much about how we perceive it as the perceptions of others around us. I'd recommend this for anyone who wants a nice summery read, but if you like this style of writing I'm sure you'll enjoy even more than I did.
Classified as a romance, I found this to (thankfully) be less about finding/falling in love and more about self acceptance, and the face of reality being just as much about how we perceive it as the perceptions of others around us. I'd recommend this for anyone who wants a nice summery read, but if you like this style of writing I'm sure you'll enjoy even more than I did.
Really enjoyable read. Deals a lot with Massachusetts living, how women feel as they age and alcoholism but in an entertaining and happily thought provoking way (if that makes any sense).
Hard to put down and sad when it ended - always a good sign for a book!
Hard to put down and sad when it ended - always a good sign for a book!
Certain moments in this book really touched me! It was interesting to see how Hildy justified and negated her drinking. Good read!
Kept my interest, though I usually get frustrated with an alcoholic narrator. That’s why I give it 3 instead of 4 stars...my own personal feelings towards alcoholism. An interesting story of small town New England life with a dash of mystery and spooky.