INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A provocative, absorbing read.” — People “A feast of a read… I finished A Good Neighborhood in a single sitting. Yes, it’s that good.” –Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is … Light
In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son, Xavier, who’s headed to college in the fall. All is well until the Whitmans–a family with new money and a secretly troubled teenage daughter–raze the house and trees next door to build themselves a showplace.
With little in common except a property line, these two families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie’s yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.
A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today–what does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don’t see eye to eye?–as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.
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Therese Anne Fowler has… concocted a feast of a read: compelling, heartbreaking, and inevitable. I finished A Good Neighborhood in a single sitting. Yes, it’s that good.
Relentlessly paced, stylishly written, and perfectly timed, Therese Anne Fowler’s latest is a sharp, moving portrait of an American neighborhood on the brink of change. You’ll be thinking about A Good Neighborhood long after you’ve left it.
Compelling and captivating, A Good Neighborhood left me speechless yet wanting to discuss. This is a story that will stick with you for a long time.
Engrossing read that is so timely today. Fiction writing at its best – one that entertains and informs with equal skill. This is going to be a hit.
Excellent read. Really teaches the value and principle of getting to know someone before judging them and that first impressions are not always correct. I had never read a book by Therese Anne Fowler, however I look forward to finding her other novels to add to my shelves. A Good Neighborhood was a very good novel. I just fell in love with her characters. They were all so real and very relatable. I think anyone who picks up this book could relate to at least one of not more of her characters.
This was one of those books that manages to be both horrible and beautiful at the same time. Horrible in the truth behind its ugly but timely subject matter and beautiful in its honest and poignant prose. Fowler has touched on all of those uncomfortable subjects we so often try to ignore—racism, sexism, white-privilege, classism, sexual abuse, misogyny etc.— while telling a heartbreaking story that sadly could have happened in many, if not most, readers’ neighborhoods (whether we want to admit that or not).
I won’t give a synopsis, as there are already many great ones out there, but will say this novel being set in a small suburban town in my home state (North Carolina- go heels!!…anyone?) was particularly thought provoking. Firstly, the description of flora—the dogwoods, honeysuckle, azaleas, big oaks etc.—sounded like someone was describing my backyard. And then the neighbors… they too could have been some of mine (though I’m sure most of us could say that). I can’t tell you how many wonderfully friendly people I know who say there is no more racism here and: ‘thank goodness we’ve gotten past all that ugliness’. Sure, some of them are the same people who say: ‘I’m not racist but…’, but often they just refuse to see what’s right in front of them. And not just with racism, but all prejudices.
This book would be a great book club book or buddy read as it’s definitely a conversation starter…how would you react in the same situation? How would your community respond in similar circumstances? Not to mention, the writing is beautiful. As heartbreaking and infuriating as it was, I flew through it. HOWEVER, quick disclaimer: I do not recommend reading My Dark Vanessa, The Whisper Network & A Good Neighborhood back to back as you risk resenting &/or becoming suspicious of every middle aged white man you see!! But really, I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Therese Anne Fowler! I won an ARC of this novel in a giveaway.
This story takes place in suburban North Carolina. Brad Whitman, a local white celebrity who owns a successful HVAC business, moves his family into a brand new mega mansion. The next door neighbors are black forestry professor, Valerie Alston-Holt, and her son, Xavier. The neighbors get off to a rough start—Brad is condescending and obnoxious, the construction of the Whitmans’ monstrous home has damaged the health of Valerie’s beloved old oak tree and racial tensions lurk just beneath the surface. Despite their families’ differences, Juniper Whitman and Xavier Alston-Holt develop an instant fascination which leads to more.
When Valerie decides to sue Brad Whitman for the damage to her beloved tree, the story takes off at breakneck speed and doesn’t let up until the crash ending. Fowler asks important questions about race, privilege, our broken criminal justice system, all within a well-told and deliciously readable story. I highly recommend this wonderful novel.
A gripping modern morality tale… Familiar elements u2060— two families, two young lovers, a legal dispute u2060— frame a story that feels both classic and inevitable. But Fowler makes the book her own with smart dialogue, compelling characters and a communal “we” narrator that implicates us all in the wrenching conclusion.
“We all, regardless of the color of our skin, are bound by a moral duty to demand equal and just treatment for all women and men under the law.”
I was so caught up In the storytelling of this novel, I could not stop reading!
The blending of this emotional novel with so many serious topics, is truly amazing and had my brain trying to figure out ways to help both families and thinking of them all long after I read the last page.
It is well done!
How can things go so wrong for two teens who live next door to each other and eventually fall in love?
Both Juniper and xavier are model students and well respected in their community. But… one is biracial which still causes a deep mistrust by many. Why?
Should we only look with our eyes? Who is not to be trusted in this neighborhood?
“We’ll start here.”
Ten stars!!
Loved this book. Relevant topic for the times we are living in.
I was very upset with Juniper in the fact that she could have given other information about Brad to help Xavier. She was old enough to know certain things. Racial injustice is in the news all the time. In the conclusion it was not clear only semi assumed, that Xavier was not a ……….This story will break your heart for a young man who lost so much for no reason
I love when I read a story that makes me think about it throughout the day. Every now and again I found myself pondering what was being laid out in A Good Neighborhood. I kept trying to figure out what might happen next, the sorts of things we readers do when we really, really like a story.
Toward the end, I had figured out about Xavier. I had hoped Julia would do what she did. I gave Juniper a thumbs up at her decisions. I figured people like Brad will not change. And yes, I felt bad for the tree.
Sure, my nose got out of joint a couple times, and I got a little twitchy here and there with some of the character descriptions, or sometimes when the neighborhood’s collective voice might have been conveying the author’s own political opinion. How much attention did I pay to that? Not much.
What mattered was what the heck was going on in this story! It was incredibly written and told.
Highly recommend!
Not worth the hype, imo
So many social issues touched on in this book – race, wealth, social status, rape. This was very well written.
I love a good southern novel. And a story with a perceptive and openminded storyteller. A Good Neighborhood is a book I would have given a ten-star rating if I could have. I received a free electronic copy of the ARC of this novel from Netgalley, Therese Anne Fowler, and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this modern novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Terese Anne Fowler writes a tightly wound story with heart and soul, about people we can respect and enjoy despite their flaws. It was obvious that her history formed the quirks that colored the highs and lows of the life of grandmother Lottie Corbett, to and to some extent, that of her daughter Julia. Valerie’s whole adult life revolved around that oak tree – it wasn’t just shade in her life, but also the well-spring of her happiness and serenity. And then we have Brad. Less said in that quarter, the better.
I found myself waiting breathlessly to see what would happen next. It has been a long time since I was so lost in a book. This is one to share with friends and family, folks. I have read a lot of good books this year but nothing that topped the satisfaction I felt with the reading of this book.
A week after I finished this beautiful, disturbing novel, I’m still trying to line up my thoughts. The story is shocking, the structure is brilliant, and the young characters, especially Xavier, are unforgettable. A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD continues to haunt me… It’s not a novel you can forget.
This book is definitely thought provoking and will stay with you long after you finish it. Valerie is a university professor of ecology and forestry who has lived in the Oak Knoll neighborhood for over 18 years with her son Xavier. Her husband died when Xavier was young. She has developed close friendships with the long time residents of the neighborhood, but things in the neighborhood are changing. Some houses have been sold to new residents who then tear them down to build newer fancier houses. This is the case with Valerie’s neighbor. This is where the story really begins. Many issues are addressed in this book and I wasn’t sure how the story would be resolved. I was surprised by the ending and yet I expected an upsetting end to the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This is the story of two families who live in the nice neighborhood of Oak Knoll in North Carolina. Xavier – a young boy with a very promising future as a musician, a scholarship to a prestigous school, and his mother live in an old house with a beautiful tree. All is fine until the Whitman family builds a huge house and moves in next door. The house build destroys the roots of the fine tree and what transpires because of it leads both families down a path neither saw coming.
The story asks what it is like to live by people who are different than you. What is it like to be a good neighbor even when you don’t see things the same way? How can people coexist that might not necessarily ever be friends?
This was not a great book. There were a lot of stereotypes in the book and the attraction of the step father to the step daughter was uncomfortable for me. Took away from the story. There wasn’t a lot of character development. I never really felt for any of the characters one way or the other.
Skip it
I recently moved to a new neighborhood and thought this title might give me a fright— I was wrong. Wasn’t for me. Choppy sentences, stereotypical racism. Around page 50-60 things started to take a turn so I continued on to see what the plotline was, around page 150 I figured I was already that invested I might as well continue. I kept running into more disturbing twists as the book went on that I just didn’t care for. I guess this isn’t the author’s usual style or type of book, biographical historical fiction is, and she was unsure if this title would be career suicide or not. Because I haven’t read any of her previous works, I cannot say, but I’d be interested in checking them out, this was a miss for me though. Not only was it bad timing, but also the turn out wasn’t worth it for me. The gold leaf cover and peek-a-boo page were stunning, I can see many readers grabbing this book for the cover. That was my favorite part of the book- the cover.
I see the release of this title was moved from Feb 4th, 2020 to March 2nd, 2021. I feel like because everything the country is going through at the moment with Covid-19 and #BlackLivesMatter that this may be extremely controversial and receive backlash or be very well accepted— it could go either way. I’m a take it or leave it type of person but I know many are not. The aim of this book was to create activism within our country, I respected that. I noticed the author also used a younger photo of her in the back, I’m not sure if this is the author photo she uses or if it was done to separate her from her other novels.
Much gratitude to the Goodreads Giveaway Program for the early copy I received, compliments of St. Martin’s Press. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given.
Loved this book – did not see the end coming!!!