The triumphant New York Times Bestseller * The Tonight Show Summer Reads Pick * Named one of the best books of the year by People, Vogue, Parade, NPR, and Elle “This is one beautiful book. I was wowed by Keane’s writing and narrative skill–and by what she knows about trouble.” –Stephen King How much can a family forgive? Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in …
How much can a family forgive?
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in the suburbs. What happens behind closed doors in both houses–the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.
In Mary Beth Keane’s extraordinary novel, a lifelong friendship and love blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next thirty years. Heartbreaking and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes is a gorgeous and generous portrait of the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness.
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I’m not sure I have ever been so in love with a book as I am with this one. It has taken me a while to find my words after reading this. It is seriously a rare gem indeed!! There are so many emotions throughout the incredible journey of all of the characters that I truly felt the emotions in my bones, my heart and my mind. I can’t say to much without giving certain things away but do yourself a favor and read this book. I have never wanted to reread a book right after finishing it in my life until now. Unbelievably brilliant, and truly remarkable!!! There are simply not enough stars for this one people!!!
I love books that remind me of the intertwined nature of our lives, our families and our actions. Less than halfway in, I was expecting a predictable conclusion with Peter and Kate’s reunion, but the novel delivered so much more – an extraordinary tale of mother/son love in Ann and Peter’s relationship. It shows life with all its ups and downs and in this case, severe complications, but in the end it’s an expose of forgiveness and acceptance with love as the victor.
A book that really explores the dynamics of family life, especially those afflicted by trauma, mental illness, addiction, or straying. Real love is hard work, maybe even requires the kind of harshness one character accuses another of at one point. Weak people give up and run away from the difficult stuff, sometimes even when they’re still living in the same house with you. Strong people hang in there through their own failures and other horrors and may come through it still connected in the end. We hope. It’s an unusually clear-eyed look at life, this novel.
A very moving and intense book about the drama between two families and their lives and interactions.
You could very well be reading about people in your neighborhood.
So many subjects covered and how they did or didn’t deal with them.
I actually voted for this book for Jimmy Fallon’s 2019 summer book read and I’m glad it won and I got to read it because of it, I don’t think I would have read otherwise.
I look forward to more from this author.
I really enjoyed this book. I started to feel some dread during last third of the book expecting tragic ending and was surprised, delighted at the redemption of the characters.
The book of my summer. So compassionate. So engaging. I loved it so much.
I must admit that my feelings are so conflicted about this story. I couldn’t get into the first half at all, I had to stop reading it several times after just a few pages or a chapter. I just couldn’t understand what exactly I was reading about but after the tenth time picking it up, and paste half way through, everything started to make sense and I’m so happy that I didn’t give up in the end and finish the story. It’s challenging for sure but very good overall. Can’t say I really enjoyed the characters or their buildings throughout the story but I’ll definitely recommend this story to all my book friends.
Read this book, YES! There’s nothing I love more than a riveting family drama and this one delivered on so many levels. The characters are so well developed, the story unique and multilayered and the ending realistic, but hopeful. The romance between Peter and Kate feels so true to life as well as the challenges they gave along the way. I rooted for every member of their extended family to find their path in the world. Don’t miss this one. The characters will stay with you for a long, long time.
I found this novel rather disappointing, I suppose because of the hype it received. I do think some readers will enjoy this story, a mixture of coming-of-age, love story, and tragedy. I did not find the plot compelling, especially from the middle of the novel to the end. I did not care for any of the characters; none of them made me FEEL. To be honest, I did not care what happened to any of them, and I became quite bored with plot and the writing style which was rather similar to reading a synopsis rather than reading literature.
I just couldn’t put it down! Love and forgiveness shine in this wonderful inspirational novel.
Ask Again, Yes followed the journey of Peter and Kate, how their lives intersected from the day Peter arrived next door, and how the worst things in life can be overcome.
We start off with neighbors Brian and Francis, as they share time working as a team as cops in New York. They start their families and go from there. But after a horrible incident involving Peter’s mother Anne and Kate’s father Francis, Peter moves away with his father and that’s the end of his burgeoning friendship with Kate. But as the teen years start to pass, neither is off the other’s mind for long. Peter can’t move past his love for Kate, and Kate can’t seem to start a relationship with anyone else.
We follow their reconnection, their healing from the traumatic event, and more in this poignant story that is often times raw and honest. Alcoholism is an inherited trait, and Keane touches on it with Peter’s father, we know it’s there, but it isn’t as much of an issue until Peter starts struggling. His struggle at reconciling who he is and his lack of a relationship with his mother become the focus of the book.
I really appreciated the element of forgiveness in the book, because it really is something so powerful that we can do for ourselves, and until you do it, you cannot appreciate it’s value. The tragedy they have overcome at the hands of his mother sits at the core of the book, the devastation and long road to healing for Francis, and the butterfly effect that ripples out to the various family members.
I did think sometimes the book became slow, that the desire to capture the minute details of things slowed it down and seemed a bit tedious. I think aside from those slow parts it’s a great read. There are so many things going on with rich and detailed characters. So many emotions at play in an otherwise heavy storyline. There are many things going they keep you engaged, it’s a very fulfilling book in many ways.
-Description-
Two neighbors who lives are forever changed by tragedy, love, and circumstance. This book hits on mental health issues, addiction, abandonment, and all the complexities families deal with.
-Thoughts-
1. First, I can’t say enough about this book. I freaking loved it! The hype is real.
2. I could related easily to a lot of this book. Two of the characters, Kate & Peter, were born and raised at the same time I was, married the same time I was, having children at the same time. And of course, I could relate with one of the character’s battle with addiction.
3. The writing is beautiful. The characters are realistic and beautiful and ugly and lovable and hate-able. All the things that make a book so real. These could be my neighbors.
-Rating-
-Similar Recommended Reads-
Before We Were Yours
The Sound of Gravel
Map of the Heart
Deeply moving, descriptive story. The author takes the reader on an epic tale of what happens when two intertwined families suffer a tremendous trauma, and the many twisty roads they travel back from that kind of hellish event.