Now a New York Times Bestseller! How can you prove you’re not an alcoholic? You can’t. It’s like trying to prove you’re not a witch. Hildy Good is a townie. A lifelong resident of an historic community on the rocky coast of Boston’s North Shore, she knows pretty much everything about everyone. Hildy is a descendant of one of the witches hung in nearby Salem, and is believed, by some, to have … nearby Salem, and is believed, by some, to have inherited psychic gifts. Not true, of course; she’s just good at reading people. Hildy is good at lots of things. A successful real-estate broker, mother and grandmother, her days are full. But her nights have become lonely ever since her daughters, convinced their mother was drinking too much, staged an intervention and sent her off to rehab. Now she’s in recovery–more or less.
Alone and feeling unjustly persecuted, Hildy needs a friend. She finds one in Rebecca McCallister, a beautiful young mother and one of the town’s wealthy newcomers. Rebecca feels out-of-step in her new surroundings and is grateful for the friendship. And Hildy feels like a person of the world again, as she and Rebecca escape their worries with some harmless gossip, and a bottle of wine by the fire–just one of their secrets.
But not everyone takes to Rebecca, who is herself the subject of town gossip. When Frank Getchell, an eccentric local who shares a complicated history with Hildy, tries to warn her away from Rebecca, Hildy attempts to protect her friend from a potential scandal. Soon, however, Hildy is busy trying to cover her own tracks and protect her reputation. When a cluster of secrets become dangerously entwined, the reckless behavior of one threatens to expose the other, and this darkly comic novel takes a chilling turn.
THE GOOD HOUSE, by Ann Leary is funny, poignant, and terrifying. A classic New England tale that lays bare the secrets of one little town, this spirited novel will stay with you long after the story has ended.
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Want to read more by Ann Leary!
Can I please live in Wendover and be a townie who grew up with Hildy Good and Frank Getchell and hang out with them at least once a month? I think when you listen to a book three times and plan to never stop listening to it it means that you are either obsessively crazy or the author has done such a fantastic job of creating characters and setting that listening again to Hildy’s story is like visiting an old, and much loved, friend and hearing the same old story but never needing to say, “You already told me this one.”
Really enjoyed this book.
The narrator for this book was wonderful. I was in love with Hildy from the beginning. The stories about the small town and it’s residents told from Hildy’s quirky and often funny perspective was quiet entertaining. However, if you are looking for a book with a page turning plot, this is not the book for you. The slow pace of the book allowed for great character building and while I do enjoy a fast paced, can’t put it down book, this was very enjoyable.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a few years old; now I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.
This book starts off quietly and ends with a roar. I enjoyed the deeply, slowly realized characters and was fascinated by the intertwining of their stories. A damn fine book.
First lines: I can walk through a house once and know more about its occupants than a psychiatrist could after a year of sessions. I remember joking about this one evening with Peter Newbold, the shrink who rents the office upstairs from mine. “The next time you get a new patient,” I offered, “I’ll sneak to their house for a walk-through. While you jot down notes about their history, dreams, whatever, I’ll shine a flashlight into the attic, open a few cupboards and have a peek at the bedrooms. Later, when we compare notes, I’ll have the clearer picture of the person’s mental health, guaranteed.” I was teasing the doctor, of course, but I’ve been selling houses since he was in primary school, and I stand by my theory.
Hildy Good is a realtor, a divorcee, a mother of two grown daughters, a reformed alcoholic to her children and a closet (or should I say “cellar”) alcoholic when alone. She sells real estate in a prestigious area coveted by the rich but seeped in Salem witch history. One of her own ancestors, Goodwife Good, (yes that her real name) was hanged as an accused witch.
I can’t say what it was about this book that reeled me in, maybe it was just the first lines. I knew I was about to get a glimpse inside the lives of a small rich town — not the lives they portray on the street or at holiday parties but the real conversations and lives that take place behind closed doors. Hildy had great perception skills; she had a knack for seeing the person behind the façade. Some said her “gift” came from her family “witch” history. My gut feeling was that she was so good at hiding her own secrets, it made it easier for her to look for the tell tale signs of what was beneath the masked face of others.
The main theme in this story was alcohol — the effect it has on the consumer and those in the consumer’s social circle. The alcoholic aroma that cowered over the story was not overpowering but just enough that it created a thin layer of fog that fought its disintegration. I felt the book lacked in good character development — with the only strong character being the weakest in the lot — Hildy Good. But when you think about it, it WAS called “The Good House”, and eventually what happened in the Good house could no longer be contained behind closed doors.
To quote Richard III’s line, “Now is the winter of our discontent” would be to beautifully and accurately describe the season spent in Wendover, Massachusetts with its residents in this story. One can only hope that a “glorious summer” awaits them all.
Loved it!! Loaned it to a friend and she loved it. This is an original story and the characters are flawed but endearing. I was rooting for Hildy the entire book. I’m not much of a drinker but her alcoholism seemed realistic and gripping. Highly recommend this one!
This story held my interest. Good characters and great read.
Reading the sample, I expected a light humorous novel. But, The Good House proved to be serious and substantive, with hints of humor that blended well in this story of a town, its people and its houses. Told in first person by Hildy Good, the story involves serious issues like young love and old love, alcoholism, infidelity, and special needs children and even though most of the characters are very wealthy, none of these problems can be solved by throwing money at them. Ms. Leary proves to be a master at characterization, setting, and plot. She weaves a story that has the reader captivated. She’s also adept at weaving back story throughout to provide a complete picture of the complexities of life. Glad I found this one.
Great story. Really enjoyed both the story and the characters. Excellent characterization. Felt like I knew them all personally.