The Good House: Book summary and reviews of The Good House by Ann Leary

The Good House Summary

A riveting novel in which an engaging and wildly irreverent woman is in complete denial - about herself, her drinking, and her love for a man she's known all her life.

The Good House tells the story of Hildy Good, who lives in a small town on Boston's North Shore. Hildy is a successful real-estate broker, good neighbor, mother, and grandmother. She's also a raging alcoholic. Hildy's family held an intervention for her about a year before this story takes place - "if they invite you over for dinner, and it's not a major holiday," she advises "run for your life" - and now she feels lonely and unjustly persecuted. She has also fooled herself into thinking that moderation is the key to her drinking problem.

As if battling her demons wasn't enough to keep her busy, Hildy soon finds herself embroiled in the underbelly of her New England town, a craggy little place that harbors secrets. There's a scandal, some mysticism, babies, old houses, drinking, and desire - and a love story between two craggy sixty-somethings that's as real and sexy as you get. An exceptional novel that is at turns hilarious and sobering, The Good House asks the question: What will it take to keep Hildy Good from drinking? For good.

A hilarious and sobering novel about life, love, real estate, and a little too much Pinot Noir

The Good House Reviews

"Starred Review. Despite getting a little preachy toward the end, Leary has largely achieved a genuinely funny novel about alcoholism." - Kirkus

"In this second novel (after Outtakes from a Marriage), Leary creates a long-winded and melodramatic Peyton Place, but convincingly displays the corrosive and sometimes dire consequences of denial and overconfidence. - Publishers Weekly

"Leary's genius is to give us a true original: Hildy, a not-so-recovering alcoholic/realtor who crashlands among a colorful cast of New England neighbors, but Leary also says a great deal about the houses we choose to live, the people we're compelled to love, and the addictions we don't want to give up. So alive, I swear the pages of this wickedly funny and moving novel are breathing." - Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You

"I opened The Good House and was instantly sucked in; I read the whole thing in one sitting and was sorry when it ended. The story is atmospheric, funny, poignant, gritty, and romantic, and Hildy Good is refreshingly candid and lovably flawed." - Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man

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The Good House Reader Reviews

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Rated of 5 by Julie D. (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA)
Another hit by Ann Leary
When I got the message that I had a won a copy of Ann Leary's The Good House I was so excited. I loved her previous book and couldn't wait to get into this one.

The Good House doesn't disappoint and is filled a cast of great characters. As you read, the characters all become so multidimensional providing great conversation if you are in a book club.

Don't miss this one!

Rated of 5 by Barbara P. (Worcester, MA)
The Good House
The Good House was an easy read. It was nice to find a local New England author to add to my reading list. The setting was familiar in the community of locals and the wealthy newcomers. The characters reflect a mix of lives of the professional business person to the locals with sparks of romance and everyday involvements.
Hopefully someone will read Hildy's palm and direct her future.

Rated of 5 by Melissa P. (Greenville, New York)
The Good House
Hildy Good is a descendant of Sarah Good, Salem witch. Hildy's curse is alcoholism. Her family stages an intervention and sends her to rehab. Little do they know that after rehab, Hildy drinks alone at night from the bottles in her cellar, while declaring herself alcohol free. But Hildy cannot pull off this farce forever, and it eventually all catches up to her. Along with Hildy's story, the novel also details an affair between Peter and Rebecca, the trials of a couple with an autistic son and the other happenings of the small town.

I liked the writing of this book. Leary is good at description of both character and setting. Hildy was a character that I went back and forth between liking and hating. Liking won out in the end. The book was a bit slow in the middle but quickly accelerated and kept my interest until the end.

I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse for review.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Rated of 5 by Cynthia A. (Grand Rapids, MI)
The Good House
"The Good House" captures so many aspects of alcoholism in such a gentle way. Denial, blackouts, the life style, shame, embarrassment and the long lasting effects it has on everyone involved is all a part of this book. Because it is written in first person the reader gets right into the alcoholics head.

I loved this book. It is fast moving, funny, interesting, enjoyable and so REAL.

Rated of 5 by Debra C. (Vienna, Georgia)
The Good House...a MUST READ for 2013!
Ann Leary's "The Good House" snatched me in with it's first sentence and never let me leave until it's last. Filled with freshly crisp dialogues, settings packed with rich New England details, unforgettable characters full of depth, chilling pasts, and the possibilities of unforgiving futures. Leary's tale fulfills you; the reader will laugh uncontrollably, weep without regard, smile, wonder, fret, but in the end, you truly long to give Hil a call and list your house.

Rated of 5 by Dawn C. (Meridian, ID)
The Good House by Ann Leary
I thought this book was really fun, poignant, & thought-provoking. Hildy is a realtor who lives in a small New England town. She thinks she can drink in moderation, when she is in fact an alcoholic. But as always, she is in denial. The characters are fun & remind you of people you know. I found the romance as 60 fun & encouraging. Very fun book!

...21 more reader reviews

Ann Leary has published two previous books, An Innocent, A Broad and Outtakes from a Marriage, as well as short fiction and journalism in Ploughshares among others. She is also the co-host of the weekly NPR radio show Hash Hags. Ms. Leary lives in Roxbury, CT with four dogs, three horses, and her husband, the actor, Denis Leary.