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There are currently 24 member reviews
for A Good Family
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Gail B. (Albuquerque, NM)
A Good Family
This debut novel gets off to a slow start with hapless, unemployed Barkley Brunson, called B-Team by his golden older brother Charlie, just returning, deeply messed up, from a tour in Afghanistan.
Next we meet mother Julie, June Cleever on Zoloft, who fights the reality that Henry, the center of her life, has moved from their suburban nest into a swank Lake Shore Drive penthouse to play with sexy bar pick-ups.
However, life is shifting for this family, the pace of the writing picks up, and before long I couldn't put it down. A Good Family -- a good read.
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Lori H. (Puyallup, WA)
A tangled family web
I found A Good Family to be an engrossing, often times intense, book to read on family, more specifically what holds a family together and tears them apart. The character development is very well done. As a reader, I appreciate being able to get "into a character's head" and that is just what this book allows. The reader is able to really understand the issues each character is dealing with. I found all four main characters to be flawed, as we all are, and relatable on many levels. The observations in this book are vivid and laugh out loud funny on occasions. This book is a journey for the reader as one is able to travel down each character's path and witness both good and bad choices as well as unavoidable consequences. Upon completion of this book, I found myself continuing to think about each character and wonder how they are doing-a true sign of a good book in my opinion!
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William B. (East Peoria, IL)
A Good Family Is a Good Read
Characters you really care about highlight this debut novel set in Chicago.
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Linda W. (Arlington, TX)
Not my kind of novel
I'm not sure what about the reviews attracted me to this book, but I gave it up one-quarter of the way through. I know there lots of readers for novels of contemporary American families, but I felt no sympathy for the control-freak, cheating father or the clingy, pill-addicted mother. The two adult sons struggling to find their way were more interesting, but not enough. Quite well written, just not my kind of novel.
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Dawn C. (Meridian, ID)
A Good Family by ERik Fassnacht
This book tells the story of a modern dysfunctional family, the Brunsons. Each of the family members has their own demons/issues, and how this family copes with life is probably closer to real life than we'd like to believe. It was good, had a few humorous parts, but it was also disjointed as the story is told from the family members opinion, and they cross over and it's hard to keep track of who said/did what etc.
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Bobbie D. (Boca Raton, FL)
NOT A Good Family
Book is slow reading, especially at the beginning, and too long. The title is certainly a misnomer. A Good Family is about a dysfunctional family of four. Henry, the father, is too immersed in making money and living the good life. His wife gives up her ambition to be a dancer when she marries. She tries to overlook Henry's unexplained absences and to be a good mother to her boys. Charlie, the older son, is a good student, an athlete, good looking and has everything going for him. His father uses his contacts to get Charlie a great job that Charlie doesn't want. And so Charlie joins the army. A big part of the novel is about how his time in Afghanistan affects his life. A red key chain becomes an important symbol. The younger brother is Barkley. He is meek, into fantasy, and a would be writer. Afraid of his own shadow and so overpowered by Charlie. We cheer Barley on as he grows up. The characters are well developed and you do want to know how it all works out. I found myself skimming over a lot of the book. And the culmination of some of the situations are so obvious. Would have rated this book 2 1/2 if I had the option.
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Carol G. (Leesburg, VA)
Too much of a bad thing
I am sorry to say there was nothing about this book I enjoyed. It is very long and filled so much unnecessary detail, as the reader I felt like I was trudging through wet sand. The characters are very disjointed and there is really no sense of "family" throughout most of the book. It felt like reading four short novellas within one book. Each character's story was extremely damaged and depressing. I was not expecting unicorns and rainbows but surly something even a little positive could have happened within the first three-quarters of the book. There was some slight redemption at the end of the story; however, it was too little much too late.
