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The Good House: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 3,429 listener ratings
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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. Now a major motion picture starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline! Hildy Good is a townie. A lifelong resident of a small community on the rocky coast of Boston's North Shore, she knows pretty much everything about everyone. And she's good at lots of things, too. 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, sent her off to rehab. Now she's in recovery—more or less. Alone and feeling unjustly persecuted, Hildy finds a friend in Rebecca McAllister, one of the town's wealthy newcomers. Rebecca 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 Rebecca is herself the subject of town gossip. When Frank Getchell, an old friend 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 protect her own reputation. When a cluster of secrets becomes dangerously entwined, the reckless behavior of one person threatens to expose the other, and this darkly comic novel takes a chilling turn.
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"The gift of a good story, for me anyway, is when I can't wait to see what happens and am then sorry to reach the final page. It was the case with this novel. I don't know when I've met a character so vividly alive and breathing off the page as Hildy Good. She's a New Englander, wry and edgy, and she drinks. Her daughters are convinced she's an alcoholic. She's just as convinced she isn't, and yet she gets herself into situations and her remorse, her despair over herself is so poignant. You feel her pain; you want to shake her. You'll never be sure you can trust her, but you can't help but love her. I did. This is the first of Ann Leary's novels I've read, but not the last. If you love vividly drawn and compelling characters, if page turning plots are your thing, don't miss this one."
— Barbara (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Fresh, sharp, and masterfully told. Hildy’s tale is as intoxicating as it is sobering.”
— People -
“Superstition, drama, and intrigue unspool at a perfect pace in Ann Leary’s irresistible new novel, The Good House, a tale steeped in New England character and small-town social tumult.”
— Redbook -
“A layered and complex portrait of a woman struggling with addiction, in a town where no secret stays secret for long.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Leary gleefully peels back the pretensions that so often accompany portraits of ye olde Americana, peering through the shingles to reveal a lobster pot’s worth of ensnared ties between townies and the newly entitled....The Good House is a good read.”
— USA Today -
“One of the best works of Massachusetts fiction in recent memory.”
— Boston magazine -
“Hildy is an original, irresistibly likable and thoroughly untrustworthy...A genuinely funny novel about alcoholism.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Both Hildy's denial and her vulnerability are dramatized extremely well by narrator Mary Beth Hurt. Hurt deftly portrays Hildy's tendency to hide her alcoholism under a veneer of polished perfection; she's a woman who can deal with anyone's problems but her own. As the novel continues, the listener feels the pain of Hildy's breakdown and relapse in Hurt's Delivery, so well does she depict Leary's beautifully plotted story.
— AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner -
Mary Beth Hurt's reading brought out the humor in Leary's prose…Hurt's reading was a very engaging way to absorb this novel.
— National Association of Realtors -
The Good House is told in first person, which makes it an ideal audiobook – especially in the hands of reader Mary Beth Hurt, who simultaneously portrays Hildy as smart, funny, prickly, sympathetic and – well, pathetic.
— The Star-Ledger -
Hildy is brought to life – on and off the wagon – by Mary Beth Hurt's fabulous performance.
— Bookpage -
I was constantly entertained by the story and Hurt's total inhabitation of Hildy, who is both star and narrator of her own tale
— Winston-Salem Journal -
Mary Beth Hurt does a fantastic job bringing Hildy to life vocally in all her facets…The author is talented and the reader adept; they have created a comprehensively compelling audio experience.
— New World Review
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A 2013 New York Times Editor’s Choice
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A 2014 Audie Award Finalist for Fiction
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Among shortlisted titles for Audie Award Finalist, 2014
The Good House Listener Reviews
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" The characters in this book are very human, very fallible and very readable. I was immediately drawn to Hildy and her small town, her problems and her successes. Great book. "
— Wendy, 2/14/2014 -
" Alcoholic real estate agent in denial about her drinking problem deals with her daughters and eccentric neighbors in a small New England town. It's funny, serious and thought provoking with a little mystery thrown in. I really liked seeing the story from the perspective of someone the morning after. "
— shirley, 2/13/2014 -
" Interesting novel about a woman's battle with alcoholism. Even though the main character's story is sad and realistic, she can be very funny and the story has a happy outcome. Recommended, especially for people interested in alcoholism. "
— Therese, 2/5/2014 -
" I wish there was a 6 star option. Wonderful read. "
— Marisa, 2/2/2014 -
" I loved this book! Review to come.... "
— Jocelyn, 2/1/2014 -
" Great book. Really liked Hildy with all her faults and the way she sees herself, even though she tries to laugh away that she's an alcoholic. "
— Irene, 1/24/2014 -
" I liked this book. If you are intruiged by people who self sabotage, this is a good one for you. Alcoholism, deceit, extra marital relationships, small town characters, old loves...it's all there. It reads quickly and is mildly entertaining. "
— Sonia, 1/21/2014 -
" I found this book entertaining at best. "
— Marybeth, 1/19/2014 -
" Very human, very flawed, very relatable character. Loved her age and her problems and her solutions. "
— Barbara, 1/18/2014 -
" This was the first book I've read by Ann Leary and while I like it and could relate given my family history of alcoholism, I must say, I don't know what other readers found so hilarious? It was well written and engaging throughout, but I don't know that I'll rush to read her other books...? "
— Sandy, 1/9/2014 -
" I loved this book in a sad sort of way. It"s always hard to watch good people self destruct. I liked Hildy, I just wished she liked herself as much. "
— Terri, 1/7/2014 -
" I loved the unreliable narrator Hildy in this novel. The characters in the story a well-developed and I enjoyed the every day intrigue of a somewhat insular town. A good read! "
— Andrea, 1/6/2014 -
" It is always tricky to make the main character a mess and not even likeable most of the time. It worked well though. The love story was unexpected but very sweet and one of the more realistic protrayals I have read in a long time. "
— Lorilee, 12/14/2013 -
" I love this book! It's interesting and the characters are brought to life in a way that you feel as if you knew them already. It's well written and funny and I enjoyed reading it! "
— Ana, 12/14/2013 -
" So so. This story has been told hundreds of times. Nothing new here for this reader. "
— Patsy, 12/2/2013 -
" Searchwords for this book would be small towns, real estate, alcohol, alcoholism, Massachusetts coast, sailing, summer and wising up. I liked the main character so much, and her wry sense of humor. A good read. "
— Toddy, 10/16/2013 -
" Loved Hildy Good!! SO real...I was a bit disappointed in the somewhat abrupt ending, but other than that, could almost go back to page one, and read parts of it again. Looking for more Ann Leary! "
— Jan, 10/6/2013 -
" the nytimes review really made me expect more. good, no huge story arc "
— Jin, 9/30/2013 -
" Interesting book. Very light- hearted and funny at times- An interesting look at a sometimes functional alcoholic,real estate lady living in her house on the beach near Boston. The ending was intense at times, I did enjoy this book "
— Maria, 8/25/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this book. It was written in first person and quite fascinating to get into the head of this complicated real estate woman whose talents of self-denial were a common thread throughout. It also depicts small town life and the bonds that make and break relationships. "
— Audrey, 8/12/2013 -
" Enjoyed the way this book was written. The author wove a variety of characters together to make a very interesting story. I recommend the book to others who enjoy reading about interesting characters and how they relate to one another. "
— Libby, 8/7/2013 -
" Very entertaining read about a smart, successful, funny alcoholic (Hildy) steeped in denial. I enjoyed it thoroughly. "
— Psbenjamin, 6/27/2013 -
" It was entertaining enough. But not a must read. Definitely, the most realistic portrait of alcoholism I've read to date. Still it was lacking in the plot department, with an ending that wasn't well supported in the body of the novel. "
— Carrie, 6/19/2013 -
" There is a lot about this story to like: a bit of history, a bit of romance, intrigue, personal demons, even a little witchcraft (not really, but you'll see). "
— Megan, 6/11/2013 -
" The alcoholic in denial narrator rang so true it was terrifying. The plot around Rebecca and Peter was so thin in comparison "
— Donna, 5/22/2013 -
" Loved it. Funny, sad, suspenseful. Generally I'm not a fan of novels which are told by an unreliable narrator but this was great. "
— Mary, 5/12/2013 -
" Entertaining novel of a 60-something real estate broker in a small town in Massachusetts. As aggravating as I found myself getting at the main character, alcoholic Hildy, I also found myself wanting her to make it! "
— Dona, 4/21/2013 -
" This was an OK novel and an easy read. I just didn't feel that the story really went anywhere. I felt it basically ended at the same place it began, there was little that occurred in between. "
— Jennifer, 4/19/2013 -
" She's writing about my childhood 'hood and it's not bad. "
— Dana, 3/20/2013
About Ann Leary
Ann Leary is the author of the memoir An Innocent, A Broad and the novel Outtakes from a Marriage. She has written fiction and nonfiction for various magazines and literary publications and is a cohost of the NPR weekly radio show Hash Hags. She competes in equestrian sports and is a volunteer EMT. She and her family share their small farm in Connecticut with four dogs, three horses, and an angry cat named Sneakers.
About Mary Beth Hurt
Mary Beth Hurt is an award-winning Broadway actor as well as an acclaimed performer in film and television. Her theater work includes A Delicate Balance, The Secret Rapture, Benefactors, Crimes of the Heart, The Misanthrope, and Trelawney of the Wells. Her film credits include Affliction, Autumn in New York, Family Man, Six Degrees of Separation, The Age of Innocence, The World According to Garp, and Interiors.