The Good House

A Novel

By: Ann Leary

Narrated by: Mary Beth Hurt

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2012 Ann Leary (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“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

“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

“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

I LOVED THE NARRATOR!

Mary Beth hurt did an incredible job narrating. I have listened to other books in the past where the narrator really ruined the book for me. MBH did a great job showing emotion and character in her voice . She actually made me laugh about load at times by the way she talked! Loved the story

I miss the narrator already!!

This book was a fun, quick listen. Hildy was such a great character, and Mary Beth Hurt’s narration was exquisite! After the book was finished I felt like I was missing a friend. I actually googled Mary Beth Hurt to see who it was that brought such life to this story. The Good House was fun company on my daily commute.

Loved this book!

I was hooked by the energy of this story and narrator. The characters were introduced with interesting tidbits of info . A fun book!

I don't understand the hype

I bought this book after reading its rave reviews. Now, having finished it, I found the storyline and characterization to be incredibly disappointing. Just when I thought the momentum was picking up, the story kind of just fizzled out. It was a good premise- there was a lot of potential. But unfortunately, everything just fell flat. This book was "finishable," but overall, I just wasn't impressed.

Excellent Book, but the Narrator is Awesome!

Would you listen to The Good House again? Why?

Yes. Because Ms. Hurt does an exceptional job of portraying Hildie. She was so real, and liked her immediately.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Good House?

One of the most memorable parts moments was when Hildie went nuts on Frank after he fixed her car for her because he thought she had hit someone while out drunk driving. She was so ungrateful and defensive, believing she was in control of her drinking, which she was not.

Have you listened to any of Mary Beth Hurt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but I am certainly looking forward to it.

If you could rename The Good House, what would you call it?

Ms. Good, the Number One Realtor

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. Hildie was the best character I have listened to in a long time. She was funny, delusional and arrogant. I loved the story between her and Frankie, and her love hate relationship with him. Her denial regarding her addiction was so real and the book was actually educational in this regard for me. The author did an excellent job of making this character very real and a good focal point of the book. And Ms. Hurt was FANTASTIC!!!

Excellent Read!!!

Would you listen to The Good House again? Why?

I would and will listen to The Good House again as it was entertaining and so true to the nature of an alcoholic.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hildy was my favorite character and the person that read the book were supreme.

Have you listened to any of Mary Beth Hurt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Mary Beth Hurt's other performances before but am looking forward to them, she did a great job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending was unfortunately the norm but done making the listener's question their own sobriety.

Perfect combo of story and EXCELLENT narration

Would you consider the audio edition of The Good House to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version but I thought the audiobook was amazing. They could not have found a better voice for Hildy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hildy! The narrator does the best job really getting you to visualize the character.

Any additional comments?

I have to agree with all the other reviewers- the narrator makes this a can't-miss audiobook. The story is great- I thought it was really interesting, but also pretty dark. Some amazon reviews of the book described it as lighthearted and funny. It had funny moments, yes, but the subject matter is not funny- so don't expect light chick-lit. But that being said, I really loved this audiobook and would highly recommend it.

Charming and delightful.

An escape into a world you'd love to live in and a character you'd covet as your best friend. Rich with history, lineage, and a ton of atmosphere, I couldn't put this down. Please write another one about this town and it's endearing characters.

perspective from an alcoholic

What made the experience of listening to The Good House the most enjoyable?

enjoyed listening to "The Good House". Really puts the listener in the seat of being an alcoholic ... painful to comprehend. Well read and for the most part believeable.

The Perfect Narrator!

This was a good beach listen, but the best part is the narrator. She's Hildy!!