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

Totally surprised

Well first off the narrator sounds like the great Angela Lansbury
Her voice was so much like hers. At first it was a little harsh but I soon fell in love with that Massachusetts style speaking and I was hooked!!
Thank you for bringing alcoholism in but it really wasn’t nagging or pushy but there it was. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you

What a great book, Hildy is a great character!

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

I wanted to read Leary because she is a transplanted New Englander like me (married to actor/comedian Denis Leary) and I loved her story about alchoholic Hildy, Hilda Good descendent of Sarah Good who was hanged in Salem for witchcraft back in the day. Hildy is 60 year old woman, a real successful real estate agent in small town MA who has been a serious drinker for a long time, and even though her daughters have staged an intervention, and Hildy has gone to treatment, she still finds a way to drink, quietly. What follows is a wild ride with a fix-it guy she is attracted to, weathy nutty neighbors and a great story that really pulls you in. Recommend.

Loved the book and narrator

Hildy, the main character, is 60 and quite the alcoholic. I loved her and I hated her, but i never stopped enjoying the book. The story is told in first person which makes it perfect for an audiobook. I agree with an earlier reviewer that Mary Beth Hurt IS Hildy. I can't wait to recommend this book to my friends.

Woman vs. Herself

This is a great topic: what alcohol can do to a person, family, and other relationships. It is the story of an ordinary woman with an alcohol problem, who tries to hide it from herself and family. I think that it is a great point of view, she just lives her life, like we all do and doesn't want to see her own problems with drinking. I also liked the other characters' stories woven into hers, eventually coming together. I think a book is great when I become part of the story. There is a point when the reader can "see" the characters and imagine the house or the town. When a reader engages in a book, it makes that time worth it. This was an engaging story. Narrator was good, not great, but it worked.

More like this!

Very easy listening! Vignettes of life in a small New England town with believable characters and fantastic narration.

There's no major suspense here, and the cast of characters is small, which is why it makes for such a perfect listen. It's easy to get absorbed into without having to rewind to try to figure out who this person is or what happened in a flashback etc. Mary Beth Hurt is wonderful, but she may annoy some listeners-- listen to the sample before you buy.

Who knew Alcholism could be so funny?

A well written study in human nature, with well fleshed out characters living in a small New England town, with the Town a character in its own right.

The narration was perfect. Mary Beth Hurt was Hildy and really brought her to life. Denial is not just a river in Egypt... I didn't want the story to end.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOOK. AND A GREAT ONE!

If you could sum up The Good House in three words, what would they be?

DIFFERENT, INTERESTING,"PAGE-TURNING"

Who was your favorite character and why?

I THINK I LIKED FRANK THE BEST. HE WAS ALWAYS HIMSELF.

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

I HAVE NEVER HEARD HER BEFORE. I DID NOT LIKE HER VOICE AT FIRST BUT SHE REALLY FIT THE BOOK WELL.

If you could take any character from The Good House out to dinner, who would it be and why?

PETER. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY HE DID WHAT HE DID.

Any additional comments?

THIS BOOK COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF THEY FOCUSED MORE ON PETER AND REBECCA. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SUBPLOT. STALKERS CAN BRING TENSION TO A STORY SO MAYBE THIS BOOK WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE TENSE.

IT WAS VERY WELL WRITTEN. I LISTENED TO THE ENTIRE BOOK WITHIN 24-30 HOURS. I WILL READ THIS ONE AGAIN AND AGAIN.

An Exceptional Listening Experience!!

If you could sum up The Good House in three words, what would they be?

Hilarious, funny, surreal

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hildy, of course! I love the way she could justify every "occasion"

Which scene was your favorite?

Thanksgiving dinner was great, but every "occasion" was equally amusing!

If you could take any character from The Good House out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Hildy (and her ex-husband)...I think it would be shear fun, of course I would have to be the DD!!

Any additional comments?

I loved, loved this book, didn't want it to end!

Entertaining novel about a woman in my age group!

Hildy Good is a character that will stay with me for a long time. I adored Mary Beth Hurt’s performance. The voice she gave to Hildy was perfect. So glad I decided to listen to this book.

Fantastic

I can’t tell what I loved more the author and how well it’s written or the narrator! Fabulous I am sad to have it end. From the moment I began I started to dread that at some point it would end.