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

My new favorite audiobook!

Wonderfully told story, relatable characters. And Mary Beth Hurt is a very talented narrator. Didn't want to stop listening when it was time to get back to work!

I’ve listed twice. The story is great, entertaining and love the narration by Mary Beth Hirt

I’m a REALTOR and found
This to be very true as how our lives blend with our personal lives.
The story kept my interest from the first and until the end. It was not all about our profession at all. Great job!

Really enjoyed this book!

This narrator is fabulous! Could not have been better. I was a little hesitant about the story at first--people too rich, setting too New England for my taste, but I came away really liking it. It got better and better, and the characters were wonderful. Hildy (and the narration) MADE this story come alive and stay alive all through the book! I'll read more by this author and this narrator as well!

I already miss Hildie!

first of all, narration was simply superb in this audiobook and Im glad I didnt miss that if I had read the book myself. story had me giggling to myself in the car many times and deeply moved in others. this may be my favorite audiobook yet.

Good book not great

Would you try another book from Ann Leary and/or Mary Beth Hurt?

Yes, but I would have to be in the mood for something entertaining but not needing spectacular story lines that keep you on the edge of your seat.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was the best part of the whole. The entire book was spent just setting up for a decent ending but by far the most entertaining part of the book.

What does Mary Beth Hurt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does an extraordinary job of taking on the narrator and what all she represents.

Did The Good House inspire you to do anything?

Not drink!

Any additional comments?

None

Annoying narration.

The narrators voice is annoying. The characters aren’t well developed & story overall not very interesting.

Good but a bit depressing.

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

Depressing. Gloomy. Dreary.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wouldn't change it really. I said it was depressing, but stories about alcoholics generally are.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Too depressing.

Any additional comments?

Did I mention that this book is depressing?

A great book

I loved this book!!
Loved the story and characters.
Did not expect the ending though.

Excellent story

I loved the story and especially the narration by Mary Beth Hurt. I could see this woman, I understood so much of what she was feeling in the story. This was my first book by Ann Leary and I plan to read/listen to more.

Absolutely Wonderful!!

What did you love best about The Good House?

I loved Hildy. She's a successful business woman and is extremely funny. She's also an alcoholic with a vicious tongue and a deep seeded denial that makes you want to strangle her. But Hildy is also such a flawed human being, you can't help but care about her.
The Good House is more than a story about an alcoholic. It's a story about small town living and all the people who live in the town. People who have lived there all their lives, enmeshed in each others private lives, as if it's as normal as the tides that roll into that Massachusetts fishing village.

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

This was my first book narrated by Mary Beth Hurt. Ms. Hurt's performance was terrific! She was Hildy, through and through. She sounded like a woman of Hildy's age, but even more, she sounded exactly how I would imagine Hildy to sound. Bravo!
I will say that her "kid voices" were less than believable, and it is always strange to hear a person attempt to do a voice of the opposite sex. Sometimes I think it would be better to read the lines without the false baritones or altos.
I do hope to listen to Mary Beth Hurt again.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If only I could have! But I also didn't want this story end. I have never listened to a book more than once. But, I can actually see myself choosing this on a winter's day, when there is no where to go. I look forward to that day.

Any additional comments?

Anne Leary is a good writer. The characters are all well developed.
I am a substance abuse counselor, when I am not listening to books. Hildy's behaviors and thought processes all ring true. While you will laugh at some of this stuff, it is really the sad fact that alcoholics will find any reason to drink. Ms. Leary writes from a perspective of one who knows and understands. I never lost empathy for Hildy and that is because the story was written well.