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

Pure Pleasure

I'm kind of on an audible review rampage right now--going back into my library pulling out my recent favorites, and this is definitely one of them.
Not sure which is more brilliant--Ann Leary's writing or Mary Beth Hurt's narration, but I'm pretty sure it's a magical combination of both...

Another marathon Listen!

I loved this story and was hooked from the start. I wish I had slowed down and savored it because it was over way too fast.

The narrator made this one for me

Any additional comments?

This book was surprisingly funny to me at times. (In a slightly offbeat way.) I have to give it up to the narrator for that. She is very wry and her performance is the thing that made Hildy Goode come to life. I could even see parts of myself in her. Not necessarily a good thing, but entertaining nonetheless. Hildy's ability to completely deny any participation in her downward spiral - or even that she is spiraling at all - is so typical of most of us but the way the author brings that to light in Hildy's thoughts is what really kept me hooked.

Excellent

As much as the story I enjoyed the narration. She was brilliant and really brought this beautiful story to life.

Wicked Funny!

I loved this book, the tale of Hildy Good, a New England Real Estate Agent and alcoholic who after a stint of reluctant rehab, gradually slips back into addiction while steadfastly, vehemently clinging to her denial. I know, I know, it doesn't sound funny, right? But I literally howled with laughter at Hildy's piercingly accurate observations of the people around her. Author Ann Leary adeptly captures Hildy's self-righteous denials, her grumpy demeanor when she needs a drink and her near magical transformation after she's had a glass or two (or 3 or 4). For anyone who's trodden down this road, Hildy's exploits (like slipping vodka into her drink during a practically unbearable Thanksgiving) are both familiar and painfully funny. Leary accurately charts Hildy's scary descent into late stage addiction while keep her sympathetic and if not always exactly likable, entertaining nevertheless. As Hildy's backstory was revealed, I grew fonder and fonder of her. I liked the closet hero (whom I shan't reveal) and the ending was terrific.

And the narration was first rate! Some listeners have griped that Mary Beth Hurt's portrayal was a bit harsh to listen to, but to me it was pitch perfect.

OMGOSH! I'd give it a rating of 10 if I could!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

100 % Yes!

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

The Narrator made this book, I loved her voice and laugh

Any additional comments?

this was such an enjoyable listen. I was so sad when the book ended, and it was just refreshing to find a book that I couldn't wait until I was alone to put in my airpods and just listen to this story and forget about anything but this book.

Love the narrator! The main character is awesome.

Love the narrator. Hilda and Frank are superb. They have spunk. Great story of small town.

Very real

This was such a great book. Loved the narrator, made me feel like I knew her personally. This book highlights a real problem for so many, one of my favorites.

Insightful

This book showed an interesting perspective into the mind of a person struggling with the fine line between alcohol use and abuse. It started out a little slow with the description of characters and their situations however got very interesting when it started to delve deeply into their lives. I really enjoyed listening to this book!!

Great character development...not much of a story

I really enjoyed the writing and getting to know the town and the characters in this book. I felt like it was lacking a compelling story. There is a bit of drama towards the very end, but I would have liked more action. The deep dive into alcoholism and denial was interesting for a while but lost my interest when I felt like there was no traction in the story.