Good Family: A Novel

Good Family was a breathtaking read and one which I was not prepared to end Metaphors and poetry resonate in tandem Proof can be found in savored passages such as time has scoured the taste for luxury out of our generation like plate off base metal and There is a moment in truth telling when one recounts a story told in one s head so many times that it suddenly sounds false Memory has a surreal quality, as if experience, perception and interpretation don t quite mesh What is the boundary between [...]

Actually 3.5 stars This book was a mixed bag When it was given to me by a friend who thought I d like it, the premise didn t really appeal to me but I decided to read it to be polite and because I can t turn down anything to read I initially thought it would be an interesting glimpse into the problems of WASPy people with money, which in some regards it was, but it was also, at the heart, a family drama that I found relatable, touching and entertaining.That isn t to say it was an easy read Maybe [...]

Summer home Big family Main character named Maddie I liked it just fine.

Mark me down as another who wasn t sure what I was getting into with this novel and whether or not it was something I could relate to other that is than the setting, being that I m a northern Michigan product and understand the unique setting and struggles of the elites who call my home theirs for the nice part of the year But somewhere along in this story the multitude of characters I found I was often referring back to the family tree thankfully provided grabbed me and I was pulled completely [...]

I am glad that I did not read the reviews before I read this book I may not have given it a chance This book takes place at Sand Isle on the Lake Michigan coast A grown family returns to their summer home to help their aunt and mother die peacefully Mattie is the black sheep of the family who has been absent for 11 years The family is full of hardships and struggles and coming back to the summer home seems to bring out these struggles in each family member I did have a hard time keeping the fami [...]

Family with money saga A group of flawed people gather to help their mother die attend to her be with her Takes us back to the main character s childhood and young adulthood and tragedies that she had to contend with.Well written I thought with many descriptive sentences which I like Set in various places from L.A to Lake Michigan coastI did like the characters in the book one I disliked.About an insular American family Main character is a woman with no girlfriends, actually no friends at all ex [...]

This book was depressing and ultimately hard to read Definitely no page turner The entire premise was about a woman who returns to her family summer home after about a decade to say goodbye to her mother, the last living matriarch of the family, revisits old demons, confront old family secrets and find closure for many of these things In reality, it could be anyone s family, the issues are very true to reality, but it was a total downer none the less and it took me forever to get through this on [...]

I have low expectations for this, but I picked it up in the hopes that it would be about a family of caring and compassionate people, a mainstream story as opposed to the usual YA fiction I ve been reading I m 50 pages along, and am finding that it is rather about depressed, cynical, wealthyfamily members who have hardly any use for one another, but gather together as the main character s mother prepares to die I m still reading, but I realize now that this book is bound to disappoint.

I am a sucker for reading anything that is related to Michigan and so I picked up this book It is an interesting tale of an old moneyed family and their fall from grace As the current matriarch lies dying in the upstairs bedroom, the family story unfolds through memories of generation after generation summering in their cottage on a paradisaical island in Lake Michigan This book is an interesting look into the past and a reminder of how different life used to be.

This was just okay A daughter comes to her family s summer home in Michigan as her mother fades into death after a long illness It started okay, but I got impatient with it, and had to skim to the end just to find out what happened not too much Eh Lots of incestuous cousin stuff, which I just can t relate to.

This novel is set on Lake Michigan at the summer residence of the Addison family Maddie has been called back to await her mother s death after a stroke Maddie and her array of cousins confront their past She looks for forgiveness as the prodigal child who has returned Terry Gamble s writing is descriptive but the book overall was not my type of a good read.

I realized I was traveling, had no books and put out a cry for help I read this over the course of a flight with layover from Boston to Seattle, with just a little bit left for the homecoming It was a good companion book It held my interest, had some good descriptions and scenes.

This book had a good start, nice prose and great summer setting of a family beach house in Michigan The first two parts were interesting, but part three was a drag and moved very slowly Just an okay read for me.

As unrelatable as these characters are, I still found them compelling Sadly, they lacked a certain depth like the author took you soooo close to their soul but something was missing Not the best read, certainly didn t have sympathy for any of their situations, but smells like a movie.

Gave up on it actuallyI may go back to it at some point but it was boring and there was literally not one positive thing happening in the book by the time I got to page 105 I don t often give up on books but this one was severely depressing.

Wow This book is so much better than her first one, it s unbelievable Themes being in love with a cousin, being sexually molested by a cousin, abortion, losing a baby to SIDS, alcoholism, dealing with the death of a parent, friendship, being rich, failed marriages and successful marriages.

This was so long and drawn out I felt like I had been reading for weeks and I wasn t even half way through the book The whole story is about a very dysfunctional family, and I can tell you, if I really wanted to read about a crazy family I would talk to my own.

This was an enjoyable, easy read that I found myself wanting to go back to every time I put it down The plot lags at times but the central themes of family, inheritance and facing inner demons are well done and keeps the characters connected.

This book really made me wish I d lived 80 years earlier It would have been so great to pack up with the servants and go to the lake house for the summer The story was a bit on the angst filled side, but I really enjoyed it.

This book started off to me a little slow, but once you get into the book you realize why it started off so slow in the first place Great read Very well written Topic of the book touches on life and family issues.

I liked the premise, but the characters were a little difficult to keep straight There is a family tree at the beginning of the book that I had to keep referencing The I got into it though, the I enjoyed it

About a family home on Lake Michigan and the family gathering as they do every summer, except this summer the matriarch is dying I enjoyed this, though some might find it a bit depressing.

took me a little while to get into this, but I liked it a lot as it went on The family drama was interesting, and I like books that tie up sort of nicely everyone seemed to heal.

A little borning.

this book was dark and a little depressing.

I believe that nearly every family is a little bit dysfunctional, but this family was a little too edgy for me to relate to very well.

Maddie goes back to her family s island in Northern Michigan because her mother is dying Talks about her cousins and the past

It was ok Just something to read.

easy, good beach summer readlots of emotions, family drama, etc