Gorgeous Lies

Anton Furey, a prominent therapist and patriarch, faces his mortality while his nine grown children gather at their former communal home. The family gained fame in earlier decades as a symbol of the modern blended family, drawing media attention to their unconventional lifestyle at their farm called Chardin. Alice, the only child from Anton and his current wife's marriage, returns to Chardin as her father's health declines. The siblings must navigate complex emotions and long-buried tensions as they confront their shared past and their relationships with their dying father. The narrative moves between past and present, revealing the family's experiences through multiple perspectives and examining how their unusual upbringing shaped their adult lives. This family saga explores themes of identity, belonging, and the lasting impact of unconventional parenting choices in late 20th century America. Themes of truth versus memory, the nature of family bonds, and the complexities of forgiveness run throughout this meditation on modern family life.

Readers note the complex family dynamics and intricate character development in this follow-up to McPhee's Bright Angel Time. The book earned 3.5/5 stars on Goodreads from 89 ratings and 3.6/5 on Amazon from 13 reviews. Readers appreciated: - Rich descriptions of the New Mexico setting - Exploration of complicated parent-child relationships - Multiple narrative perspectives that reveal different sides of each character - The authentic portrayal of blended family dynamics Common criticisms: - Plot moves slowly with limited action - Too many characters to keep track of - Confusing timeline shifts between past and present - Some found the writing style overly dense Several readers mentioned struggling to connect with Anton, the patriarch character. One Goodreads reviewer noted: "The beautiful prose doesn't make up for the meandering plot." Amazon reviewers frequently cited the book as "challenging but rewarding" with multiple readers saying they needed to restart the book to keep track of all the characters and relationships.

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🔹 Martha McPhee comes from a literary family - her father is the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer John McPhee, and all three of her sisters are also writers. 🔹 The communal farm setting in "Gorgeous Lies" was inspired by real-life communes of the 1970s, when approximately 750,000 Americans lived in such intentional communities. 🔹 "Gorgeous Lies" is actually a sequel to McPhee's debut novel "Bright Angel Time," though it can be read as a standalone work. 🔹 The book's title comes from a Buddhist concept about the nature of truth and illusion, reflecting the complex layers of reality within family narratives. 🔹 McPhee spent several years teaching creative writing at Columbia University while working on this novel, which helped shape its intricate narrative structure.