The Good House

Hildy Good is a successful real estate agent in a small New England town who insists she has her drinking under control after a family intervention sent her to rehab. She develops a friendship with Rebecca McAllister, a wealthy newcomer to the coastal community, while navigating complex relationships with her adult daughters and ex-husband. The narrative follows Hildy as she works to maintain her professional reputation and position as a respected town insider, descended from one of the area's original Salem witches. Her claims of sobriety begin to clash with mounting evidence, even as she becomes entangled in the private lives of her clients and neighbors. Life in the fictional town of Wendover brings together old money, new wealth, and generations of locals - creating a pressure cooker of secrets and social tension. Hildy's keen observations of the community reveal both its charms and its fault lines. The novel examines how people present themselves versus who they truly are, while exploring themes of addiction, self-deception, and the complex social dynamics of small-town life. Through Hildy's unreliable narration, the story raises questions about truth, perception, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

Readers praise the complex portrayal of alcoholism through an unreliable narrator, with many noting how subtly the protagonist's drinking problem unfolds. The New England small-town setting and real estate industry details create authenticity that resonates with readers. Specific praise focuses on the first-person narrative style that lets readers piece together the truth gradually, and the balance of serious themes with moments of humor. Many readers connect with the authentic depiction of denial and self-deception. Common criticisms include a slow start, underdeveloped secondary characters, and an ending that some found too neat. Some readers note the romantic subplot feels forced. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.92/5 (37,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (2,800+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (300+ ratings) "Like watching a train wreck in slow motion - you see it coming but can't look away," writes one Amazon reviewer. A Goodreads review notes: "The protagonist's voice is so convincing, I found myself believing her excuses right along with her."

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🏠 Although fiction, author Ann Leary drew heavily from her own experiences with alcohol use and recovery when crafting the novel's protagonist, Hildy Good, and her complex relationship with drinking. 🎭 Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver starred in a 2022 film adaptation of "The Good House," with Streep portraying the main character Hildy Good, a New England realtor with deep family roots in Salem. 🔮 The witchcraft elements in the book connect to historical fact: protagonist Hildy Good is descended from Sarah Good, a real woman who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. 📍 The book's setting of Wendover, Massachusetts is a fictional town, but it's based on several real North Shore communities where author Ann Leary has lived, including Manchester-by-the-Sea and Marblehead. 💑 Ann Leary is married to actor and comedian Denis Leary, and like her character Hildy Good, she worked as a real estate agent in Massachusetts before becoming a full-time writer.