obxer7's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
linz's review
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was really surprised at how quickly I finished Hello From the Gillespies, considering it was 600+ pages long. I'm not one to be daunted by long books, but it does usually take a few days to finish them. This one, however, just begged to be read. I couldn't wait to get home from work just so I could read more of it. It's been quite a while since I've been that eager to finish a book.
Angela Gillespie sends her annual Christmas letter to her friends and family every year on December 1st. It always paints a pleasant, if not entirely accurate, picture of a perfect family. This year, however, Angela tells the truth, and while the recipients of the letter are amused and intrigued, her immediate family is definitely not. No one is spared the bitter truth - not even her ten-year old son, Ig. In addition to dealing with her persistent headaches, she also has to worry about her family - her three adult daughters have just returned home after having their own meltdowns, and her husband has become gradually distant. She never intends to actually send the email, but in a stroke of bad luck, it's sent anyway. Her children come to terms with it fairly quickly, but it does nothing to help her reconcile with her husband.
I don't want to say too much more, as I think the plot twists involved are better left unspoiled, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was truly invested in these characters, and wanted everything to work out for all of the Gillespies in the end. In a cast of characters this large, it's sometimes hard to keep everyone straight, especially at the beginning, but that was never a problem with Hello From the Gillespies.
Set in the Australian outback, Monica McInerney does an incredible job of describing the landscape. I feel as though I've seen a picture of the Gillespies' station, as it seems almost indelibly fixed in my memory.
I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in contemporary novels dealing with the complexities of familial relationships.
I was really surprised at how quickly I finished Hello From the Gillespies, considering it was 600+ pages long. I'm not one to be daunted by long books, but it does usually take a few days to finish them. This one, however, just begged to be read. I couldn't wait to get home from work just so I could read more of it. It's been quite a while since I've been that eager to finish a book.
Angela Gillespie sends her annual Christmas letter to her friends and family every year on December 1st. It always paints a pleasant, if not entirely accurate, picture of a perfect family. This year, however, Angela tells the truth, and while the recipients of the letter are amused and intrigued, her immediate family is definitely not. No one is spared the bitter truth - not even her ten-year old son, Ig. In addition to dealing with her persistent headaches, she also has to worry about her family - her three adult daughters have just returned home after having their own meltdowns, and her husband has become gradually distant. She never intends to actually send the email, but in a stroke of bad luck, it's sent anyway. Her children come to terms with it fairly quickly, but it does nothing to help her reconcile with her husband.
I don't want to say too much more, as I think the plot twists involved are better left unspoiled, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was truly invested in these characters, and wanted everything to work out for all of the Gillespies in the end. In a cast of characters this large, it's sometimes hard to keep everyone straight, especially at the beginning, but that was never a problem with Hello From the Gillespies.
Set in the Australian outback, Monica McInerney does an incredible job of describing the landscape. I feel as though I've seen a picture of the Gillespies' station, as it seems almost indelibly fixed in my memory.
I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in contemporary novels dealing with the complexities of familial relationships.
amcheri's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars for this one.
Very good! I fell in love with this family a bit. The author did a great job of bringing them all to life and making me care. Even though there are a lot of POVs and the book is nearly 17 hours long, I stayed involved throughout and had to force myself to stop listening last night.
Very good! I fell in love with this family a bit. The author did a great job of bringing them all to life and making me care. Even though there are a lot of POVs and the book is nearly 17 hours long, I stayed involved throughout and had to force myself to stop listening last night.
wilygecko's review
3.0
I enjoyed this especially her Christmas letter that tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
fictionophile's review
3.0
I began reading this novel the first week of December when I should have been writing my own Christmas letters. I have to give credit to Monica McInerney for holding my interest because I have never taken so long to read a novel. First it was Christmas letters, then Christmas cards, the usual festive socializing, decorating, baking, shopping and wrapping that comes with the Christmas season. But… whenever I had a spare moment, I would pick up this novel and read.
The Gillespie family were an endearing lot. They faced many challenges and troubles but their love for each other was such that nothing could destroy their closeness. Sometimes the lack of communication was like a comedy of errors, but still I read on…. Angela was a matriarch in the truest sense. She was the stalwart head of the family around which the others revolved. An unfortunate circumstance led to Angela being separated from her family and a great deal of the novel centered upon how the family coped and grew during her absence from them.
For my complete review see: https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/
The Gillespie family were an endearing lot. They faced many challenges and troubles but their love for each other was such that nothing could destroy their closeness. Sometimes the lack of communication was like a comedy of errors, but still I read on…. Angela was a matriarch in the truest sense. She was the stalwart head of the family around which the others revolved. An unfortunate circumstance led to Angela being separated from her family and a great deal of the novel centered upon how the family coped and grew during her absence from them.
For my complete review see: https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/
kellitea_reads's review
3.0
The strength of this book is in its examination of the relationships we surround ourselves with and how they change us, our understanding of who we are and what we want. The Gillespie family was a vibrant portrait of the modern family and its struggles to recognize itself.
The book's weakness was its length. Even with its well plotted development and character studies it was about 1/3rd longer than it needed to be. From a personal preference standpoint I thought it wrapped up a little too neatly, and it could have resolved with a little tension left for the reader to grapple with.
The book's weakness was its length. Even with its well plotted development and character studies it was about 1/3rd longer than it needed to be. From a personal preference standpoint I thought it wrapped up a little too neatly, and it could have resolved with a little tension left for the reader to grapple with.
kathryn08's review
3.0
I don’t think I’ve read a Monica McInerney that I haven’t enjoyed - they are easy reads, that keep the story flowing easily. Having said that, this was not as good as the last one I read of hers - [b:The House of Memories|15780550|The House of Memories|Monica McInerney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343811284s/15780550.jpg|21495788] - and I am in two minds about it.
On the one hand, I liked the premise of the story, and the twist that happened about half way through. I also liked the setting - mostly on a rural South Australia station that used to run sheep but is now experiencing a bit of a slump, partly due to the drought and partly due to other factors. What I felt didn’t really ring true was some of the characters. I know I’ve read a couple of other reviews along these lines and have to agree that the supposedly grown-up children in the story generally seem quite immature. They’ve all moved back into the family home, which is fine, but the youngest, Lindy, who is about 28 years old, seems terribly needy, always seeking approval from her parents for the littlest thing, and I admit she rather got on my nerves. The others, twins, just over 30 years old, were a little better, but they had their moments as well, often seeming to be depending on their mother to wait on them hand and foot. I found it unlikely that 3 young women who had lived out of home would be quite so dependent on their parents if they moved back home.
Things improved half way through, when the three girls were obliged to step up and pitch in more than they had been previously, but there was still some very immature behaviour that just made the characters seem less believable, in my opinion.
Still, it was a fun read and I will happily read the next Monica McInerney published! 3.5 stars for this one.
On the one hand, I liked the premise of the story, and the twist that happened about half way through. I also liked the setting - mostly on a rural South Australia station that used to run sheep but is now experiencing a bit of a slump, partly due to the drought and partly due to other factors. What I felt didn’t really ring true was some of the characters. I know I’ve read a couple of other reviews along these lines and have to agree that the supposedly grown-up children in the story generally seem quite immature. They’ve all moved back into the family home, which is fine, but the youngest, Lindy, who is about 28 years old, seems terribly needy, always seeking approval from her parents for the littlest thing, and I admit she rather got on my nerves. The others, twins, just over 30 years old, were a little better, but they had their moments as well, often seeming to be depending on their mother to wait on them hand and foot. I found it unlikely that 3 young women who had lived out of home would be quite so dependent on their parents if they moved back home.
Things improved half way through, when the three girls were obliged to step up and pitch in more than they had been previously, but there was still some very immature behaviour that just made the characters seem less believable, in my opinion.
Still, it was a fun read and I will happily read the next Monica McInerney published! 3.5 stars for this one.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
In "Hello From the Gillespies," Angela is writing one of those end of the year letters that I am sure many of us have received or written at some point in time. Usually the letters are filled with glowing stories of a fabulous family that have you wondering if the stories are really real. Can anyone's life be good all the time? Angela has written many of these glowing letters but this year, she decides to do the unthinkable: she tells the truth and the truth is not as glossy as the fictions that she has told in all of the years before. This is a really story of what it means to be a family, warts in all. Families can fall apart or they can pull together. Now that her family knows what she thinks of them, it's up to them to decide what's next!
I really enjoyed this book. In Angela, we have a likeable character who is just trying to do her best. Her husband and she don't really talk anymore. Her three adult children are a mess and their lives are falling apart. Her young son is living in a dream world. Angela wants so badly for them to live the lives that she had written about in all of her previous holiday letters. I really felt for her plight. You really do only want the best for your family. I loved reading about this family. They each have their unique personalities and just when it thinks like they might fall apart, they do something really cool.
I really enjoyed the writing of this book. The author really does a great job of capturing all of the family members. I really enjoyed the way that she chose to tell this story. This marks the first book that I have ever read by Monica McInerney but after reading this one, I would love to read more!
I really enjoyed this book. In Angela, we have a likeable character who is just trying to do her best. Her husband and she don't really talk anymore. Her three adult children are a mess and their lives are falling apart. Her young son is living in a dream world. Angela wants so badly for them to live the lives that she had written about in all of her previous holiday letters. I really felt for her plight. You really do only want the best for your family. I loved reading about this family. They each have their unique personalities and just when it thinks like they might fall apart, they do something really cool.
I really enjoyed the writing of this book. The author really does a great job of capturing all of the family members. I really enjoyed the way that she chose to tell this story. This marks the first book that I have ever read by Monica McInerney but after reading this one, I would love to read more!
neftzger's review
4.0
This is a light holiday read that follows the daily struggles of the Gillespies as each member of the family attempts to find peace with themselves and their chosen paths. Through a series of events, all the children wind up living back at home (at least temporarily) just as the mother's Christmas letter has gone out. Only the letter that went out wasn't the one she wanted others to see - it was the one she wrote to blow off some steam and frustration about her life.
For the most part, the book is fairly simple and lighthearted in tone, which lends it a positive air. So, despite the struggles of family members, there is some comedic relief and we get to watch some likeable characters grow a bit from an embarrassing experience. The book probably won't completely change your life, but it probably will make you smile at least a few times.
For the most part, the book is fairly simple and lighthearted in tone, which lends it a positive air. So, despite the struggles of family members, there is some comedic relief and we get to watch some likeable characters grow a bit from an embarrassing experience. The book probably won't completely change your life, but it probably will make you smile at least a few times.