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lalawoman416's review against another edition
3.0
Unbalanced. Some characters were entertaining. Others were a bore. Some stories were clever. Some just drudgery.
emjorgensen98's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
alexethridge's review
4.0
It was funny and I couldn't put it down. It spans generations starting with a couple who immigrates to Mid-Missouri in 1904. I miss Missouri a lot, and because it was set on the river, the descriptions of the setting brought me right back to college. I loved it.
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
Book on CD performed by Gibson Frazier
5***** and a ❤
This is a family saga, covering four generations of the Meisenheimer family over a century. It begins in 1904 Hanover Germany when Frederick and Jette meet, fall in love and decide to sail for America, ultimately settling in Beatrice, Missouri, a relatively small town on the banks of the Missouri River. We watch them taken advantage of due to their lack of English, but also helped by the kindness of strangers. One of the first to help them refuses any money but asks that they “become good Americans,” a request they take seriously.
The story is told by Frederick and Jette’s grandson, James, as he looks back at his family’s history. As happens in real life, the family intersects with many of the residents of Beatrice: the doctor, pharmacist, bartender, preacher, banker, funeral director, teachers, farmers, those who are prosperous and those down on their luck. We view history through the lens of one family’s experiences – World Wars I and II, the great depression, floods, the assassination of JFK, etc. The one constant for Frederick and his descendants is music. From opera to jazz to barbershop quartets, music accompanies the events of their lives.
In summary, this is a story of immigrants, a story of quintessential Americans, a story of struggle and triumph and defeat and unabashed joy. I absolutely loved it and as soon as I had finished it I wanted to read it again.
Gibson Frazier does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. I only wish that some of the operatic arias could have been sung. But that doesn’t really diminish Frazier’s performance.
5***** and a ❤
This is a family saga, covering four generations of the Meisenheimer family over a century. It begins in 1904 Hanover Germany when Frederick and Jette meet, fall in love and decide to sail for America, ultimately settling in Beatrice, Missouri, a relatively small town on the banks of the Missouri River. We watch them taken advantage of due to their lack of English, but also helped by the kindness of strangers. One of the first to help them refuses any money but asks that they “become good Americans,” a request they take seriously.
The story is told by Frederick and Jette’s grandson, James, as he looks back at his family’s history. As happens in real life, the family intersects with many of the residents of Beatrice: the doctor, pharmacist, bartender, preacher, banker, funeral director, teachers, farmers, those who are prosperous and those down on their luck. We view history through the lens of one family’s experiences – World Wars I and II, the great depression, floods, the assassination of JFK, etc. The one constant for Frederick and his descendants is music. From opera to jazz to barbershop quartets, music accompanies the events of their lives.
In summary, this is a story of immigrants, a story of quintessential Americans, a story of struggle and triumph and defeat and unabashed joy. I absolutely loved it and as soon as I had finished it I wanted to read it again.
Gibson Frazier does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. I only wish that some of the operatic arias could have been sung. But that doesn’t really diminish Frazier’s performance.
d52s's review
3.0
A good book, a mix of an immigrant story and a boy coming of age. Not overly gripping, but entertaining.
abigailfinney's review
4.0
This book was excellent. Rarely do I get attached to characters in the way that I did with A Good American. I thought this novel was beautifully done.
shirleytupperfreeman's review
3.0
This is another good immigrant story - narrated by the grandson of a young couple who left Germany in 1904, came through New Orleans and landed in Beatrice, Missouri. The story spans 4 generations and touches on many events in US history. When Frederick and Jette first arrive in America they are helped by an unlikely person and Frederick is told to go "be a good American." He spends the rest of his life trying to do just that while figuring out just what that means. There is an interesting twist at the end of the book. At first I thought there was a unrealistic amount of tragedy in the character's lives but I just read a letter/mini-memoir written by my husband's great grandfather and I am reminded that tragedy and early death wasn't all that unusual. This was an interesting and well-told story but for some reason I didn't get emotionally invested in the characters - the writing style puts some distance between the characters and the reader... or at least this reader.
angela_amman's review
4.0
Alex George's A Good American sweeps across the Atlantic to tell the story of the Meisenheimer family, as Frederick and Jette emigrate to America to raise their family. Their story, and that of the future generations of their family, is gently narrated by their grandson James.
A Good American encompasses so much of what makes families unique: secrets that build walls, simple gestures that break them down and the love and history that links generations together even when geography -- and even death -- stretch them apart.
Read the rest of my review at Angela Amman
A Good American encompasses so much of what makes families unique: secrets that build walls, simple gestures that break them down and the love and history that links generations together even when geography -- and even death -- stretch them apart.
Read the rest of my review at Angela Amman
serenitylive's review
2.0
Well-written, multi-generational American tale that took a turn in the teen years I did not enjoy.