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fuzzyduckky's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't read the other books in this series and I don't think I will.
After a shocking first few chapters I was hooked, but that declined throughout the book. The title is true to the book, there isn't much good news in this book.
I enjoyed the characters and I thought they were well presented and you did get to know them well. 16 year old Reggie is very likeable and you feel her enthusiasm throughout. The storyline was interesting in some places but I did find myself bored in other sections.
It is an easy read but unfortunately not to my taste.
After a shocking first few chapters I was hooked, but that declined throughout the book. The title is true to the book, there isn't much good news in this book.
I enjoyed the characters and I thought they were well presented and you did get to know them well. 16 year old Reggie is very likeable and you feel her enthusiasm throughout. The storyline was interesting in some places but I did find myself bored in other sections.
It is an easy read but unfortunately not to my taste.
wckedmara's review against another edition
5.0
Kate Atkinson is always good. The characters are great and flawed, and nobody seemed entirely larger than life. I appreciate the dry humor and the level of detail. I appreciate that when she creates a smart character, the character actually puts 2 and 2 together at a pace similar to the reader. Her pacing of info giving and withholding is excellent.
85tarheel's review against another edition
5.0
Kate Atkinson writes books the absolutely defy classification. In my mind she is the immediate precursor to the incredibly rich mystery/thrillers that Tana French writes. Her language is beautiful, her characters complex (to the point of exasperation and causing me to yell at the book...not effective btw), and her stories touching in a real way that is as far from cloying as is possible. I think we all have a need to put things into boxes, to essentially make the world binary and definite, and this is just not how life is. These books reflect that basic truth. They are also classified as "Jackson Brodie books" and while that is definitely true, he is in all of them and plays an important role, he is really no more than 33% of this book as Ms. Atkinson creates other wonderful people to get to know. Family is central to this book and each of the characters has to deal with the messy realities of their own family, to often hilarious and dangerous results. She has a way of describing people that sticks with you, for instance "she drove in the way that an excitable and nearsighted chimpanzee might have done" and "a hippie-ish, well-intentioned woman called Jenny who looked as if she’d knitted herself". I love how she can capture the essential personality of Scottish folk with "'Fine,' she said, using the universal Scottish word for every state of being from 'I’m dying in anguish' to 'I’m experiencing euphoric joy.'” I think she is moving up on my list of active writers with each book I read. I started with her "literature" books and then read one of the newer Jackson Brodie books before I started going back to fill in on the series from the start. I have paced myself so that I have always has a new one to read in my future, but now I have just one more to read before I'm caught up. I'll save it for a time when I want a book that satisfies so many of my reading needs.
robynryle's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as Case Histories, but then I think I skipped a book in between Case Histories and this, which may have made things confusing. But still, a very intersting take on the detective-driven mystery franchise, only Jackson Brodie isn't really the center of the action, and often isn't really "solving" any mystery.
karieh13's review against another edition
4.0
It’s been a long time since I’ve savored a book. Lately, I’ve slogged through books, skimmed my way through books and inhaled books. (It’s been a hit and miss winter of reading, if you can’t tell.)
But “When Will There Be Good News?” is the perfect mix of gripping mystery, tongue in cheek societal commentary and careful character study. And? Even though it was more than difficult at times…I managed to savor it for a whole WEEK. (OK, there was one late night where I lost track of time, but still.)
Based on Atkinson’s previous Jackson Brodie novels, I was accustomed to her style and the pace of action, but I didn’t remember the wonderful snarkiness of some of her, I mean, the characters’ observations.
“In Jackson’s long experience, security covered a multitude of sins, but actually it was pretty straightforward – he had a card in his wallet that said “Jackson Brodie – Security Consultant” (consultant, now there was a word that covered an even greater multitude of sins).”
And when Atkinson read my thoughts, “…he believed that no woman should wear a pair of shoes that she couldn’t, if necessary, run away in.” “….None of the women at Bernie’s soiree looked as if they would be prepared to toss away their Manolos and Jimmy Choos to make a quick getaway. Yes, he knew the names of designer shoemakers, and no, that wasn’t the kind of stuff real men from the north should know…”
And one of my favorites: “…the walls had been spray-painted rather ineptly with the words, “Your dead.” Reggie felt bile rising up, making her nauseous. You cant hide from us. Who was us? Who were these people who didn’t know how to use an apostrophe? They must be looking for Billy. Billy knew a lot of ungrammatical people.”
Kate Atkinson has a sneaky way of easing into dramatic and usually violent scenes that catches me off guard, has me jumping back a few paragraphs in a startled, “Did I really just read that?” kind of way. Early in the book, she had me right smack in the middle of a sunny, humid summer day, feeling the sun, smelling dried grass…and then literally (hee) smacked me upside the head with a random act of violence that I did NOT see coming.
And the mystery and action build in such a character focused way that while I may not be able to predict what the characters will do, she’s laid enough groundwork that their actions never take a sideways turn that seem out of place.
In that character focused way, the book is filled with wonderful bits – simply said, but exactly right.
“Yes,” Reggie said. “My mother’s not here at the moment.” One lie, one truth. They canceled each other out and left the world unchanged.”
Or “It went without saying that Jackson didn’t believe in angels, but in extremis he was always willing to give credence to anything.”
And “He had drawn those terrible feelings inside himself, nourishing them in solitary confinement until they formed the hard, black nugget of coal at the heart of his soul, but now the disaster was external, the wreckage was tangible, it was outside the room he was sleeping in.”
Because this book involves a mystery…several mysteries, really, I’ve been trying to carefully pick quotes that are not spoilers. And – I just realized that in my review – I never really even touched on the plot.
I suppose it’s because this book was about the characters and the writing…and the feeling of the book for me. Which for me was enough – more than enough. To enjoy, to re-read, to savor.
But “When Will There Be Good News?” is the perfect mix of gripping mystery, tongue in cheek societal commentary and careful character study. And? Even though it was more than difficult at times…I managed to savor it for a whole WEEK. (OK, there was one late night where I lost track of time, but still.)
Based on Atkinson’s previous Jackson Brodie novels, I was accustomed to her style and the pace of action, but I didn’t remember the wonderful snarkiness of some of her, I mean, the characters’ observations.
“In Jackson’s long experience, security covered a multitude of sins, but actually it was pretty straightforward – he had a card in his wallet that said “Jackson Brodie – Security Consultant” (consultant, now there was a word that covered an even greater multitude of sins).”
And when Atkinson read my thoughts, “…he believed that no woman should wear a pair of shoes that she couldn’t, if necessary, run away in.” “….None of the women at Bernie’s soiree looked as if they would be prepared to toss away their Manolos and Jimmy Choos to make a quick getaway. Yes, he knew the names of designer shoemakers, and no, that wasn’t the kind of stuff real men from the north should know…”
And one of my favorites: “…the walls had been spray-painted rather ineptly with the words, “Your dead.” Reggie felt bile rising up, making her nauseous. You cant hide from us. Who was us? Who were these people who didn’t know how to use an apostrophe? They must be looking for Billy. Billy knew a lot of ungrammatical people.”
Kate Atkinson has a sneaky way of easing into dramatic and usually violent scenes that catches me off guard, has me jumping back a few paragraphs in a startled, “Did I really just read that?” kind of way. Early in the book, she had me right smack in the middle of a sunny, humid summer day, feeling the sun, smelling dried grass…and then literally (hee) smacked me upside the head with a random act of violence that I did NOT see coming.
And the mystery and action build in such a character focused way that while I may not be able to predict what the characters will do, she’s laid enough groundwork that their actions never take a sideways turn that seem out of place.
In that character focused way, the book is filled with wonderful bits – simply said, but exactly right.
“Yes,” Reggie said. “My mother’s not here at the moment.” One lie, one truth. They canceled each other out and left the world unchanged.”
Or “It went without saying that Jackson didn’t believe in angels, but in extremis he was always willing to give credence to anything.”
And “He had drawn those terrible feelings inside himself, nourishing them in solitary confinement until they formed the hard, black nugget of coal at the heart of his soul, but now the disaster was external, the wreckage was tangible, it was outside the room he was sleeping in.”
Because this book involves a mystery…several mysteries, really, I’ve been trying to carefully pick quotes that are not spoilers. And – I just realized that in my review – I never really even touched on the plot.
I suppose it’s because this book was about the characters and the writing…and the feeling of the book for me. Which for me was enough – more than enough. To enjoy, to re-read, to savor.
didactylos's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Almost every sentence is a delight in itself. Clever plotting, ingenious suspense.
fern17's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
mizannie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
4.0
Quite enjoyed this novel. I loved watching the pieces fall into place, seeing how the different characters' lives intersected. And I laughed out loud at a few parts - unusual in a mystery. I have enjoyed all of Atkinson's novels that I've read, and this is my favorite one, I think.
hannah_gunn's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5