meganturnsthepage's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
griffk07's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
There’s a bit of back and forth through time that can get confusing but it takes you through the whole life span of a family.
katymvt's review against another edition
3.0
It was well-written, but the problem with a book spanning 5 or 6 decades and three generations is that there are too many characters and too much left out time. The only characters I really liked where Paul and Andy Others, I didn't really get to know well enough to like, or were just downright awful. Maybe if I could see more into their motiviations, I would have liked them more, but I'll never know.
kristamccracken's review against another edition
4.0
Burnard's depiction of small town Canada and the trials of a family are spot on. A Good House follows the Chambers family for fifty years and across multiple generations. At times the abundance of grandchildren and multitude of names do become a bit confusing, but this doesn't impact the story negatively -- rather it made me think of the large families were even the family members have a hard time remembering everyone sometimes.
The story is simple and does a good job of being true to real life. I also really enjoyed Burnard's use of actual places - the University of Western Ontario, Grand Bend, and countless other Southern Ontario landmarks. This accurate landscape helped me imagine a real family living their lives in the small town of Stonebrook.
The story is simple and does a good job of being true to real life. I also really enjoyed Burnard's use of actual places - the University of Western Ontario, Grand Bend, and countless other Southern Ontario landmarks. This accurate landscape helped me imagine a real family living their lives in the small town of Stonebrook.
bookthia's review against another edition
4.0
The 2000 Giller Prize winner, this book is like looking through old family movies after a family dinner. I feel all warm, cozy and filled up.
eileen9311's review against another edition
4.0
This I loved! It was an old fashioned, generational family saga, with the writing so beautiful that you were unaware somehow. The tale meandered, much as life does, with evolving relationships and emerging tolerances. There were brief hints of the typical Canadian arrogance towards Americans, but I can forgive her that. I was disappointed to learn that Bonnie Burnard's additional work consists only of a couple of short story collections and one other novel. That one looks as though it may be heavy going, but I will probably be unable to resist.
caterina_x's review against another edition
2.0
Not my type of book, thus the low rating. Well written but slow reading for me.
jsc8675309's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this. Very quick read. I loved the storytelling, the flash forwards. Almost like you were looking at a family photo album and looking at specific pictures and talking about the stories behind them. Loved that. There was a subplot that was silly and bordered on ridiculous, which was a little off putting to me, but I still really enjoyed it.