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When Will There Be Good Newsby Kate Atkinson |
Debbie Weiss:
I really loved this book! The characters were all well defined and believable. I particularly loved Reggie,
who was able to rise above a life of disappointments and create a positive existence for herself, in spite of
all the obstacles. I was fascinated by how Kate Atkinson was able to make all the disparate characters interconnect.
Every time I thought that all the loose ends were tied up, one more popped up --- but in the end all questions were
answered and I felt good about everything. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: *****
Donna Newman:
Thank you to Gail and Arlene for introducing me to this very
entertaining book. I am a mystery fan, but I had not read
a good one in a long time. I read the book on my Kindle,
and I appreciated the dictionary that accompanies the program
for many of Atkinson's word choices. (Do you know what "uxorious" means?)
The popular culture references ring true today, but I do not know if
they will hold up in the future.
Rating: ****
Gail Reid: I agree with Arlene's 5-star review of "When Will There Be Good News?" Most mystery stories have predictable plots and one-dimensional characters, so it's a pleasure when an author like Kate Atkinson can spin a tale and make you think. I was somehwat challenged by the Scottish dialogue but amused as well.
There are many characters and several plot lines but unlike a lot of authors who can't wrap up a story effectively, Kate Atkinson is very skilled at making it all come together.
The 16-year old heroine Reggie and the detective
Jackson Brodie are complex characters that draw you in.
"When Will There Be Good News" is actually the third novel
to star Jackson Brodie in a literary who-done-it. I recommend
"Case Histories" and "One Good Turn" and look forward to the next
Kate Atkinson novel.
Rating: *****
Arlene Almas: This novel tells the interlocking
stories of a whole host of characters: Dr. Joanna Hunter, nee Mason,
married to Neil and mother of baby Gabriel; Reggie, her 16-year-old mother's helper;
Louise, a police detective, and her husband Patrick; Jackson Brodie, a private investigator;
and others too numerous to mention (but I will mention a couple: Ms. MacDonald, Reggie's
teacher, and Sadie, Joanna's very smart dog). You might think
it would be hard to keep track of all these people, but it's not - each
chapter focuses on one of them, but also features on or more of the others.
All the main characters have back stories, some of which also interlock.
Joanna, Reggie, Louise, and Jackson have had tragedies or unhappiness
in their lives, but they keep persevering in finding and experiencing
what is decent in life. I found the whole story and its characters fascinating,
and recommend it highly.
Rating: *****
