A Good Neighborhood
By Therese Anne Fowler
- Release Date: 2020-03-10
- Genre: Family Fiction & Literature
Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * One of NPR's Best Books of 2020
"A provocative, absorbing read." — People
“A feast of a read... I finished A Good Neighborhood in a single sitting. Yes, it’s that good.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light
In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son, Xavier, who’s headed to college in the fall. All is well until the Whitmans—a family with new money and a secretly troubled teenage daughter—raze the house and trees next door to build themselves a showplace.
With little in common except a property line, these two families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie's yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.
A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today—what does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?—as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.
Reviews
Quick read
5By GalligsLoved the characters and the story.Great read
5By chuckleedeeFast paced, twisty and so true in today’s world.Terrible
1By LeahFattFirst half was fine, despite the extremely stereotypical characters. The last third, where the actual story happens, is disgusting and terrible. I regret the time I spent reading this book and the money I paid for it.A Great Read
4By AllidanThis was a little slow to get started, which is why I am giving it only 4 stars. Once it got going, WOW! I could not put it down.Excellent
5By SaiaiiI read a lot of books, I will always remember this one. I couldn’t put it down, besides being a good read it’s an ambitious reminder of how easily society can change lives.A Good Neighborhood
5By yeah that G'villeWonderful and moving!Excellent
5By Runnerg71I am a very slow reader. It usually takes me a couple of months to finish a book, if I finish it. I finished this book in three days! It’s well done and unfortunately portrays a reality about racism, the power of wealth and what happens to innocence when you lose hope. Very gripping that leaves me a sadness of who is left standing and who is sacrificed all to easily in this country.Powerful and emotional
5By KHHSCA Good Neighborhood brings home issues that affect us all: entitlement, gentrification, racism, rape, bullying and concern for the environment. Terese Anne Fowler accomplishes this seamlessly by telling a simple, devastating story. Buck Whitman, a self made HVAC salesman, builds his McMansion in Oak Knoll, a small town with a diverse group of residents. He moves in with his wife Julia, teenage stepdaughter Juniper and daughter Lily. Valerie Alston-Holt, a professor at the local college and widow with Xavier, her biracial, musically gifted high school senior son, is his neighbor. I’m stopping here with the plot to avoid spoilers. I am not going to say you won’t have an idea where this novel is heading. You will. But as you read, you’ll be trying to stop it, to turn it around. I am sure The Good Neighborhood will certainly be one of the best books of this year. It broke my heart. 5 stars. Thank you, thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Terese Anne Fowler for this ARC.