Good to a Fault [Perfect Paperback]

Marina Endicott (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1551119293 | ISBN-13: 978-1551119298 | Publication Date: September 10, 2008 | Edition: 1st

In a novel reminiscent of the work of Penelope Lively, Anne Tyler, and Alice Munro, acclaimed author Marina Endicott gives us one of the most satisfying, most profound, and most memorable reads of the year.

Absorbed in her own failings, Clara Purdy crashes her life into a sharp left turn, taking the young family in the other car along with her. When bruises on the mother, Lorraine, prove to be late-stage cancer, Clara against all habit and comfort moves the three children and their terrible grandmother into her own house.

We know what is good, but we don't do it. In Good to a Fault, Clara decides to give it a try, and then has to cope with the consequences: exhaustion, fury, hilarity, and unexpected love. But she must question her own motives. Is she acting out of true goodness, or out of guilt? Most shamefully, has she taken over simply because she wants the baby for her own?

What do we owe in this life, and what do we deserve? This compassionate, funny, and fiercely intelligent novel looks at life and death through grocery-store reading glasses: being good, being at fault, and finding some balance on the precipice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Canadian writer Endicott's second novel (and stateside debut) is an enjoyable and affirming meditation on altruism, goodness, and loneliness. The quiet, circumscribed world of divorcée Clara Purdy gets shaken up when she gets in a car accident with the Gage family, who are homeless and have been living in their car. In the aftermath, the mother, Lorraine Gage, is diagnosed with cancer, and Clara takes the family into her home while Lorraine undergoes treatment. The father absconds almost immediately, and Lorraine's mother, Mrs. Pell, proves to be deeply unpleasant. Clara, however, continues to visit Lorraine in the hospital, tend to the three children, and eventually takes in Lorraine's alcoholic brother as well. Her willingness to go to such lengths for strangers is a perpetual curiosity to those around her, and just as the Gage family solidifies around her and she begins a new relationship, Lorraine's health takes a surprising turn and Clara must decide again, what is the right thing to do. Endicott's rich writing struggles to find its groove at first, but the balance of prose, plot, and purpose soon evens out into a touching story. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* If she’d only driven straight ahead, Clara Purdy wouldn’t have been thrown for such a curve. When her car plows into that of the Gage family—father, mother, three children, and cranky grandmother—Clara ends up exchanging more than just routine insurance information. Though no one is seriously injured, Lorraine Gage requires hospitalization, and tests reveal she suffers from an advanced stage of cancer. Homeless and nearly destitute, the remaining Gages are welcomed into guilt-ridden Clara’s home. Long divorced, stuck in a lackluster job, Clara and her world could use a little shaking up, but caring for the Gages gives her more than she bargained for. As she grows to love the three kids and tolerate the grandmother (dad flies the coop), Clara begins contemplating the “what if” of Lorraine’s uncertain future and finds she welcomes the role of instant motherhood. Probing the moral and emotional minefield of heroic Samaritan acts, Endicott’s enchanting and poignant novel of compassion run amok handles provocative issues with a deft and winsome touch. --Carol Haggas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Broadview Press; 1st edition (September 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551119293
• ISBN-13: 978-1551119298
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,984,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marina Endicott was born in Canada, in Golden, BC. She grew up in Halifax and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Toronto, Ontario. After working for many years as an actor in Toronto and later in London, England, she began to write fiction. In 1984 she went west to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and worked as a director and dramaturge. She ran the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre for many years before going farther west with Peter Ormshaw, a journalist and poet, on his first posting with the RCMP to Mayerthorpe, Alberta. They have two children, Will (17) and Rachel (14).

Marina's first book, Open Arms, was nominated for the Amazon/Books In Canada First Novel award in 2002, and her long poem about the murders of four RCMP officers in Mayerthorpe in 2005 was short-listed for the national CBC Literary Awards in 2006.

Good to a Fault won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for the Canada/Caribbean region, was a finalist for Canada's prestigious Giller Prize, and was one of the featured books for the national CBC's Canada Reads in 2010. She is at work on a new novel, The Belle Auroras, about a sister-trio-harmony vaudeville act touring the Canadian prairies in 1912.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD, SLOW REFLECTIVE READ. One of the better new novels I have read in quite some time., September 6, 2010

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good To a Fault: A Novel (Hardcover)

At the urging of my wife I broke down and read this one; a type of novel that is not normally my cup of tea. I am so grateful that she, my wife, forced the issue. This in many ways was one of the more satisfying reads I have had in quite some time.

The plot has been given a pretty good going over here by other reviewers so I will not linger long. A lady, Clara who is divorced, 43 and who has a job and a boss that she absolutely hates, who has nursed here dying parents through to the end and is now living in their old home, happens to hit a car occupied by a homeless family. While no one is horribly hurt, it is found that the mother of this homeless crew has a very serious illness. As the story slowly evolves, we have Clara taking this entire family in to her home and become in reality a member of their family, the care giver, if you will.

The plot develops very slowly and may put off some readers, but it is this sort of slow development that in the end makes for a very profound read. It is the type of development I personally enjoy. In this case it gives the author more than ample time to develop her characters, and make no mistake, this is a character driven work. When you finish this read, you will certainly feel that you truly know the individuals inhabiting the pages of the book.

Most importantly though, this story addresses just what is good. What is the "right thing" to do in a given situation? Just how responsible are we for our fellow travelers in this world? Were does being taken advantage of start and where does it end? Just how involved should we be? What is ethical, what is doing something out of pure guilt end or begin?

The author does a wonderful job describing the interactions of her cast. We watch as Clara becomes completely captivated by her new family, the nice members of the family as well as the not so nice. She has decisions to make and we are allowed to follow her decision making process. We are forced to ask ourselves "would I do that?" "Would I go that extra mile; would I do the right thing?"

I have to admit that I was completely captivated by this work. For some reason it struck a cord with me. The author is certainly good at her craft and I suppose since I do enjoy a well written story that that was part of it, yet there was more to it than that. It forced me to look into myself for a bit, and I suppose to wonder if I could live up to certain human standards.

This is a good read and I truly enjoyed it. I must admit though, that like other reviewers here, the ending lift me sort of out there hanging in the wind.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT, March 25, 2010

By 

Don Pape "BookMan" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Good To a Fault: A Novel (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This is my first read of Endicott's writings but I'll be looking for more.
A great debut and a compelling story in the style of Christopher Bohjalian and Joseph Monninger.
Another moving novel exploring male / female relationships, the dysfunctional family and even social justice.
The story keeps you turning the page for a touching finale.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, August 9, 2010

By 

Kesal "kes" (NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good To a Fault: A Novel (Hardcover)

I didn't want to put this book down. Of course, I was interested in finding out how the story played out, but it was more that I fell in love with the characters and wanted to spend more time with them. Each personality seemed very distinct and "real". I felt that the book was well plotted and well paced, and the ending (pleasantly) surprised me.

The storyline reminded me in some ways of Anne Tyler's "Saint Maybe" and of Cynthia Voight's "Homecoming". Those are two of my old favorites, so "Good to a Fault" had to be pretty darn good to measure up in my eyes. Endicott had her own satisfying take on the orphaned/abandoned children plot. I hope that she will write many more books. I'd love to see a sequel, although this book stands well on it's own.