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A Good Man: A Novel
 
 
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A Good Man: A Novel [Paperback]

Judith Henry Wall (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 26, 2005
From the acclaimed author of The Girlfriends Club a deeply affecting novel that tests the bonds of friendship against the long-buried pangs of first love

Rhonda, Gina Kay, and Holly were the best of friends in their small-town Texas high school until the day Gina Kay ran off and married Rhonda's boyfriend, Terry Robertson. Now, twenty-five years later, news of Terry's sudden death has reunited them, and brought to the surface old bonds and betrayals they thought they'd left behind.

The three old friends share a trip to New York City, where Gina Kay promises to finally reveal why and how she stole the love of Rhonda's life and ruined a friendship that was supposed to last forever. Over the course of that tumultuous trip, the women find themselves reconsidering their lives, the choices they made, the men they married, and all the paths not taken. As girls, they were stifled by their parents' expectations, small-town life, and the inevitability of biology. How many of their dreams did they actually pursue, and how many have they relinquished? If Rhonda had married Terry instead, would all of their lives have turned out differently?

A Good Man is a novel about good friends, first loves, shocking disloyalty, long-held secrets, and that ever-present question -- what if?


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three childhood best friends reunite after decades of silence in Wall's latest novel (after The Girlfriends Club). Growing up in rural Texas, Rhonda, Holly and Gina Kay vowed to be best friends forever. "But, the forever part turned out to be a pipe dream," and the fate of the friendship changed course the day that Gina Kay eloped with Terry, Rhonda's one and only true love. Twenty-five years later, their paths cross again at Terry's funeral, and Gina Kay convinces her old friends to trek to New York City for a five-day retreat where, she promises, she'll tell them the truth behind her marriage to Terry. The women are all on different career paths by then-Rhonda is a high-powered attorney, Holly an accomplished seamstress, Gina Kay a cattle rancher-but once in New York, the years of silence break down to reveal the many hurdles each one has faced. Rhonda's marriage is on the fritz because she's still holding onto the love she had for Terry; Holly is torn between her dream to become a hot fashion designer and her devotion to her family; and Gina Kay recovers from the brutal disappointments behind her picture-perfect marriage. Though Wall's prose style is often flat and her characters' emotions somewhat predictable, her plot lines are engrossing and her ending brings a satisfying conclusion to this reassuring tale of redemption, hope and, most of all, friendship.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gina Kay, Rhonda, and Holly spend their high-school years in Lamberton, Texas, attached at the hip, vowing to remain friends forever and to save each other from becoming "ordinary." But in their first semester at the University of Texas, Gina Kay suddenly elopes with Terry, Rhonda's high-school sweetheart, destroying the threesome. -Twenty-five years later, Rhonda is a successful Dallas lawyer, with a surgeon husband, but she still harbors resentment over Gina Kay and Terry's marriage. When Holly tells her that Terry has died, Rhonda reluctantly attends the funeral, where Gina Kay makes a proposition: the three of them will go to New York, where she'll explain why she ran off with Terry. Wall's characters are believable and sympathetic, each making mistakes and exercising bad judgment but muddling their way forward. Wall also generates a fair degree of suspense, as details about Terry are revealed slowly, leading up to the explanation in New York, which functions as the relationship novel's equivalent of a legal thriller's courtroom finale. Beth Leistensnider
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Original edition (April 26, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0684873885
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684873886
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,808,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not as Good As Her Older Stuff..., September 29, 2005
This review is from: A Good Man: A Novel (Paperback)
Judith Henry Wall is one of my favorite authors, but this book just didn't stand out as much as some her earlier works have, such as Handsome Women, My Mothers Daughter, and even Blood Sisters. Now don't get me wrong, this really was a good read, but I felt it was a three star read until the ending.

Rhonda, Holly, and Gina Kay have been friends since they were little. They plan on having big careers and leaving their little Texas town behind. They all go to the same college together, but that's where the friendship between the three falls apart.

Rhonda's been dating her high school love Terry for five years when she leaves for college. Not wanting to give him up but not wanting to get married either, she sort of strings him along for awhile. Well, out of the blue, Gina Kay leaves school for good and marries Terry all on the same day. Rhonda doesn't speak to her for over two decades, and Holly's stuck in the middle. The three get together 25 years later, shortly after Terry's accidental death, and Gina Kay promises to tell the two women why she married him.

For about 3/4 of the book I really couldn't stand Rhonda. We've all had that high school love-of-our-lives, but you grow up, get married, and move on. I found it really irritating that Rhonda just couldn't let it go. For being a big-shot lawyer, she was acting incredibly petty and immature. I understand why she was so hurt, but it's been 25 years...get over it. But in the end, she took the high road, which for the most part changed my opinion of her, and Gina Kay's story about how her life with Terry came to be was satisfying. While I recommend it, it's not her best stuff.
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4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, August 11, 2008
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This review is from: A Good Man: A Novel (Paperback)
This book was a good read. The first book I read written from Judith Henry Wall was "The Surrogate" which I thought was top of the line. This book was entertaining but not as good as The Surrogate. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of Judith Henry Wall books.
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3.0 out of 5 stars All About holding a Grudge, December 9, 2007
This review is from: A Good Man: A Novel (Paperback)
This title is misleading. It wasn't really about the good man at all, but mainly about his wife who was obsessed over her first love that ended badly and holding grudge against her best friend for stealing him away from her. It is a story of three girlfriends who go their separate ways and eventually restore their relationship after 25 years. Parts moved slowly, however, I plowed through it because I wanted to see if Rhonda would forgive Gina Kay and why Gina Kay married Rhonda's boyfriend.

It was a bit weird because I didn't really like Rhonda, the main character, but yet that was the one I most closely identified with. Not that I'm like her but just more like her than I was to the other two. I found Gina Kay to be the most interesting of the characters and found myself pulling for her to be able to restore the broken friendship.

If you like reading about girly relationships, friendship then I would recommend this book. It did cover the intracacies of a 3-way friendship and was interesting. I liked Family Secrets and The Surrogate by this author much better though.

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, Author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Rhonda recognized him as soon as he strolled into the waiting area for Gate 27-the guy from the Houston airport. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
friendship ring
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Gina Kay, New York, Ann Marie, Miss American Teenager, Terry Robertson, Michael Forester, Mama Matthews, San Antonio, Miss Thornton, Robertson Ranch, Doc Templeton, Brighton Beach, Central Park, Three Coins, Kara Lynn, Danny Boyd, Empire State Building, Miss Texas, Rhonda Hayes, Dallas Morning News, Jerry Winston, Madison Avenue, Terry Lee Robertson, Times Square, West Point
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