Customer Reviews

Good-bye and Amen: A Novel (P.S.)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When I first began to read this book, I had not remembered reading Leeway Cottage. I read so many books I don't always remember. As I started reading this story about children and grandchildren dividing up a life when the mother and father die, the format seemed familiar. It is written in diary form. Then there were the different family members names. They seemed somehow familiar.

I went on line and brought up Leeway Cottage and read the reviews. BINGO!!! I had read it and remember really enjoying it. So I dived back into Goodbye and Amen and couldn't put it down. It sort of tied up the life of Sydney and Laurus Moss through their children. You also get to revisit places and things that you remember happening.

I would recomend reading Leeway Cottage first to really appreciate and enjoy Good-bye and Amen. I didn't like it quite as much but it brought back the memories of that novel and I think I am going to read Leeway Cottage again.

Great job to Beth Gutcheon. The characters are so real and her writing is so good!

My Review of Good-Bye and Amen by Beth Gutcheon

As the sequel to Leeway Cottage, Good-Bye and Amen is the continuing drama about the Moss family. The story is still a fascinating stand-alone novel even if you haven't read Beth Gutcheon's first tale about this captivating New England family.

Good-Bye and Amen is written in a unique format and recounts how three siblings reunite at their family summer home in Maine to decide how to divide up their parents' estate. The story begins with the Moss children, now adults, going through their parents' possessions following Laurus and Sydney Moss's death. The marriage of well to do American Sydney Brant to talented pianist Laurus was a mystery to most people who knew them but especially to their children. Both their parents influenced the three children but their domineering mother was the one with the greatest influence on how they grew up.

Pressed by their own families to get their fair share of their inheritance, the siblings struggle with how to reasonably divide up what their parents left them while keeping their love for each other intact. This "lottery" of their inheritance also brings the siblings together as a way of saying goodbye to their parents.

Things get off on the wrong foot when the son, Jimmy, takes the baby grand piano that middle sister, Monica, wanted very much. Jimmy is the youngest and for years was off on his own, said to be involved with drugs, but has now settled down with a respectable job making computer games and living in California with his wife Janice. Surprisingly, Jimmy wants to be fair with his sisters, even though he isn't yet sure he wants to have a relationship with them again. This trip is one in which he decides they may all learn more about each other and come away better off in the end.

Eleanor Applegate, the eldest Moss child, is well mannered and very secure in her marriage to Bobby, a banker with a laid-back manner about him. Eleanor is not as much interested in what she can get for herself but rather for her children.

Middle child, Monica, is married to Norman Faithful, who just may not live up to his name. He is a pompous minister from a rather dubious background and is basically unpopular with the rest of the clan. Monica herself wants whatever she can get. Her desire to possess so much may be a substitute for what she is lacking in her troubled marriage. Although Monica is loyal to Norman, even after he quit his law practice to take up the ministry, it is easy to see that he is deeply disturbed and not what Monica thought he was when they married.

As mentioned, the story is told in a unique format using short sections conveyed by the characters in the story. They each tell about what is going on from their own point of view and when you then read the next part told by another character, one can see that everyone may have a difference of opinion on what is really going on. This way of writing makes the reading of Good-Bye and Amen an extraordinary and outstanding book to read as it brings you right into the family. It makes you wish you were in that house in Maine with them so you could share your idea of what is going on.

Who will get what is a main part of the story as every item, no matter large or small, plays an important role as it reflects bitterness and hard feelings that Eleanor, Monica, Jimmy and their families feel toward one another. The final decision of dividing the actual home into thirds leads to the outcome of where this family will go from here and what it will mean for their family and generations to come.

The story is open and amusing and memorable. The middle section of the book contains photographs of the family and that adds to the reader really seeing "the whole picture" of the Moss family.

Submitted by Karen Haney, July, 2008

It is obvious from the outset that it would have proven useful to the readers of Good-Bye and Amen to have also read Beth Gutcheon's previous offering Leeway Cottage. Perhaps then we would have had some inkling of who the characters in this saga were and how they related to the other characters. This reader was about 60 pages into the book, and continuously flipping back and forth in the story in an attempt to ascertain who each person speaking was and what their connection was to the other characters. (Had I realized that the BACK OF THE BOOK included "biographies of the contributors" that explained the background of each "speaker" in the book, it might have been a help, but alas I read the book from front to back and not from back to front).

Initial confusion aside, I ultimately did enjoy this story of the three siblings and their respective spouses, children, friends and adversaries once I got everyone sorted out. I even enjoyed the flow and structure of the tale. It reads like a diary from a group therapy session with everyone defending or justifying their actions while questioning the motives and actions of others. Ultimately we find that it is not the family the prays together, stays together.....but rather that blood is thicker than water.

All things considered, I'd give it 2 ½ stars.

When two parents die together, it isn't as romantic as one might envisioned. They leave behind all the stuff that needs to be sorted through and given to the family members. This novel started out with that premise in mind.

Eleanor, Monica and Jimmy met up at their parents' old house one weekend. According to their parents' wishes, they did a lottery type drawing and the siblings had to pick out what they wanted or what their extended family members wanted. And the novel evolved from that. There's Eleanor, the oldest daughter and the "perfect one." Monica is the much-ignored middle child and Jimmy is the most loved youngest. Their parents left behind not only material goods but memories that each of them had to sift through, especially Monica. The novel is more centered around Monica and her charming minister of a husband, Norman.

This is an unique story-telling style though and at first, I wasn't sure I was going to like reading different voices telling their own version of the same stories. However, after a few pages of reading it started to feel like I am at a family reunion where everyone is telling me their side of things ... and it moved along pretty well. It is a very fascinating way of telling the story and it does move the novel along pretty well. Gutcheon has a way of telling the story and keeping the reader interested until the end.

This is a novel about families, their expectations, their memories and how much their lives are tied in with their parents even after their parents have died and moved on. It shares revelations among the grandchildren and just about every voice in this novel is one that I can recognize and see within in my own life. There were honest voices, pretentious voices and sly voices. They are voices of people that live life as they know how and grow up the only way they know how.

It is a really sweet novel and if you like to read about family sagas, this one definitely fits the bill. I am not sure if I have read any of her books before, but I think I would like to try her again. She has definitely a way of writing to keep my attention.

7/31/08

I selected this book and then realized it was a sequel to "Leeway Cottage". I immediately purchased "Leeway" and read it to be in a position to read this next book in the saga. After completing both books, I think that was a very fortunate thing to do ..... reading "Good-Bye and Amen" without the first one would not have been nearly as good. As it was, the first part of the book is challenging and I re-read several sections to make sure I understood who all the characters were and what the relationships were. It was well worth the time and effort because this book is a joy!

The format is different from anything I have read and each character has a few paragraphs to convey what is happening before the next character weighs in. While a little jarring at first, the technique works and is very fun to read. You actually get to be inside each character's head and see how they perceived the events and what emotions they were experiencing at the time. With this style and generally outstanding writing, I felt like I ended up knowing these charaters as well as my own family.

Other reviewers have given a good synopsis of the story line, so I won't spend time on that, but let me say this is fabulous book. The characters are very well drawn and the writing great. One of the best books I have read all year ..... couldn't but it down.

Goodbye and Amen is a contemporary family drama with a large cast of characters. It begins as three adult children are dividing up the family heirlooms following their parents' deaths. The story follows all three families, including the spouses and children, and pulls in assorted neighbors, friends, coworkers, and assorted bystanders along the way.

The format is unusual. The story is told in little "bursts" of one or a few paragraphs from a particular character, and then switches to another character. It took me a few pages to get used to it, but I found it quite enjoyable. The phrasing of each "burst" is very conversational - I could almost "hear" each character talking to me. I got the sense of being at a party, milling around collecting the gossip from various people. Or of watching a montage of television interviews, getting just the sound bites without the interviewer's questions. Each character's personality really comes through just in their perspective of events and the wording they choose.

There is one character who has passed on, and is sharing his lofty wisdom from the great beyond. I didn't enjoy this perspective as much as the other characters, as it didn't seem to fit with the daily concerns and everyday personalities of the rest of the ensemble. Perhaps that was the point, and it was just lost on me. I may have appreciated this voice more had I already read Leeway Cottage (the prequel).

Monica (Nika) and Norman Faithful are the primary characters of this family-based Epistolary style novel. Various family members, friends, co-workers, employees and acquaintances join the Faithful characters in depicting this generational saga.

Monica is joined by her siblings who travel to the fictional town of Dundee, Maine after her parents death. The family is left to sort through family history and belongings including what to do with the seaside cottage.

Interlaced with mystery, pathos and humor the author, Beth Gutcheon, has her Faithful characters end up not being so faithful. A lovely word play on the Faithful name which brought a bit of ironic humor. Of course I love word plays and word games so I treasured this writing tidbit.

Members of the Episcopalian faith will enjoy the writing about the Vestry, church doings, and church politics. Anyone who has been a member of the Episcopalian church will truly understand the background humor shown through the characters actions.

Gutcheon's novel included provided a nostalgic and homey touch through the depiction of "family photos" giving the impression that this fictional family truly lived.

Her inclusion of the biography of the fictional contributors helps the reader track who's who in this novel.

Overall, I am glad I read this book as Gutcheon's writing is excellent. My only complaint is the Epistolary format which takes a bit of getting accustomed to when reading the book. Once that is done, the novel flows and is an easy read.

Note: I'd rate this book at 3.5 stars, if possible. It is almost a 4 star rating based on the well crafted characters. Also, an Epistolary novel is one that typically uses character written letters to move the story along. This style of novel was quite popular during Jane Austen's time.

While Beth Gutcheon's novel was sometimes intriguing in the unveiling of a family's dynamics... it really fell short of the mark for me in storytelling.

The format of this New England family tale is sectioned so that each character has a paragraph or two to help the story unfold. I tried to set aside my initial resistance to a change in expected story pattern and just sink into the book.

It never got more comfortable. Although rather unexpected, I'm not sure that this contrived format works. It leaves the story feeling disjointed and just did not ever pull me into the story. There are too many characters to artfully hold that style together.

For folks that love family bonding/fighting stories, there are many other books out there that are more compelling to me. This one had moments of charm which were quickly lost the next time an unknown character was thrown into the mix with his or her opinions.

I can't say I would recommend it.

I adored this book !! For those of us in our 50's, we are now experiencing dealing with parents who are about to pass into spirit. This part is comforting.....we know they'll be loved and in perfect peace.

But WE are still here.....and dealing with sisters, brothers and other childhood relationships is a dimension NO ONE wants to enter.... Thus, the story of lives lived, the chaos of interactions with people who must enter our mental sanctuary once again, and the ensuing pleasurable yet disturbing emotions that rise up out of our souls.

This saga is told in a delightful manner which brings back memories of our own stories...some are enjoyable and some are shocking. The author taps into a world which we thought was ours alone....only to reveal, that it was their's as well.

Absorbing this book has uplifted my spirits and I was very sorry when I reached the last page. I could've continued for months...It is rare when a book reaches us in a way that helps to release all that "stuff" we've pushed down since childhood. It's a right of passage to let it all go....

I highly recommend this read. I plan to purchase it for several people who may find it as warmhearted and cheerful as I did.

Something can be good, even if it is derivative. I am trying to make up my mind about this work.

How do you break up a house? Hold a middle-aged orphans lottery. Beware, though, the wrong person might receive the piano.

Death of the parents involved a faulty heater. Jimmy Moss, Monica Faithful and Eleanor Applegate list the things they want from the family cache. By the lottery weekend the house resembles a warehouse.

The book has some of the attributes of memoirs and fiction by members of the Minot family and the oral history of Edie Sedgwick. In addition there is a John Cheever short story the reader may summon to mind. There is a hint, too, of the Sue Miller novels in the author's portrayal of both adult siblings and the lives of clergymen and their offspring and spouses.

Driving the story are the purportedly disparate speeches and recollections of family members and friends. (Since I enjoy reading plays, I like the voices of the contributors.) The history-drenched settings are both in New England-- the house in Connecticut and the summer cottages on the island in Maine.

Whether or not a reader will find this book absorbing is a matter of taste. It does capture nicely the current interest in realistic, seemingly true to life accounts of the travails of family life and its artifacts. The story-telling has good balance. There is a steady focus on one of the daughters of the family and her husband, the rector. The tone of the work is ironic. Conflicts between generations are often amusing.