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The Good Neighbor: A Novel
The Good Neighbor: A Novel
The Good Neighbor: A Novel
Ebook450 pages6 hours

The Good Neighbor: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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When Francie and Colt Hart drive past an abandoned 150-year-old farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania, they both fall head-over-heels in love with it -- but for entirely different reasons. Colt, an ambitious, hard-charging stock trader, sees it as a potential showcase for his wealth. Francie, long dependent on antidepressants, hopes it will inspire her to resume the literary life she abandoned when she married Colt ten years before; perhaps, she thinks, it will save their faltering marriage. But the more they learn about the house, and especially the tragic history of its previous occupants (whose descendants are their new neighbors), the more it threatens to drive them apart.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateJun 2, 2009
ISBN9780061952685
The Good Neighbor: A Novel
Author

William Kowalski

William Kowalski is the author of Eddie's Bastard, Somewhere South of Here, and The Adventures of Flash Jackson. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970 and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania. He lives in Nova Scotia with his wife and daughter.

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Unlike many of the reviews I've read, I want to highlight the qualities of the text, not merely retell the plot! The novel is centred on the frailties of human relationships. It is also an indictment of the shallowness of the pursuit of material wealth at the expense of empathy and basic regard for others who are less fortunate.
    Written from third person POV ,A Good Neighbour exposes issues such as selfishness, the treatment of women and the importance of forgiveness, tolerance and most importantly, the realisation that a good neighbour can be the catalyst for change.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When Francie and Colt Hart take a Sunday drive out of New York City intothe Pennsylvania countryside, they both see the house at the same timeand fall in love with it for completely different reasons. For Francie,the house itself draws her into itself, whispering it's secrets andtantalizing her poet's heart. She feels she's finally "come home" andhopes to awaken her inspiration to write again. But Colt sees thehistoric house as a fine feather in his cap, a "summer place" to bringhis power broker and stock trader buddies to show off. For Francie,it's a home. For Colt, it's a trophy, just another acquisition, anotherasset on his balance sheet.They buy the house for a song and discover that it has sat empty forover 25 years. It's sturdy and sound, but needs work and Francie hopesthat it will finally be something that she and Colt can work ontogether. They've been married for 10 years and sometimes it seems theyare almost strangers.Shortly after they move a few things in, the house begins to give up itssecrets to Francie, and the more they discover about it, the fartherapart it seems to drive them. When Francie discovers an old familycemetery hidden on the property, it somehow brings out qualities in eachof them that come as a total surprise to the other.This is the story, not just of this couple, but of the house itself andits history. It's a story of finding home and finding out what the truecharacter of those closest to you is all about. It's a quiet littlebook, with a few surprises sprinkled here and there. I enjoyed it.Kowalski has a way with words and knows how to turn a phrase, but thisone wasn't nearly as enchanting as Eddie's Bastard (which was his firstnovel) was. I'll give it a 3.5.

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The Good Neighbor - William Kowalski

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