The Good Neighbor

by William Kowalski

When Colt and Francie Hart stumble upon an empty 150-year-old house during a weekend drive in the country, they each fall in love with it and want to buy it -- for entirely different reasons. For Colt, the house will become a trophy representing his enormous success at trading stocks. For Francie, a blocked poet, the house seems to whisper hints for reawakening her creativity. Picking up the house for a song, the couple begins the transition from city dwelling to country life and find for the first time in too long that they have something to work on together. Yet the more the Harts learn about the house, its history, and its previous inhabitants, the more it drives them apart. And when Francie discovers an old family cemetery hidden on the property, it somehow brings out qualities in each of them that come as a total surprise to the other. Events that conspire to destroy their marriage could just as easily bring the couple together again in this story of two people who, in looking for a place to call home, find themselves instead.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 23, 2004

Reviews

[Nadine Rose Larter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well....that was kind of...odd... I'm kind of a Kowalkski fan, in that when I was 20 I read Eddie's Bastard and it kind of happened while I was starting to realise that I wanted to write and it played into the becoming a writer thing really well. The follow up, Somewhere South of Here, played the game well too - in fact even better because I particularly adored that book (I should maybe read it again). And somewhere along the line I found Flash Jackson pretty fascinating. So I was really excited to read this book. From the beginning I hated it though. The main characters are pretty cliche and exceptionally loathsome. The husband is a classic douche. You read about him and immediately you feel like "hey, I know that guy"...and then you go "why the hell did this idiot of a woman marry him?" and then you just hate her because clearly she is an idiot. I don't know. I think on the whole the writing was fine. I enjoyed the parts that covered the history of the house. Kowalski uses a few cliches, but nothing unforgivable. I just....I just didn't buy any of it. I don't know. For one I had no reason to believe that Francie was intelligent or wonderful, other than being told that she was. But creepiest of all. I guess I have to admit to myself that it is entirely possible that hating these two so much is simply a denial of my own recognition of the toxic dynamic between them. Oh...and just in case Mr. Kowalski himself ever reads this review: Dude, it's rooibos....not roiboos. I promise. I am 100% correct about that. I even googled it to check to see if maybe roiboos wasn't something that I just didn't know about. If it is, please let me know because google doesn't know either. But otherwise: rooibos.

[Stacy K B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good Neighbor by William Kowalski is a new on 'the top of the list' list. This was such a fun book, from the front jacket design to the pages inside.

The book is set in NYC and PA. You instantly are drawn into the world of Francine and Colt Hart.
They take a drive to the country, and pass a house that they both fall in love with at the same time. Francie and Colt express the wish to buy the house to each other, and they do. Francine, a stale poet, who feels drawn to the house, as if it was another person, and hopes to live her full time and write again. Colt, a stock broker, loves the feel of the house as his newest show piece at work, his country home.

This book is so well written, the writing is smooth and flawless. The plot is seamless, as you learn about Francie and Colt Hart, their new neighbors who are descendents of the houses' original owners. There is love, mystery, growth and rescue from the depth of our inner selves.

I am looking forward to reading more of William Kowalski's books!

[Sandy Korenstra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the strangest books I have ever read.

[Yvonne Stenmark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn´t like it! Poor description of the characters, not exciting at all - I was very disappointed!

[Eliece · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this author has a beautiful way with words, I did not find the plot itself particularly compelling, but it was just a necessary vehicle for the characters anyway. Every one of them was a bit strange in a Garp-like way. The Baltimore Sun recommended it "for readers who enjoy the eccentric and rambling family narratives of John Irving." That was in a review of "Eddie's Bastard" which I haven't read, but it certainly applies to this book too.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never quite sure where this story was headed. Expect nothing. What was advertised as a ghost story quickly devolved into a story of anger, regret, redemption, and, ultimately, finding one's true self. At times the characters felt a bit overblown, but despite its flaws this was a page turner that was very hard to put down. All in all a very entertaining read, if you're a 'go with the flow' type.

[Sylvia Haynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did not keep my attention. I found the story to be predictable but well written.

[Jodi Vicario · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a bizarre book...I kept reading it, but didn’t like the disjointed mini plots within it.

[Selena Seib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. For those who love old homes and the stories they hold, you must read this. First time I have read anything by this author. I'm looking forward to reading more.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

🦯🏁

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like William Kowalski. I read "Eddie's Bastard" and "Some Where South of Here" and liked them a lot. When I came across this book I was really excited. While I was interested in seeing what happened in this story I can honestly say, not a whole lot did. In addition the book was populated with characters that I did not like. Kowalski has a knack for writing quirky observations and he is really good at that, and after finishing the entire story, I will say that is what kept me going. Also, I have to put a note in about one of the characters who works as an equity trader. He is as full of all the financial greedy cliches and that's sort of expected but I actually work in finance. I'm not a trader but I know about that job and I can tell you, seriously tell you, that what that character is internally bragging about and the trades he talks about, pulling in a few hundred dollars' gain per trade is nothing and there is no way he would be any where nearly as successful as he in that book. It would get him laughed right off the trading floor. Also he seems to be day trading for himself, not clients, not his firm so essentially he is a penny-any day trader and there's no explanation of how he can be in the 5% of all his firm's producers. And as an aside, I've also never seen a trader or a broker watching MSNBC. I think it was supposed to be CNBC; maybe Bloomberg but CNBC is the financial channel with the stock ticker scroll, which as a trader, he will have in front of him on his terminal in way more detail than the scroll. If they were to watch a news channel, it would for sure not be MSNBC, mostly they watch Fox or CNN.

[Jayne Bauling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having recently read and been disappointed by both The Marriage Plot and Freedom, initially I suspected that The Good Neighbour would turn out to be yet another novel about self-involved US university graduates. Relief! This is an entertaining and absorbing read.

Coltrane Hart trades stocks and is, as his wife Francie calls him on more than one occasion, an asshole. Francie is a poet who hasn't written a line in years, partly due to the medication she is on. They buy an old house in the 'country', a status symbol for Colt but a place where Francie feels she might begin writing again.

The story within the Harts' story is that of the doomed Musgrove family who lived in the house 150 years ago.

The consequences of insensitivity - Colt has the Musgroves' little family cemetery dug up, inciting the ire of a neighbour who is a Musgrove descendant - and a woman finding her voice are two of the themes here. This book holds the attention, and is a quick, easy read.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I had a hard time putting down. I loved the characters. The ending surprised me (I don't want to spoil it so I won't explain exactly how.)

I think this book would appeal to a wide variety of readers. People who like good literature, people interested in historical fiction, suspense. I found it an extremely satisfying read.

There is also basically a story within a story and sometimes when an author tries this it doesn't work out so well because one or the other of the stories ends up lacking (or both) but Kowalski did a great job on both. It was also nicely balanced and interwoven, the past and the modern day story so we never spent too much time in either world to forget about the other.

Excellent book, highly recommended!

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and wondered where the story would go. About a young NYC couple who buy a huge old house in the country. That part already had me hooked. Their marriage starts to fall apart and it's sometimes hard to really get to know the characters, who she introduces one at a time.
The book goes back and forth between the couple who now owns the house and the family who lived there 150 years previously.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot going for it. Anything about an old house full of history is bound to catch my interest. However, I thought the characters were really WEIRD. They acted weird and did strange things. I had a hard time relating to them. And some of it was a bit predictable. The ending left me wanting more.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuppies Francine and Colt Hart purchase their dream house in the country, each with a very different motivation. Francine falls in love with the house and wants to live their permanently; Colt wants the house to impress his boss and coworkers. Kowalski weaves the story of their marriage with the story of the house, creating a story of hope and redemption.

[Nicola Drinkwater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly this book gets worse the more you read - I was really enjoying the character portrayals and occasional asides into history, then it started to get unrealistic and silly. Still going to finish it though for some reason... Good enough to read on the beach or in the dentist's waiting room but don't go out of your way to find it.

[Marty Greenwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this book due to its characters Coltrane (Colt) and Francie Hart, one good and one bad. Liked the way it wove the inhabitants of the house in the old days with Francie and her neighbors, who were descendants of the original owners. Showed a person who is a prick and very self centered can turn it around.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing story that bounces back and forth from the present to the late 1800's about a couple who buy a home in the country and how it affects their choices and their lives. Beautiful metaphors!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember thinking this was good when I read it, but now I can barely remember what it was about.

[Pinkknitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. I remember this as a book I didn't want to put down.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great, simple story about the interconnected lives of a few odd characters. I read "The Good Neighbour" in just a few days and enjoyed it very much (3.5 stars).

[Diane Swiben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Kowalski. He reminds me of one of my favorite authors - Alice Hoffman. I will definitely add his other books to my reading list.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars but I will be generous. I didn't know what to expect and really don't know what to say, but it was an ok read.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange story about a couple from NYC who buy an old house in PA.

[Sandra Campeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and easy to read. The author kept a good pace and focus. The characters were interesting and well developed. A good read