Amy and George: A Novel

by Ann L. McLaughlin

Set in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1937, this is a story of family relationships in trouble. Amy, who is nine, wants to be friends with George, her workaholic father. George, a new dean at Harvard, who is also involved with the New Deal, has little time for his two young daughters. Amy is miserable in her new school and tries to make friends with an unhappy man, who enters their lives as a butler. His horrifying fate shocks the whole family and yet it changes the relationship between George and Amy for the better, initiating a new trust and friendship.

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2013

About the author

Ann L. McLaughlin is the author of eight highly acclaimed novels including Lightning in July and Amy and George. She teaches at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland and lives in Chevy Chase.

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amy is the 9-year-old daughter of a woman born I to wealth and the Dean of Harvard Law School. Living in a house with her sister, a nanny, housekeeper and her handyman husband, she yearns for her father's attention and approval. He is consumed by work, and rarely has time to spend with his family. Life is a series of missed family events, trips to Washington, DC to assist with his former job, and losing track of time. And that's the entire story, until a startling, tragic event occurs in the last dozen pages. Author Ann McLaughlin ends the book on a note of hope for Amy, but I had long since stopped caring. The characters all seemed completely self-absorbed, and were people I would choose to avoid in real life.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the story of this book. Obviously I'm not in the situation--wealthy-ish family in the 1930s--but I felt like I could relate to parts. What the book lacked was anything outside of the story. It just all happened... any foreshadowing was blatant and I could predict the ending fairly well.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

***I received this book via a Goodreads Giveaway***

A seemingly unembellished family drama with a dark Twist. Not a bad written book but nothing outstanding either. Good for a one time read.