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From a Good Home
Every family has its secrets.
In 1935, Hannah Parsons left her home in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, at the age of seventeen to work in service for Charles and Virginia Sinclair, a wealthy St. John’s family. While working for them, Hannah catches the eye of the patriarch of the household, and her life takes an unexpected turn.
Now, sixty years later, Charles Sinclair has passed, and his last living will and testament is about to throw his family into turmoil. His children and grandchildren learn that no family is as perfect as it seems, and that some secrets refuse to stay buried forever.
From a Good Home is a novel of family legacy among the St. John’s aristocracy. It is Trudi Johnson’s first book.
In 1935, Hannah Parsons left her home in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, at the age of seventeen to work in service for Charles and Virginia Sinclair, a wealthy St. John’s family. While working for them, Hannah catches the eye of the patriarch of the household, and her life takes an unexpected turn.
Now, sixty years later, Charles Sinclair has passed, and his last living will and testament is about to throw his family into turmoil. His children and grandchildren learn that no family is as perfect as it seems, and that some secrets refuse to stay buried forever.
From a Good Home is a novel of family legacy among the St. John’s aristocracy. It is Trudi Johnson’s first book.
205 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2016
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65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 14, 2016
If you like sagas, then this is a book you will undoubtedly like. The sequel is already in the works. It goes from 1935 Newfoundland when a young girl named Hannah goes to work in St. John's for a wealthy family. Charmed by the master of the house, she becomes pregnant with his child and steps are taken so that no shame is brought upon the family and it's social standing. Sixty years later, upon the death of the patriarch, the truth gradually seeps out to the other family members.
A good first novel with no profanity and one alluded-to instance of casual sex. Good story-telling from first to last.
A good first novel with no profanity and one alluded-to instance of casual sex. Good story-telling from first to last.
April 16, 2016
I always love a good Newfoundland story. This one took place in St John's, mostly. I love it when places mentioned are places that I am familiar with, even a restaurant that I have been to. The beginning was a bit confusing, a lot of characters to keep straight. But, they soon fell into place and the convoluted story unfolded. The basis of the story is quite common but I loved the way it was handled. Families and secrets, the foundation of the best stories!
April 1, 2018
I bought this book when I visited Newfoundland & visited many places including St John's & Bonavista Bay. Delightful book telling the struggles & secrets of past lives & times & how they catch up in the future & are exposed, with the emotional turmoil behind them, it made a compelling read. If there is a sequel I will defiantly read it.
May 3, 2019
Very enjoyable.
December 18, 2023
This debut novel proves a promising start for first time novelist Trudi Johnson who was born and grew up in St’ John’s Newfoundland. She uses the city and the fictional rural village of Falcon Cove as the setting for a story about long hidden family secrets and what it costs those who keep them.
It begins in the present day and then flashes back to 1936, when seventeen-year-old Hannah Parsons left her home in Bonavista Bay and traveled to the big city of St. John’s to work as a maid for Virginia and Charles Sinclair, hired to do housework and look after their young daughter Emily. The Sinclairs were a wealthy, socially prominent family who lived in a huge home with electric lighting, indoor plumbing and so many things Hannah had never experienced. She stood in awe of the complete settings of fine china, glittering crystal and the linen tablecloths that graced their dining room table with foods she had not seen before. It was a huge change for this young woman who had never been to the city and although excited about this new experience, was also nervous about leaving home and missing her family. At the same time, she was also excited by her first job and the opportunity to prove herself.
Sixty years later, in August 1995, when Charles Sinclair dies, the talk at his funeral is all about the contents of his will and speculation over the fate of his many business interests. When the will is read, there is a shock and a surprise. Jeanne, Charles’ second daughter who always believed she was her father’s favorite, had been led to believe she would inherit the house, but learns it has been given to her older sister Emily. And there is an unusual, but sizeable bequest to a woman named Hannah Parsons, but no explanation given of who she is, her relationship with Charles, or why she was included.
Death, funerals and inheritances often have a way of bringing to the surface things that may be better left alone. Family members react differently to the news. Jeanne is devastated to hear she has not inherited the house, her last connection to the father she adored and respected. Over the years the house had come to represent all he had accomplished in his life and she had been led to believe he planned to give it to her. Others, are less concerned about the house and are more curious about the unknown woman who was named and begin to ask questions.
The story reverts back to former times when St. John's was a different place, when a small circle of wealthy, prominent people dominated the social, cultural and financial world of the city. Everyone knew everyone else’s business and there were scandals and gossip, but this was a polite society with unwritten rules about how such things were handled. Much went on privately behind the scenes that never became common knowledge and what did come out was never discussed openly. Keeping secrets was an accepted part of life in those times. Social standing, class differences and the rules of etiquette were important and respected matters and secrets were a well-practiced way of handling untoward events.
The novel includes a sprawling cast of characters, some connected by marriage, some by distant relatives and some by events and close friendships. Readers may find it difficult to keep all these names and connections which include grandparents and in-laws, straight in their heads, especially in the initial chapters when they are all introduced. However, Johnson has carefully crafted the main characters and each is well described as readers learn about their backgrounds and life experiences.
Johnson’s story explores how people react when long held family secrets are finally revealed. Some are angry they were never told while others are shaken by the news it reveals. They wonder why the secret was kept for so long and are concerned by how the news will be received by others. Others become so preoccupied with the information that was withheld, they allow it to interfere with their present relationships. Then there are those who just leave it all alone, knowing that pursuing such things could get messy and open wounds that might never heal.
Newfoundland and the city of St. John’s proves a realistic setting for the story, with its vast, often isolated rural areas and its large capital city portraying two very different ways of life in the same time period. Johnson brings the cold, wet, Atlantic weather into her narrative, names various well-known sites such as Quidi Vidi Lake, Signal Hill, the Avalon Mall and city street names such as Duckworth into the story, while cultural references to food and drink help bring the story to life.
This was an enjoyable read and Johnson proves to be a writer with promise, someone to watch for in the future.
It begins in the present day and then flashes back to 1936, when seventeen-year-old Hannah Parsons left her home in Bonavista Bay and traveled to the big city of St. John’s to work as a maid for Virginia and Charles Sinclair, hired to do housework and look after their young daughter Emily. The Sinclairs were a wealthy, socially prominent family who lived in a huge home with electric lighting, indoor plumbing and so many things Hannah had never experienced. She stood in awe of the complete settings of fine china, glittering crystal and the linen tablecloths that graced their dining room table with foods she had not seen before. It was a huge change for this young woman who had never been to the city and although excited about this new experience, was also nervous about leaving home and missing her family. At the same time, she was also excited by her first job and the opportunity to prove herself.
Sixty years later, in August 1995, when Charles Sinclair dies, the talk at his funeral is all about the contents of his will and speculation over the fate of his many business interests. When the will is read, there is a shock and a surprise. Jeanne, Charles’ second daughter who always believed she was her father’s favorite, had been led to believe she would inherit the house, but learns it has been given to her older sister Emily. And there is an unusual, but sizeable bequest to a woman named Hannah Parsons, but no explanation given of who she is, her relationship with Charles, or why she was included.
Death, funerals and inheritances often have a way of bringing to the surface things that may be better left alone. Family members react differently to the news. Jeanne is devastated to hear she has not inherited the house, her last connection to the father she adored and respected. Over the years the house had come to represent all he had accomplished in his life and she had been led to believe he planned to give it to her. Others, are less concerned about the house and are more curious about the unknown woman who was named and begin to ask questions.
The story reverts back to former times when St. John's was a different place, when a small circle of wealthy, prominent people dominated the social, cultural and financial world of the city. Everyone knew everyone else’s business and there were scandals and gossip, but this was a polite society with unwritten rules about how such things were handled. Much went on privately behind the scenes that never became common knowledge and what did come out was never discussed openly. Keeping secrets was an accepted part of life in those times. Social standing, class differences and the rules of etiquette were important and respected matters and secrets were a well-practiced way of handling untoward events.
The novel includes a sprawling cast of characters, some connected by marriage, some by distant relatives and some by events and close friendships. Readers may find it difficult to keep all these names and connections which include grandparents and in-laws, straight in their heads, especially in the initial chapters when they are all introduced. However, Johnson has carefully crafted the main characters and each is well described as readers learn about their backgrounds and life experiences.
Johnson’s story explores how people react when long held family secrets are finally revealed. Some are angry they were never told while others are shaken by the news it reveals. They wonder why the secret was kept for so long and are concerned by how the news will be received by others. Others become so preoccupied with the information that was withheld, they allow it to interfere with their present relationships. Then there are those who just leave it all alone, knowing that pursuing such things could get messy and open wounds that might never heal.
Newfoundland and the city of St. John’s proves a realistic setting for the story, with its vast, often isolated rural areas and its large capital city portraying two very different ways of life in the same time period. Johnson brings the cold, wet, Atlantic weather into her narrative, names various well-known sites such as Quidi Vidi Lake, Signal Hill, the Avalon Mall and city street names such as Duckworth into the story, while cultural references to food and drink help bring the story to life.
This was an enjoyable read and Johnson proves to be a writer with promise, someone to watch for in the future.
July 1, 2024
In 1935, Hannah left her village in Newfoundland to work for Charles and Virginia Sinclair, a wealthy family hours away in St. John's. She's never been away from home but felt it was a good chance to grow and learn about life away from her large impoverished family.
Sixty years later, Charles Sinclair is a widower and on his deathbed. His younger daughter, Jeanne, has been taking care of him. When he passes on, his will clashes with his last promise to Jeanne. Jeanne has been bitter for years ... her husband had left her and she has driven Joe and Lauren, her adult children, away ... so this betrayal by her father hits her hard. As the will is read and coincidental gossip is exchanged, secrets from the past start coming out.
I liked this story and the way the secrets were slowly revealed. I thought the writing style was okay, though a bit stiff and unnatural. Whether they were rich like Jeanne and her family and more lower class like Joe and Lauren's friends, the way they spoke seemed like I was reading a book set in aristocratic England rather than Newfoundland or Canada. For example, everyone including Joe and Lauren and their friends called their parents "Mother" and "Father" rather than "Mom" and "Dad". It was written in third person perspective depending on where the action was.
There were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track sometimes of who they were ... a guide in the beginning would have been helpful. I found Jeanne was a bit extreme. Growing up, she was her father's favourite but her mother was cold and unemotional, which is how Jeanne chose to be. She didn't seem to get along with anyone, including her children and her only sister. I liked that the story took place in St. John's and as I've been there, I knew where the action was most of the time.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2024/07...
Sixty years later, Charles Sinclair is a widower and on his deathbed. His younger daughter, Jeanne, has been taking care of him. When he passes on, his will clashes with his last promise to Jeanne. Jeanne has been bitter for years ... her husband had left her and she has driven Joe and Lauren, her adult children, away ... so this betrayal by her father hits her hard. As the will is read and coincidental gossip is exchanged, secrets from the past start coming out.
I liked this story and the way the secrets were slowly revealed. I thought the writing style was okay, though a bit stiff and unnatural. Whether they were rich like Jeanne and her family and more lower class like Joe and Lauren's friends, the way they spoke seemed like I was reading a book set in aristocratic England rather than Newfoundland or Canada. For example, everyone including Joe and Lauren and their friends called their parents "Mother" and "Father" rather than "Mom" and "Dad". It was written in third person perspective depending on where the action was.
There were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track sometimes of who they were ... a guide in the beginning would have been helpful. I found Jeanne was a bit extreme. Growing up, she was her father's favourite but her mother was cold and unemotional, which is how Jeanne chose to be. She didn't seem to get along with anyone, including her children and her only sister. I liked that the story took place in St. John's and as I've been there, I knew where the action was most of the time.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2024/07...
July 14, 2018
Took me a while to get a grip on all the characters, Very distracting stilted dialogue plus a few "he quipped" - whoa the visuals on that....
Everything is beautiful and perfect and well-matched, etc. What happened to show don't tell? Nobody is struggling and ordinary. The young people are successful and perfect all of the time.
They all speak in super long paragraphs without drawing a breath in perfect English.
The POV keeps moving around. Distracting.
It was a great story and I wish there was more on the backstory of 1935.
3/5
Everything is beautiful and perfect and well-matched, etc. What happened to show don't tell? Nobody is struggling and ordinary. The young people are successful and perfect all of the time.
They all speak in super long paragraphs without drawing a breath in perfect English.
The POV keeps moving around. Distracting.
It was a great story and I wish there was more on the backstory of 1935.
3/5
June 27, 2020
Took me a while to get into it....there were alot of characters thrown around in the beginning. To be honest even at the end I was confused as to who a few were but it was an enjoyable read. Had a hally ending and kept me wanting to finish.
July 25, 2018
A well told story with many enjoyable references unique to the place and people of Newfoundland.
September 12, 2018
Do people really talk like this. I had so much trouble keeping up with all the names and characters that I stopped trying 1/3 in.
March 14, 2017
Interesting story and fantastic setting. My problem was very stilted dialogue and an abrupt stop to going back in history to give us information that we needed in the contemporary story.
September 7, 2017
Enjoyed this book...heartwarming ending...
September 7, 2016
Was looking forward to reading this book as the author was my teacher many years ago. However, I found the writing stilted at times, way too much description of little details like what people were wearing and how a house was decorated.....made the book feel dragged out.
I had also been hoping more was to have taken place back in 1935 but that was just a few parts at the beginning.
I had also been hoping more was to have taken place back in 1935 but that was just a few parts at the beginning.
June 8, 2016
Story about skeletons in closets...or under the stairs. Fine yarn.
January 7, 2017
I enjoyed the story. I found the protagonist characters to be a little too perfect. The younger generation's voices felt older than their ages.
January 1, 2024
Very predictable.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews