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Attachments
At a boarding school in Pennsylvania, a deathbed request from the school’s dean brings three former students back to campus, where secrets and betrayals from the past are brought out into the open―secrets that could have a catastrophic effect on the dean’s eighteen-year-old son.
Told in alternating points of view and time frames, Attachments is the story of best friends Stewart (“Goody”) Goodman, Sandy (“Pick”) Piccolo, and Laura Appleby, the girl they both love. The friends meet in 1972 at a boarding school in coal-country Pennsylvania where they encounter Henry Griffin, the school dean, whose genuine fatherly interest and deep human bond with them is so strong that when he has a severe stroke almost twenty years later, he uses what could be his last words ever to call out their names.
Attachments is a puzzle―and the only one who knows how all the pieces fit is in a coma. In the process, longtime secrets are unearthed, revelations come out into the open, and Young Chip Griffin is about to learn something he may or may not be able to handle.
Told in alternating points of view and time frames, Attachments is the story of best friends Stewart (“Goody”) Goodman, Sandy (“Pick”) Piccolo, and Laura Appleby, the girl they both love. The friends meet in 1972 at a boarding school in coal-country Pennsylvania where they encounter Henry Griffin, the school dean, whose genuine fatherly interest and deep human bond with them is so strong that when he has a severe stroke almost twenty years later, he uses what could be his last words ever to call out their names.
Attachments is a puzzle―and the only one who knows how all the pieces fit is in a coma. In the process, longtime secrets are unearthed, revelations come out into the open, and Young Chip Griffin is about to learn something he may or may not be able to handle.
376 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2021
62 people are currently reading
4775 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 25, 2021
Prior to reading this wonderful book, I had only known Jeff Arch’s body of work as a screenwriter, most famously for his Oscar-nominated Sleepless in Seattle. Now, with Attachments, Jeff brings his deep humanity, his unique and unmistakable voice, and his cinematic economy of style to this powerful story of love and betrayal and the possibility of forgiveness. With meticulous plotting and masterful language, he brings life and light to characters as real as they are unforgettable. Bravo! I loved it! A page turner!
April 7, 2021
I loved this book. There was a whole lot of everything, and I’m still thinking about it even now that I’m finished reading it.
Attachments is a book about life— growing up, choices, consequences, death, grief, love, secrets, hope, uncertainty, marriage. There is so much to relate to and connect to as a human, a mother, a wife that I found myself constantly going back to read more. I wasn’t expecting it to be as powerful as it was. There is no way to read this book without feeling something. You might not agree with the characters or like them, but I felt, more so in this book than in others that I've recently read, that these characters are real.
The plot is very structured and well thought out. And that’s why you connect and feel the pain, the heartache, the hope and at times the desperation. The characters are all brought back together after more than a decade apart after tragedy strikes at the boarding school where they all meet as teenagers.
The nasty love triangle of the three main characters during their adolescents still haunts them. But, mix in the mystery of why they were summoned to the school out of the blue, and now you have some extra drama.
I love multiple points of view and non-linear timelines. So getting flashbacks from each character at different moments while seeing them struggle with their current lives caught my interest from the beginning. These perspectives include those of the new generation at the boarding school. Needless to say, the connections and attachments run deep.
The characters are so strongly developed; their emotions so raw. Each one is so different and yet you can understand and feel everything that they do. They are all searching for something. For some it’s answers, for others it’s closure, for others is to remember or forgiveness. It’s about not forgetting how to live even when life seems impossible. It’s about recognizing that people have motivations and rationales for decisions they make. Those reasons may not make sense to us, but for them it could be the hill they choose to die on and will stand beyond until the end of time.
This book benefits tremendous from the flashbacks as they just pull you in. You don’t have the whole story of their time at Pocono Prep at the beginning. As a result, the flashbacks are all delivered as jagged little jigsaw puzzle pieces that you are trying to put together and connect to the events of the present and the other snippets of the past that are slowly provided. There isn’t full clarity until the end when all the puzzle pieces have been neatly put together.
Throughout all of it, you get the parallel experience of Chip as he is a present day student, and directly impacted by the tragedy. Not much has changed in the world of the school in the 15ish years that has gone by for the main characters. Can’t say the same for their lives.
There are attachments that these characters have that they don’t even realize until more and more details begin to be exposed. It’s like an uncomfortable reunion where everyone knows a piece of the story, but no one actually knows the whole thing so no one wants to share what they know because there is so much uncertainty and risk. In the end the truth always comes out.
This was such a great book. I’m so glad I had the chance to read it and highly recommend that you add it to your TBR list. It is due to be released on May 11, 2021.
Thank you @netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Attachments is a book about life— growing up, choices, consequences, death, grief, love, secrets, hope, uncertainty, marriage. There is so much to relate to and connect to as a human, a mother, a wife that I found myself constantly going back to read more. I wasn’t expecting it to be as powerful as it was. There is no way to read this book without feeling something. You might not agree with the characters or like them, but I felt, more so in this book than in others that I've recently read, that these characters are real.
The plot is very structured and well thought out. And that’s why you connect and feel the pain, the heartache, the hope and at times the desperation. The characters are all brought back together after more than a decade apart after tragedy strikes at the boarding school where they all meet as teenagers.
The nasty love triangle of the three main characters during their adolescents still haunts them. But, mix in the mystery of why they were summoned to the school out of the blue, and now you have some extra drama.
I love multiple points of view and non-linear timelines. So getting flashbacks from each character at different moments while seeing them struggle with their current lives caught my interest from the beginning. These perspectives include those of the new generation at the boarding school. Needless to say, the connections and attachments run deep.
The characters are so strongly developed; their emotions so raw. Each one is so different and yet you can understand and feel everything that they do. They are all searching for something. For some it’s answers, for others it’s closure, for others is to remember or forgiveness. It’s about not forgetting how to live even when life seems impossible. It’s about recognizing that people have motivations and rationales for decisions they make. Those reasons may not make sense to us, but for them it could be the hill they choose to die on and will stand beyond until the end of time.
This book benefits tremendous from the flashbacks as they just pull you in. You don’t have the whole story of their time at Pocono Prep at the beginning. As a result, the flashbacks are all delivered as jagged little jigsaw puzzle pieces that you are trying to put together and connect to the events of the present and the other snippets of the past that are slowly provided. There isn’t full clarity until the end when all the puzzle pieces have been neatly put together.
Throughout all of it, you get the parallel experience of Chip as he is a present day student, and directly impacted by the tragedy. Not much has changed in the world of the school in the 15ish years that has gone by for the main characters. Can’t say the same for their lives.
There are attachments that these characters have that they don’t even realize until more and more details begin to be exposed. It’s like an uncomfortable reunion where everyone knows a piece of the story, but no one actually knows the whole thing so no one wants to share what they know because there is so much uncertainty and risk. In the end the truth always comes out.
This was such a great book. I’m so glad I had the chance to read it and highly recommend that you add it to your TBR list. It is due to be released on May 11, 2021.
Thank you @netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
April 14, 2021
That's just how it goes, trouble's just not the one who likes to travel alone.
At his deathbed, the boarding school dean makes an unusual request: he wants to see some of his former students. The story behind that request unfolds through this novel.
I'll keep the harsh parts of this review for myself and just say that this novel just didn't work for me.
The plot of this novel has been seen loads of times and there is nothing special about it. Yet again, it doesn't have to be. It is, after all, just a regular life story. But almost every aspect of this novel fell flat for me. Most of the characters are just plain and flat letters on the piece of paper, the way they ride through life most of the time is astoundingly silly, and the grand reveal of the novel is not a grand reveal, since it was poking my eye from miles away.
Hate to say it, but I regret the time spent with this novel. Nevertheless, I thank Net Halley and SparkPress for the ARC.
At his deathbed, the boarding school dean makes an unusual request: he wants to see some of his former students. The story behind that request unfolds through this novel.
I'll keep the harsh parts of this review for myself and just say that this novel just didn't work for me.
The plot of this novel has been seen loads of times and there is nothing special about it. Yet again, it doesn't have to be. It is, after all, just a regular life story. But almost every aspect of this novel fell flat for me. Most of the characters are just plain and flat letters on the piece of paper, the way they ride through life most of the time is astoundingly silly, and the grand reveal of the novel is not a grand reveal, since it was poking my eye from miles away.
Hate to say it, but I regret the time spent with this novel. Nevertheless, I thank Net Halley and SparkPress for the ARC.
May 7, 2021
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.
Everything ends, but endings can also be the beginning for new stories or a catalyst for unfinished ones. When the Dean of a boarding school in Pennsylvania is clinging to life, he says two names, those of his former students- Piccolo (Sandy “Pick” Piccolo), and Goodman (Stewart “Goody” Goodman). To his perplexed son Chip, the association between his father and these men, one a local and the other a mystery, is lost on him. He wonders, how two men who haven’t been in his father’s life for decades could now, as grown adults, find his father so important that they would ‘jump out of their lives just because he asked.” It’s a complicated story, one that is full of secrets, betrayals and promises that not even Pick nor Goodman are fully aware of.
In 1972 Pick and Goody become unlikely best friends when they meet at boarding school in Pennsylvania. It also where they both fall in complete and total love with Laura Appleby, who is destined to come between them. The dean has been a strong presence in many students lives, but it is these three who have altered his own future. Laura decides she too will make her way to Mr. Griffin’s deathbed, unsure what it means for her own marriage. When they are all once again together, they will finally face the pain they caused each other and question the cost. Intentions, passion, regrets, it is about the secrets we keep, the paths we chose and what we destroy in the process. It is how we are present and how we disappear when those most precious to us are in need. Each carries the weight of life, for some it is lies of omission, and with sealed lips life goes on until silence becomes transgression. Henry has brought them together, it is time to confront the mountain of time between them to get at the heart of everything that happened.
Henry’s son Chip, at eighteen, is already feeling crushed by the burdensome ache of first love. Now with his father in a hospital barely alive, this new mystery has become a thread, one that if pulled may unravel what he thought he knew about his own dad. Worse, there are things Henry kept from Chip about himself. How does Laura, Goody and Pick fit into his story? How will Chip’s own broken heart help him understand the choices of veritable strangers or teach him about forgiveness and love? Each character’s voice speaks to the reader, getting to the heart of why they did the things they did, as best they themselves can understand. Laura, Pick and Goody’s turmoil about what occurred while they were young has never left them, and without unpacking those feelings openly it has grown into wounds. The tale asks us how we confront possibilities and if we chose to wreck what we have, are we happier in the end? Can there be second chances? Can we be forgiven our youthful mistakes, often made in fear or without malice, ill intent? How do we bridge time? Are we punished for our decisions? The story dips its toes in both past and present, because one cannot exist without the other. These are all the steps that have led them all to a dying man’s bedside.
It was a decent read. Who doesn’t reach a certain age and wonder how things could have been different or regretted the hurt they’ve caused? Secrets grow into beasts out of our control, a sort of snapping animal on a very short chain and you can’t ignore it forever. A tale about endings that have to happen in order for the birth of something new, even if it hurts everyone in the process.
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
SparkPress
𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.
Everything ends, but endings can also be the beginning for new stories or a catalyst for unfinished ones. When the Dean of a boarding school in Pennsylvania is clinging to life, he says two names, those of his former students- Piccolo (Sandy “Pick” Piccolo), and Goodman (Stewart “Goody” Goodman). To his perplexed son Chip, the association between his father and these men, one a local and the other a mystery, is lost on him. He wonders, how two men who haven’t been in his father’s life for decades could now, as grown adults, find his father so important that they would ‘jump out of their lives just because he asked.” It’s a complicated story, one that is full of secrets, betrayals and promises that not even Pick nor Goodman are fully aware of.
In 1972 Pick and Goody become unlikely best friends when they meet at boarding school in Pennsylvania. It also where they both fall in complete and total love with Laura Appleby, who is destined to come between them. The dean has been a strong presence in many students lives, but it is these three who have altered his own future. Laura decides she too will make her way to Mr. Griffin’s deathbed, unsure what it means for her own marriage. When they are all once again together, they will finally face the pain they caused each other and question the cost. Intentions, passion, regrets, it is about the secrets we keep, the paths we chose and what we destroy in the process. It is how we are present and how we disappear when those most precious to us are in need. Each carries the weight of life, for some it is lies of omission, and with sealed lips life goes on until silence becomes transgression. Henry has brought them together, it is time to confront the mountain of time between them to get at the heart of everything that happened.
Henry’s son Chip, at eighteen, is already feeling crushed by the burdensome ache of first love. Now with his father in a hospital barely alive, this new mystery has become a thread, one that if pulled may unravel what he thought he knew about his own dad. Worse, there are things Henry kept from Chip about himself. How does Laura, Goody and Pick fit into his story? How will Chip’s own broken heart help him understand the choices of veritable strangers or teach him about forgiveness and love? Each character’s voice speaks to the reader, getting to the heart of why they did the things they did, as best they themselves can understand. Laura, Pick and Goody’s turmoil about what occurred while they were young has never left them, and without unpacking those feelings openly it has grown into wounds. The tale asks us how we confront possibilities and if we chose to wreck what we have, are we happier in the end? Can there be second chances? Can we be forgiven our youthful mistakes, often made in fear or without malice, ill intent? How do we bridge time? Are we punished for our decisions? The story dips its toes in both past and present, because one cannot exist without the other. These are all the steps that have led them all to a dying man’s bedside.
It was a decent read. Who doesn’t reach a certain age and wonder how things could have been different or regretted the hurt they’ve caused? Secrets grow into beasts out of our control, a sort of snapping animal on a very short chain and you can’t ignore it forever. A tale about endings that have to happen in order for the birth of something new, even if it hurts everyone in the process.
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
SparkPress
April 25, 2021
I love this book. It's brave and smart and glorious and when I came to the very end... all the folks felt like friends. Friends who are imperfect and messy and complicated and real. Real humans. Jeff Arch is a great grand writer. And this… his very first book, is a glorious beautiful book. Read it. Share it. Give it to others who need to know the profound effect of words written
July 14, 2021
What’s better than a good read? A great character-driven read …
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Oscar-nominated screenwriter and novelist, Jeff Arch’s debut novel is a feast for the mind’s eye. Set in a 1970’s Pennsylvania boarding school, the story centers on the entanglement of Laura, an unhappy grieving parent, her husband “Pick,” the son of a mob boss, and their mutual friend “Goody,” who seems to have vanished after high school. One person, the compassionate and all-knowing school master, who knows everybody’s secrets. But he’s not talking. They are grown kids finding their way through challenges that all link back to the time when they got know one another. And it’s shatteringly beautiful.
It took me some time to get to this review and I’m surprised when I hear others read this astonishing book in just 24 hours. Maybe I’m a slow reader but I like to think it was more because I took my time with a story that I didn’t want to end. Attachments: A Novel sticks to you. I felt like I was cheating or neglecting these characters each time I put the book down because I wanted to be with them and life kept getting in the way. And I wished it was winter, because curling up in front of a fireplace and savoring this book every day for a week felt like a long overdue voyeuristic vacation. Like finally finding out what your old friends were up to…and learning the truth.
Jeff Arch is a masterful visual writer. His work entertains the imagination while dancing with serious underlying themes. Attachments is one part mystery, one part love story, and a window into an entire generation of secret-keepers. The eclectic way the characters take over and offer perspective and backstory is masterful. The rhythmic inner voices are captured on the page. It’s a distinct writing style, and it works. Beautifully. It propels us deeper into the initial core wounds of each character and the stinging realizations of adulthood.
Such care is given in developing these compelling characters that even a fleeting influence in their lives, like a hilariously accurate menopausal Spanish teacher as viewed from a teenage boy’s perspective manages to impart life-altering truth around a romantic debacle. It’s a scene that left me thinking of a dozen actresses who’d love to play that part when this book becomes a film. Which it should.
Attachments is a book to be savored. It earns its place in your heart. But don’t wait for winter to read it. Pack it in your beach bag. And remember, don’t rush it. You don’t need to skim Arch’s writing to get to the good parts – they are all good parts.
-Pamela Weiss
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Oscar-nominated screenwriter and novelist, Jeff Arch’s debut novel is a feast for the mind’s eye. Set in a 1970’s Pennsylvania boarding school, the story centers on the entanglement of Laura, an unhappy grieving parent, her husband “Pick,” the son of a mob boss, and their mutual friend “Goody,” who seems to have vanished after high school. One person, the compassionate and all-knowing school master, who knows everybody’s secrets. But he’s not talking. They are grown kids finding their way through challenges that all link back to the time when they got know one another. And it’s shatteringly beautiful.
It took me some time to get to this review and I’m surprised when I hear others read this astonishing book in just 24 hours. Maybe I’m a slow reader but I like to think it was more because I took my time with a story that I didn’t want to end. Attachments: A Novel sticks to you. I felt like I was cheating or neglecting these characters each time I put the book down because I wanted to be with them and life kept getting in the way. And I wished it was winter, because curling up in front of a fireplace and savoring this book every day for a week felt like a long overdue voyeuristic vacation. Like finally finding out what your old friends were up to…and learning the truth.
Jeff Arch is a masterful visual writer. His work entertains the imagination while dancing with serious underlying themes. Attachments is one part mystery, one part love story, and a window into an entire generation of secret-keepers. The eclectic way the characters take over and offer perspective and backstory is masterful. The rhythmic inner voices are captured on the page. It’s a distinct writing style, and it works. Beautifully. It propels us deeper into the initial core wounds of each character and the stinging realizations of adulthood.
Such care is given in developing these compelling characters that even a fleeting influence in their lives, like a hilariously accurate menopausal Spanish teacher as viewed from a teenage boy’s perspective manages to impart life-altering truth around a romantic debacle. It’s a scene that left me thinking of a dozen actresses who’d love to play that part when this book becomes a film. Which it should.
Attachments is a book to be savored. It earns its place in your heart. But don’t wait for winter to read it. Pack it in your beach bag. And remember, don’t rush it. You don’t need to skim Arch’s writing to get to the good parts – they are all good parts.
-Pamela Weiss
May 14, 2021
A shout out to #NetGalley, #SparkPress, and author #JeffArch for the ARC of #Attachments.
Have you ever read one of those books that's so good and thought provoking you just have to stop and take it all in? This book was exactly that for me.
The characters are unique and complicated. They all are friends, but there are just so many secrets. Griffin is the dean at the boarding school where him and his family live. He's been there for quiet some time and has seen many students pass through his halls. There are a few of those students who have been his favorites throughout the years. Two of them are very special and when he suddenly becomes very ill he asks for them.
The things that happen before you graduate high-school should be things that are easily forgiven and shouldn't keep two all around good guys from being friends, right? Not exactly because not all mistakes we make before graduation are "children's" mistakes. What happened? What come between these two very different men who became best friends? You guessed it. It's a story old as time, a girl.
What you can't know is all all the other things that came into the decision making and other things that happened back then. However, if Griffin needed them there then hopefully they will both return to the town and school that raised them before it's too late.
At first I was unsure of how much I would like this book, but I hung in there and before long these characters became old friends. I rooted for them, yelled at them, (at least in my mind,) and even wanted to slap them a couple of times. I will remember this book for a long time. It's one of the few fiction books I've read where when I finished I felt like I understood people just a little better.
As always all these words and thoughts are mine and mine alone. If you want to grab a copy of this book you will be able to do so at your favorite retailer on May 11,2021.
Have you ever read one of those books that's so good and thought provoking you just have to stop and take it all in? This book was exactly that for me.
The characters are unique and complicated. They all are friends, but there are just so many secrets. Griffin is the dean at the boarding school where him and his family live. He's been there for quiet some time and has seen many students pass through his halls. There are a few of those students who have been his favorites throughout the years. Two of them are very special and when he suddenly becomes very ill he asks for them.
The things that happen before you graduate high-school should be things that are easily forgiven and shouldn't keep two all around good guys from being friends, right? Not exactly because not all mistakes we make before graduation are "children's" mistakes. What happened? What come between these two very different men who became best friends? You guessed it. It's a story old as time, a girl.
What you can't know is all all the other things that came into the decision making and other things that happened back then. However, if Griffin needed them there then hopefully they will both return to the town and school that raised them before it's too late.
At first I was unsure of how much I would like this book, but I hung in there and before long these characters became old friends. I rooted for them, yelled at them, (at least in my mind,) and even wanted to slap them a couple of times. I will remember this book for a long time. It's one of the few fiction books I've read where when I finished I felt like I understood people just a little better.
As always all these words and thoughts are mine and mine alone. If you want to grab a copy of this book you will be able to do so at your favorite retailer on May 11,2021.
May 16, 2021
Thank you Booksparks and Sparkpress for a copy of this book....
Sadly, it was just not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters from this story, and it felt like there was a lot going on the entire time. Every single person in this novel has a crazy amount of "attachments" (I know) to all the other characters in the story, and I would get the details mixed up sometimes. Or I would just forget them....I really needed the story to spell things out for me sometimes, I just did not care enough to pick up on social queues.
My least favorite part of this story was Laura, my god did she not know what she want and played "oh woe is me" the entire book. She is miserable in her marriage and does nothing about it....and then kisses another man? She holds a torch to her old flame and expects him to be her backup plan, and it is not until the very end of the book she finds her faults in this line of thinking and vows to be better. She was just whiny and kind of an awful person all the way around.
The writing itself was fine, it was engaging enough to keep me going through this book. I had a feeling I knew what the "twist" would be, but I was still interested in seeing how it would all play out. There are flashbacks to the past, and those are always italicized, so if there is a jump mid chapter it is easy to catch the shift without being too confused. The chapters are from the different view points of all the characters, and sometimes I was left with too little information, but that was usually fleshed out later on.
Overall, the premise of this book was interesting but the story itself was lost on me. It has a huge emphasis on family and correcting past mistakes, of friendships and coming together, but it also has a ton of problematic characters and almost unbelievable coincidences. I would not say I dislike this book, but it felt very meh to me and probably will not live in my brain space for very long.
Hopefully this story gets into the hands of somebody else who enjoys it though!
Sadly, it was just not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters from this story, and it felt like there was a lot going on the entire time. Every single person in this novel has a crazy amount of "attachments" (I know) to all the other characters in the story, and I would get the details mixed up sometimes. Or I would just forget them....I really needed the story to spell things out for me sometimes, I just did not care enough to pick up on social queues.
My least favorite part of this story was Laura, my god did she not know what she want and played "oh woe is me" the entire book. She is miserable in her marriage and does nothing about it....and then kisses another man? She holds a torch to her old flame and expects him to be her backup plan, and it is not until the very end of the book she finds her faults in this line of thinking and vows to be better. She was just whiny and kind of an awful person all the way around.
The writing itself was fine, it was engaging enough to keep me going through this book. I had a feeling I knew what the "twist" would be, but I was still interested in seeing how it would all play out. There are flashbacks to the past, and those are always italicized, so if there is a jump mid chapter it is easy to catch the shift without being too confused. The chapters are from the different view points of all the characters, and sometimes I was left with too little information, but that was usually fleshed out later on.
Overall, the premise of this book was interesting but the story itself was lost on me. It has a huge emphasis on family and correcting past mistakes, of friendships and coming together, but it also has a ton of problematic characters and almost unbelievable coincidences. I would not say I dislike this book, but it felt very meh to me and probably will not live in my brain space for very long.
Hopefully this story gets into the hands of somebody else who enjoys it though!
May 20, 2021
Henry Griffin is the Dean at a boarding school in Pennsylvania and it’s his life-threatening stroke that sets the events of the novel in motion. His last words are for two of his former students, Sandy “Pick” Piccalo and Stuart Goodman otherwise known as Goody, to come see him in the hospital. Griffin’s son Chip is mystified by his father’s actions. The two men couldn’t be more different if they tried: Pick is a lawyer married to Laura, suffering after their four year old daughter died and is the son of a crime boss, while Goody wrote a famous book about his time in high school with Pick and Laura, only to then disappear. With everyone involved now at Griffin’s dying side, what happened almost nineteen years ago will surface and will effect everything going forward. I can’t really say I liked this book but I also can’t really say I disliked the book either. I was expecting something very different, more thriller like but I ended up with a drama. I feel like I pretty much saw the plot twist of the book coming within 45 pages of the book, so i was super impatient to get to the end. It’s got some pretty sweet life lessons and it’s a fun little throwback to a time where no one had cell phones. The writing was really well done, it just wasn’t for me.
April 3, 2021
Thank you for the chance to review Attachments from Jeff Arch, I look forward to other books from this author. I have trouble saying no to any book involving boarding schools, especially those embracing the messiness of adolescent and young adult transitions and relationships, and add in a plot with a mystery/unresolved relationship and I am very excited.
I did enjoy reading this book for these very reasons, I liked how the story unfolded and that characters had some interesting life histories, journeys, and that the characters were allowed to grow and change; I dislike books when characters feel stuck in adolescence. I was less excited about the multiple perspectives not because they did not add to the book but as I would get into one story and then the focus would shift; not a limitation per se but more a comment that I liked each character and I wanted to stay with each of them to see how their story would develop.
I did enjoy reading this book for these very reasons, I liked how the story unfolded and that characters had some interesting life histories, journeys, and that the characters were allowed to grow and change; I dislike books when characters feel stuck in adolescence. I was less excited about the multiple perspectives not because they did not add to the book but as I would get into one story and then the focus would shift; not a limitation per se but more a comment that I liked each character and I wanted to stay with each of them to see how their story would develop.
April 5, 2021
I never read mysteries, but I loved this book. It's a mystery that begins when three people are called to the deathbed of a revered Dean of students to confront the truth of their past. Its the story of a secret; a secret that hobbles three generations and a cross section of players that includes the Dean, a gangster, a successful attorney, a sometimes Buddhist monk, and the women and children caught up in tricks of memory that will upend each of their lives. "Attachments" is a compelling love story, revealing the shifting nature of love; the lies, the deceit, the mercies, and the passions marshaled to protect a secret and the people it protects. Above all,this is a wonderful, insightful story, masterfully written and sure to draw you further into the mystery it holds, until the final pages when the secret is finally revealed.
February 3, 2023
I finished this beautiful novel last week. Jeff Arch is exquisitely gifted with exploration of having a deep and insightful understanding of the human condition.
Jeff Arch originally wrote Sleepless in Seattle, which was adapted by Nora Ephron a wee bit here and there, and voila- the film you all know and love.
Attachments is just as heartwarming, if not moreso (than Sleepless...), and as it kept me up until well after midnight in order to finish and sigh. He's got a way with words- don't let the fact this hasn't been reviewed en masse fool you.
If you love beautiful writing, look no further. This is your next heartwarming read. I'm waiting. Go. Go on then. Buy yourself a copy or check it out from the Library. However you want to read this: I'm telling you, it's fantastic!
Jeff Arch originally wrote Sleepless in Seattle, which was adapted by Nora Ephron a wee bit here and there, and voila- the film you all know and love.
Attachments is just as heartwarming, if not moreso (than Sleepless...), and as it kept me up until well after midnight in order to finish and sigh. He's got a way with words- don't let the fact this hasn't been reviewed en masse fool you.
If you love beautiful writing, look no further. This is your next heartwarming read. I'm waiting. Go. Go on then. Buy yourself a copy or check it out from the Library. However you want to read this: I'm telling you, it's fantastic!
May 14, 2021
I was certain I would like this book, having met the author via Zoom when he was a guest of my writing teacher. I was not prepared to be consumed by the book; yet I was. The story was compelling and there was just the right balance of character development and plot advancement to keep me thoroughly mesmerized. I have spent a little time in the part of the country where the book is set and the places and people were faithfully represented. I would absolutely be happy to read more books featuring these characters.
May 22, 2021
I really enjoyed this book! It truly is a puzzle, and it was so fun to piece it together. I also liked the way the story is told, and how each chapter gave me a new nugget of information to get me closer to the truth. The characters were well developed, and I very much appreciated all the intricacies of their personalities. It was easy to understand each character’s fears, struggles and motivations; and the way their internal dialogue is written truly helped me feel empathy for each one of them. This book is not only a mystery, it is a love story, a family drama, and a tale of betrayal and forgiveness.
May 19, 2021
Overall such a great read, the plot itself is not unique in terms of not watching or reading anything like it before. But that doesn’t it make it any less intriguing. I absolutely enjoyed how it’s a story written from the perspective from all the main characters, it incorporates past and present, and it actually gives closure to all characters.
I was gifted a copy by book sparks to read and review.
I was gifted a copy by book sparks to read and review.
May 13, 2021
Jeff Arch has written a book that had me spellbound. I sense the book is part karma and has me questioning attachments in my own life. He had me at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania where I lived for three years. The personality and life of each individual will have you turning the pages and wanting more. Jeff is a master storyteller. “Attachments” is a must read.
May 15, 2021
Read this in less than 24 hours and literally didn’t want to put it down! Love, friendships, secrets, betrayals, grief and characters you fall in love with in a story told with the voice of a Master Storyteller. From the first page I was hooked and am definitely hoping that this gets made into a movie. Best book I’ve read this year!
October 19, 2022
Wonderful story of a love triangle and Buddhist practices.
May 11, 2021
This one was tough for me to get through. I was so excited about the book description and the storyline was good, it just moved too slow for my taste. The last 100 pages were the best part, but by then I was already checked out.
This is my opinion, and it does not mean that this book will not be loved by others. Thank you Sparkpress for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is my opinion, and it does not mean that this book will not be loved by others. Thank you Sparkpress for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 16, 2021
This was quite an emotional story. It delves right into how complicated and messy life can be, not only as teens, but as adults. It touches on first love, parental love, heartbreak, grief, forgiveness and hope. Arch's beautiful writing is to be savored. I highly recommend.
March 31, 2021
This story was told in alternating points of view, which I love. I think it helps build the story and flesh out the characters.
It was a really interesting story and a good read.
I want to thank #JeffArch, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC.
It was a really interesting story and a good read.
I want to thank #JeffArch, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC.
July 1, 2021
As soon as I finished the book, I wanted to go back to page 1 and read it again. The characters - so vividly drawn, each distinct from the others - the movement between characters’ points of view and time, and the emotional highs and lows - this is a beautiful book. I can’t wait to start it over.
May 10, 2021
Please Note: I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
This book may be set at a boarding school, but it's really about love in all it's stages, from teenage lust, to marriage, to the strains and joys of having children, all the way to the loss of a spouse. It really encompasses so much. I haven't had a book make me ugly cry in a long time. But this book was so moving, that I cried several times. While there were many heartbreaking moments, overall this was a well written novel that I will remember for a long time. I highly recommend this book.
Please read my complete review on my blog www.ponderingtheprose.blogspot.com on May 11, 2021.
This book may be set at a boarding school, but it's really about love in all it's stages, from teenage lust, to marriage, to the strains and joys of having children, all the way to the loss of a spouse. It really encompasses so much. I haven't had a book make me ugly cry in a long time. But this book was so moving, that I cried several times. While there were many heartbreaking moments, overall this was a well written novel that I will remember for a long time. I highly recommend this book.
Please read my complete review on my blog www.ponderingtheprose.blogspot.com on May 11, 2021.
April 18, 2021
I was in a bit of a reading rut when this book came along. I was working my way through three books, all of which I was emphatically not enjoying, but I was also slowly picking my way through this one, almost as a reprieve from the others.
This book has some meat to it. It has complex characters within an intricately woven story - not necessarily in plot, but instead, in emotion.
People are generally not one-dimensional, and this novel does a really good job of conveying the entanglement of human emotions. It’s a book about relationships - sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always messy.
The only criticism I have is actually more about editing versus content. There is a constantly shifting perspective/narrator (something I often enjoy), but occasionally while being guided through the eyes of one character, there would be an inner monologue of another character, which I found distracting.
Something I appreciated about this novel is that it gives weight to something I like to call: “The past present history of your future”. Sounds dramatic, I know. But really it just means that your past helps shape your present, creating a foundation for your future, and this book really brought that to light.
‘Attachments’ by Jeff Arch will be released next month, on May 11, 2021, and is worth a read.
Sincere thanks to @sparkpress & @netgalley for this digital advanced readers copy.
~👩🏻🦰
This book has some meat to it. It has complex characters within an intricately woven story - not necessarily in plot, but instead, in emotion.
People are generally not one-dimensional, and this novel does a really good job of conveying the entanglement of human emotions. It’s a book about relationships - sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always messy.
The only criticism I have is actually more about editing versus content. There is a constantly shifting perspective/narrator (something I often enjoy), but occasionally while being guided through the eyes of one character, there would be an inner monologue of another character, which I found distracting.
Something I appreciated about this novel is that it gives weight to something I like to call: “The past present history of your future”. Sounds dramatic, I know. But really it just means that your past helps shape your present, creating a foundation for your future, and this book really brought that to light.
‘Attachments’ by Jeff Arch will be released next month, on May 11, 2021, and is worth a read.
Sincere thanks to @sparkpress & @netgalley for this digital advanced readers copy.
~👩🏻🦰
June 15, 2021
An incredible weave. Stunningly crafted. The nuances magnificent…
March 14, 2021
This was better than I thought it was going to be and it was not predictable, since there are similar-ish stories like this (ie. The Gift School, The Girls Are So Nice Here, One of Us is Lying). I liked the varying POV and how the timeline was written plus there were several plot twists! A decent book and I liked the cover too. I would read another book by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley., Jeff Arch and Spark Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Available: 5/11/21
Thanks to Netgalley., Jeff Arch and Spark Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Available: 5/11/21
July 8, 2021
I, with-all-my-soul, believe books come into our lives when we most need them. This is that book for me. I’d heard about this book in an interview on a podcast and knew I needed to read this. It’s my favorite sort of book: character driven, layered themes, multiple point of view, a life changing secret and beautiful writing. It’s a story that inspires me to be a better writer and a better human.
April 11, 2021
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. I loved this book. Three people collide and become instant Besties in boarding school. Laura, Pick and Goody. all from different hometowns all share the common bond that they are sent away to boarding school. The headmaster, Mr. Griffin takes them under his wing and becomes a father figure to them.
Pick and Goody are both madly in love with Laura. Things change throughout the book. This is a story of deep love, choices, heartache and family. Be sure to read this amazing story.
Pick and Goody are both madly in love with Laura. Things change throughout the book. This is a story of deep love, choices, heartache and family. Be sure to read this amazing story.
January 3, 2022
What a wonderful book to start the year with!
“Attachments”, by Jeff Arch, is one of those novels that skillfully and invitingly pulls you in from the first pages. The prose is fluid, the pace is perfect, the characters are interesting, the mystery is compelling, and you happily surrender yourself to the talents of the author, trusting that everything that is being set up will pay off.
It’s 1990 and the headmaster, Henry Griffin, of a boarding school in Pennsylvania, has had a stroke, and his last words before entering a coma were to ask for two former students: Sandy Piccolo and Stewart Goodman who had been roommates in the mid 1970s.
Who are these men? What are their secrets? Who are their wives and children and how do they factor in? Why did Henry ask for “Pick” and “Goody” - instead of his wife and son - as his final request? Sit back and let Jeff Arch beautifully spin it all out for you!
“Attachments”, by Jeff Arch, is one of those novels that skillfully and invitingly pulls you in from the first pages. The prose is fluid, the pace is perfect, the characters are interesting, the mystery is compelling, and you happily surrender yourself to the talents of the author, trusting that everything that is being set up will pay off.
It’s 1990 and the headmaster, Henry Griffin, of a boarding school in Pennsylvania, has had a stroke, and his last words before entering a coma were to ask for two former students: Sandy Piccolo and Stewart Goodman who had been roommates in the mid 1970s.
Who are these men? What are their secrets? Who are their wives and children and how do they factor in? Why did Henry ask for “Pick” and “Goody” - instead of his wife and son - as his final request? Sit back and let Jeff Arch beautifully spin it all out for you!
April 23, 2022
Good story here. I would definitely read more from this author. Unique story line, good characters.
Thank you Net Galley for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you Net Galley for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review!
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