What do you think?
Rate this book
A Gracious Neighbor
A gripping novel about friendship, secrets, misjudgments, and redemption among women by the USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of a Piano.
Martha Hale is an affable wife and mother who lives in an affluent neighborhood of well-tended lawns and high expectations. If only her clumsiness at penetrating the social circles of her neighbors weren’t making Martha so lonely.
That’s why she’s thrilled when the glamorous Minnie Foster, a former high school classmate, moves in next door. Despite Martha’s determination, picking up where they left off is trickier than anticipated—especially when their memories of the past don’t always align. But Martha is undeterred. In fact, her preoccupation with Minnie’s life, her success, and her marriage is becoming an obsession. When she sees a darkness and shame hiding inside Minnie’s perfectly deceptive home, Martha realizes that not even Minnie’s secrets are what they seem.
Visceral, sharp-witted, and deeply empathetic, A Gracious Neighbor explores the judgments women pass on one another and the ills of a society curated to keep them on the outside looking in.
Martha Hale is an affable wife and mother who lives in an affluent neighborhood of well-tended lawns and high expectations. If only her clumsiness at penetrating the social circles of her neighbors weren’t making Martha so lonely.
That’s why she’s thrilled when the glamorous Minnie Foster, a former high school classmate, moves in next door. Despite Martha’s determination, picking up where they left off is trickier than anticipated—especially when their memories of the past don’t always align. But Martha is undeterred. In fact, her preoccupation with Minnie’s life, her success, and her marriage is becoming an obsession. When she sees a darkness and shame hiding inside Minnie’s perfectly deceptive home, Martha realizes that not even Minnie’s secrets are what they seem.
Visceral, sharp-witted, and deeply empathetic, A Gracious Neighbor explores the judgments women pass on one another and the ills of a society curated to keep them on the outside looking in.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2022
2145 people are currently reading
5696 people want to read
About the author
Chris Cander
12 books268 followersChris Cander is the author of the novels THE YOUNG OF OTHER ANIMALS, A GRACIOUS NEIGHBOR, THE WEIGHT OF A PIANO, WHISPER HOLLOW, and 11 STORIES, and the grade K-5 picture book THE WORD BURGLAR. Visit www.chriscander.com for more info.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
June 2, 2022
First, what a horrible ending. Like you made me sit through this horrible book for 288 pages and you end the book like that? Secondly, WHY are there millions of paragraphs that are HUGE. Separate your dang paragraphs for the readers so it won’t be so miserable for us to read. Lastly, bad, BAD plot. 👎🏼
June 5, 2022
An incoherent narrator who is amoral at best. An unsatisfying ending. Multiple plot points that lead to nothing interesting or satisfying.
August 3, 2022
This book made me think obliquely of the 2008 Adam McKay film Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. In the movie, Ferrell’s and Reilly’s characters are grown men who still live with their single parents. When the parents marry, they are forced to live together as step-brothers. The parents are played wonderfully by Mary Steenburgen and one of my favorite character actors, the incomparable Richard Jenkins. While it is a somewhat funny, absurd commentary on modern life, there is an underlying ugliness that disturbs me. Ferrell and Reilly’s antics cover up a sad, depressing story about grown men who have failed to grow up.
Chris Cander’s 2022 novel about a wife and mother who clumsily navigates the social anxieties inherent in her affluent community was at times funny, somewhat entertaining, but there was a rudimentary depression at its heart that was disconcerting and prevented me from really ever liking it.
Tragicomedy is a term that may be defined as follows: “a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious play with a happy ending. Tragicomedy, as its name implies, invokes the intended response of both the tragedy and the comedy in the audience, the former being a genre based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis and the latter being a genre intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter.” – Wikipedia.
This was a wild mix of both tragic and comic elements, but that neither led to a catharsis or much laughter.
I found myself feeling sorry for the protagonist and saw her fumbling attempts at genuine neighborly behavior as contrived and even ludicrous. The well to do neighborhood is a viper’s nest of secrets and thinly disguised malevolence or simple indifference.
This may have been Cander’s intention, to form an unlikeable setting that would create a meaningful social commentary. But I did not buy that.
And the ending was terrible.
Chris Cander’s 2022 novel about a wife and mother who clumsily navigates the social anxieties inherent in her affluent community was at times funny, somewhat entertaining, but there was a rudimentary depression at its heart that was disconcerting and prevented me from really ever liking it.
Tragicomedy is a term that may be defined as follows: “a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious play with a happy ending. Tragicomedy, as its name implies, invokes the intended response of both the tragedy and the comedy in the audience, the former being a genre based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis and the latter being a genre intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter.” – Wikipedia.
This was a wild mix of both tragic and comic elements, but that neither led to a catharsis or much laughter.
I found myself feeling sorry for the protagonist and saw her fumbling attempts at genuine neighborly behavior as contrived and even ludicrous. The well to do neighborhood is a viper’s nest of secrets and thinly disguised malevolence or simple indifference.
This may have been Cander’s intention, to form an unlikeable setting that would create a meaningful social commentary. But I did not buy that.
And the ending was terrible.
July 5, 2022
Martha is an absolutely idiotic, highly unconfident character still living the dream of high school mentality in her head. She is freaking extremely nosey, can’t keep her overflowing blabbing mouth shut, oversteps and grinds on all social boundaries, and stalks her new neighbors. All other characters were extremely lackluster. This is not a “gripping” story, as indicated in book outline. It just really sucked!
I did make it to the end (why did I even bother) and the ending was so very awful too, I just wanted to throw the darned book into the blazing backyard fire pit and be done. What a waste of my precious reading time!
I did make it to the end (why did I even bother) and the ending was so very awful too, I just wanted to throw the darned book into the blazing backyard fire pit and be done. What a waste of my precious reading time!
June 14, 2022
Um, what? THAT was the ending? I’m so disappointed. It felt like the book just stopped. I kept waiting for something to happen or for a twist. But it just fell flat for me.
June 15, 2022
I had to work to finish this one. I'm surprised at the 4-5 star reviews. None of the characters were particularly likeable and the plot was really lacking. I finished the book thinking perhaps the plot trudged along to a climatic ending and I found the end just as bland and unlikable as the rest of the book.
June 9, 2022
Oh dear. So dumb. This was an Amazon Prime Read - so glad I didn't pay for this!
I don't really think these are spoilers, but just in case ....
The first part was OK, other than a hard eye roll when the author put herself in the book. Strange. But I gave that a pass.
But boy did the whole thing jump the shark with the breaking and entering and then with every single thing after that. Including the random page where I thought I'd picked up a bad soft-core romance novel.
I don't really think these are spoilers, but just in case ....
The first part was OK, other than a hard eye roll when the author put herself in the book. Strange. But I gave that a pass.
But boy did the whole thing jump the shark with the breaking and entering and then with every single thing after that. Including the random page where I thought I'd picked up a bad soft-core romance novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2022
This book made me fall back in love with reading again. It’s THAT good.
I grew up in the neighborhood this was set in, which immediately pulled me in. But the unique relationship between Minnie and Martha kept me binging. I couldn’t put the book down! The author made me feel like I was becoming Martha and that I desperately needed to know what was going on in Minnie’s life and home. I frequently lol’d at the silliness of the keeping-up-with-the-Jonses attitude of the neighbors which added nice levity to my burning curiosity for what was going on behind closed doors.
I walked away from the book feeling vindicated and proud. The friendship that develops, the secrets that they keep, and the strength that they hold made this book wonderful; the ending made it unforgettable. An absolute must read.
I grew up in the neighborhood this was set in, which immediately pulled me in. But the unique relationship between Minnie and Martha kept me binging. I couldn’t put the book down! The author made me feel like I was becoming Martha and that I desperately needed to know what was going on in Minnie’s life and home. I frequently lol’d at the silliness of the keeping-up-with-the-Jonses attitude of the neighbors which added nice levity to my burning curiosity for what was going on behind closed doors.
I walked away from the book feeling vindicated and proud. The friendship that develops, the secrets that they keep, and the strength that they hold made this book wonderful; the ending made it unforgettable. An absolute must read.
February 19, 2023
Like others, I really have no idea why A Gracious Neighbor by Chris Cander has so many negative reviews as well as such a low average on Goodreads. I hadn't noticed that until after I read it, but I guess it would have created low expectations. I went into the book completely blind anyway and I'm really glad I did because it totally helped me get lost in all of the drama in this story. I thought it was fascinating that not only did Cander set the novel in her own neighborhood, but she also got the idea from a short story by Susan Glaspell. While of course, it isn't the same exact story, the bones are there, and it is a little disheartening to think something written so long ago is still so relevant today (you will see what I mean if you read it). This book explores quite a few different topics, and while the author didn't delve *too* deeply into most of them, they were still there and felt very relatable.
While most people weren't a fan of Martha, I was able to empathize with her to a certain extent, and I will forever understand the desire to fit in. I would categorize A Gracious Neighbor as a domestic drama first and foremost, and there is no lack of drama. It's been quite a while since I listened to this, so I can't remember all of my thoughts about the audiobook, but if it helps you decide, I DO know it is narrated by Karissa Vacker. She is one of my favorite narrators, and I am fairly certain I remember her doing a great job with this book. The pacing is on the slower end overall, but it worked for me, and the storyline managed to easily hold my attention. There are a lot of details, and I really liked the world building and felt as though I really got to know these characters. I would definitely read another book from Cander, and I will be holding onto this one for a potential reread in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
While most people weren't a fan of Martha, I was able to empathize with her to a certain extent, and I will forever understand the desire to fit in. I would categorize A Gracious Neighbor as a domestic drama first and foremost, and there is no lack of drama. It's been quite a while since I listened to this, so I can't remember all of my thoughts about the audiobook, but if it helps you decide, I DO know it is narrated by Karissa Vacker. She is one of my favorite narrators, and I am fairly certain I remember her doing a great job with this book. The pacing is on the slower end overall, but it worked for me, and the storyline managed to easily hold my attention. There are a lot of details, and I really liked the world building and felt as though I really got to know these characters. I would definitely read another book from Cander, and I will be holding onto this one for a potential reread in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
November 29, 2022
3.75 Stars! I enjoyed parts of this book but other parts made me so uncomfortable too! It seems like Minnie and her husband have a great life, but things aren't always as they seem behind closed doors. Martha is a bit of a nosey neighbor and she made choices that I had to read to see what happened! This book flashes back a bit but it kept me turning pages! Thank you to TLC Book Tours for a copy of this book for everyone in my bookclub to discuss at our next gathering!
June 2, 2022
I was so fortunate to read this book early. I cannot say loudly enough to that you should go right now and pre-order it (preferably from an indie book store!) ahead of its 1 July publication date. It is such a familiar setting, and any woman with a house and a family in a neighborhood will connect with and recognize the main characters, I have no doubt. But Chris Cander yet again, pushes us beyond those familiar comforting surroundings into events and emotions which make us think far more deeply about our neighbors and friends, and about ourselves. Such a great summer read! Or Fall read! Oh, or winter, or well, basically, it’s fabulous anytime read!
July 2, 2022
I don't know why this one is getting so many negative reviews! I thought it was a juicy little neighborhood drama. We all know a Martha. You see them on Facebook if you still check your account(I do not). Stuck in high school deep down. Longing to belong, which is understandable to an extent but we witness a descent into madness and desperation. I was cringing for sure.
It was a nice and quick summer read. I got the book for the Prime First Reads thingamajig last month, but when I saw Karissa Vacker was narrating I clicked pre-order with the quickness because that's my girl. The audio just came out today and I've already finished it! 😂💕
It was a nice and quick summer read. I got the book for the Prime First Reads thingamajig last month, but when I saw Karissa Vacker was narrating I clicked pre-order with the quickness because that's my girl. The audio just came out today and I've already finished it! 😂💕
June 11, 2022
Really hard to get thru
This was just a slow read. I usually devour books but this just wasn't that interesting. Martha's husband was the only likeable character. It's hard to become invested when none of the characters are likable. The ending didn't wrap things well. It was just overall kind of pointless .
This was just a slow read. I usually devour books but this just wasn't that interesting. Martha's husband was the only likeable character. It's hard to become invested when none of the characters are likable. The ending didn't wrap things well. It was just overall kind of pointless .
June 3, 2022
I read half this book and when I realized that I didn't care about either of the main characters or what might happen next, I decided to stop.
June 9, 2022
The beginning was slow and I almost put the book down because of the huge info dump at the start. But I kept going and the book brought me in with its quirkiness and tension. As I neared the end, though, I realized it was not going to end satisfactorily. I kept waiting for more, but it never came. A lot of loose ends not tied up. The book ends on a lame note and I feel cheated, hence the lower rating.
June 12, 2022
Meh, boring and unsatisfying ending. I wanted to like it but in the end it is just weird and left me cold. There are no good or interesting characters and the story goes absolutely nowhere.
July 17, 2022
Have you ever read a book that split your mind in half? I have no idea how to rate this book because my mind says something while my heart says something else.
This book is one of these work of fiction that is perfect for book clubs and discussions. The themes it touches are so many from the assumptions we make about other people, the way we continue to compare our lives to others and domestic violence/abuse.
I think the book was very well thought and it definitely left me thinking and wanting to talk about it. It even made me wonder about my neighbors, not only about how much I don’t know about what’s going on behind their door, but also how they are probably struggling to create an imagine to cover up what they thing they have to hide.
I think the author did a great job with Martha too. She made her into that noisy neighbor that is that way not because is looking for gossip, but because she is living a lonely life.
Martha grew on me, I found her annoying at the beginning and maybe even a bit slow, but - page after page - I saw how she was actually kind and had that feeling we all are that we are settling for something while we could have what others have.
Martha had a devoted husband that was not as good looking as John, but he was there for her emotionally and they had a very close relationship. She had a son that made mistakes as any adolescent, but had values and was growing into a good man. She had a job she was great at and made her happy even if she was not a famous artist. She had it all, but she was not completely able to see it because of the way we constantly are looking at what other people have.
I can’t give it 5 stars because I think there were some parts that were a bit boring at the beginning even if they were set to frame Martha, and because it was obvious what the plot was and what would have happened, but I think the author was more interested at painting a picture of Martha than create a mystery.
This book is one of these work of fiction that is perfect for book clubs and discussions. The themes it touches are so many from the assumptions we make about other people, the way we continue to compare our lives to others and domestic violence/abuse.
I think the book was very well thought and it definitely left me thinking and wanting to talk about it. It even made me wonder about my neighbors, not only about how much I don’t know about what’s going on behind their door, but also how they are probably struggling to create an imagine to cover up what they thing they have to hide.
I think the author did a great job with Martha too. She made her into that noisy neighbor that is that way not because is looking for gossip, but because she is living a lonely life.
Martha grew on me, I found her annoying at the beginning and maybe even a bit slow, but - page after page - I saw how she was actually kind and had that feeling we all are that we are settling for something while we could have what others have.
Martha had a devoted husband that was not as good looking as John, but he was there for her emotionally and they had a very close relationship. She had a son that made mistakes as any adolescent, but had values and was growing into a good man. She had a job she was great at and made her happy even if she was not a famous artist. She had it all, but she was not completely able to see it because of the way we constantly are looking at what other people have.
I can’t give it 5 stars because I think there were some parts that were a bit boring at the beginning even if they were set to frame Martha, and because it was obvious what the plot was and what would have happened, but I think the author was more interested at painting a picture of Martha than create a mystery.
June 9, 2022
Ridiculous
June 13, 2022
characters were not interesting. Boring story line Bad ending
June 12, 2022
I DNF at about 50%. Not sure why I hung in there so long - waste of time with so many good books waiting to be read. . Book started with an info dump then I kept waiting for something interesting to happen or to find some redeeming quality in the main character. At 50% I could see things weren’t heading in a promising direction. Nothing gripping about this book - boring plot and bad pacing.
At one point the author inserts a reference to her other book. Weird.
I received this book free as a Goodreads giveaway but I saw it was also a Prime option. I’ve never read a Prime giveaway that I enjoyed, this one included.
At one point the author inserts a reference to her other book. Weird.
I received this book free as a Goodreads giveaway but I saw it was also a Prime option. I’ve never read a Prime giveaway that I enjoyed, this one included.
July 2, 2022
Good grief! I can't believe I read this whole book thinking that it might get better. The stupidity never ended!
Read
June 7, 2022This book was okay. I hated the ending!
June 10, 2022
Not my favorite book
Martha's uninvited visits to Minnie's home made me very uncomfortable. Someone doing that so many times made the book unbelievable.
Martha's uninvited visits to Minnie's home made me very uncomfortable. Someone doing that so many times made the book unbelievable.
May 26, 2023
Consiglio di leggerlo solo per arrivare alla fine e dire: ho seriamente buttato del tempo per questo romanzo?
Le recensioni negative che ho letto pensavo fossero esagerate, ma no. È davvero, realmente, un romanzo così senza senso? e il finale poi? Pensavo ci fosse un finale nascosto, un vero finale. Magari l'autrice ha dimenticato di inviare alla casa editrice l'ultimo capitolo...spero sia così.
È un mix tra un mio tema di 1° media e la descrizione minuziosa di ogni singolo movimento, pensiero, oggetto come se l'autrice dovesse arrivare ad un certo numero di parole (una sorta di me stessa con la tesi triennale).
Bah.
Le recensioni negative che ho letto pensavo fossero esagerate, ma no. È davvero, realmente, un romanzo così senza senso? e il finale poi? Pensavo ci fosse un finale nascosto, un vero finale. Magari l'autrice ha dimenticato di inviare alla casa editrice l'ultimo capitolo...spero sia così.
È un mix tra un mio tema di 1° media e la descrizione minuziosa di ogni singolo movimento, pensiero, oggetto come se l'autrice dovesse arrivare ad un certo numero di parole (una sorta di me stessa con la tesi triennale).
Bah.
July 2, 2022
A gracious neighbor explores the complicated dynamic between neighbors and the secrets they keep. Martha Hale presents herself as the perfect housewife and the perfect mother. The story breaks down how her family went from humble beginnings to living in one of the most posh neighborhoods in Houston.
One day everything changes for Martha when her childhood classmate moves next door. The charming and mysterious Minnie remembers Martha because of her beautiful talent to handle a camera. I really enjoyed getting to know both of these characters and their how their lives intertwined. It definitely touches on so many topics that are relatable, like jealousy, pressure to be perfect and how we use social media to gain access to everyone.
One day everything changes for Martha when her childhood classmate moves next door. The charming and mysterious Minnie remembers Martha because of her beautiful talent to handle a camera. I really enjoyed getting to know both of these characters and their how their lives intertwined. It definitely touches on so many topics that are relatable, like jealousy, pressure to be perfect and how we use social media to gain access to everyone.
July 3, 2022
I would have given NO stars if I could
Hated this book. The main character was mentally ill!!!!! Yuck!!! Stupid and what was the point???? One of the worst books ever - why did I finish it????
Hated this book. The main character was mentally ill!!!!! Yuck!!! Stupid and what was the point???? One of the worst books ever - why did I finish it????
March 13, 2023
3.5 honestly. I liked that this book was based in Houston, as I live there. This book discuss the truth about some female friendships and living in a clicky neighborhood.
June 6, 2022
DNF. This book was definitely not gripping. I wanted to like it because of the setting but just couldn’t get into the plot.
May 19, 2023
This was an okay book. I enjoyed it until Martha, the main character, got super weird 😬 it was a decent read.
June 13, 2022
I read the book pretty quickly, mostly because I couldn't stand the tension that had been building, wanting to get some resolution. I mostly enjoyed it, but Martha was just so, I don't know, pathetic in her attempts to fit in, almost delusional in a way. It was a bit far fetched the lengths she went to in order to learn more about Minnie. I mostly felt sorry for Martha. The author skimmed many surfaces but didn't delve too deeply with any particular plot point - except for the bird and Martha's dissatisfaction (or was she?) with her seemingly ordinary life, tired home, tired clothing....in contrast with Minnie's top of the line everything. I was vested in seeing this through and I really disliked the ending! Loose ends.....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews