Kristyn Kusek Lewis

Not a bad portrait of a small, insular town bent on keeping things frozen at some mythical idyllic time. When the town 'bad girl' comes back after 50 years, an event that coincides with a younger family's return, we get to compare and contrast about the situation then and now. Not much has changed - kids are still jerks to each other and grow up to be assholes as adults who don't act any better. The main character, Bess, was easy to relate to and I hoped she'd stand up for herself sooner show more rather than later. Same with Livvie. Susanna was too light of a wash, character-wise. A lot was said about her clothes and past, but her current character and machinations were too lightly drawn. I wanted a more concrete woman to be indecisive over, because clearly that's her role, both for us as readers and Bess as her chronicler. The Henrietta mystery could have gone any number of ways, but only so many so that resolution wasn't a shock.

There's a device of labeling each chapter with a certain character, but aside from a couple of them, the whole thing could have been labeled Bess. It should have been. Also, there is no way a rabbit skull could be a paperweight unless it's been coated in gold or lead. show less

Fitting in is not easy in a small town no matter who you are. I went through the pain of moving to a small town after leaving Detroit, so this book spoke to me in many ways. My move wasn't quite as dramatic as the move in the book but it WAS difficult.

Bess Warner, her husband Cole and their two children move from Washington DC to Greyhill, a small town in Virginia, after Bess's very public firing from her job as social secretary to the First Lady in the White House. At first she thinks the show more move may not be too bad because it's her husbands home town and she had visited there often. She quickly finds out that visiting in a small town and living in one are very different. Her problems are added to because they live across the road from her husband's parents and her mother in law doesn't approve of her. In a small town, there are no secrets and everyone knows everyone else's business and what they don't know for sure, they speculate about. When Bess makes the move, she finds out how difficult it is to fit in. Then when she is offered a chance to write an article about the notorious Susannah, one of the town's oldest residents, she finds herself the center of even more gossip. Can she find a place in small town America where she and her husband and children are safe and can have a happy life?

Even though my transition to small town living was much less dramatic that Bess's, her story still resonated with me. It is difficult to fit into a totally different life especially when every move you make is part of the local gossip grapevine. I thought this was a great book about small town life with some fantastic believable characters. I really liked Bess but had some problems with her husband who tended to side more with the town that with his wife. That said, the small town drama and some of the quirky characters in town along with Bess's quest to be accepted will quickly draw you in to this great novel.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less

Bess and Cole Warner arrive in Greyhill, Virginia from Washington, DC. Ostensibly they've come to take over the local inn from Cole's parents, Diane and Bradley, but they are also fleeing the city. Bess is leaving behind her job as a social secretary at the White House, which she left in disgrace. Greyhill, meanwhile, is a beautiful town, but also one of old money, tradition, and gossip. Bess literally lives across the stress from her in-laws, allowing Diane to pop in anytime, bringing with show more her her trademark mixture of judgement and condescension. Bess soon realizes that it's not easy to assimilate into Greyhill if you're deemed an "outsider." Her husband seems happy among his old friends--many of whom are more than glad to spread gossip about Bess. Her twin children are figuring out their way at the local private school--a challenge that seems harder for her daughter than son. When she's offered a chance to write an article on a local figure, Susannah Greyhill Lane, Bess jumps at the chance. She soon realizes Susannah is a bit of a kindred spirit: the town doesn't seem to like her much either. Susannah also has a lot of secrets, some of which involve Bess' in-laws. As Bess learns more about Greyhill's past, she starts to wonder exactly what she's gotten herself and her family into.

This was a really engaging, easy-to-read book that expertly captured the small town dynamic. Bess was a likeable character, struggling as an outsider in her husband's town. She's trying to put a mistake behind her at her former job, giving her even more trust issues. The novel is told mainly from Bess' point of view, but we also get snippets of town gossip, too. Ugh, having lived in such a town, I can tell you that Lewis really gets it right. I was wrapped up in the story from the beginning and felt awfully sorry for Bess--moving away from all she knew and having to deal with those hateful small town busybodies (sometimes there's nothing worse, really).

"It's like living in Stars Hollow, the charming small town on Gilmore Girls... Although honestly, so far, Greyhill feels a little more Desperate Housewives. The star character being me."

I was initially drawn to reading this book because the fake town of Greyhill, as written, is practically in my backyard. It frequently mentions my hometown of Madison (which, believe me, *never* shows up in books - it's not that big), as well as where I currently live. Even better, Lewis captures both quite well, as well as the moneyed, snobby atmosphere of Greyhill that will be intimately familiar to anyone who lives in Virginia. There's always something fun about reading about a place (or places) you know. My favorite sports team even gets a mention!

Bess is also a very realistic mother. The book does an excellent job of capturing how hard it is being a mom when your kid is going through a hard time, for example. Honestly, it does a good job of portraying parenthood in general--it's real and true throughout. I very much appreciated that. None of the sugarcoated parent/child relationships we get in some books.

This one was not completely what I expected. While it's character-driven and portrays Bess' struggle to fit in in Greyhill, it is almost a mystery at times. You can't really trust what you read and it's twisty, with some surprises thrown in. It makes for a fast, interesting read that delves into the history of Greyhill and Bess' family.

Overall, this was a really captivating book. I enjoyed the characters and the story--and the setting was a real bonus. This is the first book I've read by Krusek Lewis, but I definitely would like to read more.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Harper Collins, via LibraryThing in return for an unbiased review - thank you!

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Moving to her husband’s small home town was something Bess always wanted to do because of the lovely homes, and because she thought it would be good for the twins.

The move wasn’t without problems. Two of a number of problems were that she would be across the street from her mother-in-law, and they would be taking over the inn that had been in the family for years.

Little did she know about the problems that would come up dealing with the residents. One of the residents who was quite show more famous because of an accident is Susannah Lake. Susannah is someone that Bess is asked to interview.

Susannah is a woman who moved back to this small town after many years, lives in a forty-room house, and is the talk of the town as well as a former girlfriend of Bess’s father-in-law.

Susannah is also a woman that you can’t really be sure if what she says is the truth.

The other residents were nosy, catty, and loved to gossip - the beauty of a small town, right? Everyone knows everyone’s secrets and pasts.

Poor Bess became the target of all the women....not what she expected when she moved to this quiet, small town. She thought everyone would be kind, but they all knew the history she and Cole shared and made sure they commented on it.

The problem with commenting on their history was that Cole seemed to side with the people from when he was growing up instead of Bess....not a good thing.

HALF OF WHAT YOU HEAR addressed social issues as well as personal issues of fitting in.

There are secrets that the residents of Greyhill have kept for many years, and as the mystery unravels, the book's interest picks up and ends up with a few surprises.

There also are a few very unlikable residents. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. show less