Some of us are lucky enough to fall in love with someone who has the same goals and values that we have. Unfortunately, others fall in love and feel the betrayal of a partner who does not value monogamy. Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney explores marriage and the friendships which bind us.
Plot Summary
Flora has been married for the past twenty years to Julian. The first years of their marriage were financially challenging as each tried to make a living in New York’s theatre world. Eventually, Julian opened up Good Company, his own theatre company while Flora raised their daughter Ruby and did voiceover work. Flora’s best friend Margot is also an actor, married to David, a paediatric brain surgeon. When Flora discovers her husband’s wedding ring in an envelope, she begins to reflect upon not only her marriage, but her friendship with Margot.
Book Review
This book is character driven and is told from multiple perspectives in multiple time frames. It discusses infidelity, trust and the ability to forgive. I appreciated the character development in the book, but felt I really could not connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. I contribute much of this due to the non-linear nature of past events in this book. These reflections felt random in nature and I was distracted by them. While I was entertained by the book, it was a struggle at times to maintain my focus. This is likely due to a mismatch between the book and reader and I appreciate that many others may not feel this way.
Audiobook Review
I listened to the audiobook version of the book which was narrated by Marin Ireland who provided an excellent performance. I appreciated the articulate and sweet tone to her voice and it was a pleasure to listen to her. I listened to the book at my usual 1.25x speed which provided me a comfortable listening experience.
What I Liked About Good Company:
- The character development
- The story itself was entertaining.
I Recommend This Book To:
Those that enjoy character driven literary fiction.
Acknowledgments:
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for the honest review provided here.
My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.
Add Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney to your Goodreads shelf
Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great day.
thathappyreader
Thanks Daniela!
Lisa's Notebook
Ah, I do like a book that's written from multiple perspectives in multiple time frames but I completely get that it can also be super confusing! It's a shame this one didn't work so well for you, Jodie, but thank you for an honest review 🙂
thathappyreader
Thanks Lisa!
Anika
I love a character driven book, so I'm definitely checking it out. It reminds me a little of Ask Again, Yes! Great review.
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
thathappyreader
Thanks Anika!
Jenna Rideout | Westveil Publishing
Interesting! This book wasn't on my radar yet.
thathappyreader
Thanks Jenna!
Chloe Chats
It's a shame you couldn't connect to the characters very well, good that it was entertaining at times though, it's difficult sometimes when you're not really getting into the story so it's hard to keep focused with it! Great review though, thank you for sharing your thoughts! x
thathappyreader
Thanks Chloe!
Aimsy
This sounds like a good read! I like multiple characters in a book, that intertwine with others, but your comment of them being distracting puts me off slightly.
Thanks for sharing your review 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
thathappyreader
Thanks Aimsy!
Kelly~Diane
This sounds like an interesting book. I like books that tell the story from multiple characters and points of view.
thathappyreader
Thanks Kelly ~Diane!
Della Driscoll
I love character driven plots and this books sounds brilliant! Great post x
thathappyreader
Thanks Della!
Daniela
This looks like a nice weekend reading! Thank you for the review!
thathappyreader
Thanks Jenny!
Sophie
I love the sound of this and a character driven novel. It's a shame this one didn't live up to your expectations x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
thathappyreader
Thanks Sophie.
Loren
This sounds like an emotional book, it's often hard to read novels with multiple character perspectives but it seems like it works for this book. Now I want to read it and find out what and why it happened!
Loren | Plaidandsugar.com
thathappyreader
Thanks Loren! Let me know what you think!
Sara
It sounds like an intriguing story. Character-driven stories are interesting, and I hope Flora will find happiness and peace in her life again.
Thanks for a lovely review:)
thathappyreader
Thanks Sara!
thathappyreader
Thanks Lindsey.
Lindsey
Connecting to the characters is so important for me so it's a shame that this didn't work for you in that sense. Great review as always though.