When Will There Be Good News? - Books (Kate Atkinson, Hardcover)

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Customer Reviews of When Will There Be Good News?

N. Housley
Leicester United Kingdom
3rd December 2008

as good as it gets
A wonderful book by my favourite novelist. It has everything you could ask for. The only downside is the feeling of sadness that hits you when you reach the last page.

BookWorm
UK
29th November 2008

The good news is... Atkinson returns to form
If you need a reminder of why Kate Atkinson is one of the UK's best authors, particularly after her last couple of offerings, this novel ought to do it. 'When Will There Be Good News' is a stronger novel than its two 'Jackson Brodie' predecessors, coming up towards the standard of Atkinson's earlier standalone books.

A page turningly good read, the plot is tighter and cleaner than in 'One Good Turn' and, although there is still too much reliance on coincidence, it isn't as obvious. The character of Reggie, a spirited young nanny, is a breath of fresh air and she carries the story along, gluing together the various threads. Jackson Brodie and Louise Monroe, familiar from former novels, are also featured, but for me Reggie was definitely the star of the show.

The 'detective story' aspects worked better here than in Atkinson's previous Jackson Brodie novels, probably because she has toned down the quirkiness, which doesn't sit well with a crime genre. There are still a couple of interesting twists and it certainly makes a change from the run-of-the-mill crime novel.

Atkinson's writing is always excellent, she's one of those truly great writers that you just want to keep reading. Even putting aside what she has to say, she always says it well, and I caught flashes of 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' more in this novel than in any of the others.

I would highly recommend this, even if you haven't liked the other 'Jackson Brodie' novels. If Atkinson writes more featuring the detective - which the open ending of this one suggests she will - I won't mind if it's this sort of quality.

Book Fiend
Ilkley
26th November 2008

Suspension of Disbelief Required!
If you can suspend your disbelief at the number of coincidences, this is a fantastic pacy read. I have to confess to enjoying it for the characters rather than the plot - Dr. Joanne Hunter in particular intrigued me and I found myself totally convinced by her, perhaps less so by the 16 year old Latin-loving Reggie, who was none the less a very attractive character. For me the plot was almost incidental but other readers would perhaps enjoy it for that alone. I feel it would make a wonderful BBC
serial or one-off film.

RH
Evesham, UK
17th November 2008

Brilliant!
After reading Case Histories and One Good Turn I was looking forward to this and I was not disappointed.
Such intelligent writing with humour and class.
Thank you for a wonderful week of reading!

pris,
New EnglandUSA
16th November 2008

A Coincidence Is Just An Explanation Waiting To Happen
Coincidence as defined by Webster "the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection." Kate Atkinson is a perfectionist when it comes to coincidence. Her mystery thrillers are made of such. Into each one she weaves a story that grabs us and soon we are ensconced in the telling of the tale.

How to describe the beginning? A full cut madness that results in a family torn apart, one little girl, Joanna survives. She becomes a physician, a caring person with a husband and a baby son. Her Nanny is a young girl named Reggie. Reggie without family except for an outlaw brother, and the family she wants is with Joanna. Jackson Brodie, a private investigator embarking on a train trip to London, after traveling to Edinburgh to ascertain if he has a son. The train runs off its track and after almost bleeding to death he is saved by Reggie. The investigating office is Louise, an old friend to Brody. Louise has also brought news to Joanna. Coincidence? You decide.

One of the most interesting aspects of reading a Kate Atkinson novel is her mission to bring us the reason for living. How and why do we go on after trauma and grief. What do we do when we find the person we are married to may be the wrong one. When our loved ones die how do we go on? How do we know we have found what we need in life?

This is the third novel with Louise and Jackson Brodie as main characters. We know do we not that they are meant for each other? But Kate Atkinson seems to knock off the men in these women's lives. Why is that? Will Jackson Brodie and Louise find true happiness? I think not and that is not just a coincidence!

Highly Recommended. prisrob 11-08-08

One Good Turn: A Novel

Behind the Scenes at the Museum: A Novel