Very good story and great character development. Really enjoyed the thought that went into telling this story over many decades. That can be difficult to do! Excellent characters and depth of characters that enhance the great story. The only negative would be the length, it could have been a little shorter and still complete.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book. Ask Again, Yes is truly a wonderful piece of fiction writing with great characters and a great story. Its been a while since I have read a book that just deals with the people.

The story revolves around two families. It's easy to follow as there is no extra fluff in this story This story is about family, marriage and all that comes with it. One family is a truly happy family and the other is not. Their lives become intertwined by a tragic event and also their children.

Again, such a beautiful book. I want to recommend it to my book club once its released.

I was spellbound by this book. From start to finish, I enjoyed every storyline, every twist and turn, every character – good and not so good --, and the ending – would the author make it a happy ending or not so much? She had me wondering which way it would go.

Ask Again, Yes focuses on the Gleesons and the Stanhopes and their children, Kate and Peter, respectively. It’s about good marriages and bad marriages, happiness and sadness, calm and chaos, forgiveness and acceptance, strengths and weaknesses, and rescuers and those who needed to be rescued. The story is sensitive and intense, and the writing is flawless and real.

The development of the characters was impeccable. I got caught up I the lives of each and every one. My heart just ached for Peter. Not only did he have to pretty much raise himself, he had to feel the pain of rejection from both his mentally ill mother and his alcoholic father. How he survived those two is a mystery; thank goodness for George.

Along with thoroughly enjoying the story, I came away with a few lessons. One is: do not keep those secrets that you think are protecting someone. Another is: “the only secret to love is kindness” from the author’s Acknowledgments page.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. It was my pleasure. Well done, Ms. Keane, well done.

Family. Drama. Great in-depth book. Riveted to the end. Definite favorite.
Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Deeply moving, descriptive story. The author takes the reader on an epic tale of what happens when two intertwined families suffer a tremendous trauma, and the many twisty roads they travel back from that kind of hellish event.

Ask Again, Yes took me a minute to settle into, but I’m really grateful that I gave it a chance. Once things get going, time passes quickly and effortlessly as I followed the lives of two neighboring families living on the East Coast, torn apart yet tied together by a shared tragedy. Revealing much more than that may betray the heart of a story that I believe is worth the journey.

Without revealing too much, this story is both impossibly large and somehow small - its plot feels almost mythical at times, like a modern day squabble between Montague and Capulet, of Oedipus unknowingly butting heads with his own unavoidable destiny, and somehow also ultimately human.

I kept wanting to highlight passages that felt particularly “true". This story evokes feelings about any event that draws a line in the sand of your life, marking a clear before and after. A destructive decision, a change of heart, an illness, an accident - events that change everyone who is touched by them. These characters are all relatable, alive and distinct, even when they are making mistakes, and that’s what makes this book feel special.

This is a novel for readers who like characters they can love and hate all at once, it’s in part a love story, but more broadly a story of regret, compassion, and forgiveness. I haven’t read anything else from the author, but now I want to!

I can't say I loved this book... It's about 2 cops that end up becoming neighbors and their families' lives are forever entwined after that. As for the plot, that was what mostly motivated me to keep reading. I was curious about the events that would take place, the decisions that were made by characters, and was wondering how everything would look in the end. However, I felt very little connection to the characters. I'd say I only started to truly feel for the characters 80% through the book, which was disappointing that it had to happen so late, but glad it finally happened.

I wouldn't say the story was slow-moving, since plenty of events were happening, but the book felt very, very slow to me. It seems like the author tried to use a lot of background detail to convey meaning about the story or characters, but I just didn't get it. When I'm reading I try to look at what a particular event or conversation adds, to either a character or the overall message for the book, and I found myself coming up blank when reading this one.

Family sagas are usually filled with extra drama and extra emotion because it's family, it's people who raised you and are closest to you, everything has high stakes. This one fell flat for me. Instead of moving through the scenes with the characters and their emotions, I felt like an intrigued witness to their lives.

I also posted this review on my goodreads account and instagram, both under kits.picks

Easy 5-star rating!

The Gleeson family and the Stanhope family are neighbors. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are both New York City cops that had partnered for a short while early in their careers. Brian’s son, Peter, and Francis’ youngest daughter, Kate, are six months apart. They’re best friends that have seen each other every single day of their lives for as long as they can remember, until one night tragedy strikes and changes everything they thought they knew about the present and the future.

This book was a coming of age story but it was also a family saga with mental illness, alcoholism, and infidelity testing the bonds within and between the Gleeson and Stanhope families. Fortunately, there is acceptance and forgiveness to build and strengthen those bonds as well. The writing is subtle and powerful. The story is emotional and insightful. I was on the edge of my seat for that last 30% or so of the book and at other times throughout … it was very tense! And the characters were just so well done, they all felt so real and believable. Peter’s entire story just broke my heart … and George … I loved George. Thank goodness for George … such a good man!

I can’t recommend this one enough … just really, REALLY well done. This ARC was provided by NetGalley and Scribner … thanks so much for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This is a beautifully written and deeply nuanced family drama that’ll almost certainly have wide appeal when it hits shelves in a few months.
In the summer of 1973, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are assigned as partners with the NYPD and wind up moving to the same suburban neighborhood. One night, a shocking act of violence occurs, dividing the families.
But Francis’s daughter Kate and Brian’s son Peter are already close friends at this point, and over the years to come they remain drawn to each other despite their families’ fraught relationship.
Ask Again, Yes follows the members of both families over the course of decades, as they confront difficult issues such as mental illness, alcoholism and adultery. The character development is deep and poignant, at times reminding me of Emily Ruskovich’s brilliant novel Idaho.
The legacies of pain and resentment accompany the Gleesons and the Stanhopes, ultimately paving the way for healing and forgiveness. There are no “good” characters or “bad” characters—just flawed people in difficult situations. The major success of the novel, and Keane’s intricate writing, is that everything that happens feels earned.

Ask Again, Yes was my first book by Mary Beth Keane. It was a wonderful introduction to her amazing writing and storytelling abilities. This book would best be described as a family sage and is told over multiple decades. Two families meet and their lives will never be the same. Many themes are introduced as Gleeson presents the lives of the Stanhope and Gleeson families and how they both intersect and collide over the years.

This was not an easy book to read and it may be triggering for some as there are many painful issues that are part of this powerful story. Friendship, loss, marriage, mental illness, alcoholism are all strong themes of this book and are exposed as the lives of these two families unfold. The past and how it affects how we move forward today, forgiveness and what makes a family were strong themes of this novel. The most powerful part of this book was the writing itself which was just amazingly done and very thought-provoking. Her character development was spot on and I felt immersed in the lives in these families while reading. I look forward to reading more of Keane's work in the future.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Scribner Books for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Very good story and great character development. Really enjoyed the thought that went into telling this story over many decades. That can be difficult to do! Excellent characters and depth of characters that enhance the great story. The only negative would be the length, it could have been a little shorter and still complete.

wo families live next door to each other in a quiet town just outside New York City. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are both police officers and want the American dream. A few kids, a yard and dinner on the table when they get home from a long shift. Francis’s wife Lena quickly has three girls and it takes every ounce of her energy to get through the day. Anne, Brian’s wife watches her closely and pushes away any attempt at friendship. After an awful lot of bad luck Anne finally has a little boy Peter and he and Kate, the youngest daughter next door, become the very best of friends. Becoming a parent does not warm Anne to Lena. The close friendship their children share she deems as suspicious and threatening. Obviously unstable and equally unhappy Anne’s act of violence years later is both unimaginable and unforgivable tearing the families completely apart. Peter and Kate are only 14 when their world is torn to pieces. Years pass and as destiny unravels, Peter and Kate find each other again. The difficult choices they repeatedly have to make are painful and will either set them on a path to freedom or destruction. Deep, complicated family dynamics. This realistic novel is beautifully written but sad and often hopeless. Even though the threads of love are strong, the alcoholism and mental illness is extremely depressing. Great writer, difficult book to recommend.

Two rookie cops on the beat in the Bronx ...what could go wrong? The impending doom shadowing young romance, fresh starts, and new neighborhoods had me on the edge of my seat from the first page. The following passage in particular cues the reader to buckle in: "The quiet of the house when she kept to her room was not the peaceful silence of a library, or anywhere near as tranquil. It was, Peter imagined, more like the held-breath interlude between when a button gets pushed and the bomb either detonates or is defused."
Love and kindness try (and fail) to separate in this well-researched novel and I surprised myself how my allegiances shifted throughout my reading. The relationship of Peter and Kate was written with truth and intensity, and anchored the story in a beautiful and heartbreaking way.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very recently a question came up in a Goodreads group of which I am a member—what is literature? Definitions were bandied about and although there was some consensus, it was still fairly ethereal and ambiguous. An online dictionary, however, offers this:

<i>Literature: written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.

Ask Again, Yes</i> is most certainly “literature”—a novel that will not only assuredly be splashed across dozens of “Best of 2019” lists, but one that will also be read, explicated and analyzed for years to come. This is the birth of a classic.

The book begins in 1973, as two rookie NYPD officers, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, are partnered. Though it is only a six week stint, their meeting sets the course for the future of not only the two men, but also their families. For the next four decades, their lives intersect and collide as they face friendships lost and found, mental illness, and alcoholism—with eventual self-awareness that can only be achieved through the survival of horrific events and crisis.

Author Mary Beth Keane is on point as not only a skilled storyteller but also a brilliant wordsmith. Her prose is absolutely poetic, ebbing and flowing with phrasing and rich imagery that steals the reader’s breath. It’s not just the language, though, that makes this such a gorgeous book. Through Keane’s writing, each character is given life that lifts them off of the page and into existence. They are tragic and flawed, beautiful and real, each with hopes and dreams that transcend the obstacles with which they are faced. The reader KNOWS them and can’t help but to laugh, cry and cheer as their lives unfold.

Melancholy and even sometimes morose, the familial themes explored by Keane are at once uplifting and painful. At what cost do we cling to our past? How much energy do we expend in the name of vengeance? When does forgiveness become a noble pursuit? What, exactly, constitutes a life well-lived?

<i>Ask Again, Yes</i> is, without question, a must read for those who value family and the ties that bind; for those who expect good writing in exchange for the valuable time spent immersed in the pages; and for those who can appreciate the joy of a story well-told.

Thanks to both NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me access to an ARC in exchange for my review. The book is slated for a June 2019 release.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

The first half of this book had me rivited but the second half dragged a bit. None of these people could catch a break, and it just devolved into hundreds of pages of humorless misery, with no real payoff at the end. Could be improved by editing a good chuck out.

On one hand, I could not put this book down, on the other , I had to because I never wanted it end. The very best multi generational family saga I have read in many years. The style of written was simply fabulous. Author was able to go from character to character, and time line flawlessly. Best characters in a novel ever. This book is sad, yet so filled with love and hope.Plan to send a copy to my daughter the day it is released.

The Gleesons and Stanhopes lived next door to each other in the small town Gillam, outside New York City where Brian and Francis were both police officers. Though the men briefly were partners, their paths diverged, and living on the same street didn’t bring them closer together. Lena, Francis’s wife, lonely outside of the city and away from her friends and family, unsuccessfully tried to befriend Brian’s wife, Anne. But, Gleeson’s youngest daughter, Kate, and Stanhope’s only son, Peter, were born six months apart and became the best of friends, as close as siblings, until their teenage hormones shifted their relationship.

The families lived in a precarious balance until Kate and Peter became eighth graders. That year, tensions flared until an unimaginable act of violence tore the two families apart and shifted the relationships within each family forever. The Stanhopes left Gillam, and the families and individual family members tried to heal, making mistakes along the way, but the events of the fateful night were a fulcrum against which they all pivoted. Even as Kate and Peter found each other again, the ghosts of the past threatened them and their loved ones unless they could find the strength to forgive.

Overall, I enjoyed Ask Again, Yes. The story captivated my attention and I thought the language was lovely. Some of the characters, too, particularly stood out as unusual--Anne--or lovable--George, Brian’s brother. Francis’s journey, too, was a valuable window into his situation. Despite the dark turns the novel takes, it ultimately promotes a message of forgiveness and compassion.

Some things I liked less about the novel included reliance on what I think are overdone conflicts, for example alcoholism and infidelity, though they are perhaps overdone because so common and then deserve attention. The novel shifted perspective among characters, sometimes leaping forward in time, and while I don’t mind that in general, at times in this novel it felt a little jerky. Kate, who is a spitfire as a child, becomes rather passive as she becomes an adult, perhaps because of her circumstances, but it’s a shame she lost her moxy. Finally, the tone of the novel was one of reporting which served a bit to distance me from the emotions of the characters.

Ask Again, Yes should appeal to readers who like contemporary fiction in general or who enjoy family dramas and coming of age novels, and I would e

Ask Me Again, Yes
By Mary Beth Keane
Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy to review.
Description
A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, and the power of forgiveness.
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are two NYPD rookies assigned to the same Bronx precinct in 1973. They aren’t close friends on the job, but end up living next door to each other outside the city. What goes on behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the stunning events to come.
Ask Again, Yes by award-winning author Mary Beth Keane, is a beautifully moving exploration of the friendship and love that blossoms between Francis’s youngest daughter, Kate, and Brian’s son, Peter, who is born six months apart. In the spring of Kate and Peter’s eighth-grade year a violent event divides the neighbors, the Stanhopes are forced to move away, and the children are forbidden to have any further contact.
But Kate and Peter find a way back to each other, and their relationship is tested by the echoes from their past. Ask Again, Yes reveals how the events of childhood look different when reexamined from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace.


This is one amazingly written and touching book. This could very well be in a theater. Ask Me Again, Yes shows how out families both help us and harm us and why forgiveness is sometimes necessary for survival. You will indeed cheer and smile for the families.

Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

Ask Again, Yes was a really great piece of fiction writing. If I could compare it to another author's work I would say this is for fans of Celeste Ng or Ann Patchett. Family sagas are something that I look for because they almost always end up being my favorite stories. I think there is a lot to be said for an author who can build an entire story out of one or two families and weave everything together. Mary Beth Keane wrote this absolutely beautiful story with such care and concern for the journey they all take that anyone who reads it will fall in love with each person's faults as well as their strengths in what is a journey of friendship and love.

You know you are reading something amazing when you can't wait to get back to it. When I wasn't reading it, all I did was think about what was going to come next. Ask Again, Yes is that book. Besides the story, it was the WAY the author told the story. I thought switching perspectives and giving us insight into not only the main characters (Kate & Peter), but the other characters directly impacted by "the event" helped make the story stronger. It provided the opportunity to follow each character through their life and see WHY they were able to feel and act based on where you were in the book. It made the conclusion bittersweet and believable.

I will definitely buy this and make it part of my library. Anyone looking for their next great book club pick; this is it!

A great story about friendship, family and love. Very well written and thought provoking. I finished several days ago and it’s still lingering in my mind. I can’t wait to check out more of what this author has to offer.