Ask Again, Yes tells the story of two families - the Gleesons and the Stanhopes - over several years, focusing particularly on the friendship between the youngest Gleeson daughter, Kate, and Peter, the only child of the Stanhopes.
The book centres around a tragedy which has a lasting impact on both families, and explores both the circumstances leading up to that event, and the journeys of the families as they try to move forward and find peace.
It is beautifully written - I was completely drawn in and wanted to read more. The characters are vivid and realistic, each with their own flaws and issues but very relatable.
The book touches on themes such as love, family ties, friendship, mental illness, addiction, and forgiveness, which means that while it's an easy and enjoyable read it is also thought-provoking, and it is definitely one that will stick with me.

4.5 stars

This was a fantastic family drama. Mental health and addiction are two of the main themes in the story of two families who live next door to each other, and spend their lives intertwined.

A must read - beautifully written and completely engrossing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Pubishing for the ARC of this book!

Two rookie cops, Francis and Brian, patrol together in New York for 6 weeks. They move to adjacent houses in an upstate suburb. Brian's wife is standoffish and the families don't socialise. Brian's only son and Francis' youngest daughter become soul-mates though. A dramatic event changes all their lives,

A story of love, compassion, human decency and redemption. An emotional family drama well told.

A really great read, very absorbing, very sad but uplifting at the same time, hooked me from start to finish, a story about family and tragedy and how it can all still come together

One of my favourite books this year. Two policemen in New York marry and end up living next door to eVh other in the suburbs. Their lives intertwined, their youngest children the very best of friends. Until a terrible event shatters them forever. Reminded ,e strongly of Ann Patchett in that I could have happily just read this forever. I didn’t need a plot, or a compulsion to keep turning because it was full of twists and turns. Just fantastic engaging writing with two truly memorable families. I’d be underselling this by describing this as family drama. Go read it!

Two innocent children growing up alongside one another then divided by family conflict and trauma.

Peter and Kate's life couldn't be more different, the only things they have in common are the place where they live and their fathers' job. As the pair get older a tragedy occurs and the two soul mates find themselves separated. In the coming years they seek comfort in one another and are reunited but can the past stay in the past and can forgiveness and peace be made?

This was an interesting read delving into the themes of mental health, alcoholism, neglect, forgiveness, family and love. It was well written with credible characters. I loved the way Keane developed each of the characters and by the end made you question who were in fact the victims. I also loved how the title was revealed towards the end, this was a real 'ahh' moment for me.

This would be a great book club book as it would spark lots of discussion, especially about the role each character had to play in the novel and the themes presented.

I personally find it very difficult to read a novel in the present tense and this is one of those times, I tried several times and after five minutes reading, each time, I had to give up. I wanted to enjoy this as the themes and storyline very much appeal to me and this is only a personal foible and not a literary criticism.
Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read, some of, this in exchange for an unbiased review

Ask again, yes by Mary Beth Keane is not the typical book I usually read. But I heard good things about this book, I thought I would give it a go.
It’s the 1970’s. Frank and Brian work in the New York Police department and both live next door to each other in a quite neighbourhood. Their two children Kate and Peter build a special bond between them until when tragedy strikes, and Peter’s dad is shot. The rest of the story describes the lives of the two dysfunctional families which spans over 40 years. Dealing with subjects of Mental health, depression and alcoholism.
This is a well written story of two typical American families and the hardships that they endured. At first, I enjoyed the story between the two families and the writing style. But after the tragedy I thought that it became rather slow. I didn’t connect to any characters. I was waiting for something to wow me but nothing came and I struggled with it because of this. 3 stars from me.

Oh.My.God. What a book! I really loved this one. This is a story about 2 families and their relations over a period of time. Peter and Kate are kind of the main characters, they're connected by the same neighbourhood. The opening of the book starts in 1970's and their fathers are working together as policemen.
Mary Beth Keane, is a storyteller. The dialogue, the plot, it's all amazing, and I loved this book full of amazing characters, beautiful scenes, this will be something that will be staying with me!

An absolutely beautiful read!

This story explores love, forgiveness and the ability to move on. It questions whether we can move on and how this will define and impact on our lives. This book profoundly affected me and made me think of my own family and upbringing.

I implore you to read this.

It was a slow-moving novel and verbose on a lot of unnecessary trivia. At last, the plot shifts gear with a tragedy and nothing is ever the same again. I was unfamiliar with their strange lifestyle, social interaction and dialogue. There’s an admirable insight into the ignorance over mental illness. After which, everything settled into a humdrum phase, and it dips again into tranquil obscurity. It was brought out well how children perceive their parents and accept their eccentricities and idiosyncrasies as the norm until they grow older and start to understand matters. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph.

Four decades, two families. This book follows the relationship and friendship between two friends and their families. It’s quite a slow burner, but a very emotional one.

Not my normal genre but I did enjoy this book. There were interesting twists and difficult topics handled very well and it was beautifully written throughout. I had sympathy with most of the characters and found that I cared what happened to them. Recommended.

This story will test your emotions to their limit. It deals with some deep and difficult issues. Its a powerful, moving story. Beautifully written. Its hard to describe the book without giving too much away. I would just say, grab a copy plus a box of tissues and read for yourself.

I tried this again and LOVED it! I loved Kate and Peter and Francis especially. I loved how the book took us over forty years within two families. Loved it.

I could not drag myself away from the haunting, sad story of how a family passes on its dysfunction to next generation. Fathers and sons are cops, the women are home makers and office workers. But one major tragic event, and a sequence of mental disability turns the two linked families to near lethal solutions, haunting their lives in ways they don't always suss out themselves. It wraps up realistically if sadly but well worth hanging in.

I love a good family saga. Ask Again, Yes is a compelling one, a great read to get yourself lost in. It follows the lives of Gleeson and Stanhope families over a span of forty years. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope meet as rookie cops in New York in 1973 and end up living next door to each other in the suburbs. While Francis’s wife, Lena tries to make friends with the neighbours, Anne, Brian’s wife is standoffish. Kate, Gleesons’ youngest daughter and Peter, Stanhopes’ son become best friends on a cusp of something more until a tragedy separates them and Stanhopes move away. Over the years that follow we see Kate, Peter, Anne and Francis as they move on with their lives.

At times profoundly moving, Ask Again, Yes is about love and forgiveness, mental illness, abandonment and addiction. Keane writes with great sensitivity and humanity, especially about mental illness and learning to live with and move on from past mistakes. At times, I felt deeply for some of the characters but, at others, I felt that the book was somewhat slow and uneven and wished that Keane gave us more than a glimpse into other characters. I had questions about Brian, Lena, the two elder Gleeson sisters that I did not find answers to. Still, this is a very good book, beautifully written and observed.

My thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Ask Again, Yes.

Stretched over four decades, Ask Again, Yes, is a deeply moving and poignant story of two families bound together by a tragedy that is impossible to forget and hard to forgive. Next door neighbours, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are both cops in the NYPD, both newly married and with children on the way. Francis' wife Lena is keen to be friends with her neighbour Anne, but Anne does not wish to have anything to do with her neighbours. Their children, Peter and Kate are born only 6 months apart from each other and become friends despite Anne's disapproval and her strange behaviour which is getting out of control.

There's been a bit of hype surrounding Ask Again, Yes and after reading it, I believe it is justified. I love a good family drama, especially the ones that span over a lifetime with a cast of characters you get to know and like. This is definitely one of those books. The character and plot development was slow to start with, but once you get through the first few chapters, you will want to stay around the two families to see how their lives progress and where their story goes. What I appreciated in the book was the contrast between the two families - flawed Stanhopes versus lovely Gleesons - and then suddenly the realisation that the seemingly unblemished characters such as Francis Gleeson also had their flaws. The book also deals with some tough issues such as alcoholism and mental illness which I found to be portrayed in a sensitive but realistic way.

Ask Again, Yes is a fascinating story about relationships, love and ultimately, forgiveness that I recommend to anyone interested in relationships and nuances of human behaviour. Many thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!!!
This book!
I was immediately invested in the story.
The writing was beautiful.
The ending brilliant.
A coming of age so heartbreakingly real.
I felt my heart in pain and also be hopefull for this characters.
Probably one of my favorite characters was Lena.
the story begins with Brian Stanhope days as a new copy and evolves as the characters!
Thank you so much for the opportunity of reading this one!

Wow! This started off a little slowly for me but it didn't take long to be drawn in, thanks to beautiful writing and extremely well-drawn characters. Once I got into it I didn't want to put it down and was totally enthralled in this family saga about two families whose intertwined lives across three generations are fraught with trauma and complication. Mary Beth Keane writes so well that you cannot help but feel drawn into the life of the characters, each with their own flaws and issues, and as I got further into the book I felt more and more emotionally invested in each and every one of them.

Whilst at a simple level it is a story about two families dealing with life and all that it throws at us, what for me set this book apart was the extent to which I found myself thinking about it and reflecting when I wasn't reading it, primarily about how much baggage we all carry in life and how much it affects everything we do as well as all those around us. It is for that reason it will stay with me long after I have finished turning the pages.