Oak Knoll reminds me of the many subdivisions I drive by regularly on my way to work or while running errands. Many of them filled with cookie cutter homes and cookie cutter landscaping, that allude to the homogeneous families living there. But that is not reality. A Good Neighborhood explores how families with different values, outlooks, and beliefs exist alongside each other. Brad and Valerie’s conflicts start out small, but then grow into much larger and more complex problems. Believing they are each protecting their families they battle through class and race issues and forbidden love. A very compelling book.

One thing I miss about working at Barnes and Noble: access to ARCs. Some ARCs get sent to me at home but those are few and far between (my mental health hinders my ability to keep up with reviews in a timely manner) and there were definitely ones I picked up at the store from publishers I lacked a relationship with. I snagged this one because I’d read Z and I liked the title and cover. What is a good neighborhood? Where is a good neighborhood. In this novel, it’s in Oak Knoll, a neighborhood in North Carolina. I liked this description: “North Carolina has a temperate climate. That’s a big part of its draw. Winter is mild. Spring arrives early. Yes, summers are hot, but fall brings relief and lasts a long time. The oaks keep their leaves well into December, and sometimes, when winter is especially gentle, some of the varieties--the live oak being one, with its slim, feather-shaped delicate-seeming leaves--stay leafed throughout winter as well.” I’ve visited the Research Triangle of North Carolina and my older brother lives in Raleigh. We don’t talk though so it’s unlikely I’ll ever go back there. I also have anxiety which severely limits my ability to travel.

The Whitman family moves in next door to Valerie Alston-Holt, an ecologist and widow, who is raising her biracial son Xavier. He’s heading off to music school in the fall. It’s the definition of a good neighborhood: it’s diverse, it’s solidly middle-class. The Whitmans build the largest and most expensive house in the neighborhood. Rather showy and maybe even tacky to many. Julie Whitman grew up in a trailer park with her daughter Juniper. She married Brad and escaped that lifestyle. Valerie sues Brad for destroying one of her beloved trees when he built his monstrous new home. Of Valerie, the collective neighborhood narrator opines: “We did know her as a tree hugger, a guardian of what made Oak Knoll such a lovely place to live.” Juniper and Xavier start secretly dating. The problem is that her stepfather Brad becomes jealous. Juniper did a purity pledge with Brad, who is clearly attracted to his teenage stepdaughter.

Juniper asks: “What, she wondered, made a neighborhood good? To her parents, good seemed to mean there were mainly other people like themselves. So: white, privileged, very concerned with appearances (her mom) or perceptions (Brad). Though to be fair, this new neighborhood was mixed, and also, both Brad and her mom had worked like dogs to get their privilege.” Brad buys Juniper a 40K Land Rover and suggests she not go to college, and instead he’d train her to take over his company. When Xavier and Juniper meet at a cabin in the woods to have sex, Brad discovers them there and Xavier is soon arrested for rape. I thought it might be cliche with the interracial relationship and the strict white parents, but it went in a different conversation. Is it problematic that the author is white? Maybe, but she’s writing a bunch of characters and it’s narrated from the neighborhood collective perspective. I didn’t like the ending but I liked the rest of the novel.


READING PROGRESS
September 22, 2020 – Started Reading
September 22, 2020 – Shelved
September 22, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read
September 22, 2020 – Shelved as: literary-fiction
September 22, 2020 – Shelved as: contemporary-lit
September 22, 2020 – Shelved as: 2020-release
September 22, 2020 – page 56
18.01%
September 23, 2020 – page 101
32.48%
September 24, 2020 – page 151
48.55%
September 25, 2020 – Shelved as: read-in-2020
September 25, 2020 – Finished Reading

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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44084930-a-good-neighborhood" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="A Good Neighborhood" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555810442l/44084930._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44084930-a-good-neighborhood">A Good Neighborhood</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6521646.Therese_Anne_Fowler">Therese Anne Fowler</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3561023541">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
One thing I miss about working at Barnes and Noble: access to ARCs. Some ARCs get sent to me at home but those are few and far between (my mental health hinders my ability to keep up with reviews in a timely manner) and there were definitely ones I picked up at the store from publishers I lacked a relationship with. I snagged this one because I’d read Z and I liked the title and cover. What is a good neighborhood? Where is a good neighborhood. In this novel, it’s in Oak Knoll, a neighborhood in North Carolina. I liked this description: “North Carolina has a temperate climate. That’s a big part of its draw. Winter is mild. Spring arrives early. Yes, summers are hot, but fall brings relief and lasts a long time. The oaks keep their leaves well into December, and sometimes, when winter is especially gentle, some of the varieties--the live oak being one, with its slim, feather-shaped delicate-seeming leaves--stay leafed throughout winter as well.” I’ve visited the Research Triangle of North Carolina and my older brother lives in Raleigh. We don’t talk though so it’s unlikely I’ll ever go back there. I also have anxiety which severely limits my ability to travel. <br /><br />The Whitman family moves in next door to Valerie Alston-Holt, an ecologist and widow, who is raising her biracial son Xavier. He’s heading off to music school in the fall. It’s the definition of a good neighborhood: it’s diverse, it’s solidly middle-class. The Whitmans build the largest and most expensive house in the neighborhood. Rather showy and maybe even tacky to many. Julie Whitman grew up in a trailer park with her daughter Juniper. She married Brad and escaped that lifestyle. Valerie sues Brad for destroying one of her beloved trees when he built his monstrous new home. Of Valerie, the collective neighborhood narrator opines: “We did know her as a tree hugger, a guardian of what made Oak Knoll such a lovely place to live.” Juniper and Xavier start secretly dating. The problem is that her stepfather Brad becomes jealous. Juniper did a purity pledge with Brad, who is clearly attracted to his teenage stepdaughter. <br /><br />Juniper asks: “What, she wondered, made a neighborhood good? To her parents, good seemed to mean there were mainly other people like themselves. So: white, privileged, very concerned with appearances (her mom) or perceptions (Brad). Though to be fair, this new neighborhood was mixed, and also, both Brad and her mom had worked like dogs to get their privilege.” Brad buys Juniper a 40K Land Rover and suggests she not go to college, and instead he’d train her to take over his company. When Xavier and Juniper meet at a cabin in the woods to have sex, Brad discovers them there and Xavier is soon arrested for rape. I thought it might be cliche with the interracial relationship and the strict white parents, but it went in a different conversation. Is it problematic that the author is white? Maybe, but she’s writing a bunch of characters and it’s narrated from the neighborhood collective perspective. I didn’t like the ending but I liked the rest of the novel.

Ohh this is a complex and timely read. This tackles ill fated love, prejudice, racism, sensitivity and how you treat your neighbor. Fowler creates a novel that makes you think about these topics long after you have finished the book. I would highly recommend this for book club. It makes you think about topics worth thinking about.

At first A Good Neighborhood appears to be a familiar and simple story. But as it develops, nothing is simple. Life itself is complicated. Therese Anne Fowler deftly tackles serious topics. My book club is discussing this book next week and I look forward to an in depth discussion.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!I started reading The Good Neighborhood and could not put it down. What appears on the surface as the story of neighbors squabbling over a tree turns into a story about racism, white privilege, sexism, and love. An upscale white family builds a McMansion that abuts the backyard of a widowed Black woman and her biracial son, causing an issue with an old oak tree on the property of the Black family. This fuels a dispute, while in the meantime the teen daughter of the white family and the biracial son fall for each other. The author does a fantastic job of building tension--you see the train wreck coming but can't look away. Character development is extraordinary. This book would be great fodder for discussion among book groups, and even high school or college literature classes.

I love a good southern novel. And a story with a perceptive and openminded storyteller. A Good Neighborhood is a book I would have given a ten-star rating if I could have. I received a free electronic copy of the ARC of this novel from Netgalley, Terese Anne Fowler, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this modern novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Terese Anne Fowler writes a tightly wound story with heart and soul, about people we can respect and enjoy despite their flaws. It was obvious that her history formed the quirks that colored the highs and lows of the life of grandmother Lottie Corbett, to and to some extent, that of her daughter Julia. Valerie's whole adult life revolved around that oak tree - it wasn't just shade in her life, but also the well-spring of her happiness and serenity. And then we have Brad. Less said in that quarter, the better.

I found myself waiting breathlessly to see what would happen next. It has been a long time since I was so lost in a book. This is one to share with friends and family, folks. I have read a lot of good books this year but nothing that topped the satisfaction I felt with the reading of this book.

This book is definitely thought provoking and will stay with you long after you finish it. Valerie is a university professor of ecology and forestry who has lived in the Oak Knoll neighborhood for over 18 years with her son Xavier. Her husband died when Xavier was young. She has developed close friendships with the long time residents of the neighborhood, but things in the neighborhood are changing. Some houses have been sold to new residents who then tear them down to build newer fancier houses. This is the case with Valerie's neighbor. This is where the story really begins. Many issues are addressed in this book and I wasn't sure how the story would be resolved. I was surprised by the ending and yet I expected an upsetting end to the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a great read of two neighbors that start out as friends until a tree dies and the teenagers fall in love. I loved the characters and the story, but the writing style was a little weird. It's written in the third person and there are times that the detailed description of certain events are like a book report, or notes that the author forgot to edit out. I would definitely recommend this as suspense read.

I'm not sure if I loved it but it's definitely a thought provoking tale of systemic racism especially in the Southern states of USA. I was a little disturbed by the racial slurs and rawness of the whole book but I continued on and did my best to not let certain moments enrage me. Therese Anne covers some very important subjects which are a representation of what is going on in the USA at the current time and around the world when it comes to prejudices and systemic racism. This book had amazing timing!

Therese Anne Fowler is a complete badass. I have never read her before, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll read her next book. My thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy. You can buy this book now, and you should.

I don’t usually begin by discussing the narrative voice, but I’m doing it this time because it’s one of the most impressive aspects of this novel. The story is told in the second person, but the point of view shifts seamlessly from that of the neighbors that are friends with a key character—I’ll get there in a minute—to an omniscient narrative, and I never catch the shift; by the time I realize a change has taken place, we’ve been there awhile. So, one minute, the narrative will say things like “All of us thought…” and “Everyone knew…” but later, we’ll be told what a protagonist is thinking. This is a risky way to write, and she’s carried it off so well that I can only bow in awe.

The story is, to some extent, a modern day Romeo and Juliet. It’s a tragedy, and we’re told this at the outset. The neighborhood in question is Oak Knoll, an old, established one in North Carolina. Valerie Alston-Holt is a forestry professor with a deep dedication to the environment; her son Xavier is gifted. Xavier’s father was Caucasian, but died when the boy was small, so it is just the two of them, mother and son. The new folks next door, the Whitmans, are a blended family. Julia, the mother, was living a hardscrabble life as a single parent with her daughter, Juniper, when the wealthy, charismatic Brad Whitman, who was her boss, married her. They have a small daughter together, but Brad has also adopted Juniper so that they can be a real family. Julia can hardly believe her good fortune. Her standard of living has risen beyond anything she ever dreamed.

The tension is there from the start. The Whitman home is out of character in comparison to the neighborhood, a garish, over-the-top McMansion built on a large lot created by tearing down the existing home that had been there. And the outcome of the construction is that a tree—a beloved tree—on the Alston-Holt property next door—is now dying. The forestry professor sees an attorney, and the battle is joined.

Despite the tension between the adults, Xavier and Juniper are drawn to one another. They are teenagers, upperclassmen in high school, and they’re both squeaky clean kids, serious students. Neither has been in a serious relationship before. As we see their romance blossom, the narrator reminds us that this won’t end well.

I began this novel using my review copy, and although I could see it was going to be good, I was falling behind my reading for unrelated reasons. I scooped up the audio version from Seattle Bibliocommons, and so I can tell you that the reader does a wonderful job, and the story is well suited to this medium.

Fowler is an experienced writer, and it shows. There are several lazy stereotypes she deftly avoids. The Alston-Holts are middle class, not struggling financially. (Here I think of the new book, Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson, who reminds us that only one in five African-American families is poor.) Brad Whitman, who is a complete horse’s ass, is a charismatic Christian, but he is not a preacher, he’s a businessman.

Of course this story has a great deal to say about race and wealth, and how society empowers us according to these parameters. But because the characters are so intimately developed, so brilliantly fleshed out, the message integral to the story never feels like a manifesto. And reader, I’ll tell you, I’m a tough old granny who rarely is undone by a sad story, but I grew a little misty at the end of this one, and I thought about it for quite awhile afterward.

Highly recommended in whatever form you enjoy.

#A Good Neighborhood #Net Galley

Therese Anne Fowler has her hand on the pulse of America during this trying time. Valerie Alston-Holt and her biracial son, Xavier are living a quiet but happy life. Valerie, as a professor of forestry and ecology loves her older home in a well established neighborhood. However, her beautiful trees and shrubs on the lot behind her are being taken down to build a "fancy" new home. At once you can tell these two families aren't going to agree on much due to their beliefs in what a "nice" neighborhood should contain.

However, Xavier and the new girl from the "fancy" new home do get along. Their romance is quiet and real for both. And both knowing what will happen if Mr. Whitman find out. And he did!

This was a very enjoyable and sad read. It should open one's eyes as to what is happening all around the country, not just in the South.

Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this story both timely and topical. I loved that it was set in present day. Too many people think that this can’t happen in this day and age. Of course it can and it does happen too frequently.

My biggest hesitation with it is that I started this book probably 3 or 4 times and just couldn’t get into it. The first half was very slow. Juniper and Xavier were somewhat one-dimensional characters. I think their development could have been much better. I think that one of the issues may have been the fact that the author is white. In an effort to make a poignant story she may have veered a little too PC. I think it is unfortunate that we are getting the story from a white point of view trying to write as a bi-racial man. We need to see more representative authors getting the publicity that white authors do.

Overall, good story, particularly the last 1/3. I would definitely recommend it.

I went back and forth on whether I really liked this book or didn't. But to cut to the chase, I did really like this book and definitely think it's worth reading.

First, I couldn't put it down. The writing creates enough mystery that it pulls you from page to page. It's essentially a modern take on a Romeo and Juliet type story line. It's timely, it's engaging and it will grasp you tightly until the very last word.

The basic gist is that a rich white family moves into a neighborhood right next to a middle class, well educated black family. The black characters are more cultured and sophisticated than the white characters, but alas, the story takes place in the deep south, where not all men are created equal.

The only part of this book that rubbed me the wrong way was the constant change in perspective of the story teller. It was always told from the third person but bounced back and forth between a single character third person perspective and an omniscient third person perspective. It was like before the scenes happened, they were being narrated by this unknown voice. I kept envisioning the sound of Morgan Freeman reading these narrations - cause a few of them were just plain cheesy. "We wish we were at the dinner table to hear the time about when Juniper asked for a car....." And then it breaks into third person from Juniper's perspective when she's at the dinner table asking for a car.

This element is the only reason that made me want to bring the rating down to a 2 or 3... but the last 25% of the book made up for any poor thoughts I had.

Definitely worth a read.

#netgalley #agoodneighborhood

I devoured this book in one sitting. So timely, so raw, and so real. This book has a lot of hype and it lives up to it in every way!

A Good Neighborhood follows two families in the “good” neighborhood of Oak Knoll. Valerie is a professor who teaches ecology and has been raising her son Xavier in Oak Knoll for a long time. As soon as the Whitmans move in next door, she can sense trouble. Brad Whitman is a local business man and somewhat of a celebrity. Brad’s wife, Julie, is a stay at home mom. Everything was going okay, until Brad’s negligent construction starts to destroy Valerie’s historic oak tree. To make matters worse, Brad’s daughter and Valerie’s son start to have a blooming romance!

This was such an interesting book, and I was intrigued with what was going to happen next. It was a very emotional and character driven story. This book was written from first person point of view. Which I found to be cool, I don’t think I’ve read a book from that POV before. This was such a heartbreaking story, but so relevant and moving with the dialogue of racism. I would recommend this book!

Unfortunately A Good Neighborhood did not work for me and I DNF'd the book at 35%. I was bored with what was happening in the neighborhood and felt like I was just waiting for the story to begin. I think there are some good qualities to A Good Neighborhood and can see readers with other tastes enjoying the read.

This was a good summer read. There were many themes happening in the book, maybe a few too many. It made the story more muddled and not as clear as it could have been. For example, the Purity Promise was something that was not needed to give the story more depth- it felt like extra noise in the background. Still, it was a book I enjoyed while reading, though the ending was not what I expected.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy.

The story starts off slowly and picks up in the second half. This is really a craft meant to showcase characters and not plot but the book and I just didn’t mesh.

A very timely read given today's moral and racial climate, however I found the "We" character extremely distracting. I really wished the author had focused on the main characters rather than using a gimmicky trope.

A Good Neighborhood, while entertaining, didn't have the "wow-factor" I was expecting with the hype I've seen surrounding the book. I may be unusual in my opinion, but it left me feeling a little flat. It started off well-enough, but as I continued, I found it a little too slow and mired in unnecessary detail. The characters weren't detailed enough, lacking depth and were a little one-dimensional in how they were presented. As I continued through the novel, I lost some of the "oh this is going to be great" and scratched my head at some of the convenient set-ups and lack of any real emotion. It was "gross" and "weird" at some points.

On the positive columns, this novel was timely in it's addressing of micro-aggression, racial injustice, and the imperfections of the current society we live in. The author attempted to dig deeper than the surface in each of the families, showcasing the facades we present to our neighbours and a perfect house does not equal perfect life - perfect family does not equal perfect relationships. I enjoyed the narrative from the collective "we" of the neighbourhood.

Overall, it evoked some real emotion, and was entertaining - but left me frustrated and skeptical in a few instances - it wasn't the "blockbuster" I was anticipating. Perhaps it would have blown me away if I hadn't gone in with any expectations.