I loved Bill Clegg’s novel DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY. A favorite that I will always remember.

THE END OF THE DAY is similar in that they are both about relationships with family and friends. The book covers sixty years within the framework of one day. It interweaves stories about human nature focusing on estranged relationships. Personally, I could not connect with the characters (I didn’t care for any of them). Nor did the storyline grab me like Clegg’s previous book. However, his writing is still well-crafted.

3 out of 5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of THE END OF THE DAY in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date - September 29, 2020

Review posted to Goodreads on June 2, 2020

The End of the Day by Bill Clegg is a highly recommended domestic drama wrapped around a mystery.

Rotating chapters from the past and present tell the story of multiple characters, Dana, Jackie, Lupita, Alice, and Hap, which, when followed, explain the whole story and a mystery some didn't even know existed. Dana Goss, heir of her wealthy family's Connecticut estate, Edgeweather, is beginning to show the onset of Alzheimer’s. She has her driver take from NYC to the home of her childhood best friend, Jackie, who after fifty years of silence still won't even open the door to see Dana. Dana leaves Jackie a briefcase stuffed full of papers and then goes to Edgewater for the first time in thirty years. Lupita, currently living in Hawaii and running a taxi company, is the daughter of the former maid and caretaker for the Goss family. She is around the same age as Dana and Jackie. Alice, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is the aunt, benefactor, and friend of Dana Goss. Alice's son and wife just had a baby - and have both disappeared, leaving the infant with her. Hap is the son of Alice who finds his father collapsed at a hotel and is now sitting at his deathbed instead of helping his wife with their newborn.

Chapters are told from the past and present, rotating through parts of each character's story until all the connections are made between the past and the present. Dana is the only character who knows all the connections - for now. The long-hidden secrets will reveal how the choices we make will become our legacy in the future and how those secrets will continue to affect the lives of everyone involved. This is truly a novel about the "complicated bonds and breaking points of friendship, the corrosive forces of secrets, the heartbeat of longing, and the redemption found in forgiveness."

The End of the Day is a beautifully written character driven novel. This is really more of a character study involving multiple characters, as well as a slow meandering path to the connections their intertwined lives established between them. The prose is melancholic, atmospheric, full of keen observations as Clegg slowly gives us more clues to the past, the choices that were made, and the secret history that connect the characters. I did feel that the writing was stronger in the first part of the novel and the characters melancholy and despair make it difficult to relate to them or deeply care about them.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster.
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

So, not really sure what to say about this book...it’s about a group of people who grew up together in a small town. This story spans of six decades. About friendship, social class, race, among other things.
I quite honestly did not love this book, there was hardly any dialogue and I just didn’t love it. There were so many characters and the changing in settings and times that I could keep it all straight. It had great potential but it just didn’t live up to what I was hoping this book to be.

A disjointed set of stories that I could not follow, and frankly didn't want to follow. Sorry, but I had to put it down. Just couldn't finish this book.

I loved Bill Clegg's first book, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read his second one early. The End of the Day is another beautifully written character study that looks at the deep and lasting impact of the choices we make. I am always a fan of books that alternate time periods, and Clegg brings such distinctive voices to each character that I found it easy to differentiate their narratives. Richly detailed, I was struck by how their individual stories ultimately came together. I will happily recommend this to friends and book clubs alike.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

NOTE: I received a free advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked Bill Clegg's previous novel Did You Ever Have a Family, you will likely enjoy this book as well. It is another character study with intertwining stories whose connections are revealed over time. We learned about relationships - and secrets - between friends, siblings, children/parents, domestic workers and spouses.... and while the book seemingly takes place over the course of a day, we travel back and forth in time over sixty years. I found the book interesting at first, but I felt it went on little long and by then really dragged out. I was also struck by how the author portrayed the different men in the story - not one of which comes out looking good.

I read Clegg's earlier book for our book club and it led to good discussions, and I can see that this book could also lead to some interesting conversations but unless you really love character driven novels with little action, it might not be for you.

Breathtaking story of how life’s choices impact us and those we touch. This book will leave you thinking about it, long after you’ve finished reading.

The End of the Day follows several characters, seemingly unrelated, over the course of sixty years. A retired widow, Jackie wakes up to a surprise visit from a long-lost friend, Dana. Hap finds his estranged father collapsed on the hotel lobby floor on the day he is to introduce him to his newborn daughter. Lupita, a taxi driver in Hawaii, receives a phone call, forcing her to revisit her past. Their story and their connection are beautifully played out in the course of one day.

Clegg’s writing style really shines through in this book. Told from multiple points of view, using flashbacks, this could easily have been a hard read. Instead, each character was well developed.. Each had a distinct voice making this an enjoyable read.

This book touches on some more sensitive topics like abuse, racism, dementia and sexuality without diluting the story. They are merely part of the characters’ stories and told so beautifully, it blends seamlessly. While the ending left me wanting more, I suspect this is the reality of life that the author so deftly illustrated.

Bill Clegg is a great storyteller.
His characters are interesting & never dull.
I highly recommend this book.

unfortunately this didn’t really work for me at all. while i found some aspects intriguing, it felt like a chore to read and wasn’t compelling enough to keep me going.

3 Stars

“The End of the Day” is a character driven novel centering around Dana, Jackie, Lupita and Hap. While the characterizations are rich and the writing is beautiful in this novel, the storytelling was a tad slow which therefore took a while for me to get into. Dana, Jackie and Lupita are childhood friends who drifted apart. All have struggled through life’s tragedies. Long kept secrets threaten to destroy any semblance of their long lasting relationship(s).

Told from multiple POVs as well as from the past and present day, this story takes place in a fictional town in Connecticut and in Hawaii.

Though I enjoyed this novel, it didn’t quite grab me the way Bill Clegg’s last novel, “Did you Ever Have a Family” did. I am however a fan of his writing style and look forward to his next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery / Scout Press and Bill Clegg for the arc.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early release of the manuscript in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, this didn't hold my interest, but I'm sure it will resonate with many others.

I was eager to read this novel because the author’s previous book, Did You Ever Have a Family, had such a huge impact on me. The End of the Day is a beautiful, complex tale comprised of several characters and their complicated relationships over sixty years before, as well as how they reconnect and evolve in the present day.

Told from multiple points of view, the story is multi-layered, and its complexity builds as the inner lives of the characters unfold along with, little by little, the details of what occurred on a fateful day so long ago. The writing is exquisite, and we are brought into different worlds evoked by rich detail, from city to rich country estate to a Hawaiian island.

Even though I was a bit confused at times as to how some of the characters related to the whole, I persevered because I knew that all would be revealed at some point. And it was. Towards the end I could not stop reading, as detail after detail revealed yet another aspect of what had happened sixty years before that changed all lives and ruptured connections between them.

Secrets long kept had a lasting impact on several people, only some of whom knew the truth of what had happened when they were young. As that truth struggles to surface and come to light, old betrayals take on their true significance and forgiveness and redemption are what all seem to strive for.

The beautifully structured form and wonderful language of this book rate it a 5-star read. However, in the end, I was a bit disappointed and a little confused and wanted more. I had hoped for a clearer resolution, but I also recognize that life is messy, and some things are inevitably never resolved, which we are all forced to accept in large or small ways.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books, as well as the author, for providing me with an eARC of this extraordinary novel. It will be published on 29 Sep 2020 and is well worth a read.

Don’t expect a novel that will leave you with a happy ending or even satisfaction. The characters are flawed and most times difficult to like or even relate to, but it’s a tale of guilt & sin. While descriptive in each character's activities and environments-it lacked the details in thought process & decision making-it doesn’t delve deep enough in each character’s psyche. It took me a while as I tried to re-read chapters to see if I had missed anything. Maybe the point was that we let the mistakes we've made become the watershed that shapes how we live our lives.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is the way the author makes sharp observations about his characters, their relationships & lives...but in a way that is very soft. This book lulled me, in a good way, giving the sense that my attention was in the hands of an adept storyteller and characters that would take me to interesting places. I'm not sure I've ever before had this sense of being so relaxed while reading about such intense lives. And the cover art drew me in right away. This is an entirely unique reading experience for that reason, and I highly recommend it. My thanks to Net Galley for the chance to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

After his astounding debut, "Did You Ever Have a Family," I opened Clegg's sophomore novel with trepidation. How could it possibly be as good? While in no way repetitive or derivative, "The End of the Day" is every bit as wonderful of a read as the first.

In both of his books, Clegg writes fabulous characters. Here, the three main characters' stories are intertwined in a story of friendship, love, tragedy, and redemption. Dana, a manipulative heiress, draws Jackie, a small town girl, into her orbit while Lupita, the help, watches enviously from the sidelines. Misunderstandings and missed communication set the stage for tragedy and provide the opportunity for the lone male voice in chapters that jump from character to character. The timeline moves from the women's late 60s to the beginning of Dana and Jackie's friendship as children, filling in the events between those times as it shuffles back and forth.

The writing, particularly in the latter half of the book, is incandescent. Clegg brings the relationships between the women together in a dreamlike sequence, contrasting water and fire, and leaving the reader breathless with awe. I reread these pages over and over, falling in love with the beauty of the writing.

When I wrote about his debut, I said I couldn't wait to read his second. It took four years, but the wait was worth it. Now, I can't wait for his third.

The End of the Day by Bill Clegg. Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the opportunity to read and review this book before it comes out June 2nd.

This book is just wonderful. You know that stunning cover immediately sucked me in and between the richly developed characters and the beautiful writing, the read just continued to go uphill from there!

In the first few chapters we learn about a handful of different people living their own separate lives and by the end everything is connected. This is one of my absolute favorite writing styles and Clegg does a great job of gradually bringing things together.

I love that this book goes back and forth from the past to the present, filling you in just a little bit more each time until at the end when the whole magnificent story is laid out in front of you.

Clegg sure can write a character, y’all! 👏🏼 I loved how he dove into each different character’s psyche and showed how their past decisions lead them to their present situations. I know some people get turned off by too much character development, but not this girl. This book still keeps plenty of plot going to keep it well-paced though.

You find out pretty quickly (and on the dust jacket, no spoilers here) that an old secret is at the center of the story. Secrets often bring out the worst in people and this book does a fantastic job of juxtaposing poverty and luxury, innocence and manipulation, and most importantly truth from false assumptions.

When this comes out in June, you should definitely give it a read! Add this to your list because it’s a great one. 🙌🏼

The description of this book fell right into the type of family-drama-secrets revealed type of book that I always enjoy. This is also the first time I have read this author. The author knows how to tell a history of the main characters that allows the reader to feel they really know who they are: Dana, Jackie, Lupita, and Hap. Separate chapters for the characters, both present and past, bring the story to the conclusion and fills in the gaps of how each life has been entwined for the outcome. The story was well-written. That being said, I find that I had difficulty reading and sticking to the story as I read it. While the author’s attempt to bring the characters together, I felt myself slipping away from the story. Possibly because they all seemed so bereft of love for their family and each other in any way., that it was difficult to even like any of the characters or feel engaged in their stories. The writing was well-done; the story to me was lacking, and I’m sorry to say that as I looked so forward to reading the book. I receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Gallery Books in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley #GalleryBooks

Bill Clegg has a keen insight into human nature and treats his characters with compassion. His stories and prose touches my heart. I feel for his characters. Their hopes and dreams, their regrets, their pain, and the corrosive nature of long-held secrets and decisions can change lives.

The characters: Dana, Jackie, and Lupita were childhood friends but have been estranged for 50 years. Hap is a new father who discovers some disturbing news as his father lay dying. To understand how they interconnect requires some patience, but Clegg can and does bring it all together.

What Bill Clegg did so brilliantly in Did You Ever Have a Family he also does here: he writes beautifully about the inner lives of his characters and he slowly brings these seemingly disparate characters and stories together so that by the end you see the complete picture.

The story alternates between the present day and 50 years ago. The POV alternates as well between the different characters. The problem for me was I didn’t care much for any of them and struggled to maintain my interest in the story. It pains me to say this but while the writing is an easy 5 stars, the story itself was lacking. By the end, I was left thinking, so what? I need a person to root for and didn't find it here. It's not the author's responsibility to please all his readers, but for me, I found the characters and story lacking while absolutely loving the prose.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Bill Clegg’s “The End of the Day.”

I had not read anything from this author yet, but was excited to dive into this book. I did not enjoy this as much as I thought. The amount of characters and underlying stories were, at times, hard for me to follow. It just fell a bit flat fir me and I felt like I was struggling to finish it as I just was not that invested in the story.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy.
I read Mr. Clegg's *Did You Ever Have a Family,* and came away impressed and moved. This novel follows much the same format, for lack of a more elegant word: many characters, a lot of backstory and a few secrets.
Clegg's writing is elegant, and his insight into complex relationships fascinating. We meet most of the main characters when they're in late middle-age, and it's poignant to share their experiences of looking back, and evaluating (or reevaluating) their lives.
For many readers this is more than enough. It isn't for me. I need to want to know what happens next, and through most of *Day* I wasn't all that curious. The title itself sums it up: At the end of the day, it will all come together, and you'll know what you want to know. In *Family,* there was enough suspense to keep me going, but here it was too long a wait.