The End of the Day follows several characters and events which occurred 50 years ago come to effect each character individually within one day’s time. Will the secrets and lies Lupita, Alice, and Dana have been hiding be told? Will Hap and Jackie learn the truth?

While the author’s writing is well done at times though long-winded, there is no emotional connection to any character. I finished the book and asked myself, “Okay. Now what?” I felt there was no character to feel or cheer for. Dana is a 70 year old jealous, spoiled and disgruntled woman. She is the center of this cobwebbed mess of love, jealously and deceit. But does she even know the full truth? She gets her jollies from making dredging up the past. Hap is immature and cowardly. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and wake some sense into him. While his part of the story closes with him being at peace with what he has learned, I can’t help but hope his wife changed the locks on the door when he got home. Sorry, he’s a jerk to her and his newborn daughter.

The premise behind the story is an interesting one but the author failed in its climatic scene. It was rather flat in a predictable epiphany. Not to mention that one could easily determine that Mr. Goss was the father of Hap. It was too neat for it to be Floyd. Overall the author took his time in drawing out memories of small incidental stories from 50 years ago only to wrap up the story very quickly as if he got bored of it himself. The scenes in present time between Jackie and Dana were short and hollow and Alice’s story is suddenly dropped. Disappointing to reach the final page with so much just left hanging.

A terrific book about love, friendships, and relationships and how we often take for granted all that we value and hold close.

The story follows multiple main characters over a period of 60 years. The story itself is deeply written and intimately connected. There is a lot of depth to both the characters and their stories; all based on how our choices and the consequences make up the stories we leave behind.

A book that leaves the reader with a lot to chew on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love the cover of this book and was excited to dive into it. That's why I gave it 2 stars. Unfortunately, after 24%, I have to give up. It's moving quite slowly, and because the characters are OLD, it's making me feel old, and a little depressed. I think if something major had happened in the first 10% of the story, I could stick with it. But I'm not motivated to spend any more energy with Jackie, Dana, and Lupita. Best wishes to Bill Clegg - perhaps others will find this story more moving.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review..

Oh how I disliked this book. Her mixed reviews on Goodreads, but favorable of the author's writing style and beautiful prose. This was a new offer to me so I what's glad for the opportunity to give him a chance. I can agree that he had some talent as a writer, but his storytelling was so not for me. I did not like any of the characters and found myself usually upset or annoyed by them. The book was disjointed and and not enjoyable to piece together. I was so glad to finish this and never have to pick it up again. I'm giving this title two stars instead of one because the writing and editing deserve more then the one star of my personal interest in this story.

I have to say that I had a hard time reading this book and stopped at 40%. The book is slow, and although the reader knows that the individual stories and people are bound to all come together in some way, the story moves very slowly and there is no building to a climax nor does the author draw out any type of questions from the reader, other than a wondering as to what the purpose of the book is and how the families and people will all come together. Unfortunately, this wondering is not insatiable - I left off reading the book not really caring about what happens to them. In short, the book failed to engage me.

A sweeping saga.....I was totally immersed in this book. Lots of well developed characters and once I got into the book, I loved the changing chapters and perspectives....I read his first book and I liked both. Definitely a good read and I will be recommending it to my readers!

The End of the Day is my first Bill Clegg book (even though I have one on my shelf to read) so I was not sure what to expect. The End of the Day is the story of Dana, Jackie, Hap, Lupita, & Alice. There are two story lines that appear to not relate but that is not true. Dana & Jackie are childhood friends who have not spoken in over 40 years. Lupita is the daughter of Dana's old house keeper who ran away around the same time Dana and Jackie stopped talking. Alice & Hap live in the Philadelphia area and Hap's estranged father dies suddenly while visiting Hap.
This is a story of truth and secrets. Why did Dana and Jackie stop talking, why did Lupita run away, and what will Hap's journey reveal? Several of these are answered about halfway through the book but what you think is the truth isn't totally as one of them has one more secret that none of the others know and maybe never will.
It was an interesting book but my biggest issue is that it is prose style and not much on the dialog end. This is not my favorite type of writing but I found the story engaging enough that I could get past that most of the time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Bill Clegg for an early copy of this one to read.

Covering the span of about 60 years in a single day of memories, The End of the Day is a book filled with complex relationships, things that go unsaid, and regret. Dana, a wealthy woman who lived in NYC and a large Connecticut manor goes to clear the air with her childhood friend Jackie, who grew up nearby, but of middle class means. Lupita, whose family has been employed by Dana's family for two generations also grew up alongside Jackie and Dana, but not with them. We are next introduced to Hap, a 48 year old man with a new daughter and a midlife crisis, who is the center but not centered in the conflict of the plot.

There are several other characters, who while they don't drive the story, are still written in a compelling interesting way. We meet Floyd - Jackie's husband, Alice and Christopher - Hap's parents, Aunt Lee, who I actually would like a whole book about, and Lupita's family.

The opening chapters introduce us to the main characters. The descriptions of each leaves you wanting to know more. It's an exciting, detailed intro and a bit of a tease.

The level of detail in the writing is really compelling; moments are clear, interesting, and full of feeling. What I really enjoyed was that the relationships were written in a way that was realistic. Each character was acting with the knowledge they had, and within their own world views. I find that often characters in books will have more insight into others than most of us actually posses. This brought a level of realism to what could otherwise seem to be wild relationships among each of these people.

There were several times when a character was resurrected, and it took me a moment to remember who the person was or where they fit into the story. But the way that they each fit together was the most interesting part of this book.

The story didn't end in a satisfactory way; what I mean is that it didn't wrap up neatly and completely. Instead, it left the reader wondering what happened the next day. This seemed a more realistic approach to the conflicts among the characters, instead of a tidy ending, which wouldn't have felt sincere. The longing and the wondering and the regret and the misunderstandings is the point.

I thought this was really compelling storytelling. I could see this becoming a play.

Thank you NetGalley Publisher and author for this gifted ebook.

To be honest I made it to 24% and just could not finish.
I believe for me it was hard to keep up with all the characters.
I loved the description and thought it would be a great read and maybe it is.
I just could not get into it
Sorry.

The story is told in flashbacks mostly from the perspective of Lupita, Dana and Jackie.

The story starts with Dana showing up at Jackie's house after an estrangement of 49 years with a brief case full of papers. Both of these women are 68 and act like they are in their 80's. Dana is sliding into dementia. She is rich and manipulates people for her own entertainment. Jackie is her best friend in school but I get the sense that Dana likes to lord it over her and Jackie is in awe of Dana's until she isn't any more because she is in love. Lupita is a Mexican immigrant whose father is the caretaker at Edgeweather, Dana's home. There is a connection that the women share besides living close to each other but it was never revealed to the very end and by then I just didn't care. For most of the book there were just chapters with a different point of view from characters I didn't like. Jackie gets married to Floyd when she finds out she is pregnant. She was so in love she didn't seem to notice that Floyd didn't care about her and when she feels he did something wrong she throws him out of the house and changes the locks. Lupita is also pretty manipulative. There is the fourth point of view from Alice who decides to adopt a baby, Hap, and has an ex-boyfriend marry her so people will think Hap is actually her son. The two most interesting characters to me were Christopher, Alice's ex, and her husband, Mo. Unfortunately both died so we didn't learn too much about either one.

It was a beautifully written book, very lyrical, but I just couldn't enjoy it because the story seemed so vague and disconnected. Even the ending had me confused.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery books for providing me with this book. These are my own thoughts and opinion.

In this sweeping saga, one tragic event serves as the catalyst to reveal the secrets and betrayal that bonded these estranged friends for 60 years.
I was totally immersed in this book from page one. Part drama/part suspense mystery, the stories of these characters kept me reading for hours in anticipation of answers.
The alternating chapters written from multiple perspectives were a bit confusing at first, but once the story developed I was completely riveted. There are many unlikable characters and interesting twists, making this an engaging read.
An excellently written multi-layered plot, vividly detailed landscapes, and well fleshed-out characters makes Bill Clegg's "The End of the Day" one my favorite reads of 2020.
*Thank you NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Bill Clegg for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Bill Clegg writes beautifully. There can be no discussion about that. The inner life of his characters is always fascinating, and I love the detail and depth of his style. It is literary fiction at its best in the sense that it is more about the details and the writing than the plot.

I did, however, feel less engaged in this book than his first. I am not sure if there were too many characters to feel deeply connected to them or if the story just had one too many twists that weren't needed. I also felt that too many decisions the characters made were not logical.

Again, I am a big fan and look forward to reading his next book.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

I usually enjoy books with multiple storylines and complicated people, and this book has all of that. But this one fell flat for me and I had a tough time connecting with the story. Like a bunch of short stories crammed together, the characters never came to life for me.

2☆

What a wild ride. Upon hearing about the release of a new book by Bill Clegg, who I am aware is well-thought of author, I knew I should check it out.
The story follows the relationship between two friends and then various other players in the scenario. Jackie and Dana are childhood friends in New England and find themselves drawn apart at the beginning of adulthood for reasons that don't become very clear until the very end of the book. The relationship is so deftly crafted by Clegg and the plot is engaging and thoughtful.
I was intrigued by the character development and Lupita's character arc was so interesting and engaging that I found myself finishing the second half of the book in one night.
It was slower to begin than some books but still beautifully written and easy to slip into whenever I would pick it up, but I also find myself thinking about the characters after having finished the book last night.
Highly recommend.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The End of the Day features several characters who seemingly have nothing in common, but as the book goes on, their lives collide. Each character is very interesting and the way the story comes together is fascinating. The prose is beautiful and haunting. How do secrets help or hurt our lives? What is family? These are the questions you'll ask yourself as you read the book and for a while after you're finished.

This is definitely a character driven Novel! We follow 6 people through friends and family over 60 years. Its a slow reveal of commonalities and secrets that are uncovered. I enjoyed the beginning more than the end. The characters seemed to begin blending together and I had to keep rechecking the chapter title to see who I was reading, Alice, Jackie or Dana. They seemed to meld together.
Bill Clegg writes beautiful family dramas, but the characters are excrutiating drawn out at times, which I find a tad bit annoying and I want to scream, "I get it!"

Honestly, I enjoyed "Did you Ever Have a Family" much better. There was a storyline that flowed with unique characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Scout Press for the opportunity to review this interesting book.

jtb
https://seniorbooklounge.blogspot.com/

I was intrigued by the writing of this book from the beginning. There are numerous characters in the book with seemingly different lives and paths they are following. As the book progresses, you begin to see how their lives intersect. Interesting plot and well developed characters. The ending seemed to be a little abrupt. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.

A coming of age story in a small town--one of my favorite genres--this one just didn't work for me. The narrative alternates between the present and the past. Each chapter focuses on one of the characters. I found this confusing and it was difficult to stay oriented. It's such a shame because the writing was just beautiful.

Confusing: 3 stars

Five decades, a lot of people, a lot of lies/betrayal/confusion/hurt/pain.. etc and how they all connect.

This jumped from character to character, past to present, non sequential and it was way too hard to keep everyone straight. I’m 100% sure I missed important elements of this story, but I could only go back and read parts so many times before I gave up and hoped it wasn’t too important. The ending didn’t provide a lot of closure either. I’m giving it a 3 star because the writing was beautiful and well thought out and the plot was there for the right reader.. I just wasn’t the right reader. I need to realize that dense, literary fiction isn’t for me.