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When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel
Unavailable
When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel
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When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel
Audiobook11 hours

When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel

Written by Kate Atkinson

Narrated by Ellen Archer

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

On a hot summer day, Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment later, Joanna's life is changed forever...
On a dark night thirty years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a shocking sound...
At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little TV. Then a terrifying noise shatters her peaceful evening. Luckily, Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for an emergency...
These three lives come together in unexpected and deeply thrilling ways in the latest audiobook from Kate Atkinson, the critically acclaimed author who Harlan Coben calls "an absolute must read."
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 24, 2008
ISBN9781600244537
Unavailable
When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel
Author

Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson is the author of a short-story collection, Not the End of the World, and critically acclaimed novels including Life After Life, Human Croquet, Case Histories and One Good Turn. She lives in Edinburgh, UK.

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Reviews for When Will There Be Good News?

Rating: 3.98507453503909 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,407 ratings144 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Kate Atkinson weaves together a marvelous story involving much bloodshed, a missing mother and child, a motherless teen, a faithful dog, a train wreck, a murderous husband, loss, betrayal, missed opportunities, friendship…I could go on but read the book instead! Her recurring Jackson Brodie character seems to take a backseat here but it works anyway. I felt so immersed in the story that oftentimes, when interrupted, I almost had to shake my head to come back to reality.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A joy to read. A compelling mystery, or really a number of mysteries, and brilliant character studies. Atkinson bring literary fiction sensibilities to genre fiction, and its always a a pleasure to read her Jackson Brodie books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I’ve been trying to read more mystery/thriller novels, because I haven’t really read much of the genre and I’m pretty burned out on YA. The trouble with most, popular mysteries is that many seem to be series, and if you pick up a book halfway in, you’re often missing in-jokes or references, and since these stories are often so dependent on character, missing important background information something makes the story confusing.

    When Will There Be Good News is getting a lot of buzz, more so than other novels featuring Jackson Brodie. I’m sure there will be many people who pick up this book, not having known about the previous books. It’s a good thing Brodie is not a central part of the plot. His story is parallel to the main one, and he only shows up at the end to sort of swoop in and save the day. Truthfully, I believe the book would have been better without him. It seemed like his plot thread was tacked on just to make him part of the story. His storyline , the B-Plot,was interesting, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous books.

    That said, I really enjoyed the A-plot. Reggie is a fabulous character, spunky and stubborn, she has been through so much, expects life to crap on her, yet holds on to her feeling that her employer is in trouble. Had the story focused solely o her and her plight, I would give it 5 stars, but the inclusion of the two detectives just bogs the action down.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Gory, but terrific.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Kate Atkinson has a true talent for creating characters with detailed and tragic (BEYOND tragic) back stories, and she uses this talent to maximum effect here. As with the other Jackson Brodie novel I read (Case Histories), here Ms. Atkinson creates these characters and then sets loose a bevy of terrible events upon them. There isn't a lot of plot here, but there's enough chaotic events happening in a short span of time to make up for this. If you enjoyed Case Histories, you'll likely enjoy this, at least so far as good storytelling goes.

    But I have to be honest; I don't know if I'll read another Jackson Brodie novel. The reason for this is because of the massive difference between this and Case Histories, namely the down note this novel ends on. Hopefully without spoiling, I found the answer to the titular question to be simple: in this book, never. That's probably overstating things, but I was left feeling particularly sad after having finished this, as if a grave injustice had been done to these characters who more than most deserve a little happiness in their lives. I felt like the end of Case Histories left a sense that yes, horrible things happen, but we get past them to find the other beautiful things in life that also happen. By contrast, the end of Will There Be Good News? can perhaps best be summed up by paraphrasing Ms. Atkinson: just because something horrible happens to you once does not mean it won't happen again. Because of this, I simply don't know if I'll have the stomach for any more Jackson Brodie. I may be wrong, because I really do appreciate the characters Ms. Atkinson fashions as being fully engaged and entirely relatable, but I just don't know if I can read another one of these knowing I might get another ending like this.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    this is what good writing is. everyone is so human and the writing is so believable that the novel draws you in seemingly effortlessly. it's like there's nothing at all- no artifice or awkwardness- standing between you and the story. i loved the strong female protagonists: reggie and dr. hunter are two of the most admirable, likable, interesting characters i've come across in some time. you totally wish you could hang out with them. (louise is pretty cool too.) i am really lucky to have found this writer and already starting on another of her books. (thanks for the recommendation, lisa!)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Excellent. What a terrific writer. The only thing I ding her for is too many coincidences. Now I am going back and reading the first two books in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I like the way Kate Atkinson writes. But boy was this book confusing when I got interrupted in the middle. Lots of characters - couldn't remember who they all were. Liked the book while reading it. Unfortunately, a week later I can't remember a whole lot about it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lots of death and destruction in this aptly named novel. Reggie Chase is a great 16 yo girl on her own after her mother's death. She has only a loose network of people who care about her. There's Ms. MacDonald the terminally ill retired teacher who is helping to educate Reggie so she can go on to university and Dr. Joanna Hunter for whom Reggie works as Mother's Helper by taking care of The Baby. Other characters include Jackson Brodie private investigator, Louise Monroe policewoman , Dr. Hunter's husband, and Reggie's brother Billy who is the epitome of disappointment. Reggie herself is the picture of resilience and I loved her character!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A friend of mine gave this to me; I didn't know what to expect, not knowing the author's works. I found it to be an uneven mystery/crime fiction novel - and in fact, what's the difference exactly between those two genres? It starts off with the description of a horrifying crime that occurred many years ago, and then jumps ahead to describe a young woman who lives a rather strange life. Eventually you find out that she works for a woman who was connected to that crime. Then there is a train wreck, and a guy with insomnia, and a female detective who all start to get involved with that same woman. There are shady characters galore and even up to the last page I was surprised at all the 'stuff' the author managed to slip in. I'm not sure I would jump at the opportunity to read more by this author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's a gorgeous crime mystery about three strong women. Each of them is her keepers background and won't specify her past to the other women. Nevertheless those three are related in one way or another, helping each other to leave back their disastrous past without knowing what fantastic help they are among themselves. Only one man is a really helping hand. He was related to a lot of different women, one of the main characters is one of them.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great read, quirky characters move the story along well, although the pace is a bit languid sometimes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This isn't really a mystery, although many mysterious things happen in it. It's just a really good suspenseful read, with a heck of a protagonist ---16-year-old Reggie Chase, an orphan who does just fine for herself, thank you. Most of the time. Although she runs into many a spot of trouble, and lies when the truth might serve her better, she's getting the hang of life on her own, and I love her for it. This novel again features Jackson Brodie, who is not quite so interesting in this one, and really does very little to move the action. The story could have been told without him, his part in it played by an Anyman, except for the old connection to Chief Inspector Louise Monroe. This was definitely a book to get lost in and hard to beat for sheer entertainment. One quibble --- TOO many quotes and literary/cultural allusions. Darned near one to a page. A few of those scattered about are fun. This level of saturation is a distraction. Still highly recommended for those who appreciate Atkinson.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The title about says it all. A cast of main characters who have one tragic incident after another while they quote lines of poetry and prose memorized in their school days. Reggie, the main character, is a 16 year old girl who has the largest heap of tragedies piled upon her in this unrelenting narrative of death (murderous and accidental) and mayhem.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Let me state upfront: the only reason this book received 1 star instead of zero stars is because it was written in my native language. I can think of no other redeeming qualities. Truly, I do not understand all the gushing praise heaped upon this book. I found it dreadfully boring, so much so that it took me an entire month to finish it. Often, after reading 12-15 pages, my eyes would begin to droop, presumably under the weight of the laborious plot. As others have mentioned, it takes an extraordinarily long time to set up all the characters and scenes. By the time the Major Plot Event occurs, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. I didn't like any of the principals, I never felt an attachment to any of them, I didn't like being dropped into their lives without any sort of set-up or explanation, I didn't understand all the references (geographic, cultural, or otherwise), and as a result, the overall effect made for a very uneven and unpleasant experience. For me, reading is (ideally) a fun diversion. I do not read to seek enlightenment about the human condition, or some such. This book was work, a chore, a burden, strain, and a bother. So, either I'm missing the wonderfulness so many others have enjoyed, or it's simply a matter of taste, and I found this particular book to be as enjoyable as eating rust-covered rhinocerus feces.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Aah, a British mystery, add a lil' Scottish accent, toss in a good dog, my how I have taken to Kate Atkinson.I typed the above as I was starting this one. How did it take me so long to find Kate Atkinson? Her character development is just outstanding without boring me, even down to the description of clothes as it relates in this case to Reggie a very unusual 16 year old.The immediate capture of your attention starts at least on page two. You are back a few decades reliving a crime that will come back into play in present time while encircling so many other characters. Know the mystery that you intently read and POP there's that pop of humor you didn't expect that has you laughing out loud and then oh quickly back to the details and the story? Know that book that leaves you visualing each character, that if you passed them on the walk you'd certainly recognize them? Oh and that male character that's rough shod, smart and ever so desirable? Yes, each of these is how I "live in" When Will There Be Good News. Yes, yes, I'll admit I do find myself missing the most desirable Jackson Brodie, isn't he reason enough to try the Kate Atkinson series? = ) Indeed! 4*
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Like Case Histories and Started early, this one takes a violent crime in the distant past as its starting point. The plot itself, with its heavy reliance on coincidence, mistaken identity, and misdirection, isn't so important this time: what makes the book is partly the continuing will-they-won't-they love story involving Jackson Brodie and Louise Monroe, partly the bizarre and unexpected new characters: amongst others, we get a born-again Miss Jean Brodie, an intrepid teenage nanny who's Reading Around the Subject, and a young mother with rather unexpected talents. Also, once you've read this book, you'll never look at the neat red and green ranks of the Loeb Classical Texts in quite the same way again...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved the book! I think Atkinson is so good with words, ideas, metaphors, images... Such a pleasure to read, and always light-hearted even with a grim situation. Quite a tour de force!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I ripped through this book, and enjoyed it. The book starts with a multiple murder we are then cast adrift in the present. Numerous characters appear, some familiar from the earlier books.These threads move in channels, each character has information that the others don't, including Brodie who had information that he didn't know he had due to memory loss. Of course, if Poirot had had all the clues that Atkinson scatters around her characters, the various crimes would have been solved in half a book. As it is, we are left urging them all just to talk to each other, to the extent that two thirds of the way through the book, I found myself thinking that nothing was happening because the none of the clues were were understood, and then realised that actually there had been a kidnapping, a train crash, a dead old lady, an arson attack and murdered policeman just in the last few chapters.Three more people die, the kidnapped woman and baby escape, Jackson Brodie regains his memory and the last wife, which we think may be an illusion, turns out to be a real fake person who steals all his money, until some more money turns up from France, and he may have a baby by Julia whose sister Amelia is ruthlessly killed off. Phew, and that's only a fraction of it.I love the fact that this works as crime fiction, is laugh out loud funny, and that all the characters are tied to each other in the most improbable series of co-incidences.I have just started "Left Early Took My Dog".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is my favorite book yet in the Jackson Brodie series. Once again, coincidences spiral, connecting Brodie with people who need his help. This time, it's 16-year-old Reggie Chase, who is worried when her employer, Dr. Hunter, disappears with her baby. When she can't convince the police that Dr. Hunter is in danger, she turns to Brodie for help. He owes her.Reggie's character is what set the book apart for me. Reggie is a survivor. She's streetwise, bright, and ambitious, and she finds ways to make herself indispensable to the few people she cares about. I loved Reggie's interaction with Brodie. She's several years older than Brodie's daughter, and the dynamic of their relationship suggests what Jackson's relationship with his daughter could become down the road. One feature of this series is the reappearance of characters from earlier novels. I hope Reggie is one of the characters who will show up again.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Does she ever miss a beat? Kate Atkinson that is. One book after another, unbelievably good writing. Crisp, clean, snappy dialogue. Intricate twisting, turning plot. Multiple threads that somehow, in the end all merge and you think (out loud, of course), "Oh my!"This book may just be my favorite so far in the Jackson Brodie series. Until I read the next one anyway.A killer who has been in jail for the last thirty years is released, his debt to society paid. His crime was that he killed a mother and two of her three children. That surviving child is now a practicing physician with a child of her own. Should she be living in fear of this murderer who changed her life completely? And how will Jackson Brodie be dragged into this case because, even though it doesn't seem as though he will you know....Oh yeah, you know Atkinson will take you around the bend, and up the block, and under the hedge, and over the hill until finally, there he is, in the middle of it.But don't take my word for it. Go ahead, dip into a little Atkinson yourself. You won't regret it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The victim of a 30-year-old crime goes missing and Jackson Brodie and Louise Monroe (who is introduced in One Good Turn) get to work "together" on a few suspicions developments. As seems to be standard in Atkinson's series about Brodie, the plotlines are convoluted and fold into each other, causing the solutions to be extremely coincidental ("A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen."), which gets wearisome, but the characters do make up for it. The mysteries aren't really the main point in these books, but rather the effect of the crimes on each character and how they all connect to each other. The ironic comments in brackets also get a bit much sometimes (as in the previous books), but it's still a captivating read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    As is apparently my pattern, I picked up this mystery/suspense book unaware that it was the third in a series, which may partially account for the fact that I was moderately confused during the first third of the story. The other source of the confusion is the three separate plotlines, but the author adroitly weaves them together around page 100 or so.Most of the main characters have experienced tragedy in their lives: ex-cop Jackson Brodie's sister died by murder and his brother by suicide; teen-aged Reggie lost her mother in a bizarre drowning; Johanna Hunter survived the massacre of her mother and two siblings (survivor guilt runs rampant in this novel). Police detective Louise Monroe, trapped in a lackluster marriage and in her own sour defensiveness, is obsessed with a woman who escaped murder at the hands of her husband, and also wants to warn Johanna that the murderer of her family is scheduled to be released from prison. All these stories come together after a devasting train wreck.Despite the complicated structure, this is a suspenseful page-turner, with interesting and believable characters. I especially liked Reggie, an endearing, annoying Harriet the Spy type whose grief over her mother and affection for Joanna colors everything she does. She is relentless and focused when the adults around her are wallowing in their own stuff.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the third book in the Jackson Brodie mystery series, and the best so far.Joanna Hunter seems to have it all: she's a successful doctor and mother of a darling baby boy. But thirty years ago Joanna's life was dramatically changed by tragedy: her mother, sister, and brother were all killed in a random act of violence. Joanna appears to have left those emotional scars behind, or at least covered them up really well. Reggie Chase works for Joanna as a mother's helper. She is sixteen and forced to leave school and live on her own after her mother's recent death. Reggie has seen some hard times, but has a keen wit and a love of learning that keep her going. She admires Joanna, and is also somewhat attached to her former teacher, Ms. MacDonald, who is tutoring Reggie for her A-levels. When Joanna disappears and her husband offers a weak explanation, Reggie is sure there's trouble afoot. She follows up on a chance encounter with Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, and gets her involved in finding Joanna.Meanwhile in a parallel story, Jackson Brodie is just going about his business, traveling from London to Edinburgh. A harrowing event brings him into contact with Reggie, and then with Louise, who it turns out is an old friend. The problem is, several people think Jackson is someone else, and the person they think he is may have stolen Jackson's identity as well. And all Jackson wants to do is make it home before his wife returns from a business trip and finds him missing. But first there's the matter of Joanna Hunter that now requires his attention, too.There's so much about the story that I can't say, because every thread is so tightly wound with all the others and I don't want to ruin it with even the tiniest spoiler. But was with Case Histories and One Good Turn, Kate Atkinson has written a compelling mystery with some major surprises, and a delightful dose of humor expressed primarily through the thoughts and actions of her well-drawn characters. I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First Line: The heat rising up from the tarmac seemed to get trapped between the thick hedges that towered above their heads like battlements.When Joanna Mason was six, she obeyed her mother and lived while all the rest of them died. Thirty years later, Jackson Brodie is on a crowded train that's running late when he hears a horrible sound. Sixteen-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little television at the end of a long day, but her peaceful evening is shattered. Luckily Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for emergencies.Once again Kate Atkinson has created three living, breathing characters with absolutely nothing in common and then brought them together in such a way that you can't take your eyes off the page. From the very first Jackson Brodie book (Case Histories), I learned that Atkinson is a master plot weaver and a master at creating characters that you come to know better than you know yourself.Jackson Brodie is in one of his usual muddles and finds himself in Scotland where Joanna Mason now lives as an adult with her husband and infant son. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is a law unto herself and wouldn't be able to stay out of this book if her life depended on it. You see, she cares for Brodie even though she won't admit it.To the mix of Brodie, Mason and Monroe add a sixteen-year-old who's an "unstoppable force of nature" and more than fierce enough to resemble a "Jack Russell fending off a pack of Dobermans." Young Reggie is the catalyst in this book, and she's a treasure. She single-handedly gets all the adults moving because she refuses to turn her back when she knows something is wrong. No one's ever been able to make Reggie understand that kids can't get results when they put their minds to it. (I'd love to see her as an adult!)Each character takes a turn at telling us their side of the story, and it's the stream-of-consciousness story telling that allows us to get so far into each character's mind. Getting to know these wonderful characters almost makes the intricately woven plot surplus to requirements... almost. For, without the plot, Brodie and Louise and Joanna and Reggie wouldn't be able to meet and try to get everything put to rights again.Reading one of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books is an experience to be savored. Her various plot threads and characters that slowly move together may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it's yours, please don't miss the pleasure of reading these excellent books.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books are just fabulous and not to be missed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this when I should have been cooking dinner for children, I read it too late into the night, I kept reading even though I wanted to save some for later...such an enjoyable book - like the other Jackson Brodie installments. I love the female characters, and while sometimes Jackson's character seems somehow female in origin I was having too much fun to care.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I am a fan of Kate Atkinson and her writing style but this book didn't work for me. Unlike her other books, the characters in this one didn't grab me. I didn't find Joanna Mason's adult character believable, particularly when compared to the child she was at the start of the story. I found Reggie's character a little bland and it took forever to lead to why she even mattered so much. Overall, there were too many characters doing different things that we were only given snippets of. There were a lot of words but not much going on. When things did happen, it was all sadness. I skimmed over some parts and wondered where the detail was for others. For me, the entire mood of the story was melancholy disarray.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was an audiobook that started out with a punch as it details a crime that is witnessed by young Joanna. After the unfortunate incident the book fast forwards to the life of an adult Dr. Joanna Hunter, who for some reason appears to be missing. But is she really missing, or is she just visiting a sick aunt as this is what her husband is telling people.As indicated in the summary, Reggie is a 16 year old girl that works for Dr. Hunter. I must admit that I really was under the impression that Reggie was much younger than this as I was listening to the book. I was thinking that she was maybe 11 or 12 years old, just from the odd jobs that Dr. Hunter hired her to do and from how she came up with her conclusions. She didn't seem to get along with or trust Dr. Hunter's husband, so she finds it curious when he tells her that Dr. Hunter went to visit her aunt. After a little bit of investigating she decides that Dr. Hunter never would have left town in the manner that it appears she did.Jackson Brody is an interesting character that has found himself involved in various police investigations throughout his career. He is intrigued although a bit skeptical when young Reggie decides to report Dr. Hunter as a missing person. Why would a babysitter be reporting her as missing rather than her husband?All events seem to come full circle in this novel. Is someone trying to finish off the job of Joanna Hunter that was left incomplete from years ago, or is her disappearance revolving around a new set of circumstances? She possibly could have just went to visit a sick aunt. This book does leave you wondering, stringing you along until the very end. Ellen Archer is the narrator of this novel and for some reason I just did not find myself immersed in her voice and the story. This was an interesting story, but as an audiobook it did fall a bit short for me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The author rather cleverly intertwines all the characters in this book. The twists and turns are constant and I liked the way you could view the same event from the perspective of the main characters. However not only does Atkinson leap between characters she also jumps back and forwards through time and a few times I had to check bacl so I did not get lost. I also got lost trying to work out Brodies' links with the women, perhaps reading the other two books in the series would have helped with this. It is an enjoyable read and I am not put off reading anything by the author again however the book is just OK. I did not realise that it was part of a series of books and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the preceeding books.