Reviews for Good-Bye and Amen

The average rating for Good-Bye and Amen based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-07-28 00:00:00 Posheng Hsu It is obvious from the outset that it would have proven useful to the readers of Good-Bye and Amen to have also read Beth Gutcheon's previous offering Leeway Cottage. Perhaps then we would have had some inkling of who the characters in this saga were and how they related to the other characters. This reader was about 60 pages into the book, and continuously flipping back and forth in the story in an attempt to ascertain who each person speaking was and what their connection was to the other characters. (Had I realized that the BACK OF THE BOOK included "biographies of the contributors" that explained the background of each "speaker" in the book, it might have been a help, but alas I read the book from front to back and not from back to front). Initial confusion aside, I ultimately did enjoy this story of the three siblings and their respective spouses, children, friends and adversaries once I got everyone sorted out. I even enjoyed the flow and structure of the tale. It reads like a diary from a group therapy session with everyone defending or justifying their actions while questioning the motives and actions of others. Ultimately we find that it is not the family the prays together, stays together.....but rather that blood is thicker than water. Overall - 2 1/2 stars

Review # 2 was written on 2008-05-07 00:00:00 David Johnson I would have devoured this book in one setting if I didn't have to do pesky things like sleep and go to work. This is a story, told in wonderfully chaotic 12 or so voices, of a family. It begins with 3 grown children dealing with cleaning out their parents' houses after their surprise dual death (gas leak) and it blossoms into this complex view of their lives (and those of their children, friends, coworkers, etc) both past and present. What is truly amazing is that the author has even included photos of these fictional characters in one section of the book! It deals with family issues in every possible form: parents, children, step children, siblings, inlaws, grandchildren, marriage, money, divorce, addiction, depression, grief...it does on and on. The story is creative and exuberantly told and I would recommend it to anyone who has strangers in their lives that they happen to share parents with. Oh, and everyone else too!