When Will There Be Good News? (Hardcover)

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Review
"In Atkinson's stellar third novel to feature ex-cop turned PI Jackson Brodie (after One Good Turn), unrelated characters and plot lines collide with momentous results... A lesser author would buckle under so many story lines, but Atkinson juggles them brilliantly, simultaneously tying up loose ends from Turn and opening new doors for further Brodie misadventures." -- "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"READER, SUSPEND DISBELIEF. Find something high-flown, and attach with care, then send your critical faculties hurtling. Kate Atkinson's latest (darkest? bloodiest? most free-wheeling?) slice of make-belief has attitude and altitude in abundance. It pushes its luck in taking coincidence and outlandishness to levels of sheer unadulterated chutzpah, and by its stomach-curdling ending, it's so accelerated that you're waiting for the wheels to come off. They don't." -- "The Scotsman
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"It doesn't really matter in which genre Atkinson chooses to write. Her subject is always the irrecoverable loss of love and how best to continue living once you have glumly recognised that that was what the world was like, things improved but they didn't get better. Her gift is presenting this unnerving and subversive philosophy as a dazzling form of entertainment."" -- The Sunday Times
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"Kate Atkinson is an absolute must-read. I love everything she writes." -- Harlan Coben
"Atkinson has turned the corner from writing wonderfully rich literary novels with mysteries at their core to writing mysteries with rich literary style." -- "Los Angeles Times"
"Atkinson's novel is like something her detective might drink in the wee hours after knocking around the docks, something straight up witha twist." "The Globe and Mail"
"The most fun I've had with a novel this year." Ian Rankin
"Clever, wry and highly readable. . . . Almost every coincidence is delicious and not a little comic." "Toronto Star"
"An absolute joy to read." "The Guardian" (UK)
"A remarkable feat of storytelling bravado." "Washington Post"
"An engrossing, enjoyable, complex novel packed with intriguing characters, vividly imagined scenes and a compelling plot." "Times Literary Supplement" (UK)
"Compelling from the start" - "Vogue
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"Atkinson unravels the plot with dexterity and insightful aplomb" - "Easy Living
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"Atkinson's writing is charming, and her style and wit always a delight" - "Literary Review
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.,."a brilliantly observed drama on the nature of fate, love and memory" - "Marie Claire
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"The opening chapter of Kate Atkinson's latest book is one of the finest pieces of suspense literature you will read this year" - "The London Lite
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"Superb writing and accomplished plots" - "Glamour
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"Unconventional and thrilling crime fiction at its best" - "The List
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"An exhilarating jigsaw of a novel" - "Woman and Home
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.,."she stitches the seeming discordant plots into one big harmonious patchwork, where every stitch is a careful stitch and every patch operates both on its own merits and as part of the whole"" - Scotland on Sunday
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.,."it's the kind of wonderful novel that simultaneously grips and transports you" - "Sainsbury's Magazine
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"The novel grips, excites, moves, amuses and will have you racing through the pages" - "Waterstone's Books Quarterly
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"This is a perceptive glimpse into the legacy of the real victims- those left behind when their loved ones are taken from them" - "Psychologies" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Daily Express
Gripping...Suspense is tinglingly maintained throughout...shot through with wry wit and gritty realism. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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99 Reviews 5 star:  (41) 4 star:  (18) 3 star:  (20) 2 star:  (11) 1 star:  (9)           Average Customer Review 3.7 out of 5 stars (99 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   29 of 31 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Good news, but..., 16 Mar 2009 By  papaya bueno "Frank Chambers" (Obispo) - See all my reviews This review is from: When Will There be Good News? (Paperback) I enjoy Kate Atkinson's books. She is a quirky, honest writer. I enjoy her outlook on life and the faint rebelliousness of her characters. However, I nearly gave up on this one after 100 pages and only awarded it 4 stars because, ultimately, it hooked me, drew me in and had me turning the pages. But despite that it read like a draft copy, not a completed version. Parts of the story were unclear and her sometimes rambling style went unchecked, even when it interfered with narrative and plot - too many digressions. I don't know if this was the fault of Kate Atkinson or the publishers. Perhaps she had to rush for a deadline, but in that case it required serious editing, which was completely lacking here - at one point the same sentence is repeated within the same paragraph! I am loathe to blame Atkinson, who I believe is a serious and seriously talented writer, but with some best sellers editing seems to be a thing of the past. The publishers know that a popular name and brand will sell, so they just rush it out regardless. I am also disappointed with the critics, who have given this almost unanimous praise. Didn't they notice the inconsistencies and lack of editing? Did they even read it? This is a carelessly written book and the buying public have a right to know that before they part with their cash. It seems that with popular books (and films) many critics just go with the flow and praise on reputation rather than giving an honest review. There are very, very few critics who I trust now, which is a sad state of affairs. Book reviewing seems very much like an old pal's act, part of an uncritical, very profitable production line. Anyway, rant over. I'm sad that a Kate Atkinson book provided such a good example of this malaise because I genuinely admire her writing, but this really was case of a 'not quite finished' book going into print to rave reviews. The book was rescued by sheer talent and a gripping storyline, but that doesn't make it right. Comment Comments (3) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   75 of 85 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars A little cluttered, though I'm still a big fan, 27 Aug 2008 By  Sarah W (West London) - See all my reviews This review is from: When Will There be Good News? (Hardcover) I love Kate Atkinson's writing (I don't usually buy books in hardback!) and did enjoy this novel, finishing it in a matter of days. However, I can't deny that it felt a little cluttered - too many perspectives; too many personal tragedies; too much drama and bloody violence. I felt that an awful lot had been packed in along the way and it began to feel unrealistic and unsubtle. To my mind, the Needler story was unnecessary; Reggie's personal circumstances went from bad to unlikely; and all the key characters were a little too connected. A bit of coincidence is one thing, but this went too far. Perhaps it was meant to feel 'fateful' but it didn't quite work for me. When writing from Jackson Brodie's perspective Kate Atkinson seems at her most comfortable, he's a rounded character and totally believable. For me, Reggie was endearing but didn't quite ring true and I am not at all keen on her new pet character, Louise Munroe. Not that it's vital to always like characters in novels, but she's clearly being established as a heroine, perhaps equal to Jackson, but for me she has few redeeming features. I simply don't want to know much more about her. Given Kate Atkinson's talents as a writer (her colourful prose and characterisation draw the reader in from the very start) I feel she doesn't need to rely so heavily on crime as a genre. She built up her initial tale of the Mason family in a compelling way, only to destroy them a few pages later. It felt like a waste. I remember feeling the same way about Case Histories. I look forward to her next novel but hope she tones down the crime elements just a little and focuses on her characters and insights into their lives and loves. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   54 of 63 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars "Coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen.", 26 Sep 2008 By  Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    This review is from: When Will There be Good News? (Hardcover) Not a traditional mystery, Kate Atkinson's third Jackson Brodie novel grows instead out of the terrible traumas that children and young people must endure when people they love die violently. So marked are they by their sudden tragedies, that they never really escape their pasts, and spend the rest of their lives wondering "when will there be good news." Five separate plot lines evolve and begin to overlap here, and in each of these plots the main characters are all needy people hiding an inner loneliness from which they would like to escape. In the first plot, Joanna Mason Hunter is a physician living in Edinburgh, the happily married mother of a one-year-old, a woman who appears to have it all, but thirty years ago, she escaped a slashing attack which murdered her mother, sister, and baby brother. Though she seems to have put her past to rest, the murderer of her family is about to be released from jail. Joanna's "mother's help" is Reggie Chase, a sixteen-year-old fending for herself in a rundown apartment that she shares with her delinquent brother. Reggie adores her job--and Joanna, who has no idea that Reggie's mother has died traumatically over a year ago. Jackson Brodie, a former police detective and a lead character in Case Histories: A Novel and One Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery, is newly married for the third time, estranged from his twelve-year-old daughter from a previous marriage and prohibited from seeing the two-year-old he believes to be his son with his former girlfriend. While working on a case in England, he takes the wrong train and ends up in Edinburgh, where he is injured in a train crash near the house where babysitter Reggie Chase is staying. Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, a former girlfriend of Jackson Brodie, has come to Edinburgh to warn Joanna that the killer of her family has been released. In a final subplot, Joanna's husband Neil Hunter is in debt and in trouble with criminals, and Reggie, the babysitter, has found the house empty when she arrived to babysit. She is convinced that Joanna and the baby are missing and probably dead. Atkinson's narrative is enhanced by her skillful pacing as she introduces new elements and surprises, and she is especially adept at individualizing her characters. Through flashbacks, she compares and contrasts their past and present lives, and the reader comes to "know" them. Connected thematically by their yearning for loving relationships, they are eventually connected through the plot's complications and mysteries. Ironies abound, and mistaken identities create some bizarre and sometimes darkly humorous scenes. Coincidence plays an important role in resolving the novel in dramatic fashion, and though no one will believe that these twists and turns are remotely realistic, they are great fun and completely consistent with the ebullient story-telling that Atkinson has made her signature. Mary Whipple Behind the Scenes at the Museum Human Croquet Emotionally Weird Not the End of the World Abandonment Comment Comments (5) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 99 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant new Kate Atkinson story in Ox-Tales What a great writer Kate Atkinson is. If you've read all her novels and want more, there is a fabulous story in Ox-Tales: Earth, this year's extraordinary charity compilation of... Read more Published 4 days ago by M. Ellingham 3.0 out of 5 stars OK but felt a bit too calculated This was a bit of a disappointment. Reading this book I really wasn't sure where the story was going to go. Read more Published 15 days ago by Janie U 4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read. Some unexpected outcomes. I would recommend to anyone who likes a mystery. On the whole a good read. Published 17 days ago by C. Hadlington 5.0 out of 5 stars Well crafted story My first experience of Kate Atkinson was ONE GOOD TURNOne Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery which I thought absolutely brilliant, funny, clever with a complicated story so... Read more Published 18 days ago by Mrs. M. S. Millar 2.0 out of 5 stars I've never read a book like this! The author has an uncanny and amusing way of reflecting on life. Unfortunately the story gets lost in her anecdotal comments and it's difficult to follow the plot... Read more Published 18 days ago by Alizarin 4.0 out of 5 stars The Prime of Mr Jackson Brodie Ms Atkinson's books are hard to classify. They won't satisfy the hard boiled detective story reader, heavyweight literature student or holiday rom com browser. Read more Published 18 days ago by M. I. R. Clarke 2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing I've enjoyed most of Kate Atkinson's books with Case Histories being my favourite. However, I was not bowled over by One Good Turn and now, am disappointed by When Will There be... Read more Published 21 days ago by E. Reardon 5.0 out of 5 stars Truly enjoyable! I read this on holiday after reading the first two Jackson books. I really enjoyed them all but loved this one the best. Read more Published 24 days ago by Donny Fan 2.0 out of 5 stars When will there be a good end? Well, I just feel that I've wasted a part of my life reading this. Sure, I enjoyed the style of the writing, Ms Atkinson is a very talented author as far as turn of phrase,... Read more Published 24 days ago by ibis 4.0 out of 5 stars Pacy, pithy and well-plotted This was another treat from Ms Atkinson, whose writing becomes tighter with her every new title. Yes, some of the twists and turns are implausible at best (I struggle to... Read more Published 29 days ago by Mr. N. Farrington Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 99 customer reviews...

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