- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition, First Impression edition (14 Aug 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385608012
- ISBN-13: 978-0385608015
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (159 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 213,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
When Will There Be Good News?
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More About the Author
Product Description
Guardian
Funny, bracingly intelligent and delightfully prickly...Kate Atkinson is that rarest of beasts, a genuinely surprising novelist.
Daily Express
Gripping...Suspense is tinglingly maintained throughout...shot through with wry wit and gritty realism.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is Kate Atkinson's third novel to feature her private detective Jackson Brodie, so it probably helps to have started with the first, Case Histories, to have a feel for the back story - and the second, One Good Turn, also features another major player in this story - Louise Munroe, hard bitten but soft centred DCI. I found One Good Turn not quite as good as Case Histories but this sees her back on top form.
I've been a fan of Kate Atkinson's writing since her debut in Behind The Scenes At The Museum. The Jackson Brodie stories have several intertwining plot lines, including a twist at the end to something I hadn't realised was even a plot line until that point. She's a master story teller, her characterisation very sharp, and she makes amusing use of parentheses and italics to voice unspoken thoughts. She's also brilliant at time shifts and flashbacks, and shifts between everyday life and stark tragedy.
What's this one about? Without giving anything away, one storyline concerns the grown-up survivor of an horrific murder of a mother and two of her three children (reminiscent of a real and well-known murder) who is now a doctor married to a dodgy husband, another a sixteen year old girl called Reggie, a third Jackson Brodie, a fourth Louise Munroe. They intertwine and overlap brilliantly. I'm about to start on Kate Atkinson's latest Started Early, Took My Dog
I've been a fan of Kate Atkinson's writing since her debut in Behind The Scenes At The Museum. The Jackson Brodie stories have several intertwining plot lines, including a twist at the end to something I hadn't realised was even a plot line until that point. She's a master story teller, her characterisation very sharp, and she makes amusing use of parentheses and italics to voice unspoken thoughts. She's also brilliant at time shifts and flashbacks, and shifts between everyday life and stark tragedy.
What's this one about? Without giving anything away, one storyline concerns the grown-up survivor of an horrific murder of a mother and two of her three children (reminiscent of a real and well-known murder) who is now a doctor married to a dodgy husband, another a sixteen year old girl called Reggie, a third Jackson Brodie, a fourth Louise Munroe. They intertwine and overlap brilliantly. I'm about to start on Kate Atkinson's latest Started Early, Took My Dog
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As the third in the Jackson Brodie series, I found KA's continuation of his life absolutely compelling. Each book builds on the foundations of the last, and I was unable to put this one down. Those people who speak of 'padding' and 'lack of believability' clearly have no understanding of the literary ability Atkinson wields as an author - all the knowing nods to other writers and genres, the clever little conceits she employs to tie her ideas together, the fact that she leaves a lot to the imagination, doesn't feel compelled to tie up every loose end (although if you read the whole series some loose ends are tied up in later books). She doesn't patronise you as a reader, she assumes a level of literary understanding and intellectual ability, and best of all she loves the pure musicality of the words on the page (see Emotionally Weird for proof of this!). I cannot wait for August when her next book is released, and have lent Case Histories, One Fine Day and When Will There Be Good News? to anyone I can think of, jumping up and down with glee as I see their enjoyment increasing exponentially with each new book. Open your minds a little, don't expect a Patricia Cornwell-esque read, recognise this writer's true ability and realise that her books are about more than just a detective story. You won't be able to put them down either in that case!
111 of 126 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another good Kate Atkinson book
Thought this was another good one by Kate Atkinson. All her books are written in a very similar style, so once you've read one you know what to expect, but it's always a different... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Rachel
Not perfect but Reggie is a lovely character
Wanting to take a break from the often heavy tones of Booker nominees I returned to Kate Atkinson's sequence of novels about Jackson Brodie the former soldier, cop and private... Read more
Published 3 months ago by R. A. Davison
Contrived rubbish!
The author must have had a bet to see how many tragedies and deaths she could incorporate into one book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Nairod
Absolutely couldn't put it down
I enjoyed the first two Jackson Brodie books but this had me totally and completely hooked. From the lovely Doctor Hunter with a troubled past,Inspector Munroe with a troubled... Read more
Published 9 months ago by D. M. Dickson
Good news for readers
WARNING - possible spoilers.
"When will there be good news?" is an engrossing, compelling read. Read more
"When will there be good news?" is an engrossing, compelling read. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jules_Bee
when will there be good news?
second-hand book in very good condition. It is one of the Jackson Brodie series - I've read all so far & it is well up to standard with new engaging characters especially Reggie. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Janetmp
Good News
I read no 4 in the Jackson Brodie series before I read this book, which is no.3. I would urge readers not to do the same. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Lindy
Too many personal tragedies!
This is a crime novel featuring Jackson Brodie, ex-policeman, now a private detective. It opens with the murder of a mother and two young children. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Leicsliz
Summary
To sum up the majority of reviews, including my own:
Q. "When will there be good news?"
A. When you throw the book away.
Q. "When will there be good news?"
A. When you throw the book away.
Published 15 months ago by Mrs. N. Y. Papoushado
Page turner, quirky read as always
An excellent page turner from this truly unique writer. Kate Atkinson always makes her readers work hard at remembering who is who and how they fit into her tapestry of events... Read more
Published 16 months ago by lady hare
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