What readers think of A Good Hard Look, plus links to write your own review.

If you like in-depth character development, this is an excellent book for you. It reminded me of the excellent films of director, David Mamet. Ann Napolitano has a unique way of delving into the souls of her characters, taking you into the depth of each soul while enabling you to understand and appreciate their bazaar behavior. The plot grows and twists in ways that totally surprised me, yet left me appreciative of each the character's reactions -- and I don't normally read fiction. How she was able to involve Flannery O'Connor in this novel was amazing. This is a great read. I couldn't put it down.

I wanted to read this book because the real-life Flannery O’Connor is a main character. And, yes, her character alone grabbed my attention when I started reading, but the more I read the more I could not put the book down. We are privy to the internal lives of no less than eight main characters and they are all compelling. The writing style is quiet, unassuming, compassionate, giving voice to the turmoil and clashes of opposites in the heart of each character—intense joy and heartbreaking tragedy, passion and indifference, selfishness and generosity, engagement and withdrawal, attraction and rejection. This book is luminous with sadness and insight. The author writes on her Web site that she worked on the book for seven years because she wanted it to be worthy of O’Connor, whom she admires not only as a great writer but as a person who lived a “well-lived life,” a concept that is a major theme of this book. I feel that she has done O’Connor proud. I’m inspired to re-read Flannery O’Conner and to get my hands on Ann Napolitano’s first book, Within Arm’s Reach, right away.

Ann Napolitano has produced one of those rare novels which will pull you into another time and place- Milledgeville,Georgia and Andalusia-home of Flannery O'Connor.Like Flannery's famed peacocks perched precariously in a magnolia tree,the inhabitants teeter on the edge of normalcy,living on the periphery of each others lives while inwardly struggling with the isolation and constraints of their own.It is only after a shockingly violent and tragic event that will break your heart that they begin to really see each other and transform their own lives.
I would highly recommend this book.it is beautifully written and stayed with me long after the last page was turned.

Well written, engrossing and shocking at times - it kept me turning the pages. The author's description of the characters was a little uneven - I would have liked to know a few of these people a bit better. The hateful feelings that two of the main women characters had for each other seemed a little over done, however. Who can carry animosity to that extreme? Maybe I'm just naive.The unlikely attachment two other characters developed for each other became more reckless as time went on and the end of that affair was a violent shock. The most unbelievable part of the book was the use of the peacocks. I've not read anything quite like it! Sometimes I judge a book by gauging whether my book club(s) would like it! In this case, I'm still undecided.

Napolitano's insight into the lives of Flannery O'Conner and the townspeople of Midgeville really gives readers something to sink their teeth into. The people, the events and the dialog are believable and easy for the reader to relate to. Flannery's cynical observations hurt because they are truthful and to see the downward spiral of all the characters becomes a reflection of Flannery's own feelings about her health and loneliness. However, the ending leaves readers with just the right amount of hope that everything will turn out ok.

Flannery O'Connor was a Southern novelist and short story writer who had moved up North to live and write. She returns home to her mother in this novel, as she has become chronically ill with lupus and can no longer stay alone. As told through the eyes of several of Flannery's neighbors, seemingly benign interactions set in motion changes which affect them all. An engaging story which will resonate even after you have finished.

I was very curious to read this book since Flannery O'Connor is portrayed in it. I have read O' Connor and found her challenging to read and her stories are just so magnificently provocative. I wanted to see what the author would do with her. I didn't realize how much the book was going to revolve around her. That being said I enjoyed what the author wrote and liked her perspective of O'Connor. I feel that all of the characters were interesting, eventually. They weren't just 2 dimensional. It did get to a point though that it started to become a little too 'soap opera-ish" and that was disappointing.
I would recommend this book to those that know O'Connor, but also to others that want a good read. I also think that this book could propel Flannery back into the spotlight and have readers get to know her work!

Absorbing, well crafted novel by an author very familiar with Flannery O'Connor's life, and quite understanding of her work. The novel's plot hung in the realm of possibility for me, with the exception of the seminal event at Andalusia. The manner in which this occurred seemed out of tune to the truth.