Meet the Gillespie family. Angela and Nick run an
outstation in the
Australian outback, have been married for over thirty
years, and have four
children - the twins Genevieve and Victoria, Lindy, and
Ig, the baby at ten
years old.
Every year Angela sends out a standard Christmas letter,
telling
everyone how the Gillespies are getting on, and all of the
positive things
that are happening in their lives. But what happens when
Angela decides
this year she would like to tell the truth? That
Genevieve, hairdresser to the
stars, is a gossip with no restraint that will end up in
trouble. That Victoria,
who has been publicly humiliated and sacked from her radio
job, was
actually sleeping with her married boss. That Lindy cannot
find her place in
this world, and spends most of her time whining and being
self-absorbed.
That her beautiful, loving little boy Ig, keeps running
away from boarding
school, and talking to his imaginary friend, Robbie. That
Nick has been so
distant with her, making serious decisions about their
future without her,
and has become obsessed with tracing his roots with the
help of Carol, his
internet 'friend'. And finally Angela herself. What would
people say if they
knew that Angela was lost, didn't know how to regain her
relationship with
her husband, and so has created a fantasy life in her
mind, where she is
married to an old boyfriend Will, in London, where they
have the perfect life
with their one daughter, Lexie. Taking her friend Joan's
advice, Angela
writes all of this as a therapeutic exercise, but when it
accidentally gets
sent out, it starts a chain of events that nobody could
have guessed would
happen.
When the Gillespie family reunite at home, sparks fly as
they try to get their
own lives under control, and figure out where they went
wrong, and what
they want in the future. But when an accident turns all of
their lives upside
down, they must face their demons, and come together in
this time of need,
if they have any chance of keeping their family intact.
With love triangles,
times of sadness, wonderful friendships, childish antics,
and unexpected
blessings, will the Gillespies be able to find each other
again?
HELLO FROM THE GILLESPIES by Monica McInerney is the
perfect read!
With characters that are vibrant and compelling, this
story flows effortlessly
from the first line and has everything a reader could wish
for. There is love
and heartbreak which will have you laughing and crying in
equal measure. I
have never been to Australia but I could imagine the wide
open spaces and
landscape, as the author describes it so vividly and
poetically. The sibling
relationships were so realistic and heartwarming, and
Genevieve and
Victoria's relationship was my favourite.
HELLO FROM THE GILLESPIES
by Monica McInerney is an addictive, emotional,
entertaining novel that
everyone should read. Quite simply fantastic.
For the past thirty-three years, Angela Gillespie has sent
to friends and family around the world an end-of-the-year
letter titled “Hello from the Gillespies.” It’s always
been
cheery and full of good news. This year, Angela surprises
herself—she tells the truth....
The Gillespies are far from the perfect family that Angela
has made them out to be. Her husband is coping badly with
retirement. Her thirty-two-year-old twins are having
career
meltdowns. Her third daughter, badly in debt, can’t stop
crying. And her ten-year-old son spends more time talking
to
his imaginary friend than to real ones.
Without Angela, the family would fall apart. But when
Angela
is taken away from them in a most unexpected manner, the
Gillespies pull together—and pull themselves together—in
wonderfully surprising ways...
I loved this book! Totally outside my normal reading genres but so glad I gave it a try. Your review is spot on! (Debbie Wiley 2:09pm November 17, 2014)
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