Search - Goodnight Nobody

Used Book ~ Goodnight Nobody by author Jennifer Weiner

Goodnight Nobody
Author: Jennifer Weiner

Book Information

Publisher: Atria
Book Type: Hardcover

Rating: 250

ISBN-13: 9780743470117 - ISBN-10: 0743470117
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 384

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner's newest novel tells the story of a young mother's move to a postcard-perfect Connecticut town and the secrets she uncovers there.

For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia's been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The super-mommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is one of the most interesting things to happen in Upchurch since her neighbors broke ground for a guest house and cracked their septic tank. Even though Kate's husband and the police chief warn her that crime-fighting is a job best left to professionals, she can't let it go.

So Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school -- with the help of her hilarious best friend, carpet heiress Janie Segal, and Evan McKenna, a former flame she thought she'd left behind in New York City.

As the search for the killer progresses, Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's double life. She discovers the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's placid picket-fence facade -- and the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between independence and obligation, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own.

Engrossing, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny, Goodnight Nobody is another unputdownable, timely tale; an insightful mystery with a great heart and a narrator you'll never forget.

Similar books to this author and title:

TagsChick lit

Genres:

Mystery & Thrillers >> Mystery

Other Versions of this Book: Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio CD (Abridged)

Top Member Reviews

Ashley M. (MissAsh) from BINGHAMTON, NY wrote on 8/27/2008...

7 member(s) found this review helpful.

I find myself gobbling up all of her books that I can. I'm not too sure why, considering the endings to almost ALL of the books i've read have left me so mad. It seems like they are just unfinished and they leave you wondering "well what happened after?" If you're a fan of her books then you're probably already well aware of the style of her books and their endings. Other than the ending, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. I'd recommend it, but not without first making someone aware that becoming angry at the end is a definite possibility.

Katie F. (kayters) from LAWRENCEVILLE, GA wrote on 1/7/2007...

6 member(s) found this review helpful.

I thought this was an excellent book. I did not enjoy Weiner's previous book, Good in Bed, but I LOVED this one. I have read other reviews by folks who liked Good in Bed and such that HATED this book. So if you didn't like her previous books, give this one a try. It's definitely a mystery, with some chick/mom lit too. I would love to read more like this from Jennifer Weiner.

Eryn M. (eagereditor) from TOPEKA, KS wrote on 10/19/2007...

5 member(s) found this review helpful.

For once chick lit that kept me guessing. It was a lot different than I expected, but that's not a bad thing. The very end was a tad odd I thought, but I still enjoyed it.

Alexis T. (Kyrissaean) from LITTLETON, NH wrote on 8/25/2007...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

This was a different read for me of late. I've read one other Jennifer Weiner book, Good in Bed, and this was good but I liked that one better. This one lacked that zany touch of humor -- feeling like I was bogged down in Kate's life along with her would have been a bit easier with a few more laughs, although that was probably part of what she was getting at.

Overall, good book, but not great. And remind me not to get married, move to Connecticut, have a few kids and become a supermommy while my husband works long hours, becomes dismissive, and forgets how to be good in bed!

My more specific impressions? First, Kate is living the life I think I dread most -- one everyone thinks is perfect from the edges, but once inside you see that Kate is just there for other people to use and ignore. Actually I think it wouldn't be so bad if she were going through it with her husband as opposed to knowing her husband is watching distantly and still can't be bothered... Anyway, very well titled book.

It's also a very slow book, at least in the first half. It picked up a lot past the midway point, once more and more interesting things started to surface and especially after Kitty became more fleshed out as a character, even postmortem. And I caught the little play on the childhood name as compared to the main character's.

There were a few things I'd wish had been more specifically spelled out at the end, but that's just me and my need to know everything that did and will happen!

Chris S. (smallbutfeisty) from PISCATAWAY, NJ wrote on 1/8/2006...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Weiner's typical formula of overweight woman unhappy with some part of her life has worked for three books. In _Goodnight Nobody_, she sticks with this formula, but also tries something new. It is a mystery of sorts.
The perfect mother is found dead. Her death was not a natural one. So, the community of Upchurch, CT (a whole community of perfect mothers) seeks to protect their families while honoring the deceased.
Kate Klein is not a perfect mother. As the discoverer of the dead body, she feels a connection with the woman who has died and seeks to discover who was responsible for the death.

If this is your first Jennifer Weiner book, you will love it. If you have read several of her books, you will enjoy it, but realize it is not her best book. It's enjoyable for sure, but she has written better stories!

Garhet K. (aprildsygrl) from ALBRIGHT, WV wrote on 10/11/2008...