"The Good Life" by Susan Kietzman is another of my new
finds. An author I have never read before, I understand that she has completed
3 books till date.
"The Good Life" focuses on a super rich family and their
life.
Ann Barons is a glamorous lady married to successful businessman and
CEO Mike. Their two children are Lauren and Nate. The book is the story of the Baronses and
their life.
Ann Barons comes across as a person who is obsessed with her looks
and maintaining her figure. She spends her days working out, meeting friends
and shopping. Mike seems like a nice guy, but fully involved in his business
and nothing else. The first glance also shows the kids as spoilt brats of rich
parents.
Ann and Mike believe they have the perfect life. Their idyll is
threatened by a phone call when Ann's mother calls her desperate for help.
Ann's mother, Eileen, struggles alone with her husbands dementia and Is
increasingly finding it difficult to handle Sam's delusions and forgetfulness.
She arranges for them to get accommodated at Meadowbrook, an assisted-living
community. However, they need to wait for a few months before they can move
into Meadowbrook.
Eileen requests Ann if they can move in for a few months with Ann
and her family. Ann who doesn't want her current life to disrupted also finds
to difficult to say 'No'. Ann soon begins to resent her mother's presence and
the changes it causes in her life. She feels that her mothers presence
highlights her failings.
I liked the story and the way each character developed in the book.
Initially, I was a bit put-off by the lack of feeling and irritation tht the
entire family showed at the news of Eileen's and Sam's brief stay. The book
showcases Ann as a superficial person who is only interested in shopping,
showing off her money and losing weight. She comes across as materialistic and
highly selfish person who is only concerned about herself and no one else
including her own children.
The entire family seemed to be disconnected and living in a home
like strangers till the arrival for Eileen and Sam. While Eileen in certain
instances seems to be a bit thick-skinned, her interference and nature of
elbowing into the Baronses house, seems to have been the one thing that made
this family of four strangers a bit more closer and more family-like.
The kids, Lauren and Nate grow on you, as they spend time, learn and
do things with their grandparents. Even Mike, the workaholic finds time to
spend dome fun moments with his children. The issues that Ann faces are not
fully resolved but at least she realized that she has issues.
"The Good Life" was a satisfying read and beautifully
written. It was difficult for me to really absorb that in the complexities and
trivialities of life, so much distance can crop up between families, between
parents and their children. In this case, the distance in the relationship of
Ann with her parents and of Nate and Lauren with their parents.
Another aspect that I liked about the story was that it touched
lightly upon the concept of "Good Life". While Ann believes she has a
good life, the reader can understand that though she has money there are too
many underlying issues and dissatisfaction. In fact, it seems as though,
through money Ann is trying to prove to herself that life is good and she is
satisfied with life. But towards the end of the book, she understands that she
is not fully happy and that she needs to find the balance she is looking for.
I wasn't very happy with the way the book ended. It left me a bit
unsatisfied and I wasn't ready to let go of Nate and Lauren. So I would have to
give a rating of 4 on 5 for "The Good Life"
The book
explores so many relationships between the main characters. Lainey seemed to
have a volatile relationship with her mother who has fled from Italy to England
while Lainey was in infant. While Lainey loves her step father and takes care
of him, she longs to know about her past and her biological father, and the
secrets that her mother fled from.