Helpful Score: 3
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Yes, the main character of this book is a prostitute, but before you run Laura Lippman gives this character depth and a real quality and a story beyond her career that is definitely worth reading. Although many may not agree with the career path Heloise has chosen, there may be a reason as to why she is living the way she is. I thought it was a little predictable that Heloise had a less than cheery childhood; I just wish that something else could have lead her down that path.
Yes, the main character of this book is a prostitute, but before you run Laura Lippman gives this character depth and a real quality and a story beyond her career that is definitely worth reading. Although many may not agree with the career path Heloise has chosen, there may be a reason as to why she is living the way she is. I thought it was a little predictable that Heloise had a less than cheery childhood; I just wish that something else could have lead her down that path.
Helpful Score: 2
I think Laura Lippman is starting to grow on me.
And When She Was Good is her most recent release, and the third Lippman title I've tried. The premise is a little spicier than a lot of her former work -- a suburban madame is the heroine -- and I have to say, I cared more about the plight of Heloise, the former-hooker-turned-entrepreneur and soccer mom than I have for any of her other main characters.
The only problem is, I enjoy a little suspense in my suspense novels. I like a little mystery in my mysteries. I always seem to see Lippman's "big twist" coming. And I never feel called to recommend her books to my friends when I'm done. I'm not desperate to get my hands on her next work.
That said, the build up to the whodunit climax of And When She Was Good was engaging. It was a good story, even if I figured out fairly early on how it was going to end. And Heloise is definitely Lippman's best drawn protagonist yet. She's surprising, and as the pieces of her backstory are revealed piece by piece, she becomes more and more likeable.
I keep trying Laura Lippman's books, and I'm glad I did, because I did enjoy And When She Was Good. And I might even refer it to a friend.
And When She Was Good is her most recent release, and the third Lippman title I've tried. The premise is a little spicier than a lot of her former work -- a suburban madame is the heroine -- and I have to say, I cared more about the plight of Heloise, the former-hooker-turned-entrepreneur and soccer mom than I have for any of her other main characters.
The only problem is, I enjoy a little suspense in my suspense novels. I like a little mystery in my mysteries. I always seem to see Lippman's "big twist" coming. And I never feel called to recommend her books to my friends when I'm done. I'm not desperate to get my hands on her next work.
That said, the build up to the whodunit climax of And When She Was Good was engaging. It was a good story, even if I figured out fairly early on how it was going to end. And Heloise is definitely Lippman's best drawn protagonist yet. She's surprising, and as the pieces of her backstory are revealed piece by piece, she becomes more and more likeable.
I keep trying Laura Lippman's books, and I'm glad I did, because I did enjoy And When She Was Good. And I might even refer it to a friend.
Helpful Score: 1
I could not put this book down, right up to the last page. In fact, I hated that it was ending.
Laura Lippman's books are always good but this one takes hold of you from the first page and doesn't let go.
While Helen/Heloise, the main character is not exactly the most likeable character, you keep rooting for her despite her imperfections. She is not like any other main character that I've ever read before - she is not a prostitute with a heart of gold, but you like end up admiring her and not wanting her story to end.
5 stars for unique story and great storytelling.
Laura Lippman's books are always good but this one takes hold of you from the first page and doesn't let go.
While Helen/Heloise, the main character is not exactly the most likeable character, you keep rooting for her despite her imperfections. She is not like any other main character that I've ever read before - she is not a prostitute with a heart of gold, but you like end up admiring her and not wanting her story to end.
5 stars for unique story and great storytelling.
First Line: The headline catches Heloise's eye as she waits in the always-long line at the Starbucks closest to her son's middle school.
Heloise Lewis has spent most of her life avoiding attention. She lives in a comfortable suburb where very little is known about her. Ask anyone in the neighborhood and they'd probably tell you that she's a youngish widow with a beautifully mannered son, and that she's a lobbyist who always seems able to attend all her son's soccer games and school plays.
But almost all of that is a lie. Since the age of seventeen, Heloise has been a prostitute. When her pimp was imprisoned for murder, she changed her name and set herself up as a suburban madam. It's not only important for her work that she remain beneath everyone's radar, it's important for the life she's created for herself and her son. She's kept the boy a secret from his father, and even though she's visited the man twice a month in prison for over a decade, she's kept the boy a secret from his father.
But Heloise's rigidly compartmentalized life is beginning to unravel. Her accountant is asking questions that he shouldn't. One of her former employees is causing problems. Her protector is hinting at some sort of mysterious danger she should prepare herself for. Another suburban madam in the next county is an alleged suicide... and her son's father may be released from prison. The pimp/ murderer doesn't know he has a son, and he doesn't know that Heloise is the person who betrayed him.
This woman, who has no formal education, no real family, and no friends, must put an end to this life and create a brand-new one for herself and her son. Disappearing is the easy part. She's done it before, and she knows she can do it again. The difficult part will be staying alive long enough to begin the new life.
I have long been a fan of Laura Lippman's standalone novels. She has the knack of focusing on a character (whom I would find almost completely unlikable) and making her fascinating. She does the same thing here in And When She Was Good. I smiled at Lippman's choice of title. My mother used to recite this little poem to me when I was a very small child: "There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good. And when she was bad, she was horrid." That immediately told me that Heloise, although capable of great good, is also capable of doing damage.
Superficially, the plot doesn't break new ground. A young girl with an abusive father runs away with the first male who pays her attention. Things go from bad to worse, and the young girl turns to a life of prostitution. Her pimp is a murderous control freak, but she manages to get away from him and make a comfortable life for herself and her son-- and of course her past refuses to stay in the past. Yes, the plot may very well sound familiar, but it's what Lippman does with that framework that makes the book so very good.
As one thing after another begins to go wrong in Heloise's very carefully crafted life, she is taken on a voyage of self-discovery. Gradually she comes to learn that, although she's always believed she was more sinned against than sinning, the exact opposite may well be true. It's only when she confronts the truth of the life she's led and the truth of what she's done that she has a real chance of breaking free from the past. Many of us may read this book and turn our noses up at Heloise, her life, and the choices she's made. But how many of us also need to confront the truth of our own lives?
Heloise Lewis has spent most of her life avoiding attention. She lives in a comfortable suburb where very little is known about her. Ask anyone in the neighborhood and they'd probably tell you that she's a youngish widow with a beautifully mannered son, and that she's a lobbyist who always seems able to attend all her son's soccer games and school plays.
But almost all of that is a lie. Since the age of seventeen, Heloise has been a prostitute. When her pimp was imprisoned for murder, she changed her name and set herself up as a suburban madam. It's not only important for her work that she remain beneath everyone's radar, it's important for the life she's created for herself and her son. She's kept the boy a secret from his father, and even though she's visited the man twice a month in prison for over a decade, she's kept the boy a secret from his father.
But Heloise's rigidly compartmentalized life is beginning to unravel. Her accountant is asking questions that he shouldn't. One of her former employees is causing problems. Her protector is hinting at some sort of mysterious danger she should prepare herself for. Another suburban madam in the next county is an alleged suicide... and her son's father may be released from prison. The pimp/ murderer doesn't know he has a son, and he doesn't know that Heloise is the person who betrayed him.
This woman, who has no formal education, no real family, and no friends, must put an end to this life and create a brand-new one for herself and her son. Disappearing is the easy part. She's done it before, and she knows she can do it again. The difficult part will be staying alive long enough to begin the new life.
I have long been a fan of Laura Lippman's standalone novels. She has the knack of focusing on a character (whom I would find almost completely unlikable) and making her fascinating. She does the same thing here in And When She Was Good. I smiled at Lippman's choice of title. My mother used to recite this little poem to me when I was a very small child: "There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good. And when she was bad, she was horrid." That immediately told me that Heloise, although capable of great good, is also capable of doing damage.
Superficially, the plot doesn't break new ground. A young girl with an abusive father runs away with the first male who pays her attention. Things go from bad to worse, and the young girl turns to a life of prostitution. Her pimp is a murderous control freak, but she manages to get away from him and make a comfortable life for herself and her son-- and of course her past refuses to stay in the past. Yes, the plot may very well sound familiar, but it's what Lippman does with that framework that makes the book so very good.
As one thing after another begins to go wrong in Heloise's very carefully crafted life, she is taken on a voyage of self-discovery. Gradually she comes to learn that, although she's always believed she was more sinned against than sinning, the exact opposite may well be true. It's only when she confronts the truth of the life she's led and the truth of what she's done that she has a real chance of breaking free from the past. Many of us may read this book and turn our noses up at Heloise, her life, and the choices she's made. But how many of us also need to confront the truth of our own lives?
Helen Lewis matured quickly. Hector Lewis, her father, was cruel, to her mother and to her, not only verbally, but physically. He told Helen she had a nothing face, which is very hurtful, but Helen tried to be a good girl and be quiet and just get good grades. But when she brings home a B on her report card, Hector demands she get a job and learn to pay her own way.
She gets a work at a diner and even though she enjoys making some money, she does hide some for herself. It's a struggle for her to go to school and work and take care of her chores, but she does it. Until she meets the owner of the diner's son. He makes Helen feel beautiful and she enjoys his company. He implores her to run away with him and she does. But it isn't long before has her dancing and more, just so she can make enough money to keep him in nose candy.
She knows that eventually Billy is going to lead her down a dark path with no return, so she jumps at the chance to work for Val, a pimp who runs a good operation and she'd be safe. She enjoys her freedom at Val's, but Val is a very complicated and powerful man. There are no second chances. She witnesses a horrific murder and uses it to her advantage when she finds out she is pregnant.
Using the tools she has honed over the years, she opens up her own escort business, but under the impression of running women's litigation. She's been very careful over the years to remain in the background, but rumor has it Val is about to be released from prison and there will be hell to pay if he finds out he has a son, or the fact, she was the person who turned him in. But when girls she used to work with start winding up dead, Helen knows she needs to move fast or she could be next.
And When She Was Good was a page-turning novel of woman's journey from girlhood to motherhood, and her tumultuous relationships and how she tried to keep the bad from the good in her life. It was interesting to see that part of escort work, with some very innovative ideas. Great character development, not only main characters, but also some secondary characters that we see and learn more about as the story unfolds. Flipping from the past to the present brought the whole story to life and I thoroughly enjoyed every page. Absolutely fantastic!
She gets a work at a diner and even though she enjoys making some money, she does hide some for herself. It's a struggle for her to go to school and work and take care of her chores, but she does it. Until she meets the owner of the diner's son. He makes Helen feel beautiful and she enjoys his company. He implores her to run away with him and she does. But it isn't long before has her dancing and more, just so she can make enough money to keep him in nose candy.
She knows that eventually Billy is going to lead her down a dark path with no return, so she jumps at the chance to work for Val, a pimp who runs a good operation and she'd be safe. She enjoys her freedom at Val's, but Val is a very complicated and powerful man. There are no second chances. She witnesses a horrific murder and uses it to her advantage when she finds out she is pregnant.
Using the tools she has honed over the years, she opens up her own escort business, but under the impression of running women's litigation. She's been very careful over the years to remain in the background, but rumor has it Val is about to be released from prison and there will be hell to pay if he finds out he has a son, or the fact, she was the person who turned him in. But when girls she used to work with start winding up dead, Helen knows she needs to move fast or she could be next.
And When She Was Good was a page-turning novel of woman's journey from girlhood to motherhood, and her tumultuous relationships and how she tried to keep the bad from the good in her life. It was interesting to see that part of escort work, with some very innovative ideas. Great character development, not only main characters, but also some secondary characters that we see and learn more about as the story unfolds. Flipping from the past to the present brought the whole story to life and I thoroughly enjoyed every page. Absolutely fantastic!
Laura Lippman is one of my must read authors; however, this book is not one of my favorites. Im used to being engrossed in one of her stories from the opening pages. This book bounces from the present to earlier years, explaining how Helen/ Heloise got into her current situation. I found this to be very distracting and a bit irritating.
The main characters of Val and Helen/Heloise are very firmly fleshed-out they speak and breathe. Val, as the bad boy, is not very likeable. Unfortunately, neither is Helen/Heloise. I could not find common ground with her. However, I found her to be a fascinating specimen to study.
By the end of the book, Lippman wrote something Id been thinking: Helen/Heloise was reliving her adversarial life with her father with the men she chose and those who chose her. It seems that we are doomed to relive those issues that we dont resolve.
To be honest, Ive been so enthralled by the Tess Monaghan series that Ive been less enthusiastic about Lippmans stand alone novels with the exception of her amazing book, WHAT THE DEAD KNOW.
Would I read this book again? Yes, Helens unique story will be with me for quite awhile. The story caused me to evaluate my perceptions of Helens career choices. 4 stars
The main characters of Val and Helen/Heloise are very firmly fleshed-out they speak and breathe. Val, as the bad boy, is not very likeable. Unfortunately, neither is Helen/Heloise. I could not find common ground with her. However, I found her to be a fascinating specimen to study.
By the end of the book, Lippman wrote something Id been thinking: Helen/Heloise was reliving her adversarial life with her father with the men she chose and those who chose her. It seems that we are doomed to relive those issues that we dont resolve.
To be honest, Ive been so enthralled by the Tess Monaghan series that Ive been less enthusiastic about Lippmans stand alone novels with the exception of her amazing book, WHAT THE DEAD KNOW.
Would I read this book again? Yes, Helens unique story will be with me for quite awhile. The story caused me to evaluate my perceptions of Helens career choices. 4 stars
Another gripping Lippman novel that kept the pages turning! Story of abused teen who turns to men for acceptance and love, and the world's oldest profession. Helen parlays this into a business that affords her a 'normal' life for her son. But she's feels she owes her mentor and that financial, ethical obligation may bring her death. The story twists and turns with interesting pieces of Helen's life revealed. And I won't spoil the ending, just make sure you read to the last page!
The story was more about how to run an escort agency, than a suspense story. As usual, Lippman holds her own and the story is an easy read.
