My thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Ask Again, Yes’ by Mary Beth Keane in exchange for an honest review. It was published in hardback in August 2019 and will be issued in paperback in March 2020. My apologies for the late feedback.

This is a family drama that spans generations and focuses upon two neighbouring families. It opens in the early 1970s and ends decades later in 2017. Francis Gleason and Brian Stanhope met on their first day at the police academy and after graduation both ended up in the same precinct. Even though their paths diverge the two men and their young families move to Gillam, a town in upstate New York and live next door to each other.

Lena Gleason hopes for a friend in Anne Stanhope, but Anne is cold and unstable and rebuffs her. In time Anne’s only child, Peter and Lena’s youngest, Kate, form a strong friendship. Then in the early 1990s a tragedy engulfs both families that changes their lives significantly.

I don’t often read family sagas though was glad that I had requested this novel as it was well written and contained relatable characters against the backdrop of four decades of life in the USA. It also addressed serious issues such as mental health and alcoholism with sensitivity.

It is the kind of novel that I am sure would appeal to reading groups as it contains plenty of scope for discussion as well as being an engaging read.

This is an amazing novel. Brian,Anne, and Peter Stanhope and their friends Frances,Lena, and Kate Gleeson, plus 2 sisters, know each other as the fathers are in the police force together. Kate worked in forensic science.
Anne shot Frances- her son Peter was a runner at university. Her husband is an alcoholic, but .
I would recommend this to a friend who liked a powerful read.
Peter retrained from being a policeman to being a teacher. He has always loved Kate, but his mother hates her with a vengeance, after she went to prison, and a mental institution for a lot of Peter's life.
No spoilers, but the conclusion is superb, still leaves some loose ends, but the characterizationis really good, nd each character has a superb back story, as well as a present story, and even in one case a hopeful future.

I found it a little difficult to start Ask again, yes but I’m glad I persevered.
Two families are torn apart by tragedy and over time we learn how their circumstances inform their choices and affect their lives. The first part of the novel is extremely tense, whilst the middle whizzes through the decades and we learn more about the central characters, there is a certain sadness to how it all ends but it is the perfect ending for Ask again, yes.

I've read so many good reviews for this book so was disappointed when I was 20% of the way in and just wasn't enjoying it. I didn't like the writing style or use of language and this just wasn't allowing me to get into the story. However, as I have said I have seen many good reviews so am just taking that this one wasn't for me.

For me, it was really difficult to get into the book and connect to the characters. I understand the richness of a character-driven narrative and the characters did feel raw and real. But somehow, I never felt invested in them. I felt the pace was very slow especially considering the timeline covered in the story.

Unfortunately, I don't think this was the right book for me, but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

I thought Ask Again, Yes was an incredible read. Such a tragic, heartbreaking story told through beautiful, fluid writing. This book will remain in my thoughts for a long time to come. It's most definitely one of my favourite reads this year.

Two families are torn apart by one catastrophic event. The ripples spread far and wide affecting both the present and the future; shaping their entire lives.

Far from being my usual sort of read, I was initially skeptical. But a few chapters in, it quickly became apparent this was going to be something special. It's not often a book emotionally moves me but Ask Again, Yes moved me in ways I never imagined possible. The Stanhopes and the Gleesons were brought to life with astonishing clarity; they became a part of my life and I theirs.

Multiple gritty topics are handled with compassion and empathy - namely mental health, alcoholism, abandonment and betrayal - at times making for very uncomfortable reading. But to counterbalance, there are many uplifting moments too - friendship, forgiveness, resilience, love and hope.

I really cannot recommend this fantastic book highly enough. I'm so pleased to have had the opportunity and privilege to read it. My thanks to the author and publisher.

This story is about two families that are bought together and forced apart through work and tragedy. Many themes are portrayed throughout, with alcoholism, mental illness, mistrust and personal illness.

This is something different to that I would usually read and I found it a bit slow in parts, but I enjoyed it at the end.

Ask Again, Yes is a beautiful, immersing book. I loved the understated storytelling, the characters and the strong sense of place. This a truly great novel and I look forward to reading more work by this author.

When you are in a reading slump you pick up a book, you like it but it doesn’t have that spark, the thing that reignites your enthusiasm. I had heard a lot about Ask Again Yes and knew through my involvement with the Radio 2 Book Club that this has been chosen so snapped up the opportunity to be on the blogtour. I knew straightaway I had found that spark, knew that my reading slump was over.

What gripped me more than anything was the characters, they were real, believable and you wanted to invest time getting to know them.

Peter, slightly aloof, the product of a difficult family., a mother who as time went on spiralled out of control, gripped by psychological problems that would blight Peter’s life. His father unable to understand to cope, to offer support to his son, as he hid behind his job.

Their neighbours were the complete opposite, a loving close family, the baby Kate had friends galore, popular well liked.

Keane threw Peter and Kate together, their connection begun in childhood until a tragic event forced them apart, until they years later they came back together.

Keane showed us two people with very different trajectories in life, Kate focused, driven, Peter aimless uncertain. Keane brilliantly picked Peter apart, his every emotion on the page, the turmoil he felt over his mother, his love for her that was always there, the responsibility he felt towards her. It made me angry, frustrated, and sad, the fragments of happiness seemed short lived and you could see his spiralling decent into oblivion, and willed him to fight his way back.

You watched Kate attempt to hold things together, admired her stoicism, her strength and bravery.

Keene played with our emotions she made us feel euphoric, happy before she plummeted us back down into the depths of despair. The way in which she handled Anne, Peter’s mother’s depression and psychological illness was superb, never overplayed just as it was and you felt heartbroken and cross that no one understood, took the time to help her.

Ultimately Ask Again Yes was a story of two families, their connections, their joint tragedy, the consequences, the rebuilding, and the fight to move forward.

It was one of those novels where you wanted that happy ending but were never sure you were going to get it. The narrative was superb, utterly compelling, with depth and full of anguish and emotion.

This book deserves huge praise, the author huge respect, it was just brilliant.

As I was reading the first part of Ask Again, Yes I thought this is a family saga that I’m really going to enjoy about two young families as they get to know each other and their children are born and grow up together, from 1973 to the present day. But gradually as I read on my enthusiasm and interest began to fade and I’m sad to say that the story just seemed to drag on from the initial violent event to more desperate and traumatic situations.

I think my reaction is because of the length, the slow pace over such a long period of time. It is full of drama and it is tragic. But it is also like reading an over-long description of the characters’ lives, one that I thought would never end. Having said that it is dramatic, it is mainly a character-led novel rather than being plot driven, dealing with mental illness, cancer, adultery, and alcoholism. Ultimately, it is a book about love – but not one that I enjoyed.

This is an incredible read. 5 STARS!! Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down, I loved each and every one of the characters and felt although I knew them all and thier lives so intimately, I genuinely feared that anything would happen to them. This is the perfect read for fans of Little Fires Everywhere!!!

This is an extremely readable novel about two families joined by circumstance, love and tragedy. I wasn't quite prepared for what a good book this was! For some reason even though I had seen it a lot upon publication, I didn't know it was going to capture my heart in the way that it did.

It is my absolute favourite type of book - simply a really good story about everyday lives that is extremely well told. I couldn't believe just how readable it was and how much I cared for the characters we meet.

It deals with some really big themes, but in the most sensitive way. And even though it is in many ways full of tragedy, it is balanced out beautifully with an enormous about of heart. It was one of the books I devoured on a recent holiday, and I just kept turning and turning the pages, hoping it would never end. For me it was the perfect holiday read, as its characters and plot are so strong that you can really get lost in it. I really connected with this book– think it has to be the best book I read while I was away.

I recommended this book on my 2019 Holiday Reads post here; https://sophiejobooks.home.blog/2019/10/04/2019-holiday-reads/

I love a good family drama so I was hugely excited when I was approved for a NetGalley ARC of this highly-anticipated 2019 release. I was prepared for a ride and oh wow, did I get one!

Ask Again, Yes follows two families who live next door to each other in suburban New York. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope served in the NYPD together and over four decades, their families’ lives become intertwined -namely through the deep friendship and romance between the Gleesons’ youngest daughter Kate and the Stanhopes’ son Peter. When a life-altering incident occurs, the effects ripple through the years…

There is a strong theme of mental illness and its impact on the people around it and I absolutely loved the way it was dealt with. Mary Beth Keane manages to inject a huge amount of empathy and compassion into the atmosphere and situation that the Stanhopes are living in. There is a reading of this book that says that the mental illness is what causes the catalysing event but I couldn’t help feeling that there was a lot more to it than that. More deep-seated insecurities, prejudices and fear-based complexities than a straightforward, easily diagnosed mental condition. While the climax was shocking, it almost felt inevitable. Like this was the way things were always meant to be. The bomb was always going to detonate.

There is something instinctual about Kate and Peter’s love. One could argue that they’ve grown up together, are six months apart in age, both heterosexual -of course they were going to end up together or at least flirt with the idea. However, the author writes passages like the one above where Kate spends days and even weeks, fully distracted by Peter’s absence, obsessing over where he could be with her whole physical being. The hopeless romantic in me wants to pronounce them as a case of soulmates and this fits nicely into the overriding mantra of the novel of ‘what will be will be’.

The more I read, the more time that went by, the more my heart broke. The above exchange between Peter and his uncle George pretty much sums up the reasons for what happens to Peter over the last third of the book. I was in pieces as his life progressed and changed and spiralled. I could completely understand the reasons for it and the powerlessness that I felt to stop it seemed to echo Kate’s emotions, which meant I was able to walk with her too. I don’t remember the last time I was so wracked with frustration, sympathy and downright anger that it all seemed to make some kind of weird sense.

There is a huge theme of forgiveness in this novel too. Forgiveness at the most profound level. Francis finds the strength and the understanding within himself to take a bold step in forgiving the person who changed his life irreparably. Kate eventually learns to forgive the person who has expressed such hatred towards her for her entire life. There is even a sense that Peter forgives both of his parents for their collective mistreatment of him throughout his life. After such an emotionally charged story, it’s the perfect denouement.

I read Ask Again, Yes in one breathless sitting on a Saturday afternoon. I became so invested in the central characters and the writing style was so absorbing, compelling and readable that I simply had to keep turning the pages. I was so grateful to have an ending full of peace and satisfaction because I’m not sure I could have handled much more emotion and drama, having just read almost 400 pages of it!

I’ve since learned that Mary Beth Keane has two other books, both historical fiction based in Ireland, so this is certainly a far cry from her usual work. However, if she is ever inclined to write another contemporary family drama, I’m here for it!

In a word, excellent ! Such a great book ! It has everything ! I love how it followed the characters throughout their lives and you got to see how one tragic, terrible event changed all of their lives. I highly recommend this book. It is fantastic !

A beautifully complicated and memorable piece of literary fiction.

You'd think two men who work with each other and live next door to each other would be close, but they haven't been. They are both married and starting families, but there's always distance between the households. They have no idea how their stories will become intertwined because of their children and the bond they form when they're very young, or how simply living next door to each other will alter their lives forever.

This is not a feel good kind of book, and touches on many important topics: including alcoholism and mental illness. They characters are rich and fascinating to read about. The book covers a large span of time... before a specific traumatic event happens, immediately after, and how it echoes and changes the two families for years to come. It does feature a love story, definitely one of the more complicated ones I've read in some time. There's a lot of sweetness here, but a lot of the book has the potential to leave you depressed. There's just enough hope in this well-told tale to round it out.

Struggled a bit with this one and it took me longer than usual to read. Chose it primarily as it was set in New York. It’s a saga of two families and they’re entwined lives.

Happy Friday one and all.
💕💕💕Review Time💕💕💕 Ask Again Yes by @marybethkeane Published by @michaeljbooks @penguinukbooks 💞💞
Now I must admit I totally underestimated this book and how good it actually is. I started it then I put it down. Then I decided last weekend I would it give another bash and I’m so so glad I did. What a book!!!!!
It ended up me reading by booklight into the wee small hours of the morning only for my eyes to fail me. So I finished it in a day and a half.
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The Gleesons move to Gillam and are closely followed by the Stanhope family. Both Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are working for NYPD.
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Lena Gleeson tries to get along with Anne Stanhope but Anne seems some what troubled. Their children Kate Francis and Peter Stanhope becomes firm friends from 8th grade onwards.
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I really don’t want to give away any more because this book is like Mary Poppins bag -it’s never ending there are plenty of WOW and OH MY GOODNESS moments burrowed away in it.
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The fluidity of the writing from 1973 to present day works beautifully and it just intertwines with one another.
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It is a powerful read about love, life, tragedy, loyalty and forgiveness. This book goes totally 360 degrees. 💞
The characters are strong yet weak, sensitive yet at times impervious.
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A wonderful book with a full story.
A must read. 💫💫💫💫💫
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Thank you to @penguinukbooks for gifting me this copy.

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This is a family saga over a period of 40 years. As a British reader there were parts of the American systems that I had no knowledge of, but the author’s writing style was clever enough to enable me to understand it.

I gave it 4* as I did find it dragged a bit at times but all in all an excellent book. There is a bit of everything: tragedy, mental health and alcoholism and would like to read more from this author.

Thrilling story, great plot and characters that keep you guessing right til the end. Great for fans of this genre. Really enjoyable.

This is the story of two neighbouring families, the friendship between their children, and a tragedy that tears them apart. Kate and Peter live next door to each other and were born six months apart. They are best friends, but their families just don’t get on. One horrific night, their bond is pushed past its limits. But can they move on from the events of the past when they meet again, years later?

Books of this genre aren’t rare. They’re full of drama and explore the darker side of family, but what makes this one stand out if that the catalytic event is truly shocking, while the fall-out is well considered and realistic. Issues around mental health and alcoholism are quite well (though not very sympathetically) explored, and suicide and sexual abuse are touched upon. Quite a lot of ground is covered, but it failed to keep my interest throughout.

Firstly, I would say that the pacing isn’t brilliant. The early portions of the book progress very slowly, and then things pick up speed as things start to happen later on. Because of this, the beginning of the story dragged a little and the end portions felt a bit rushed.

I did like the exploration of Peter and Kate’s marriage, and Kate’s commitment to Peter despite his problems driving her away and her family telling her to leave him. However, very little else stood out to me.

I would recommend Ask Again, Yes to fans of dark domestic dramas. The characters are well developed and their relationships are interesting, but I would steer clear if this isn’t your genre.