A story about a dysfunctional family. In places it is a little bit far fetched, but as a whole the characters are believable and very gripping. A slow read, but worth sticking with

The fallout of a dysfunctional family after the death of the strong father who kept them all together while in each of the four children he moulded them to suit his own needs. While he was alive the four were always looking out for each other but when the layers started to peel in their perception of how there father treated each events left them all to turn against one another once he died. .

Could not work out the situation with Bella-Mae.

Good read, nice and easy for a holiday

Joyce has done it again.

The depth of this disfunctional, disastrous and over privileged family is incredible. Although I didn't like all of them, all of the time, it didn't take away the desire to know what was going to happen to them.

The descriptions of Italy were expensive and pretty. If you've been to Italy, you will be there again but if you haven't you will feel it.

I didn't cry this time and this authors books normally reduce me to tears, but still a story I won't forget.

I enjoyed reading this tale of four siblings struggling to come to terms with their father’s death. We see each of their stories and how they interact with each other and how they interacted with their father. The setting in Italy gives a delightful feel to the story.

Sadly this book wasn’t for me, it was a rather strange story about siblings following the death of their father. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a mystery, it never quite got there and I didn’t feel any empathy with any of the characters. But the setting was evocative and well done and I did read all of the book as I wanted to know how it ended!

A moreish family saga which follows 4 siblings in the aftermath of their father's death. As they struggle to come to terms with his loss, they are also scrambling to understand his recent marriage to a much younger woman. We watch them congregate and implode as vulnerabilities are laid bare, secrets are revealed, and they try to negotiate the shifting dynamics of their family. It's set mostly in Italy - Lake Orta - and it was deliciously idllyic and atmospheric. I loved the mess and sadness of the characters. I loved the tension and the way it kept me questioning whether there was foul play in the mix. And I especially loved the drama and dysfunction of it all. A wonderful read.

Larger-than-life artist Vic Kemp has always been the heart and soul of his four children’s lives. Now they simply don’t know what’s got into their dad. He’s gone off and married the mysterious and much younger Bella Rae, an ‘artist” he met online. He’s lost weight and even grown a goatee. When the newlyweds decamp to the family’s idyllic villa in Italy where Vic is working on his masterpiece, the siblings are mystified.
Then they hear the shocking news that Vic is dead and his children are forced to confront their relationship with him and each other. Determined to uncover the truth behind their father’s final days – and suspicious that the elusive Bella Rae may not be as innocent as she seems, they head for the villa.
Each sibling brings a unique perspective to the unfolding drama: Netta, the responsible one; Susan, the disillusioned homemaker; Goose, emotionally scarred by his powerful father; and Iris, Vic’s favoured muse – a role that has long bred resentment among the others.
As the summer unfolds, old tensions resurface and long-held secrets come to light. The family must reckon with their shared past and decide whether it will bind them together or tear them apart.
An insightful, atmospheric, and emotionally rich novel from a masterful storyteller.

Rachel Joyce writes so beautifully, it’s always a pleasure to read her books, and this was no exception. A very finely observed portrait of a family - those things which tied them together but which also ultimately broke them apart. Although I really enjoyed reading this, I couldn’t help but feel a little saddened that this wasn’t the gloriously uplifting story which I’ve come to expect from Rachel, and perhaps prefer, but that said, the execution of it was as wonderful as always. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

This is an absolute delight of a book. We meet the Kemp family, dominated by their larger than life father– a successful artist, bombastic, wealthy and held in awe by his three daughters and son. The siblings have a wonderful, close relationship, despite being so very different. When their father dies suddenly, however, soon after his shock wedding to a very young woman his children have never met, the relationship starts to show cracks. The Homemade God is a very moving exploration of family ties and grief as the siblings start to reexamine everything they thought they knew about each other and their father. The characters are so real and relatable, (except for those, like the new wife, who remains (purposely) unknowable), the Italian island setting so tangible with its colours and heat. You can hear those slip slops, taste those gelatos and feel those hangovers. This book is at once joyful, desperately sad, uplifting, hopeful and satisfying. Highly recommended.

DNF for me. I tried this in multiple formats and I generally know within a few chapter whether something is going to be 'for me' and this wasn't. I've never read Rachel Joyce before, but there was just something in the storytelling that I did not vibe with. Whether it's a 'not for right now' kind of situation or a 'not going back' one, I don't know, but I just wasn't hooked into the storytelling on this one.

Loved the complex relationships and characters. I couldn’t make my mind up all the way through as to who was in the right and who was the villain if indeed there even was one. Clever tale and interesting characters.

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce - I must admit, I didnt know what to expect from this book, but I knew I had to read it as soon as I saw it!
Its a far cry from Harold Fry, but really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't know where to start in describing the story, I guess its about a family with a big character as a dad, & how everything unfolds as he dies.
He's caused them all probably a bit of damage growing up, & the story shows how they find themselves, put their lives back together, & live for themselves.

Most of it is set in Italy, & I love being somewhere pretty in a book, as I felt like I was there with them.

This is possibly like no other book I've ever read. It's tragic but beautiful, all at the same time, & I cried for the last 20 pages!!

Definitely a recommended read from me - thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc.

I love Rachel Joyce and was delighted to get the opportunity to read and review this one. Unfortunately I have to say I didn’t love it as much as I’ve loved her previous work. Well, that was how I was feeling as I read it. A little disappointed. Yet somehow, by the time I got to the end of the book I had decided I liked it a lot more. I can’t explain why, I just ended up really caring about the characters as the story finished. That’s the magic of the writing I suppose. Still love her and can’t wait to read what comes next.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for the advance copy.

The Homemade God has the perfect holiday/beach vibe going into summer, so is well timed. And what a cracking story to enjoy. The Kemp siblings and their daddy issues bring with them a wide scope of emotional drama as father Vic, an artist, is transformed at the hands of a new, much younger woman in his life. Made more ominous as Bella-Mae, the new woman, is rather illusive and none of the four have met her yet, sparking rumours and considerable concern among Vic's children.

Netta, Susan, Goose and Iris are Vic's kids. All grown and fully formed with lives and characters of their own. I was instantly captivated by them. Their easy manner with each other and their set roles within the family hierarchy made me long for a bigger family. Sure, plenty of negatives as everyone knows everything about each other but the warmth of love and understanding shared among them made them delightful as they schemed to figure out what was happening with Vic and Vic's new masterpiece.

What struck me most was the fact that the book unfolded in an entirely unexpected fashion. When a crisis occurs and all siblings are drawn to the family island in Orta, Italy I had plenty of assumptions but all were wrong. The direction the book headed was more insightful and authentic. I loved it, felt touched by it, and am so pleased I read this during a heat wave. If only I had been by a beautiful Italian lake, as they were. Beautifully written, interesting characters, amazing dynamic. Great fun.

The Homemade God is fascinating read about the splintering of a family. Siblings Susan, Netta, Goose and Iris are shocked when their artist father Vic announces he’s going to marry a much younger woman they have never met and head off to their Italian lakeside villa to work on the masterpiece he’s always wanted to create. Within days, he is dead and the family head off to Italy looking for answers.

Rachel Joyce’s skill is in gradually letting her readers get to know her characters through their varied recollections of their younger lives and their relationship with their father. It’s very much a character driven novel. We read about the rising tensions between the siblings as they have constantly compared themselves with each other and vied to find their place in the family. I felt they were all ultimately seeking approval and validation from their father and when it was snatched away from them by his death, they were left with uncertainty and unanswered questions.

I’m a little conflicted about this book. I enjoyed it, though not as much as Rachel Joyce’s previous books, but then came one particular chapter near the end which turned everything on its head. It was very cleverly done but for me, it came a little late in the story. Not the usual quirky style of a Rachel Joyce book but well worth your time.

I always like to pick up books by Rachel Joyce and I wasn’t disappointed with this new one although it didn’t get me as emotionally as some of her others. Vic Kemp is a self-taught artist whose pictures have had some appeal - the subject matter being mainly semi-clad females. He is also a notorious womaniser. On top of this he is the single father to four children, Netta, Susan, Goose (Gustav) and Iris after his wife died shortly after Iris’ birth. The children’s childhood was haphazard. Vic was absent in his studio for huge chunks of time and they were left to fend for themselves and together they formed an almost self contained unit. Them against the world. As they matured to adulthood, Netta took care of Vic’s business (she became a lawyer), Susan took care of the domestic side of his life (she married an older man and became step-mother to his twins) Goose took charge of his father’s studio (he was a failed artist who had a breakdown) and Iris became almost invisible. She was the only child who Vic ever painted. Then, in his 70s, Vioc announced that he was getting married to Bella-Mae - an artist who was 6 years younger than Iris. He took Bella-Mae to his villa on Lake Orta and sent a text to his four children telling them he had got married. The children refused to go over to Italy but then they received the news that he had died. On Lake Orta all four siblings met Bella-Mae for the first time and slowly the close knot family started to unravel. Netta was convinced that the only reason her father had drowned was that he was poisoned by Bella-Mae and and she was relentless in her search for the truth. On top of this Vic’s will was missing as was the painting that he had gone to Italy to paint - his masterpiece. The search was on. This is a story of secrets and of the effect that Vic had upon each of his children. Each was damaged by him in different ways and it wasn’t until he died that these cracks were discovered and it was interesting to see the role that Bella-Mae played. While not my favourite of her books, I enjoyed the way that she turned these four siblings into almost complete strangers. My favourite was definitely Goose, his story and the damage that Vic did to him was so sad

A well written story about an estranged father figure and four adult siblings who all seem to have issues relating to their relationship with him. The writing is beautifully descriptive and easy to imagine the Italian setting. His hasty marriage to a much younger woman and then his untimely death drive huge wedges through the siblings, who are all trying to deal with his death and what discover other possible reasons for his demise. I didn't totally relate to his young wife Bella-Mae, but maybe that was the intention. Thoroughly recommended read.

This is a broad expansive family drama and another stellar performance from Rachel Joyce. It is a departure from her other fiction but works just as effectively as her previous novels. The setting is very well imagined, and all the characters are well drawn in many dimensions, showing there are really never good guys and bad guys, just humans. Deserves a wide audience.







Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK/Transworld Publishers, and the author Rachel Joyce

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK/Transworld Publishers, and the author Rachel Joyce.
I'm afraid I really didn't enjoy this one. From the start, the plot and the characters felt half-baked and two-dimensional, and I found myself rushing through it all the way to the end. There was no redemption for either the unrealistic characters or the unexplained story arc, and it felt loose and haphazard. Not for me. A generous 2 stars.

What an incredible book this is. When I thought that Rachel Joyce couldn’t get any better, she proves me so very wrong. From her incredible observational skills, to her characterisation and placing, this is a book that screams “read me again” as soon as you have finished.