Gossip

A Novel

By: Beth Gutcheon

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

“A gifted storyteller...her characters are intelligent, brave, and witty...human and real.”
—Susan Isaacs, New York Times Book Review

The critically acclaimed author of Good-bye and Amen, Leeway Cottage, and More Than You Know, Beth Gutcheon returns with Gossip, a sharply perceptive and emotionally resonant novel about the power of knowing things about others, the consequences of rumor, and the unexpected price of friendship. A story set among the rich, famous, and well-dressed of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Gossip is a bravura display of this exceptional author’s breathtaking talents, addressing important themes of motherhood, friendship, and fidelity. Every reader who admires the strong, character-driven women’s fiction of Sue Miller, Alice Hoffman, Elizabeth Berg, and Kaye Gibbons should lend an ear to Beth Gutcheon’s Gossip.

Gossip???

Would you try another book from Beth Gutcheon and/or Kimberly Farr?

I'm not sure if I would try another book by Beth Gutcheon. If it was given at least a 4-star rating, I might try it. The same for Kimberly Farr.

Would you recommend Gossip to your friends? Why or why not?

I wouldn't recommend Gossip to my friends. I didn't dislike the book, but it was rather long with little action. I don't think the title of the book fit the story. Other than just a few times in the book where the main character "Lovie" mentioned overhearing someone say something about someone, there wasn't really much "gossip" in the book. In fact, since "Lovie" didn't ever repeat gossip, non of it spread among the characters. Also, Dinah, was a gossip columnist, but there wasn't really much gossip going on there, either, that really affected the storyline. The description of the book states that gossip is what leads to a tragedy, but I did not see that as the case at all. Dinah did mention something in her column that may have led up to the tragedy, but I think circumstances, rather than gossip, led up to it. Additionally, I don't think the characters involved in the tragedy were even developed well enough for the reader/listener to understand why the tragedy happened. I expected this to be a fun book with a bunch of ladies coming in and out of a dress shop with lots of juicy gossip, until the gossip went too far and a tragedy resulted, but the book was not fun, and there was little gossip. I don't regret reading it, and I don't feel it was a waste of time - I just wouldn't recommend it.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was fine. The narrator's voice fit the main character well. She sounded like a proper, affluent person. Also, the tone of her voice fit the tone of the book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I might depending upon the cast.

Gossip defines and entertains!

What did you love best about Gossip?

I love to be drawn into the lives of the characters and still go away having learned something I can apply to my real life. I loved this story woven around characters I vaguely think I know whose depth I then experience. While telling the story, Beth treats us to both the good and bad about gossip, as well as, what it can and cannot accomplish.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gossip?

The ending.

Have you listened to any of Kimberly Farr’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First! Loved her reading!

Who was the most memorable character of Gossip and why?

The narrator as she saw and heard everything.

The title says it all

Sometimes friends recommend books to me and once in a while I am convinced to give them a try. This was one of those times. Apparently my tastes in reading material differ greatly from my friends because this book had no appeal to me whatsoever. It was as boring as gossip tends to be, but more so, it was irritating.