Customer Reviews
I ordered this based on a Daily Mail review but really was not for me. It is well written but two typos is not acceptable from the publisher. The inside cover describes it as a “hilarious thought provoking novel” but while thought provoking I found it sad rather than hilarious.
I found this book frustrating because there are so many things about it that don’t make sense, and keep it from being as good as it could have been.Without being too spoiler-ish, I’ll just say I found the relationship between two of the characters implausible; another character’s decision about a pregnancy is never adequately (to my mind) explained; the idea that still another character could write a book an agent would take an interest in is preposterous, especially considering the tedious description we’re given of the plot of the book; and two characters are introduced in a scene that’s abruptly cut short by a phone call, after which the two new characters never reappear, and I couldn’t figure out why they were in the book at all if nothing more was going to be done with them.Then there are the brand names … and the brand names … and the brand names. I assume the author means to use brand names as signifiers of wealth and class, which can be helpful if it’s done judiciously; the trouble is, he goes overboard with them. To give one example (of many), a character who appears in only one scene is described as “dressed in an Ellesse tracksuit”. Wouldn’t it have been enough just to say he was dressed in a tracksuit?The above may sound like a one-star or two-star rating, but I’m giving the book three stars because I found it (mostly) entertaining while I was reading it; it was only after I finished the book and started thinking about it that the flaws became apparent.
Filled with razor-sharp wit, The Greatest Possible Good is coined a “tragicomedy,” and that it is. The Candlewicks are uber wealthy. Emil and Evangeline are teens, and their parents are Yara and Arthur. Everything changes for the family when Arthur falls into a mineshaft and is left there for days.When Arthur is rescued, he is renewed in a shocking way. Instead of collecting wealth, he wants to serve his community more. His actions are unsettling to his family and all who know him.What I loved most is how this book thoughtfully addresses wealth given our current climate, and juxtaposes that with questions about being a good, contributing member of society. It’s powerful in understated ways, and the bits of humor tossed in were refreshing. I also loved how the Candlewicks are just as dysfunctional as the rest of us. That always makes for good reading.I received a gifted copy.
Many sources describe this as funny, but I confess I missed the humor in this novel. Yes, there was an occasional subtle wit woven into the prose, but for the most part this story describes an incredibly dysfunctional collection of characters who are plodding through life.The Candlewicks appear successful by conventional standards – a nuclear family of four, a beautiful home, two successful careers, significant wealth, and two teenagers in prestigious schools. When Arthur, the father, wanders off one night and falls into an abandoned mine shaft he experiences an epiphany with the help of his daughter’s book on social responsibility, his son’s drugs, and the absence of food a water for three days. Upon his rescue, he is determined to share his resources by giving away most of his money to charitable organizations that demonstrate efficacy in their efforts to serve the greater good. The only problem? Arthur undertakes all this unilaterally – to the dismay and outrage of his wife who is now responsible for the welfare of the family. The storyline then follows the decline of the family in a somber and sorrowful manner with little redemption in the end.The novel raises some interesting questions about the inequality of wealth distribution and its impact on the well-being of the poorest populations throughout the globe. I cannot say I enjoyed this book, but it was thought-provoking on multiple levels. I certainly did not find it hilarious as advertised. At best this novel is a satirical assessment of two extremes – accumulation of wealth for security and comfort contrasted with divestment of wealth to the point of poverty in the name of good.My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
