Family Baggage

by Monica McInerney

Book Overview

"An endearing and humane story about a family and its sticky web of secrets and misunderstandings . . . one of those rare books you could recommend to anyone and know that they'll love it." -The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345490126
• ISBN13: 9780345490124
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Slow start, yes, but engaging and wonderful story!

I've read many of the reviews on this book and am surprised by how many negative reviews FAMILY BAGGAGE has received. I have to wonder if the reviews are perhaps from people who didn't finish the book... I found that it was slow starter, but with an ending that paid off. In addition, this book has a slightly different tone than any of Monica McInerney's others I have read. It concentrates a bit more on the difficulty of the grieving process and the difference in grieving between siblings when parents die - some move on easily, Harriet struggles, Lara looks back at her biological parents' deaths. Putting all of this within the context of a family business that has to go on working and thriving despite people's insecurities and emotional issues was, I thought, quite fascinating. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I thought the senior citizens on the Willoughby tour were extremely well painted by McInerney and reminded me a lot of my grandparents. This is my fourth Monica McInerney novel and I keep returning to her. She does not disappoint.

My Kind of Baggage

Monica McInerney's writing style is one that takes the reader directly into the hearts and minds of the characters she creates. So it is that you feel Harriet's awkwardness, embarrassment, joy and fear as she works her way through her journey through Cornwall and through a difficult time in her life. Equally we can feel Lara's desperation to know and understand her past in order to work out her future. We get a glimpse of the plight of a couple preparing for retirement where one is hindered by blindness. In contrast to McInerney's previous novel, The Alphabet Sisters, there is no blindsiding of the reader by a catastrophic event. Instead, in contrast to most romantically inclined novels, the central couple have a straight forward, honest and open entrance into their relationship rather than the usual formula of `get together, break up then get together again'. It is once again, real.

Excellent pool side reading!

i picked this up in a used book store although i was not familiar with the author. the cover looked interesting. i was surprised at how much i enjoyed reading the book and how caught up i got into the character's lives. i was sad when it ended and i wanted it to go on.

fascinating family drama

In Merryn Bay, Australia, Turner Travel escorts local residents on themed trips out of country. However, the recent deaths of the family leaders, Neil and Penny Turner, within a couple of months of one another have left their adult children grieving and the business in jeopardy. Though still in mourning Harriet knows her mother would have wanted her to lead the tour of twelve clients on a trip through the Cornwall countryside. However, her adopted sister Lara fails to show up at the airport as expected so Harriet is on her own pondering the future and dwelling on the past. James avoids confrontation hiding behind the skirts of his overbearing spouse Melissa so refuses to think about what will happen to Turner Travel without his founding parents to guide it. Austin refuses to do anything but party as he has no concern about the future. Finally adopted Lara, taken in by their parents nearly twenty-five earlier, tries to help manage the firm effectively, but suddenly instead of helping Harriet on tour, has vanished as she has learned something about why she was adopted. This is a fascinating family drama though much of the story line centers on Harriet. Readers see how the four adult children react differently to the deaths of their parents as James and Austin hide from it in different ways as the former uses his strong wife as a shield and the latter uses hedonism as an escape; Harriet mourns her loss but grows as she is forced into new situations while Lara learns a shocking truth about herself that takes away from her chance to grieve. FAMILY BAGGAGE is an interesting character study that focuses on how the living cope with the deaths of loved ones though no one seems to just get on with their life. Harriet Klausner

If you like Maeve Binchy, this is for you!

Monica McInerney was born in South Australia, one of seven children of a railway stationmaster. She now lives in Dublin and is the author of The Alphabet Sisters. Harriet and Lara are sort-of sisters who were raised by Penny and Neil Turner, along with their older brothers Austin and James. The Turners run Turner Travel, in the small coastal vacation town of Merryn Bay, Australia. Lara's parents died when she was only 8, and she was raised by the Turners, who became her legal guardians. Family Baggage opens with Harriet being asked to take on a special tour unexpectedly, when her brother James breaks his leg. Harriet used to lead tours all the time, only she is recovering from a breakdown which happened after both her parents died in quick succession--her father suddenly of a heart attack, and then her mother of a stroke a few months later. James and his wife Melissa, who are running the agency now, have put Harriet on light office duty. Lara is already in England and is to be assisting with this special tour: Australian fans of the old British TV series Willoughby, will be touring special spots associated with the series, which was shot in Cornwall. Willoughby was a handsome postman who solved crimes as he delivered his mail. Lara has set up the tour, and roped in the actor who played Willoughby 15 years ago, Patrick Shawcross. When Harriet and the tour arrive in England, Lara is missing. She asks the family for help, and brother Austin, who is touring in Europe (he is the percussionist with a symphony) is able to spend a few days searching for her. While he is doing that, Harriet ably takes on the tour--and Shawcross--and manages to deal with some potentially disastrous situations with aplomb. When Lara is finally discovered, along with a long buried secret, the family is pulled apart. But will it be forever? Armchair Interview says: If you like Maeve Binchy, you will love this book--plus it has a reading group guide. From