TITLE/AUTHOR: We Are the Brennans; Tracey Lange
PUBLISHER: Macmillan Audio
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021
GENRE: Fiction / Family / Saga
FORMAT: eAudio / LENGTH: 9 hours and 40 min.
SOURCE: NetGalley
SETTING(s): New York (and briefly Los Angeles)
ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: A family drama about an imperfect Irish Catholic family and the secrets the have tired to keep hidden.
BRIEF REVIEW: The Brennans are a close knit Irish Catholic family but, they are also a family with secrets, ones they have kept hidden from other family members and people they care about.
As the story opens twenty-nine year old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital after being involved in a car accident while she was driving drunk. She is rescued by her big brother, Denny, a pub owner, who flies in from New York after learning about her situation. It was five years earlier that Sunday left friends, family and her ex-fiancee more than a little surprised when she took off across the country. Now her brother has convinced her to return to New York to deal with her past and to get her life in order.
This was a well-written debut novel that unfolds from the perspective of each of the characters. The flow, even though there were multiple characters, worked quite well on audio and held my interest as well. This is just the type of story I tend to enjoy: a story about an imperfect, dysfunctional family and a slow reveal of the secrets they have been hiding. Even though several of the characters were unlikable, it didn't matter as each characters were well-crafted and felt genuine and complex. I especially enjoyed learning more about Sunday and why she felt compelled to flee. Recommended for readers who enjoy stories about flawed families.
Thanks go to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for my unbiased review. The audio book was read by Barrie Kerinik who did a great job.
RATING: 4.5/5
I love this kind of book and thought the author did a great job with the multiple POVs. Can't wait to see what she writes next!
ReplyDeleteI agree Mary - I thought it might be hard to follow on audio but it worked out well.
DeleteThe Brennans sound like an interesting bunch of characters!
ReplyDeleteA real Irish clan - it was good.
DeleteSounds like a winner. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteYes, Dorothy a nice story, real family with real, believable issues.
DeleteI really like stories from multiple perspectives and this one sounds like it does that well.
ReplyDeleteIt did work well and the family felt very real with their issues.
DeleteHer name is really Sunday? Oh my. That's nice her brother comes to the rescue .... would mine?
ReplyDeleteSunday was her name, just how did they arrive at that LOL
DeleteThis sounds interesting! I'm from a Irish Catholic family so I wonder how close to home it would hit! I'll have to look for it on audio.
ReplyDeleteI think you might enjoy this one. The characters felt genuine as did their issues.
DeleteFlaws in families, we all have them! I have requested this after looking at your review. I do hope I get it.
ReplyDeleteMystica, you are correct. All families have their own issues whether they realize and admit it or not.
DeleteSounds like a good read to me! Will add this book to my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteIt was different from what I had been reading and, a welcome change.
DeleteI like those kinds of stories about messed up families and whatnot. :) And nice that this is an effective debut as well.
ReplyDeleteGreg, it was an impressive debut and a nice change of pace.
DeleteSounds good--don't we all enjoy hearing about other families and their weird dysfunctions? Families are often a mixed bag of likable, unlikable, and odd.
ReplyDeleteSo true Jen!
DeleteSounds like a good read! I am busy with The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley and now realize that I haven't read a lot of books about Irish people. I think I should.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed this one!
To answer your question on Born a Crime on my blog - I did read it yes, and listened to the Audio as well which was excellent. His voice and nuances added just that little bit extra. It was popular here in SA, but not as popular as you would have guessed. Many people thought it was a bit too one-sided. Still worth the read though!
Elza Reads
Oh thanks for responding. I was curious what readers in your country thought about it.
DeleteI love these family dramas too and so another one for my radar! Thank you for sharing more about this title.
ReplyDeleteIliana, a very nice family story - warts and all!
DeleteVicki, it was a real good story, real people and real issues.
ReplyDeleteSo many people reading this book right now. I am curious about the story.
ReplyDeleteIt was good - dysfunctional family with issues people could relate to.
DeleteI'm planning to read this in the next few weeks... my daughter left her copy here for me. Glad to see you enjoyed it so much. Think I'll see if I can get the audio from the library, too.
ReplyDelete