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178th out of 235 books
—
274 voters
At Home With the Templetons
by
Monica McInerney (Goodreads Author)
When the Templeton family from England takes up residence in a stately home in country Australia, they set the locals talking - and with good reason. From the outside, the seven Templetons seem so bohemian, unusual... peculiar even. No one is more intrigued by the family than their neighbours, single mother Nina Donovan and her young son Tom. Before long, the two families'...more
Paperback, 471 pages
Published
October 2010
by Michael Joseph
(first published January 1st 2010)
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Interesting writing style. The authors real gift is connecting you to characters and connecting characters to each other. These characters really don't fall flat in any way, they are multidimensional, you get to see them from not only their own vantage point but also that of friends and family,they are relatable, they are humorous, some are introspective, some are not but they are all so viably human that it really draws you into the story and gives you a deep connection with their lives and the...more
It actually took me awhile to really get into this book. I still read it just as fast as any other book but to be honest it just wasn't grabbing me. And then about half way through i realised that i found it quite depressing. Not so much the storyline, just the general feel of the book and the characters. I remember putting the book down for the night and turning to my husband saying `I feel quite depressed from reading this book. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, just the mood of the...more
A slow start as we are introduced to the characters and their world but it pulled me in enough to read on. In a way, though, the prologue snatched some of the tension away - we knew the lost lovers would meet again.
When the Gracie/Tom story took the centre of the narration, I enjoyed it. At last we had some deep emotion, some 'zing' and I found myself holding my breath at some tense moments in their relationship. The remaining characters were unsympathetic. I rated Eleanor next most engaging af...more
When the Gracie/Tom story took the centre of the narration, I enjoyed it. At last we had some deep emotion, some 'zing' and I found myself holding my breath at some tense moments in their relationship. The remaining characters were unsympathetic. I rated Eleanor next most engaging af...more
Part One (the first sixteen chapters) of At Home with The Templetons is absolutely delightful. Can you imagine any family trying to maintain a normal life in a home where they have to dress in period costumes and tourist parade through your living space? Now imagine a family with issues...major issues. It is funny, charming, and a little sad.
The pace in Part Two slows down a great deal as it is mostly done through letters that cover eight years. It is a clever way to keep the reader apprised of...more
The pace in Part Two slows down a great deal as it is mostly done through letters that cover eight years. It is a clever way to keep the reader apprised of...more
At Home with the Templetons is a Romeo and Juliet like story set in a stately old home in Victoria, Australia. The Templetons are a large, noisy, weird family that move into a long empty, neglected mansion in the country. The town is abuzz with gossip about them, but their closest neighbor, Nina Donovan learns the real story is far different then everyone thinks. At first wary, Nina and her son Tom soon become entangled with the Templetons despite their frequent bizarre dramas. When the Templeto...more
This book gets off to a slow start because the set up is under the constraint of depicting the life, circumstances and background for the characters. At times it gets a little tedious being stuck in everyday life but if the reader sticks with it they'll eventually see the necessity of the journey. This becomes evident around chapter seventeen (roughly 250 pages in). It is here, that emotional attachment grows especially for the characters Gracie and Tom, which magnetically become the driving for...more
Dec 18, 2010
Sam
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Maeve Binchy fans
Recommended to Sam by:
read other books by same author
Monica McInerney writes good, solid books usually combining families in various locations with a bit of romance and drama. In this, At Home With the Templetons doesn’t fail to disappoint. It’s a good book recommendation for your grandmother, mother or sister.
The Templetons arrive from England to country Victoria, Australia and take up residence at the family ‘colonial mansion’. Each weekend, the family dresses up in period costume and opens the house to strangers to relive the gold rush era. The...more
Growing up can be a confusing time even in the most regular of families. The Templeton household is far from regular. Having arrived in an Australian country town from the UK, the Templetons fit out their substantial colonial home as a tourist attraction, even down to the entire family dressing in period costume for the benefit of the tourists who visit on weekends.
At Home with the Templetons is a highly entertaining study in family dynamics. It is all about the ties that bind us to family, whi...more
At Home with the Templetons is a highly entertaining study in family dynamics. It is all about the ties that bind us to family, whi...more
Not entirely sure why I stuck with this book. Perhaps just through sheer bloody mindedness that I had a)previously enjoyed some of her work and b)I paid for it.
It was full of so much cliche. Some of the most predictable writing I've ever read. The characters were ALL irritating, especially Gracie who I suspect was supposed to be the one we loved and cared about the most. She was just whiney and silly. The Templetons themselves were cardboard cut out "posh" types who had absolutely no redeeming f...more
It was full of so much cliche. Some of the most predictable writing I've ever read. The characters were ALL irritating, especially Gracie who I suspect was supposed to be the one we loved and cared about the most. She was just whiney and silly. The Templetons themselves were cardboard cut out "posh" types who had absolutely no redeeming f...more
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The Templetons would have been strange even if they hadn't been English transplants to Australia. But in Australia they were the owners of Templeton Hall, a living museum of Australia during the gold rush years. Even the children were involved but only Gracie, 11 years old, enjoys the thrill of her father's family history, loves the guided tours that she gives. Next door to the Templetons is single mother Nina Donovan and her son Tom, 12. Although she wants nothing to do with the Templetons thei...more
McInerney's books have commonalities: large families with multiple daughters, quirky plot twists, and settings in either Australia or Britain (or both). Her writing is well-paced and warm; the characters well-developed. Her tone is optimistic about life.
At Home With the Templetons is the third book of hers that I have read. This one follows a seemingly eccentric family that runs a historical home in Victoria, Australia. The town thinks they are wealthy and snobbish, and the family is the subject...more
At Home With the Templetons is the third book of hers that I have read. This one follows a seemingly eccentric family that runs a historical home in Victoria, Australia. The town thinks they are wealthy and snobbish, and the family is the subject...more
What a book! Monica knocked my socks off! This was my first book but it won't be my last by a long shot! The Templetons are a big imposing bunch, each with a big personality! We start out with Gracie arriving at what we know at the end to be "Templeton Hall", with some dark, curly, handsome stranger greeting her. Who was he? Then we go back to what happened to get to that moment.
Eleanor, the mother of the crew, she was an iffy character, didn't hate her but didn't care for her either. Too wishy-...more
Eleanor, the mother of the crew, she was an iffy character, didn't hate her but didn't care for her either. Too wishy-...more
Oct 19, 2010
Jenny
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who enjoy watching paint dry.
Shelves:
couldn-t-finish,
women-s-fiction
At almost 600 pages, this book is 200-300 words too long. In part 1 I was rather enjoying the languid walk through the lives of the Templetons and Nina and her son Tom. By part 2 my interest was on the wane, but I forged on. Almost 400 pages in (alright, 390-something) I thought, good god, this is getting a bit much. From there I skimmed. Honestly, this would have been far better if it wasn't so long-winded. Then again, the actual plot, buried as it was in all those words, wasn't really anything...more
The first Monica McInerney book I read, Greetings from Somewhere Else, I adored. As such, I keep reading her books, but none of them have been quite up to par.
**Slight, vague references to spoilers**
At Home with the Templetons was probably my least favorite. The themes and "morals" seemed cliche, and the book seemed to drag on quite a bit. I kept thinking, isn't it over yet? I guessed the climax's resolution long before it happened and was disappointed in the characters' reactions to that. Why...more
**Slight, vague references to spoilers**
At Home with the Templetons was probably my least favorite. The themes and "morals" seemed cliche, and the book seemed to drag on quite a bit. I kept thinking, isn't it over yet? I guessed the climax's resolution long before it happened and was disappointed in the characters' reactions to that. Why...more
There is a comfortable strangeness that wraps you even from the first page. However, it was Juniper who really made my skin crawl. The secretive and mysterious way that Kate described Juniper was enthralling. There were many times when I thought I had figured out what had happened to these characters, but with every twist and turn, you understand that you were either wrong or there is much more involved than you first predicted. I haven't read any of Kate's earlier books, but I am definitely kee...more
This was chick lit to a degree, which I usually don't like, but I really liked the author's writing style. Her character development was excellent, and some of her dialogue quite witty. It was a page-turner for me as I was interested in the character's lives and what would happen to each of them. If the author would have left out the couple of sexual passages and some of the language, I would have definitely given it five stars. I much prefer things of that nature just alluded to rather than des...more
Another Australian writer, a best-selling author, I've come to read thanks to my very active blogger life. Thanks a lot to the web and the Internet for the incredible richness and variety of contacts I've got so far, and especially, to Monica McInerney's publicist who thought I would like this novel and sent it to me. I did!
The main characters of this gripping novel are numerous and skillfully characterized but the real protagonist is a stately mansion in Australia , which I imagine as enchantin...more
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Gracie Templeton is every parent's dream child -- dedicated to her family, smart and totally committed to the famly business which is providing guided tours of a historical home in Australia. Her family is comprised of an interesting cast of characters who have their own quirks and problems and their own unique ways of dealing with them. Gracie falls in love with Tom, a neighbor's son, when she is 11 years old and never falls out of love. This is much more than a story of young love. It is more...more
The Templeton family live in a stately home near the Victorian city of Castlemaine. While the other kids get to have fun on the weekends, the Templetons have to dress up in period costume and run tours of their home (Templeton Hall) - which prove to be a surprise hit with tourists. Having only recently arrived from England, they keep very much to themselves. At first their neighbour Nina is happy to maintain a distance. But then, their lives become interlinked and she finds herself drawn into th...more
I’m a great fan of Australian author Monica McInerney’s novels—At Home With the Templetons is no exception. This family saga opens with the widow Nina Donovan and her son, Tom, invited to a fete at neighboring Templeton Hall in the historic goldfields area of Australia.
Secretive Nina is overwhelmed by the Templeton clan’s lavish family estate, which they open to the public for weekend tours. The family dresses in period costumes as they guide tourists through the Hall, and are wearing these co...more
Secretive Nina is overwhelmed by the Templeton clan’s lavish family estate, which they open to the public for weekend tours. The family dresses in period costumes as they guide tourists through the Hall, and are wearing these co...more
The blurb on the back of the latest Monice McInerney says she is Australia's Maeve Binchy. I think that is a great comparison. I love her modern family sagas set mostly in Australia also in England, Ireland, even some of New Zealand for this one. It is a bit of a long book, but most of the time it didn't feel long. I enjoyed the message of this one that no family is perfect and forgiveness can go a long way. Young Gracie is such a cutie.
This is pure bloody tedium at it's worst! I can't believe after "Those Faraday Girls" I decided to pick up another book by this Author. I have absolutely no interest in wanting to know what happens to these characters, and if her previous work is anything to go by, I suspect after 500 or so pages, absolutely-bloody-nothing!
I've just updated my reading status saying how much I'm hating this book and am only continuing because it's an audiobook and I need to listen to something but on second thou...more
I've just updated my reading status saying how much I'm hating this book and am only continuing because it's an audiobook and I need to listen to something but on second thou...more
I've always found monica mcInerney's books great page turners, perhaps not overly substantial but very enjoyable in a gobble up quickly kind of way. This is the first I've read of hers since her public announcement of her battles with depression, which definitely through a different perspective on the reading experience. A few of the characters do suffer, but it is ultimately a warm story with the plot driven by various family dramas. I'm glad mm continues to write.
Templeton Hall houses the Templeton family and is open to the public for tours and glimpses into colonial life in Victoria, Australia. Nina and her son Tom neighbour this property and become entwined with the lives of the Templetons throughout the years.
If this book was a third shorter I would have enjoyed it more. Terribly repetitive and melodramatic, many of the 'heated conversations' in the book could have been culled or shortened so things weren't repeated over and over. As I neared the end...more
If this book was a third shorter I would have enjoyed it more. Terribly repetitive and melodramatic, many of the 'heated conversations' in the book could have been culled or shortened so things weren't repeated over and over. As I neared the end...more
I listened to the audio book version of this and really enjoyed it. The reader, Ulli Berve, did a good job with all the different characters and accents and also with the different ages of Gracie. Some of the plot points were a little implausible and it did seem to go on forever (19 hours and 32 minutes!) but I didn't really get bored and am keen to find more audio books that hold my attention this well.
Ever since she was little Gracie Templeton has felt like the world treated her differently, as a child she had no friends, didn’t go to school and was forced to work the family business over the weekend and holidays. Years later Gracie uncovers a bundle of secretes that explain why her childhood was so unconventional and why the she never heard from the love her life after the tragic accident.
This is the second book, I have read by this Author, I was slightly
disappointed as it is very slow to begin with but after the first part,
it was really good, I couldn’t put it down, it was funny in some parts
and sad at times in other parts, and there is a very happy ending, be
patient with this book and you will love it as much as I did. I would
definitely recommend. The book is told in 3 parts.
disappointed as it is very slow to begin with but after the first part,
it was really good, I couldn’t put it down, it was funny in some parts
and sad at times in other parts, and there is a very happy ending, be
patient with this book and you will love it as much as I did. I would
definitely recommend. The book is told in 3 parts.
Loved it! I was so busy when I started it that it took me two weeks to get half way. By then the characters had all woven their spells over me. I spent five hours yesterday afternoon doing nothing but reading it, crying, hoping it would all work out, crying some more, and... well, just loving it!!
It's the first Monica McInerny I've read and it certainly won't be the last!!
It's the first Monica McInerny I've read and it certainly won't be the last!!
I took quite a long time to read this book, it is not a difficult book to read, but in the beginning the interest I had in the book was in each of the character's potential as patients for my psychological practice. To put it another way, I found the characters interesting but the plot held no interest. It just goes to show that perseverance can be so rewarding, I reached the point where I was enjoying the unfolding events and suspense and I read the second half of the book at a much faster rate...more
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Monica McInerney is the internationally bestselling author of seven novels including Upside Down Inside Out, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters and The Faraday Girls (which was named the General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards.) Her latest novel Greetings from Somewhere Else will be published in the USA in July 2009.
Monica, 44, grew up in a family of seven ch...more
More about Monica McInerney...
Monica, 44, grew up in a family of seven ch...more
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Sep 27, 2011 06:53pm