Where to Start with Ann Leary
Ann Leary’s books are all standalones, meaning you can read them in any order you choose. However, to get the absolute best experience of her signature style—which blends biting humor, dark domestic secrets, and deeply empathetic character studies—we recommend starting with her breakout masterpiece, The Good House. This novel captures Leary at her most characteristic, offering a sharp look at small-town gossip and the complexities of human denial.
If your tastes lean more toward historical drama with a dark edge, your best starting point is her 2022 novel, The Foundling. Inspired by her own family history, it offers a gripping look at a eugenics institution in the 1920s. For readers who prefer real-life stories and witty reflections, starting with her 2024 essay collection, I've Tried Being Nice, introduces her warm, self-deprecating, and friendly voice directly.
Ann Leary's Standalone Novels in Publication Order
For readers who want to watch Leary’s voice evolve from sharp marital comedy to complex historical narratives, reading her novels in publication order is a rewarding path. Her novels include:
1. Outtakes from a Marriage (2008)
Leary’s debut novel is a domestic comedy that takes a sharp, witty look at fame and marital survival. The story follows Julia Ferraro, a Manhattan wife and mother whose comfortable life is thrown into chaos when she discovers a suggestive voicemail on the phone of her husband, Joe, a successful television actor. As Joe's celebrity rises, Julia is forced to navigate the superficial world of show business, the anxieties of infidelity, and the struggle to maintain her own identity.
2. The Good House (2013)
This is Leary’s most famous and critically acclaimed novel. Set in a wealthy coastal town in Massachusetts, the story is narrated by Hildy Good, a wry, successful real estate broker and a descendant of the Salem witches. Hildy is a brilliant but deeply self-deluded high-functioning alcoholic who believes she has her drinking under control. As she gets drawn into the lives of a new family in town and rekindles a romance with her high school sweetheart, Frank Getchell, her carefully constructed facade begins to crack. The novel was adapted into a 2022 feature film starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline.
3. The Children (2016)
Set in a lakeside retreat in Connecticut, this novel is a slow-burn family drama focusing on the eccentric, wealthy Maynard family. The story is narrated by Charlotte, a reclusive 29-year-old who rarely leaves her mother’s estate and spends her time writing a popular blog about mom-and-pop businesses she has never actually visited. When Charlotte's stepbrother, Spin, brings his beautiful, ambitious fiancée home for the summer, the family's fragile dynamics are disrupted. Secret resentments, questions of inheritance, and long-buried truths quickly come to light.
4. The Foundling (2022)
Leary moves into historical fiction with this powerful novel set in 1927. The protagonist, Mary Engle, is hired as a secretary at a remote state institution for "feebleminded" women of childbearing age. Mary initially admires the institution's director, a progressive and charismatic female doctor. However, Mary is shocked to find her childhood friend, Lillian, confined there. As she discovers the dark eugenics-driven reality of the facility, Mary is forced to choose between job security and helping her friend escape.
The Non-Fiction Confusions Cleared Up
Leary’s non-fiction works can be confusing to track down because her early memoir was published under three completely different titles depending on the publisher and the country. Here is what you need to know to avoid buying the same book twice:
The Premature Birth Memoir (2004–2005)
In 2004, Leary published her debut book, a memoir about traveling to London with her husband, actor-comedian Denis Leary. While there, she went into premature labor at just 26 weeks, resulting in an unexpected and stressful five-month stay in a foreign country as they cared for their newborn son, Jack. This singular story was released under three distinct names:
- An Innocent, a Broad (2004) – This is the original United States title.
- The Long Weekend: A Surprised American Mother in England (2004) – This is the title used for the United Kingdom and international editions.
- Special Delivery: New Mother, New Country and an Unexpected New Life (2005) – This title was used for subsequent UK paperback editions.
If you are planning to read her early memoir, you only need to purchase one of these three titles, as they contain the same autobiographical story.
I've Tried Being Nice (2024)
Leary returned to non-fiction with this collection of personal essays. Writing with the same humor and candor found in her novels, she reflects on midlife, her decades-long marriage, her recovery from alcoholism, her experiences as a volunteer EMT, and the relief of letting go of lifelong people-pleasing tendencies.
What to Know Before You Start
Ann Leary’s writing is heavily informed by her real-life experiences. Her battle with alcoholism and subsequent long-term recovery directly inspired the raw, realistic portrayal of Hildy Good’s struggles in The Good House. Similarly, The Foundling was born out of her discovery during a genealogical search that her maternal grandmother had worked as a stenographer at the real-life Laurelton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age in Pennsylvania in the 1930s. Knowing these personal connections adds a layer of depth and appreciation for the authenticity she brings to both historical and contemporary struggles.