House of Sand and Fog [Unabridged]

Rating:
Summary: When bad things happen to bad people in a bad book
Review: This is one of the worst books I have ever read.
None of the characters are worthy of any sympathy.
Half way through the book I had to put it down for
a couple of months because I just couldn't give a
rat's tail about what happened to any of them.

Dubus ham-handedly manipulates the events in
far-fetched ways in order to get all characters
to act in the worst ways possible.
The basic premise of the story is ridiculous,
as are some of the other events and the
character's reactions.

And the writing...
"Hey, let's write this story from the point of
view of two protagonists, and switch back and
forth between each of them telling part of the
story in the first person. That's never
been done before."

"Oh, but wait - I'm half way into the
story and there's a third person
who has to start telling his part of
the story. What'll I do? What'll I do?"

"I can't have him tell his part in the
first person too, that might confuse people.
I know - I'll tell his part in the third person,
but from his point of view."

Do not buy this book, do not check it out of the
library, don't even read any excerpts...



Rating:
Summary: J.R. English
Review: Andre Dubus III is a strong and powerful writer. He does not just write a story, he
gives life to a new idea. In House of Sand and Fog, Andre does not show the story, he pulls the
reader in and lets them explore it. The story was created by combining many different life
experiences into one book. Each character has a different story to tell.
Kathy Nicolo is a woman who is at her wits end. Her husband had left her and now her
house has been taken away from her. Through all of the turmoil, she has started smoking again.
Kathy realizes that her husband had only been bringing her down, making her think that she had
an alcohol and drug problem. She overcomes this with the help of Sheriff Lester Burdon, a man
who leaves his own wife so they can be together.
Andre Dubus III does a great job at bringing us into her world and letting us feel what
she feels as she herself sinks deeper and deeper. We witness the unity of a married man and a
recently separated woman falling in love and fighting for a house that was wrongfully taken.
Some feel that their relationship is wrong because the sheriff leaves his wife and children for her.
Andre gives us that power to question and even put ourselves in the shoes of the character.
Colonel Behrani is a very strong minded man. He was recently forced to leave his home
country and travel to America. He had kept his job in the United States hidden because if
someone were to find out, his social status would drop significantly. Mr. Behrani had bought
Kathy Nicolo's house and would only sell it back for three times the amount he bought it for.
When Kathy had tried to convince him to give her back her home, he had used anger and
violence with her.
The author had kept every move Colonel Behrani made interesting and unpredictable. He
made you wonder what kind of a man the colonel really was. It was only at the end of the novel
that Andre lets us see the kind and caring side that Mr. Behrani had. He did not care who the
house had belonged to anymore, and even though she didn't show it at first, Kathy had felt the
same way.
Andre Dubus III's words are so flavorful that you keep wanting more. The way he
describes how the fog rolls in is incredible. He makes you feel as if you can see and feel it
yourself. He has created a meal that you can't get enough of.

Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 STARS - It was ok.
Review: This novel was definitely a worthy read. Even though initially I found the novel to be rather boring. Towards the middle and end of the novel was when the plot began to really pick up. Very unexpected twists and turns. Not the BEST novel I ever read in my life, but definitely not a waste of my time. Recommended to those who like a good read, but not prepared to be BLOWN AWAY.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Fantastic Novel, couldn't put it down!
Review: "House of Sand and Fog" is a unique, intelligent and compelling novel - Absolutely Fantastic, gripping, heart wrenching and so completely unlike any other novel I've ever read. It has to be in the top ten books of my life. It compares to "Memoriors of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden, "I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel" by Rebecca Wells; "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb, and "When It Rains" by Marjorie Spoto. A Must Read.

Rating:
Summary: When bad things happen to basically good people
Review: This is a magnificent book, with characters so richly developed that you cannot help but empathize with them despite each having deep personality flaws. The three main characters seemingly make grevious mistakes and miscalculations out of sheer self-interest, but when their motivations are fleshed out I said to myself, "Yes, I understand why he or she has may have made this decision" even when their powers of reason were seriously out of wack.

The novel's three major actors all have to deal with loss: an Iranian colonel with a wife and young son who are forced to leave Iran, under threats of death, when the Shah is deposed; a young woman whose husband leaves her and then loses her family home because of a bureaucratic glitch; the deputy sheriff who first tries to help her, and in the process falls in love with her, then loses his wife and children and more. Colonel Behrani who once lived in luxury as an officer in the Shah's army, is forced to take a series of menial jobs to feed his family, then supposedly discovers the means to make millions in real estate speculation. His hubris and stubborness proves to be his undoing. The young lady, Kathy Nicolo, who slides back into earlier addictive and other self-destructive behavior over the loss of her family home, and Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon who commits a series of senseless acts misconduct while selflessly acting, or so he believes, as Kathy's savior. All meant well; none saw the tragic consequences of their acts.

Particularly interesting were the false assumptions made by each character about the other based on surface impressions. For example, Colonel Behrani believes Kathy to be a whore because of his misconceptions about her supposedly loose Americanish behavior (according to Iranian standards), Kathy and Lester see the Colonial and his family wearing expensive clothing and jewelry at a party they give for their newly engaged daughter and mistakenly believe them to be rich, and Lester miscalculates Behrani's current financial and social condition because he notices a photograph of the former posing with the Shah of Iran.

This is a novel that hurts so much because it is so real.


Rating:
Summary: Started Out Like "Far Pavillions" and Ended Like a Harlequin
Review: I immediately became absorbed in this book, and just as quickly began to lose interest. I thought some of the events were proposterous. I was really surprised that this was an "Oprah's Book Club" book. At the beginning it was beautifully written and then ended up sort of trashy. I don't recommend this book very highly, though I would like to see the movie.

Rating:
Summary: highly recommended...
Review: I loved this book!! It was easy to read & I couldn't put it down... The plot is very interesting & engaging. It was hard for me to pick a side between Kathy Nicolo & the Colonel as to who was the RIGHTFUL owner of the house. The author does a really good job in helping the reader sympathize with both. I highly recommend this book...