Rating: 
Summary: Could have been 300 pages shorter...
Review: I really trust Oprah's taste in books but I think she sorely missed on this one. (Badly enough that I'm taking time warn others in this review). I felt as if I'd read this story in some other grade B book or movie along the way. I plugged along right until the book's end, hoping it would get better but it never did. It was very hard to feel any sympathy for Marie Fermoyle who was simply pathetic. The characters were exaggerated and cartoonish in their words and actions. I felt insulted by them. Save yourself 700+ pages of agony and read something (just about anything) else. I don't think there was one character in the book who was realistic enough to like. I was sorry I used so much time trying to get into it.
Rating: 
Summary: Awful
Review: I just saw all these reviews and I must say that I am very happy to see that I am NOT the only one who thought the book was/and still is (I haven't finished it yet) a boring, depressing read. For the past couple of years, I've picked up the book over and over again, just to make it only to page 120. I've come to realize that about 120 pages is all I can take on reading about other peoples' depressing lives. Maybe one day I'll finish it.........probably not.
Rating: 
Summary: YES-YES-YES-YES
Review: Faulkner fans rejoice-His successor is here. There are so few literary geniuses now, but MARY MCGARRY MORRIS is the exception. This novel sparkles and shines even when its grimiest characters are at their toughest. Her work was challenging, probably the reason why I didn't buy this one sooner. My commitment was richly rewarded. My heart ached with the characters. I found my self cheering them on and then swooning with their hurts and disappointments. I am surprised this was an Oprah book,I find so many of her picks to be "good reads", with lessons to learn, etc, but most are "literary-lite". Not this Oprah pick though. I was in so deep, I didn't know how MORRIS' characters or I would end up. After finishing, I have my answer - deeply affected and moved. Hooray-I see today that MORRIS has another book arriving this spring-FIONA RANGE-I'm getting in line now to order my copy. Thank you MS. Morris!
Rating: 
Summary: An IMMENSELY long read...but oh, WHAT a read!
Review: I will agree with some of the previous reviewers, in that this book dealt almost exclusively with the negative side of the human experience (and in some cases that's putting it mildly). But Ms. Morris knows how to write, and does a superb job here. She never failed to hold my interest - though the plot started to sag a little bit at the end.The dialog was a bit stilted, and some of the characters (mostly the secondary ones) were a bit unbelievable (Sam Fermoyle's shrink at the institute, for one) - and does anyone actually KNOW someone who says "Yah" instead of "Yeah"? But at the end, it does seem as though the Fermoyles are starting to turn the corner - and I wish them all the best.
Rating:
Summary: No Good!
Review: This was a looooooooong, torturous read. I am a funny gal...rarely will I not finish a book, even a bad one. This was a another depressing depiction of very low IQ family at the mercy of the "flim-flam man". Someone needs to tell Oprah's Book Club that a good story does not have to be depressing nor does it have to be about stupid or ignorant people. This was a true ordeal.
Rating:
Summary: Oprah's book club gone wrong
Review: I finished this book for the sole reason of lack of anything better. I found myself skipping over large chunks that simply weren't worth it, opting for sleep instead. This is not one of those books you can read in a weekend, it's one that you pick up in between others. I do not recommend this book. I would rather promote reading the back of the cereal box. that's a joke. ha ha.
Rating:
Summary: worst book I've ever read
Review: We read this for our book club and it was voted the book we would most like to burn. Which we are actually considering for the torture it put us though. (There was, in all honesty, one person who liked it.) If you want to be totally depressed I would highly recommend this book. The characters, especially the mother, were pitiful stupid creatures. If some of them had died in the end I would have felt a little better about it. I love to read and this is the first book that I have ever read where I literally hated reading every page. I can't wait for the bonfire!
Rating:
Summary: A Depressing Vicious Cycle
Review: A clear depiction of how the average person deals with negative situations. In this book, they learn nothing from experience and continually spiral downward. I continued reading, thinking the situations would improve. They worsened. I completed the book but only because I prefer to finish what I start. This story is depressing, frustrating and annoying in the lack of intelligence given to or shown in the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed
Review: I like fat books, and the description on the back led me to believe that this one would keep me guessing. The only thing I kept trying to figure out was why I was still reading it. This book depressed me. I like books about small towns, and although this was a very realistic small town, there was no real depth to the book. It was just 700 pages of bad attitudes, false hopes and bitterness. Not the kind of book you want to dedicate a lot of time to.
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical prose
Review: I find it so hard to believe that there are readers who don't like this book! It is one of the best I have read in years. The book reflects life for one whole stratum of our society, one that is infrequently portrayed accurately in the media. The characters face difficult choices and do not always choose well, yet they engage our interest and our sympathy. The book starts with a twist and grabs our attention. The prose is a joy to read - and to reread. This is a book to read more than once.
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