Rating: 
Summary: A Profound, Perceptive Literary Masterpiece
Review: I didn't like Wally Lamb's first book "She's Come Undone", so I was reluctant to read "This Much Is True". I'm glad I finally took the plunge. This book is a masterpiece of insight into the human condition, and a tour de force of literary technique. Not one character in this book is flat or a stereotype. Every character is fleshed out in a way that rings true. Mr. Lamb has obviously done exemplerary research into schizophrenia, the psychology of twins, genetics, eastern philosophy and american history, -- just his working of so much knowledge into a single novel would mark this novel as a classic. But he does more than this. He tells a remarkable story that is a history, tradgedy, and mystery. Then there's also the novel within the novel that has hardly ever before been so deftly crafted. I found myself reading this 900 page tome in the bathroom and at stop lights. Most great novels I have read have been like watching a great movie; this book was like having a great seat at a theater showing real life.
Rating:
Summary: More Lamb please!
Review: I have to admit, I was wondering what Wally Lamb could possible say that could hold my interest for 1000 pages. Having never read any of his other novels, I was skeptical. I was interrupted in the first few chapters, had to put it down, but once I picked it back up I finished it in a weekend!! Forget sleeping & eating folks!Wally Lamb creates not only the story of identical twins, but also an entire weaving family background that spans generations. Dominick feels trapped in so many ways, the final wishes of a dying woman & the responsibility of taking care of his mentally ill twin brother who is forever in and out of institutions. Wally loops you through the generations by way of the grandfather's journal halfway through the book, which is absolutely spectacular. It's uncanny how much Wally taps dances on the edge of so many subjects without making them seem TOO unreal. You ask yourself, "Can one man really go through this much in a lifetime?" With the mentally ill brother, the weak mother, and a plethora of other lifetime woes, Dominick is heading downhill quickly. You wonder how he gets up in the morning and continues to put one foot in front of the other each and every day? It's reality at its best folks, and Wally makes it seem not only plausible but also possible. How often has one wondered, "Why am I going through this?" this book leads you to examine a bit about yourself in such circumstances. The book makes you ask questions, you wouldn't ordinarily ask. Think of things, you wouldn't ordinarily think. Feel emotions, you haven't felt in awhile. I love how Wally ultimately lets Dominick find himself in the end. The journal is key, and helps set him free from the onerous burden he's felt over half his life. But, it's only after circumstances beyond his control, and finding out secrets he never could have imagined. I was a bit miffed at the quick rap-up, where all the frayed pieces seemingly fall together neat and tight in the span of the last 15 or so pages. It seemed to cheat the reader of the reality and quality of what Wally has created in the other 950 or so pages. I would have liked to see a more powerful ending, instead of a quick neat, predictable one. This was a fabulous read.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: Of the three books I've recently read and enjoyed ("The Curious Incident of the Dog" "I know This Much is True," and "Bark of the Dogwood") this one is by far my favorite. I don't mean to take anything away from the others mentioned, but "I Know This Much is True" is probably the best-written piece of literature to come out in, well . . . ever. Granted, some may be a little put off by the length of Lamb's novels, but the writing is so brilliant that it makes no difference.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling masterpiece of infinite human depth and wisdom!
Review: Having read Wally Lamb's first book, "She's Come Undone" I knew I would enjoy his future works. Then came "I know This Much is True". I was looking for a summer read with a little levity, but substantial. I got that and a whole lot more! The emotional journey of Thomas Birdsey as an angry, suppressed and adult twin of a fragile and sensitive, yet self-mutilating, schitzophrenic brother is so compellingly written that the reader becomes Thomas Birdsey. Wally Lamb's masterful ability to put the deepest and most troublesome of human experiences and emotions into the literary word is extraordinary. I couldn't put it down, and when I had to, I brought it with me everywhere at-the ready! I have recommended "I Know This Much is True" to friends, family, strangers in the hair salon and to my patients. It transends socio-economic boundaries as do mental illness, sibling rivalry, genetics, love and death. This novel made me want to search deeper into the topic of twins and "twinlessness". Mr. Lamb's inclusion of an extensive bibliography was an unexpected jewel of a gift. I can't wait to read it again!
Rating: 
Summary: Sprawling Entertainment
Review: I just finished I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. It contained many of the fine qualities that made his first novel such a compelling read. His psychological insights are extraordinary. Each character stands on their own as a unique and humanely flawed being. His research into subject matter provides the reader with excellent details as to the different peoples and times described. The dialogue is rich and the story hard to put down. All of these fine elements made I Know...a very good book, one that I can relate to in many aspects. The only faults I found were that the book could have been trimmed down and tightened up a bit. Sometimes I wondered, "Oh no, where's he going to now?" In addition, I found myself wondering just how much can go wrong in one person's life, all in the same month. Yet, in spite of these little nagging qualms, I really enjoyed the read. Maybe because it made me feel relieved that my life is not as complicated. On second thought, I think I liked it so much because it made me feel as if I'm not the only one with all this craziness going on. Can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Just amazing
Review: I first became introduced to Mr. Lamb via his "She's Come Undone"--a masterpiece if ever there was one. I couldn't imagine he'd be able to top that, but he did. "I Know This Much is True" is actually even better. For some reason, the book reminded me of McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" not in theme, but in ideas and writing style. None of Lamb's books are short, but every word is there for a reason and the tapestry he weaves for us with his unique characters is beyond anything else to come out of this country. Also recommended: "She's Come Undone" and "Bark of the Dogwood"
Rating:
Summary: I know This Much is True
Review: The book captured all my emotions, and although it was lengthy the depth of the book totally over came me. The book was a great example of the power siblings have with each other especially with twins. Thomas and Dominic had a bond that couldn't be explained. The book was a great pretrial of schizophrenia and the damages it can do to a family. Dominic had to keep one eye on his brother and never kept up with him self. Thomas believed the government is after him and he was on a religious crusade to save America. Dominic tries everything he can to get through to his brother, but Thomas is gone, lost in his own world. The book offers strength to the most misunderstood disease, and the least talked about. It gives a light to a whole other side of sibling rivalry, and shows the dark side of death of a family member. The book is a great read, and I would recommend it to anyone male or female who never quite understood mental disorders and the impact they can have on family.
Rating:
Summary: Clear your schedule
Review: I am a college student and really shouldnt be reading all the time and I try to minimize it as much as possible. This book is definatlely a page turner and deteriminted me in my class readings. If you have something to do, read this book on vaction. My boyfriend begged me to pu it down. I read it in about 3 days. I found myself neglectly my studies and tearing up when the last page came along. Lamb captivates the reader and brings you into a world of turmoil, but you,the reader, see how it could be verging on the joy of life. I truly felt for this character.His feelings about his family and discoveries into the past to define himself are all things that cross our minds if we take time to thnk about them.It is a book about a man who has no control over his circumstances. It deals with how he comes through. Gut wrenching but hopeful;it makes you cry with happiness and sadeness at the same time. Lamb did a wonderful job.
Rating: 
Summary: OK but not the masterpiece some say it is
Review: After hearing seemingly endless praise about this very long novel, I finally got around to reading it. Although I found it fairly good in some respects, I also found it somewhat disappointing and frustrating. The length of the book wasn't a problem for me. I simply found it unfulfilling; it didn't take me where I thought it would, which may be my problem and not the author's. I guess it was daring to do the whole thing from points of view of some pretty unsympathetic and sometimes reprehensible characters, but I didn't find any of those characters engaging, even in their black-heartedness. I didn't care whether Dominick Birdsey ever found redemption or damnation. Other problems: most of the supporting characters are little more than types; certain elements, such as the casual sprinkling of brand names, smack of a college writing course excercise on how to create characterizations; and the dialogue is some of the corniest I've ever read (eg, Leo). On top of that, the book reads as a catalog of just about every social and psychological problem one can think of, which becomes tiring, dampens the book's impact, and also makes the whole thing a bit unrealistic. In addition, I found some story devices contrived and based on illogical coincidences (eg, appearances of previously described characters in later situations), and once I got accustomed to these tricks, I could see some of them coming a mile away. Finally, I found the last chapter too conveinently facile; it just didn't ring true to me. On the positive side, Lamb's knack for detailed description is good, and the story-within-a-story device works pretty well. I found the book interesting enough to keep reading but just didn't get the payoff I expected. I wanted to be shattered but ended up dulled instead. There are some books I like to read again and again, but this won't be one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful and thought provoking
Review: This book is a thought provoking soap operatic tale of the life of a very emotionally disturbed man, Dominic Birdsey. Dominic feels that he is the sane one in the family in comparison to his paranoid schizophrenic twin brother Thomas; but he throught therapy, he learns that his sanity is questionable as well. Dominic has spent his entire life protecting his brother and continues to do so later in life when Thomas, making a sacrificial protest to stop the war in the Middle East, cuts off his own hand in a public library. Despite Dominic's efforts, Thomas is sent to a hospital for the dangerous mentally ill, which is more a prison than a hospital. Dominic is determined to free his brother and in the process, gains some insight on his own life. He begins to understand his step-father, whom he has hated most of his life. He learns to accept his ex-wife's new relationship without expressing hatred. But most importantly he learns to accept himself and his family without regret for their past mistakes. This was a very moving story. I found it very hard to stay emotionally detached from the characters. Wally Lamb has an unique ability to make his characters come to life! At first, you'll hate Dominic with his snotty, pessimistic attitude but in the end, even the reader learns something...how to feel compassion for a troubled soul.
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