I Know This Much Is True

Rating:
Summary: Tragically wonderful
Review: Wally Lamb's moving novel is often put in a shadow of his first, "She's Come Undone", yet, after reading "I Know This Much is True" it is hard to think of any book casting anything upon this moving tale. A must read for all those with siblings, all those with fathers, all those with a past unsetteled, all those with a history that needs to be retold, all those with sadness, greif, and anger, and all of those who have loved. Everyone can relate to this book on some level and take away from it the pure beauty of Dominick--a boy lost in the woods, who can still be saved. Dominick will become your friend, your brother, your blood. His past will echo through you long after the book is over. Lamb did a wonderful, intoxicating job of making the book so tragically wonderful and so inspiringly poignant as to create a bond with someone of the word. The best time I ever had reading in my life--and this much, I know is true.

Rating:
Summary: I Know This Much Is True
Review: This book,though long, waists no time in grabbing your attention and keeping it. There are probably hatefull people in everyones life. This books takes a long look at the evolution of becoming a hatefull individual and disects it until not only is the character in the book cured but you may find forgiveness in your heart for anyone in your life that is unlikable. During most of the novel there is not a likable person to relate to. Yet as you begin to know and understand the characters, one feels drawn into their lives. Be ready to let your work go for a while. You won't want to put this down.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic and engrossing
Review: Everyone is so sure that Wally Lamb has gone overboard withthis novel regarding so-called calamities. How can so much happen toone person? This novel says a great deal about the cycles of violence and the gumption it takes to say enough is enough. This is a wonderful read, honest and moving, despite it's intimidating page count. Read this.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I don't want to be one of those who compare books, because that isn't fair, but his first one, I feel was better. I could relate to the character more (1992's She's Come Undone). Yet Wally Lamb still wows me with his prose and his incredible portrait of the perfectly imperfect Dominick Birdsey. Thomas was an excellent character, too. What I love about Mr. Lamb is that he makes you care, whether you want to or not. This book is incredibly deep. The 900+ pages shouldn't scare anyone off..the content more than makes up for the length. And the length is needed. What is also needed is more books like these. Today's flimsy pop-fiction bestsellers cannot compare to the intelligence and depth this book contains. More authors should spend the time crafting their work as exquisitely as Mr. Lamb.

Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: I enjoyed this book very much but was a bit disappointed with it. After reading Lamb's first book, She's Come Undone, I was expecting another five star book. Although this one came close, I just did not enjoy it as much. It really seemed to drag at times and there were characters he could have expanded a bit. A good read, but not my favorite novel of Lamb's.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Human
Review: I read "She's Come Undone" two years ago, and I was amazed at the skill of Wally Lamb. I couldn't beleive that it was his first novel. So when I heard about his sophomore peice, I was very eager to read it. Yes, the size (900 pages +)was a bit intimidating, but never let the length of a book deter you from reading it. I read it within a week, and I was blown away. For starters, it has a completely different feel from "She's Come Undone." I almost couldn't beleive that these two books were written by the same man. Dominick was a great protagonist. He was so human, not a one-dimensional stock character. His relationship with his brother was so realistic, you felt as if you were getting to experience a peice of the real bond between twins. His portrayal of a paranoid schizophrenic was impressive too. As a student of psychology, I was amazed at how well Lamb managed to capture the essence of the disease. The characters were well-developed, and the courses of action that they take are highly beleiveable. I love the way that you got to see Dominick's conflicting feelings about his brother, his fierce devotion to him, yet his anger at feeling bound to care for him forever. The story is well thought out, and very absorbing. And though it deals with such issues as racism and child abuse, it is not a depressing read. It shows the perserverance of the human spirit, and manages to do so without becoming predictable, or unbearably wholesome and politically correct. The only problem that I had with this book was the conclusion. It did become the typical happy American fairy-tale ending, but I still wouldn't take a star away from the novel for that. Five pages of a bad ending are worth reading for the 900+ pages of instant classic. I loved every minute I spent reading this book, and I look forward to reading it again.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent--very moving and real
Review: Having just finished reading this book for a second time, I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a rich story with vivid characters. As a person who has worked for years in the mental health field, I was very impressed by Mr. Lamb's accurate portrayal of a person suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia. I also enjoyed the fact that the main character, Dominick, was very human--warts and all.

Mr. Lamb's style of writing is very appealing; Dominick seems to be speaking directly to the reader. The story flows much like a conversation does.

I strongly recommended this book!

Rating:
Summary: I Know This Much is True...
Review: Disclaimer: Do Not Be Put off By the Length of this book! I read it in 4 days. Once you start, it is almost impossible to put down as you anxiously await what happens next in the lives of these vividly drawn characters.

What could be a CBS Movie of the week in a less-skilled author's hands, is instead a powerful story that gets under your skin whether you want it to or not. It's a story that covers many controversial issues, but Wally Lamb never lets it turn into melodrama, or gets preachy in his views. The story takes many twists and turns and is never predictable. Its pace is steady and the book delivers right up until the last of the 900+ pages.

I have never cried while reading a book, but I wept openly as I read this. Whether it was the heartbreaking relationship between the brothers, or the emotional ending, this book touched me. I was unable to read anything else for a long time and I have yet to read a book that has affected me like this one did.

(A final note to those who may not have liked "She's Come Undone." I loved that book, but a very good, well-read friend of mine hated it. I urged him to read "I Know..." and he couldn't put it down. He said that "She's Come Undone" paled in comparison and that he's never read a book quite like this. In other words, don't compare to what came before- it's like apples and oranges...)

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding. Could not put it down
Review: One of the best books I have read in ages. Wally Lamb draws you in and wraps you up in the lives of the brothers. I could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for all
Review: Ok, I must admit, when I first began the book I found it extremely tedious. After a long day's work who wants to come home and read about somebody else's misery? Us readers pick up a book to escape, not to hear about somebody else's problems worse then our own. I mean, if I wanted to hear problems I would just call up one of my girlfriends.

So I put the book down for a couple of weeks and went on to another novel, only to be done with it in 5 days time. I picked up I Know This Much is True once again due to lack of any other reading material and just kept reading and reading. Within two days time I absolutely could not put it down. This novel penetrates each characters persona in such a way that you feel like you know them inside and out. The story takes you though the daily struggles of Dominick with flashbacks to his childhood so you begin to really understand and feel why his anger exists and the long downward jouney that led Thomas to where he resides. This story will make you laugh, want to cry, feel angry, and most of all permeate your daily life, so much so that you will be thinking about it during the course of your day. And don't be put off by the size-one reason it does effect the reader is because it becomes part of the readers life for so long because of the time it takes to read.

This is a wonderful book about the circumstances that shape us and the destruction that causes reconstruction in out lives