Rating: 
Summary: AMAZING
Review: Where I work as a waitress we have started up our own little book club. There are two copies of She's Come Undone going around and I took up the challenge of reading this long, intimidating book while waiting for the other. I agree that at times it's a little hard to get through but the emotional rollar coaster this book takes you through is sooo... worth it. I cried, laughed and at times had to put it down out of anger but I loved every minute of it. Reviews I've read that say that the ending kills the book are WRONG. In this world full of misfortune and suffering it was nice to see light. I can't wait to get started on his other books. Kudos to Lamb one of the best authors I've read so far in my short life time.
Rating: 
Summary: An Epic Tale
Review: I just recently finished reading this book. I was a little hesitant about beginning this book based on its size but I wasn't disappointed. It is truly an epic tale concerning family and love. It centres around Dominick Birdsey and his twin brother, Thomas. Each brother has his own problems to confront and overcome. In doing so however we are given a glimpse of life into the past several generations and times. Some of the events are uncomfortable to read but through them we are able to see so much more of the character's personality. Wally Lamb is able to give us descriptive narrative and dialogue as well as terrific characterization. So many people in this novel were terribly flawed, but in hard times showed great strength. The lesson learned is that we need to forgive and that forgiveness has to extend to ourselves. Things happen in life at random and we must learn from them and grow.
Rating: 
Summary: I thought this was a biography of the band, Spandau Ballet..
Review: ...just kidding. Actually, I thought that this book is incredibly slow moving. The characters are not likable. What's even worse is that they're not even hatable. I felt like the book was like a dimly lit black and white movie. I'm 75% complete with this book and I just don't have it in me to finish it. Life's too short for depressing and uninteresting characters that don't help a plot to develop.
Rating:
Summary: Book Review: I Know This Much Is True
Review: Is life always figured out? Is reality real? Those are questions that may come up while reading I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. This wonderfully written, fantastically structured novel is worth every single moment spent on it.
This novel tells the story of Thomas and Dominick Tempesta, identical twins, Dominick born before midnight on December 31st, 1949 and Thomas born shortly thereafter on January 1st, 1950. Never having a father, only a mother, these brothers rely on each other greatly while growing up. Dominick was always the more dominate child, Thomas a little more soft-spoken. Mental illness takes hold of one, but not the other, or at least not to the degree that it affects the first.
This novel's greatest attribute is its fantastic story. Gripping and oftentimes hard to put down, the story and its accession are what make this novel a must read. Social, racial and moral issues are explored and left to make the reader wondering about each.
One of the small errors made by Lamb while writing this novel is not apparent until the very end of the novel. The story, as great as it is, wraps up too quickly and cleanly. For all the action that took place throughout the novel, a more thoughtful and drawn out conclusion is not be too much to ask for.
Wally Lamb has written a masterpiece. For those out there looking for a novel that begs not to be put down, this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Hope springs eternal, as they say
Review: I hesitated reading this because I had been so blown away by She's Come Undone, another book by this author, because so often authors are "one hit" wonders. (I remember I had been amazed that She's Come Undone was written by a man.) But I bought it and read it, and now I recommend it. I wasn't quite as blown away by this but the characters get ahold of you and don't loosen their grips for a minute. Despite being made uncomfortable by quite a few of the events that occur, I found I couldn't stop reading. The underlying theme of the randomness of life is one that I think most people can relate to. And the message that there's always hope that things will get better withstands fate's bombardment. Mr. Lamb definitely has a gift for the descriptive narrative and dialogue; and his characters, though sometimes deeply flawed, remind us there's strength and weakness in all of us. That's what gives us our humanity. I guess that the message we can take away from this book is that hope springs eternal, and we should forgive - ourselves and others.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable story and remarkable author
Review: I read lamb's i know... 3 years ago, i can say it really stunned me, i could not believe how good it was. First of all I would highlight the author's objectivity, showing the principal character skeptical but at the same time sensitive to those beliefs or thoughts other characters show or teache him, this is actually the fight we have so many times inside ourselves. The author's irony about so many current matters really makes one laugh out loud. Somehow it is also a sarcastic and ironic view over our life and society, at least books like this make us laugh more at ourselves a bit, not to be so self-assured.
In general, i would say this book contains so much of life itself, the way we act continuously, our thoughts, sadness, memories, love to our families and friends... a book that anyone can enjoy even if it is sadly at times, because although it is a sad book overall, the magic of the written words are bigger than the mysery they may contain.
finally, i would like to state that when i bought the book my English was even worse than it is now, still it kept me reading and underlining half the words, but still reading it, that was how much I liked it. I could not stop until I went through its over 900 pages. Congratulations Wally! You are my favourite author!
Rating:
Summary: a complicated life story
Review: This book tells the messed-up life story of fortysomething Dominick Birdsey. His twin brother, Thomas, is a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is God's messenger and that various government agencies are out to get him. Dominick's and Thomas' stepfather, while somewhat mellowed out in his old age, is revealed to have been a sadistic hateful abusive stepfather when the boys were young. Dominick struggles between love and hate for his deceased, meek, submissive, weak and fearful mother. And as this long novel unfolds, more people, many of whom are just as screwed-up as the rest of the characters, are introduced to the reader. Probably the most interesting and sickeningly fascinating part of the book is the self-righteous auto-biography of Dominick's Italian immigrant grandfather that is sprinkled throughout the last half of the novel. One thing I didn't like about this book, something that made it difficult to wade through at times, was the immense anger of the main character, Dominick. He spends nearly the entire book being angry at everybody and everything. There was a complete lack of joy and an intense negative vibe in the first two-thirds of the book. Other than that though, this was a really good book, at times hard to put down. Everything wraps up pretty neat and tidy at the end. But I'm not complaining because I hate it when a book as a bad ending.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book!
Review: I am a 14 year old girl, and I read this book. I was amazed at how good it was! I'm now reading "She's Come Undone" and It is very good too. I suggest this book to anyone and everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: Another wonderful book for Mr. Lamb. Emotionally involving, human characters. Anyone with a heart will be pushed to feel more sympathy for the characters than you would think in a book.
Rating:
Summary: a novel of compassion
Review: I just loved this book. I could say so many things about it. Lamb gives us such memorable characters-they are so human. He gives us an intriguing story that keeps us engaged. He addresses psychology, history, language, religion and family. What I loved most of all is that he shows us what it means to be compassionate. Yes, it is easy to talk about it, but to live compassionately entails many struggles. The narrator Dominick goes through so much, yet he never loses his humanity. To the end, he remains loyal and loving to his twin brother. It is a story of brotherly love on many levels. You cannot help but feel for Dominick. Sometimes he can be selfish, but he really is a good person. You see him grow in a positive way. I fell in love with his goodness. I am thankful to Wally Lamb for this wonderful and endearing book that I will never forget. This much is true-we should remain loving, loyal, and compassionate to the people we love, or else life does not make sense.
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