I Know This Much Is True

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: You will love Dominick. You will hate him too. You'll feel sorry for him. You'll want to hold him and comfort him. And you'll also feel like smacking him. Such is the wonderful job Wally Lamb has done in describing Dominick's harsh, but tender tale of life with his schizophrenic twin brother. As we listen to the tale unfold, we read about the anger, hatred, resentment, pity and devotion Dominick has for his twin. Lamb takes a somewhat controversial topic and turns it into a remarkable study of that basic human emotion...love.

Rating:
Summary: I Know This Much is True
Review: Once I started reading this book I could not put it down! I kept wanting to know what else could possibly happen to Dominick Birdsey? I feel that Wally Lamb did a great job of putting me in Three Rivers. I was able to draw a clear mental picture of what all of the characters looked like as well as their surroundings. I was able to really feel the anger of Dominick. As horrible as some of the characters could be, Wally Lamb did a great job of showing some soft side to them so that I could not completely despise them. It was nice that the book had such a happy ending although it was kind of unbelievable. The only negetive about this novel is the language.

Rating:
Summary: An inspiring novel of a man's journey to self-understanding
Review: In this novel Wally Lamb had shown us the capacity we have to both understand and change ourselves. It is the struggle of one man to learn and accept who he is and where he came from, and to come to terms with the fact that he somehow escaped the mental illness that has consumed his twin brother. One of the best books I've ever read, and everyone I've talked to agrees.

Rating:
Summary: Gratifying!
Review: I first saw this book while in Eugene Oregon at a friends house who was about to have identical twins. Ironically, this story is about a set of identical twins in which one has schiizophrenia. This is a heartwrenching tale of how one sibling beat the pervobial genetic wrap and the trials the "sane" twin has to endure. It has all the entertaining features love, sex, drugs that keep a reader interested. Take it from me--I do not read too many 900 page books but this one kept me obsessed page after page. I simply could not put it down. By the end of the book--you feel like you know the characters personally. I could not stop thinking about the story days after reading it. This is the kind of novel that makes you feel like you will never find a better book!

Rating:
Summary: Wally's Best So Far
Review: No matter how depressed you are, this book will make you feel fortunat

Rating:
Summary: Worth it
Review: This book was so incrdible in some points... such brilliance shone through in his choice of words. Yet, on the same page crude language would be used explaining sexual desire... it killed a small part of the book. But still, it deseves it's four stars because now, in retrospect I'm assuming he used that type of thing to get you into the mindset of a middle-aged man. It is a good read if you can suffer therough some of the horrid chauvinism, but it is by that same undertone of masculinity why this book is good to read.

Rating:
Summary: An absolute must read!
Review: If you experience any human emotions, you must read this book. Although at the outset, a 900+ page book is daunting, by the time I finished, I wished that it had been 900 more. I felt at times that I was right there in Dominic's sometimes scary, often disturbing, always changing world. The love and devotion he has towards his brother was touching and deeply moving. And to be able to delve into his family's history through his grandfather's memoir was an amazing experience. The characters in this book are incredibly well-developed and seem like real people. I recommend this book to everyone I meet. It ranks up there with "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and "Sophie's Choice" for some of my favorite novels. I also loved "She's Come Undone" and I can't wait to see what's next from Wally Lamb.

Rating:
Summary: I wished I had the unabridged version!
Review: I listened to "She's Come Undone" which was okay but not fabulous, so I was a bit unwilling to plunge into a 900+ page book by the same author. I wished I had! WHat a great story! I think Ken Howard was a good choice considering the character telling the story...sure, he's like a football coach, and doesn't deign to women's voices, but he did the men's pretty good, especially Dominick and Thomas. Now I want to go back and read the book!

Rating:
Summary: Hard reading, worth the time
Review: It took me several months to get through this book. The story sometimes drags, especially when he tells stories about working for the city. But each time I picked it up, I easily slid back into the world Wally Lamb created. I've read a lot of books, and this one amazed me because as soon as I thought I knew where the story was going, I found a new curve in the road. I loved the ending and how it brought everything full circle. No matter if you are a twin or have someone in your family with a mental disorder, you need to read this book. Lamb has something in this story that you will relate to and be moved by.

Rating:
Summary: I gave the book away
Review: I did not finish the book, but gave it to my County Library. I could not wade through the large amounts of inappropriate language and activities. Definately an 'R' rated book and one I cannot recommend to my friends for this reason.