I Know This Much Is True

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Summary: It's got to be autobiographical!
Review: This story developed naturally. I began to think from the first 2 or 300th page that it must be autobiographical, especially the devolution of the relationship between a man and his schizophrenic twin. At the end of the book, I found "A List of Sources Consulted." Lots of books about twins, and even a source called "Schizophrenia and Genetics: A Twin Study Vantage Point." I still wonder how Lamb knows so much about twins and schizophrenia, and also how he knows so much about Connecticut Indians, Italian immigrants, economics in the 1910's -- not to mention stained-glass artistry in Italy at the turn of the century! Guess he did his homework.

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Summary: angry
Review: Lamb's first book was great--so I expected more of the same. The book was very easy to put down through the first half and through all of that anger that Dominick projected. The first half was a chore to read, but the second half delivered the excellent story-telling abilities of Wally Lamb.

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Summary: The most moving book I have ever read
Review: i was afraid to pick up this book because it was so large, but once I did, I could not put it down. You truley feel like you are experiencing the lives of the twins. When the book ended, I felt both happiness and sadness because it was over!

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Summary: Powerful! Brothers or sisters - we all are there somewhere
Review: If ever we seek understanding of our childhood with our family, parents and/or or siblings, with lost memories of the "wicked or evil" injustices of our childhood, however perceived, this book may, in a small way, give us a key to reveal a path to follow to understand and maybe to forgive - ourselves, our parents, our siblings, and maybe life.

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Summary: Fabulous
Review: Once I got the first 200 pages or so under my belt, I couldn't put this book down. It does have some disturbing parts to it, but it is well worth the read. I liked it so much more than "She's Come Undone." Don't let the length of the book scare you. It's great!

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Summary: A painful, yet insightful journey
Review: I almost put this book away before I had hardly begun. Lamb builds this painful, yet insightful journey through Dominick's life so slowly, like a painter or sculptur, your image of this man's life and family begins to come into focus one revealing incident or heart breaking detail after another. Then I couldn't put the book down. It's in the very common and the extraordinary circumstances in this family that one begins to recognize acquaintances, friends and maybe even family members. The sheer honesty and emotional detail with which Lamb tells this story makes one laugh one moment and recoil the next. I found this book very moving, even disturbing. Lamb is a great writer. I recommend this book highly and look forward to his future publications.

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Summary: The best book I've read in quite a while!
Review: It is quite remarkable how Wally Lamb is able to write with such intensity! This book is a real page turner all the way to the end.

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Summary: Don't let the size stop you from reading this wonderful book
Review: I hesitated to read this book because of the size. I am a literature and creative writing student in the Master's Program at CSUChico and the semester had just started. And it is 900 pages long! But I am so glad I did. The prose is beautifully written. The characters are very real. You don't read this book, you live it with Dominick and Thomas. Thomas is a wonderfully true sketch of a schizophrenic, but by going through their lives, you realize how much more he is. He is a person and the reality of seeing past the labels in the book as well as real life is very moving. It is an honest look at a family dealing with this illness, a small town dealing with it, and the mental health care system's often ineffectual ways of dealing with people with the illness because of lack of funding. All in all, it was very well done.

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Summary: Wally Lamb isn't John Irving
Review: This book could have worked with the Dickensian touch of someone like John Irving. The suffering of Dominck Birdsey can only be matched by that of another fictional character, T.S. Garp. But Garp's suffering was interesting and poignant, and "I Know This Much Is True" is simply a collection of bad days. This is one of the few books I've read that I thought was poor enough to want my time back when I was done.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Can't wait for another Wally Lamb novel!
Review: I loved reading every word of this 900-page novel! The characters felt alive by the description that Wally Lamb uses. This truly is a five star novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read an excellent story!