Evening News: A Novel Abridged

Rating:
Summary: Evening News is a riveting story.
Review: I found this book to be a riveting story - I began reading it one Sunday afternoon and couldn't put it down until I finished it early Monday morning. It touched a deep chord in my mind and even after I fell asleep my mind continued to churn on it, to the point even of giving me a nighmare (unusual for me). The book takes us through the paces of how tragedy can tear a family, and lives, apart. Very moving - I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Good analysis of family tragedy
Review: I learned something very important from reading this book: everyone grieves in different ways and they are all legitimate. It was interesting to see how people in the same household can react so differently to the same tragedy. I especially enjoyed the part from Teddy, the 10 year old boy's perspective. His was the most tender because he was not yet even old enough to comprehend the magnitude of what he did, although there was no doubt in his mind that it would change his life forever. I appreciated that this was not a sappy story. It wasn't written to draw tears from the reader. It was a real character-study on how different people can react to extreme tragedy and how each is able to move on from that point. Each character had his/her own flaws and you can relate better to them because of that. I thought the set-up of the story was really well-thought out: brother kills half-sister, stepfather harbors hatred for stepson, mother caught in the middle, real father wanting to take away the boy to protect him. It's a very real situation and a very difficult one to write about in so many voices and Marly Swick did a good job at it.

Rating:
Summary: Good analysis of family tragedy
Review: I learned something very important from reading this book: everyone grieves in different ways and they are all legitimate. It was interesting to see how people in the same household can react so differently to the same tragedy. I especially enjoyed the part from Teddy, the 10 year old boy's perspective. His was the most tender because he was not yet even old enough to comprehend the magnitude of what he did, although there was no doubt in his mind that it would change his life forever. I appreciated that this was not a sappy story. It wasn't written to draw tears from the reader. It was a real character-study on how different people can react to extreme tragedy and how each is able to move on from that point. Each character had his/her own flaws and you can relate better to them because of that. I thought the set-up of the story was really well-thought out: brother kills half-sister, stepfather harbors hatred for stepson, mother caught in the middle, real father wanting to take away the boy to protect him. It's a very real situation and a very difficult one to write about in so many voices and Marly Swick did a good job at it.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning, heartbreaking read
Review: I picked this book up in the supermarket, an impulse buy. From the moment I began reading, I was stunned by this story. At times, I had to put the book down so I could catch my breath and deal with the emotions evoked by Swick's deceptively simple prose. Particularly poignant and gripping is Teddy's point of view. As a reader, I cared so deeply for this boy, it almost hurt to read his thoughts. As a writer myself, I was in awe of Ms. Swick's talent. WARNING: keep a box of Kleenex handy. You'll need it.

Rating:
Summary: Evening News is a great book written by a master author
Review: I read Marly Swick's Paper Wings, but Evening News shows she is really coming into her own as one of our great modern writers. I bought the book at a very busy time for me, but two days later I had read the entire novel, at the expense of the other things I needed to get done. This book does not just make you think about the death of a child. It deals with marriage, getting along with ex-spouses, and how events affect us for years, maybe even the rest of our lives. If you want to read a book that will stick with you long after you have read it, and if you want a book that you will have a hard time not reading in a short period of time, then buy and read this book!

Rating:
Summary: A true masterpiece!
Review: I read this book in only 1 day! I have to say that it was amoung the saddest stories I have ever read. As a mother, I felt the pain as if it were my own. I would recommend this heartfelt novel to anybody!!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing read
Review: I started this book with the promise of a great read - a tragedy that could happen to anyone. But halfway through, I couldn't help wondering - what about the mother's grief for her slain child. Too much of this novel was concentrated on Giselle doing what was best for her son and coping with a self-centered 2nd husband - I guess maybe that was the authors premise in the first place, but I really wanted more depth to Giselle's character. I was only emotionally hit with the last paragraph in the book - that's what hit me like a fist to the stomach.

Rating:
Summary: Read it in a day
Review: In reading some of the other reviews of this book, I found it interesting that folks who submitted some of the less favorable reviews were disappointed with the overall grim tone of the book or the lack of redemption for some of its characters. I think that's what made this book so incredibly real. I can't imagine that people who have been through this type of tragedy would ever feel complete redemption; and I can't imagine that they would ever be able to have completely "normal" lives again. This story haunted me long after the day it took to read it simply because of the complexity of emotions involved in the situation described. I look forward to more books from this author.

Rating:
Summary: Heartfelt Writing
Review: Marly Swick knows how to capture her readers. I found the characters entirely empathetic and her poignant style of writing is perfect. Not too sappy, just perfect. The struggle that envelops this family right after a tragic accident paints a beautiful picture of a family slowly reconfiguring themselves

Rating:
Summary: Heartfelt Writing
Review: Marly Swick knows how to capture her readers. I found the characters entirely empathetic and her poignant style of writing is perfect. Not too sappy, just perfect. The struggle that envelops this family right after a tragic accident paints a beautiful picture of a family slowly reconfiguring themselves