Rating: 
Summary: stunning depiction of family torn apart by horrible accident
Review: Marly Swick's Evening News is one of the best books I've read in a long while. The examination of how a family survives the accidental shooting of a two year old girl by her 9 year old half brother is brilliantly rendered. The plot moves effortlessly, with insights into the human condition on virtually every page. Ms. Swick has created characters that I absolutely believed in and cared about. I bought extra copies of this book just to give to friends and relatives.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly moving and poignant book
Review: My tears started flowing when I began the book and I didn't stop until I was through. I found it to be incredibly moving and poignant. The characters are well-drawn and sympathetic. I enjoyed the ending, although I read reviews here which suggested some people did not, I felt it really wrapped up the story for me.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwrenchingly good
Review: No matter what stage of life you are at when reading Evening News - this book will affect you. Marly Swick looks at the death of a child from every angle and speaks in all the right voices so that the reader can truly feel everyone's emotions - no one is right, no one is wrong but they are all learning to live with death in their own way.Evening News begins with on eof the most memorable opening chapters I have read in a long time. 9 Year old Teddy and his best friend Eric are playing with Eric's father's gun. In an instant, Teddy's beloved baby sister Trina is gone and his whole world has turned upside down and inside out. Teddy must deal with his mother, Giselle's and step-father, Dan's devestation as well as his own. He must live with the guilt and fear, Giselle must learn to grieve for Trinia and protect her son and Dan must learn to live and forgive. To make matters worse, Teddy's father wants Teddy to move back to Nebraska to live with him and heal. Marly Swick handles all of these emotions like an artist and the reader feels equally as confused as the charaters - The novel takes the reader through the first few months and years after the accident so that the reader learns what toll the devestation takes on this family. Will they learn to surivive this together or will they have to fight their battles on their own. She is so deft at creating the feelings of these characters through words that every reader, no matter whether they have suffered a loss in their lives or not, will grieve for Trina and her family. This is a fabulous novel - I can not wait to see aht Marly will write next. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Read it in one sitting.
Review: Someone gave me this book and it didn't sound like anything I'd want to read, I'm usually a mystery, thriller type person. I thought I'd just read the first few pages to see what it was about, I could not put it down. This is a book every mother will relate to. This book will rip your heart out. I love the way the book has the childs point of view, what he is thinking. Very well written.
Rating:
Summary: Read it in one sitting.
Review: Someone gave me this book and it didn't sound like anything I'd want to read, I'm usually a mystery, thriller type person. I thought I'd just read the first few pages to see what it was about, I could not put it down. This is a book every mother will relate to. This book will rip your heart out. I love the way the book has the childs point of view, what he is thinking. Very well written.
Rating:
Summary: SAVING LIVES
Review: Teddy has suffered a loss nobody should ever have to endure. At 9, he is responsible for the accidental death of his 23-month-old halfsister, Trina. Teddy and his friend Eric examine a gun belonging to Eric's parents when the gun accidentally goes off, killing Trina in her wading pool just outside Eric's window. Teddy was holding the gun. Devastated by the painful loss of Trina, Teddy's mother, Giselle and stepfather Dan seek family counseling. This gesture comes to a grinding halt when Teddy balks during the sessions and becomes more reclusive and aggressive. He attacks a neighbor's child, he steals small toys and expresses hostility in his words and motions. Giselle, a B.A. candidate finally relents and allows Teddy to spend the summer with his natural father. A gentle, direct man, Teddy's father Ed provides Teddy with the emotional stability the boy sorely needs. Teddy notes with delight that Ed treated him in a regular fashion as if Trina's death had not taken place; he is delighted when Ed chews him out for some minor infraction because that makes him feel "normal." Giselle, on the other hand was naturally unstable and erratic after Trina's death. Dan blamed Teddy and walked out on Giselle more than once. The crowning blow came when Giselle learned that Dan planned on writing a book about Trina's death. She is further betrayed when she sees Dan on a TV talk show discussing the book-to-be. After many long struggles with Giselle, including her extended visit to Nebraska to see Teddy and Ed, healing finally takes shape. Teddy tells his new friends in Nebraska that he "used to live in California" and one can feel his delight upon Giselle's departure for the West Coast. Teddy and Ed are good for each other and it is this father-son bond that helps Teddy heal. Years later, Giselle has obtained her law degree, moved from California and remarried. Ed, also has remarried and has a second son. Teddy applies to medical school and is ultimately accepted. He charts his own healing by declaring in his medical school application essay that he "knows what it means to take a life," but he wants to know "about saving lives." That was a very powerful statement. Marlys Swick handles the raw, naked, painful emotions of all of these characters in a sympathetic and believable way. This book is a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: The dialogue in this book is so realistic and meaningful. I loved this book for its extremely well-defined characters and an exceptional story. Swick is one of the best authors I've read.
Rating: 
Summary: Haunting story that is well written.
Review: The plot of this book could be ripped from any headline in today's newspapers. Swick has written a tough story about a 9 year old, Teddy, who has accidentally shot his half-sister, Trina. It is a gripping novel and one that is hard to read considering the subject matter. She has done a great job however in her portrayal of the characters. Giselle is the mother of both Teddy and Trina. Dan, her second husband, is Trina's father. The book deals with the theme of tragedy and how everyone grieves differently. Dan blames his stepson for his daughter's death and cannot move past this. He uses self-help books and therapy groups to ease his pain while Giselle self-medicates with alcohol and sleeping pills. Teddy is the character who stands out on his own. He knows that everyone, whether they admit it or not, blames him. He is a young boy who has to endure a tragedy and loss that no one should have to deal with. We watch his struggle to come to terms with his loss and the ultimate demise of his family. Swick has written Teddy's scenes from his own point of view and I found these to be the most haunting. This is a wonderfully written story that deals with an incredibly tough subject. The debate for gun control will inevitably drag on but I think that this novel shows the tragic results that can occur from a split second incident. Such pain can only endure a lifetime...and maybe time doesn't heal all wounds.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting story that is well written.
Review: The plot of this book could be ripped from any headline in today's newspapers. Swick has written a tough story about a 9 year old, Teddy, who has accidentally shot his half-sister, Trina. It is a gripping novel and one that is hard to read considering the subject matter. She has done a great job however in her portrayal of the characters. Giselle is the mother of both Teddy and Trina. Dan, her second husband, is Trina's father. The book deals with the theme of tragedy and how everyone grieves differently. Dan blames his stepson for his daughter's death and cannot move past this. He uses self-help books and therapy groups to ease his pain while Giselle self-medicates with alcohol and sleeping pills. Teddy is the character who stands out on his own. He knows that everyone, whether they admit it or not, blames him. He is a young boy who has to endure a tragedy and loss that no one should have to deal with. We watch his struggle to come to terms with his loss and the ultimate demise of his family. Swick has written Teddy's scenes from his own point of view and I found these to be the most haunting. This is a wonderfully written story that deals with an incredibly tough subject. The debate for gun control will inevitably drag on but I think that this novel shows the tragic results that can occur from a split second incident. Such pain can only endure a lifetime...and maybe time doesn't heal all wounds.
Rating: 
Summary: tedious
Review: The subject matter was of special interest to me as my extended family recently experienced a similar tragedy. But, I was turned off and totally annoyed by what I perceive to be the author's prejudice towards fat people which was blatantly portrayed in the book. Maybe the author is unaware (ha!), but when Giselle was unfairly or cruelly treated by strangers, they were always described as fat (one was "grossly overweight.") Maybe I am particularly sensitive the negative portrayal of fat people in all of our media, but I also can no longer stand by silently and allow it to go unnoticed. Author, find another forum for your prejudice. Or better yet, find some therapy.
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