Rating: 
Summary: Brutal and Emotional Read
Review: This book begins with one of the worst tragedies that can happen to a family--the accidental murder of one member by another. Before this occurred, nine year old Teddy lived with his mother Giselle, step-father Dan and 18 month old half-sister Trina as a happy family in California. After Teddy accidentally shoots and kills Trina with a neighbor's gun, the family struggles to overcome and retain what they once had. They soon realize that that is impossible, as Dan cannot forgive Teddy and Teddy cannot forgive himself. What follows is each character's struggle to make sense of a senseless tragedy and heal. No one is given easy answers or convenient escape routes or resolutions. Although the topic is disturbing, this is a rare realistic look at human tragedy and the ability to forgive and heal.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, mediocre writing
Review: This book caught my attention in the bookstore- mainly because of the subject matter. I enjoy stories about families and the traumas they face. I looked forward to reading this book, but was a little disappointed in the writing. I would've liked Swick to tell this story in first person from either Teddy's or Giselle's point of view. I felt the third person narration was stilted and led to some melodrama (Giselle running out of the funeral). Also a few inconsistencies: Giselle doesn't believe in God, heaven, etc., yet thinks of Trina being "up there" with Dan's father- the grandfather she's never met. This writer has been compared to Jane Hamilton and Sue Miller. If you're a Hamilton or Miller fan, you'll be disappointed. Swick has her moments (some of Teddy's lines are chilling at times), but all in all it seems like the book was written too fast w/o enough research of real-life situations involving accidental shootings. It also seemed unrealistic that there was little media coverage of the shooting. Not even one reporter visited their home or called? That seems hard to believe. Bottom line: If you like family stories, you'll keep turning the pages, but don't expect to be moved by this one.
Rating:
Summary: A disturbingly real piece of "fiction".
Review: This book was incredibly upsetting to read. Considering that on the third page, a toddler is dead and a little boy is left holding the smoldering gun, you know you're in for a tough ride. Over and over, as I read the book, I would stop and moan to my boyfriend about how rattled the book made me. His response was, "Then STOP reading it! Don't be sad!" But that was the last thing I could do. Every page shocked me, shook my emotions, and made me feel nothing but pity for this family. The scariest part? This family could be anyone I know. It could be the family down the street, who seem to be so happy. Who knows what will happen to them tomorrow? This book is not for the faint of heart, that is certain. But it is beautifully written, heart wrenching, and honest. Not all of it is sad, there are many moments of humor and happiness...Just, not a lot. Pick it up, you might never be the same.
Rating:
Summary: A disturbingly real piece of "fiction".
Review: This book was incredibly upsetting to read. Considering that on the third page, a toddler is dead and a little boy is left holding the smoldering gun, you know you're in for a tough ride. Over and over, as I read the book, I would stop and moan to my boyfriend about how rattled the book made me. His response was, "Then STOP reading it! Don't be sad!" But that was the last thing I could do. Every page shocked me, shook my emotions, and made me feel nothing but pity for this family. The scariest part? This family could be anyone I know. It could be the family down the street, who seem to be so happy. Who knows what will happen to them tomorrow? This book is not for the faint of heart, that is certain. But it is beautifully written, heart wrenching, and honest. Not all of it is sad, there are many moments of humor and happiness...Just, not a lot. Pick it up, you might never be the same.
Rating: 
Summary: Mary Swick gets all the little things right
Review: This book will not appeal to everyone, given that its subject matter essentially involves a "programmed bummer," i.e., the aftermath of the accidental shooting of a toddler by her older brother. The loss of a child is perhaps the ultimate tragedy that an adult can face, and the very prospect may be too daunting for some potential readers to fathom. Swick takes this horrifying theme and creates a moving, convincing, highly readable novel. The various reactions by different family members, friends, and acquaintances are all plausible and vividly portrayed. The trajectories of the streams-of-consciousness of the protagonist mother and her son, including the inevitable pangs of guilt, remorse, and disbelief associated with a tragedy of this magnitude, are skillfully presented. This is definitely a page-turner that, once begun, is very hard to put down. On the downside, there is definitely the feel here of a made-for-tv-movie-in-the-offing (a "women's movie," for sure), and the very nature of the subject matter lends itself to occasional passages that seem unnecessarily maudlin. Also, the ending, a kind of "flash forward to see how it all turned out," seemed unsatisfactory to me. A more ambivalent and indeterminate ending, in which the reader could imagine varying potential outcomes, would seem more in keeping with the overall tone of the book. As it is actually written, there is a kind of sappiness to the conclusion, a "gee, if we all give it our best effort and love one another, things will turn out ok" sentiment that seemed shallow in comparison to the rest of the book. Still, overall this is a worthwhile read, and it motivates me to explore other works by this author.
Rating:
Summary: dare you to put it down
Review: This is a sensitive and believable treatment of something that can easily happen all too often in this country today when parents keep loaded guns in the house--for any reason--and children manage to get access to them. The author has portrayed the characters of both sexes realistically and the book is likely to make a reader think about all of the issues surrounding gun control, crime, protection from criminals, etc. She also shows the destruction and resurrection of characters through their various reactions to tragedy. I found it endlessly interesting and left with a hopeful ending.
Rating:
Summary: A touching tale of the "road not taken"
Review: This is a well written novel that has an interesting style of weaving the past and present through the eyes of a dying woman. It makes you wonder if this is what the experience is like. It will touch the heart of those who were lucky (or unlucky) enough to have the experience of a surprise love that was not pursued. How much in her life was compared to that experience. Is this considered a tragedy of life or something special to be treasured. It will make those who have been there wonder.
Rating:
Summary: Superb new novel by one of America's most gifted writers.
Review: This is an excellent, beautifully composed book, with carefully nuanced insights into human character, and careful and well-designed construction. Beginning with a catastrophe in the opening pages, Swick traces the paths of her characters with sympathy, humor, and a superb eye for telling detail, something that has always marked her work as a writer. One of the best books I've read recently...remarkable in all respects. Swick is one of the most engaging novelists of the late 1990s.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I am waiting to see Oprah put it on her list -it is that kind of book. I love the author's style of writing - dialogue so real! The book is basically sad but there are times you laugh at the side comments. I've have told everyone who will listen to read this - whether or not you are happy with the ending - it is very realistic and I was glad that Ms. Swick did give you a glance into the future unlike a lot of books that keep you wondering even when they have ended. A definite must read!
Rating:
Summary: exceptional.........a haunting study of a family tragedy
Review: This is quite simply one of the best books I have ever read. From start to finish I was totally mesmerised by the authors fascinating study of a family torn apart by a tragic accident. I genuinely felt so sorry for Giselle and the impossibility of her situation. A mother suffering such a dreadful bereavement, and yet, at the same dreadful time, trying to fight to keep her family together. I will certainly read more of this authors work.
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