Rating: 
Summary: Why aren't more novels like this one?
Review: This is the sort of book you wish more books were like -- a literary page-turner. The author pirouettes repeatedly on the line between drama and melodrama yet manages not to cross it; she gets every image and emotion just right without boring the reader or choking on her own prose. I found myself worrying about the characters in the middle of the night. My advice would be to close the book when you hit the page that says "Epilogue." As for the first 335 pages, however, I don't think I can recommend them highly enough. Let's hope all the talented but turgid novelists clogging up literary fiction these days take a lesson.
Rating: 
Summary: Starts out with a bang...
Review: This story showed considerable promise, when it began with an errant bullet that struck the baby step-sister of a nine year old boy, Teddy, who is unfortunately wielding the gun while at a neighbor's house. The family starts to disintegrate when the fragmented family cannot deal with this catastrophic event: Dan, the father of baby Trina, Gisele, the mother and her son Teddy, from her first marriage. This second marriage had happened when Gisele transplanted herself and her young son in California, divorcing her first husband in Nebraska. The author never explains why the mother chose California or what plans she may have had for the future. Gisele does the predictable, falling in love and marrying her college professor. She soon finds herself pregnant and their short marital history is emeshed with the birth of Trina. Gisele finds Dan particularly attractive since he is unafraid to express his "feminine" side. He shows this side of his personality after their tiny daughter's death; he cries a lot, reading grief books, and lashing out at the stepson. It becomes clear that Dan will never forgive his stepson, nor does he seem to have much vested in the marriage. He easily slips away, spending late nights at the office writing a tell-all book, joining support groups, etc. This is where the book falls apart for me. There is an interview after the story finishes, where the author states that she feels it is possible to write about this mother's loss off one child and conflicted feelings for the one who did the deed, but I don't think Ms. Swick accomplishes her goal. I can never quite get a fix on the mother, don't even know if I like her. And her second husband is such a stereotype of a "California Dad", that I can never take anything he says or does seriously. There is so much California bashing in this book, I wonder if that was the motivation for placing the beginning of the story there. It's too convenient, as is the cardboard stepdad, as well as the rock solid mid-west Dad that Teddy longs for. By the end of the book, there is a facile resolution and a not too subtle twist. Overall, the story tracked ok until the resolution of grief became too shallow for me to care much about the characters, especially the mother. I was glad when I read that she was only thirty, maybe too young to plumb real emotional depths that were available to the author, but unfortunately mostly ignored.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read, could have been better, and a bit dated.
Review: This was a book I couldn't put down. However, with all of the commercial references it seemed as though various companies sponsored the book. There were some parts that contradicted one another, such as Trina's favorite book before she died was Koko, but sometime later the author wrote "her favorite book after Koko was Green Eggs and Ham," which wasn't consistent. The peak of the novel was the very first chapter. A good first chapter is what gets a reader interested in the book, but the rest of the book was a little disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: An enjoyable read and one that stays with you!
Review: When Bad things happen to good people....a novel about how they put their lives together again.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic, sad and yet an eye opening novel
Review: When I first bought this novel I knew something tragic had happend to a family and that they had to learn to live with what had happend, yet I I'm not to sure I was prepared for what I was about to read. When a 9 year old little boys day starts off he never imagined the events of the day would ever happen. Erics friend decides hes going to sneak a peak at his parents .38 caliber gun tragedy strikes. Erics baby sister is shot! Thats all he sees at first, then reality sets in, his friend let him see and hold the gun when the phone rings and the gun accidently goes off. Now Eric, his mother and step father have to learn to survive after such a horrid accident.I've heard of such tragedy on the news, seen it in the newspapers and still yet this novel opened my eyes. I have a 5 year old child, and after reading this novel I honestly believe there will never be a gun in my home. Reality is no matter how hard we try to protect our children from violence and guns they seem to get a hold of them no matter how hard we try. Locking up our guns, hiding them and teaching them NOT to touch reality is they still find them, are still curious and still more times then not a catastrophe occurs. The end of the novel was a little disapointing, still this book deserves 5 stars. This is a great novel for everyone, but a must read for any parent.
Rating:
Summary: It's not what I thought it would be
Review: When I first picked this book up, I thought it was just another easy read ~~ something quick and brainless to pass the time. I was not expecting good writing or a good story line ... and this book threw me for a change. I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover like I did with this one. However, despite its good writing and plot, the story itself is brutal, hard, self-searching for truth and deals with a tough issue ... accidental death by shooting. Teddy accidentally shoots his baby sister, Trina, and his whole life turns upside down as well as his mom and stepdad's. And Swick deals with the issue of grieving, bitterness, anger, a mother's struggle to continue to love her son ... all in this compact book. She deals with the death from all angles and does a good job. You relate to everyone of the characters and you see something that makes the evening news with a closer perspective than you would normally. I enjoyed this book much to my surprise, considering the grisly theme. It also isn't just a cheap thriller either. It's a book I would pass on for friends to read. It's much better than I thought it would be and I recommend it for anyone to read.
Rating:
Summary: I Wish I Could give it 6 Stars
Review: You've got to read this novel.... it's an incredibly painful journey but SO well worth it. I was so hooked that I read Evening News in one day . Then I went out and bought Marly's other novel, Paper Wings and read it in one day too. This author is incredible! Evening News really affected me. I couldn't get this book out of my mind. Weeks later I'm still thinking about it. Be careful if you are one of the emotionally "faint-of heart" though. It's not an easy story.
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