Rating: 
Summary: Good Writing. Unsympathetic Charactors
Review: It is always interesting to read other reviewers thoughts on this book. There were alot of extremes on both ends. I fall somewhere in the middle. I think the author does a wonderful job with getting the readers' attention with his style of writing and detail. I believe his intent was to create two diametrically opposed charactors and personalities in persuit of the same goal. Although the Colonel was stubborn, boastful and self-righteous, I felt a certain degree of respect for the guy because he was a hard worker and his family was his priority. On the other hand with Kathy, I found her to be incredibly irritating and annoying. Not only did she make an utter mess of her life, she also ruined other peoples lives. I cannot figure out if I lost any sympathy for her, or simply failed to develop any. I am not sure why the author went into such excruciating detail of her sexual practices. Perhaps it was to add a certain coarseness to her charactor. I simply found her repulsive.Mr. Dubus certainly is a talented and gifted writer which leads me to wonder why an author of his status would not do more research on the geagraphical surroundings in the book. With the descriptions of the scoarching hot weather and quinching oneself by swimming in the Purisima River I kept wondering if this was really taking place on the bayou. Anybody who has been around the San Francisco area-especially the coast knows how cold and chilly it is. I know I sound petty but this was slightly annoying and distracting. I am glad I read this book. It makes you realize what extremes some people will go to get what they want. I personally liked the ending. I just wish he could create a more sympathetic famale lead charactor.
Rating: 
Summary: Felt like I needed a bath after this one!
Review: This novel was chosen by my book club... Our overall review was a resounding thumbs down. It starts off promising enough with an interesting premise, and did hold my attention till about the halfway point. Then something strange begins to happen to the plot and the characters, they both deteriorate to the point of ridiculousness. I was especially amazed with the character of Lester, who although seemingly portrayed as a loving father engages in such inexplicably reckless and stupid behavior as to certainly result in his children being minus their daddy. The novel is also gratuitously interrupted with raunchy ...descriptions that sound like a junior high school boy and his friends were penning the scenes. Save yourself the aggrevation and don't bother with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Not so great
Review: This book is a light read. None of the characters are likable (with the exception of a thirteen year old) making it difficult to empathize with any of them. Many of the situations are implausible & the author's style is often doughy,repetative & long-winded. In addition, his knowledge of the geography of the San Francisco Bay area is patchy, which can be distracting. Take this one to the beach with you, but don't waste too much time on it.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating journey into madness
Review: "House of Sand & Fog" was my bookclub's monthly selection & I was captivated within the first pages....how could a naive, confused young lady lose her only inheritance through foreclosure?? How could a likeable foreign officer establish himself in America's (especially California's) tough economy?? I empathized with each & was spellbound by their downward spiral into madness. An unforgettable read....I loved this book!
Rating:
Summary: Well Written, Poorly Researched
Review: I will look forward to more from Andre Dubus III, but hope that either he knows more -- or I know less -- about the setting he chooses for his next effort. House of Sand and Fog is a story bound to make almost any reader uncomfortable, but Dubus has made it especially frustrating for those familiar with the San Francisco Bay area. He needlessly confuses geography and landmarks. He portrays the (anti)heroine smoking without incident in even the best restaurants (both legally and actually impossibile for years), and puts the tell-tale outlander's diminutive "Frisco" on the lips of a supposed Bay area native. Heaven help you if you try listening to Dubus and his sister reading the audio-book version - neither one has a clue about the pronunciation of local place-names. But still, the man can write, and if you can endure the research lapses, read it for the joy of encountering a new talent.
Rating: 
Summary: house of sand and fog
Review: This was an utterly compelling book - I read it in two days, I couldn't put it down. The detail and narrative writing style force you to empathize with both characters equally, and that is the struggle for the reader. You are amazed and dismayed at the terrible situation that both injured parties are put in. However, you realize that only one party can win in this situation. And then the writer pulls the mat right out from under you at the end, with a horribly tragic conclusion. I was absolutely devestated when the book ended the way it did. As in real life though, not everything is a happy ending. Not for the faint of heart or those who can't handle anything beyond a harlequin romance (as it seems a lot of the people reviewing this novel cannot)
Rating:
Summary: A good read about a sad tale
Review: I enjoyed this book. It seemed to me that it presented the problems that entire countries face in relating to each other in the way these two people related to their own problems. Both characters had good points and both looked at the situation very differently. It is the same with countries as the culture of one country does not unterstand the culture of the other country. I agree that the sheriff was not well drawn, but overall a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Fate Takes Control
Review: House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III Sometimes in life certain situations are set into motion and the inevitability of fate pushes events into otherwise unheard of tragedies. Such is the case in House of Sand and Fog. When Kathy Nicolo is mistakenly evicted from her house by the county, and it is subsequently bought at auction by Iranian immigrant Colonel Behrani, both are thrust into a marathon of anguish that eventually destroys both their lives. Add Deputy Sheriff Lester Burden to the mix and you get not only a love story full of passion, but also the destruction of another family and extremes of lawlessness than surprise even the most jaded suspense reader. The conflict of cultures is another theme that is woven throughout the novel. Colonel Behrani was a high-ranking officer in the Shah's government before the revolution in Iran whose family lived in luxury, but who was ultimately forced to flee Iran or else risk slaughter by the new regime's fundamentalist soldiers. After living in Europe for a time, the Behrani's immigrated to the United States where the Colonel was forced to work at menial jobs which he considered beneath himself to be able to support his family. The contrast of cultures is evident in Berhani's wife, who longs for her country and family , and his handsome teenage son who speaks perfect English and lives to ride his skateboard. The colonel's shame and humiliation at his family's downfall plays a great part in his desire to hang on to the cottage despite the obvious moral conflict of living in a house obtained dishonestly. As for Kathy, the apparent victim, we find a not altogether likeable character for whom it is hard to find much sympathy except the basic indignation against a government agency which refuses to admit they were wrong. All through the novel it is hard not to think what tragedy could have been avoided if the county had not made such a huge error. But that is where Fate comes in, as it does in real life, and the reader is shown in all too graphic description what can happen to a person when it seems that everything has been taken away. This is an interesting and compelling book not only for the suspenseful story but also for the moral implications that it reveals. Do cultural norms really make such a difference in one's perception of what is right and wrong, or is basic human nature the same all over the world? These are questions that are not answered, and don't need to be answered, in this book, but they are questions that you will ask after you read it.
Rating:
Summary: Oprah... what were you thinking
Review: I should have read the reader's reviews before I bought this book - if I had I would have saved myself a bit of cash. Being neurotic I have to finish what I start and House of Sand and Fog or as I started affectionately calling it "House of Sand and S#@*" was a drag all the way through. I tried to convince myself that the meaning and mythic potential behind the gratuitous and ultimately boring sex as well as the poor character development was worth it but the author just didn't pull it off. One good thing - I discovered that I really do have discriminating tastes when it comes to books - Oprah has recommended some really good stuff before but this is definitely not one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Facts obscured by fog
Review: If it were not for the fact that this it my book club's book this month, I would not bother finishing it. I find the author's lack of geographical knowledge about the area very disconcerting. Secondly, the characters are not at all likeable. Some reviews have suggested that the book is not for those who choose to delude themselves with uplifing stories. I don't require an uplifting story, but I prefer characters to have some redeeming value.
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