Rating: 
Summary: enjoyable book
Review: i found this book to be utterly breathtaking. Dubus has the excellent capability to make the characters realistic and dynamic. As I read through the other reviews, it seems that people have problems with the realism of this book. As if all books are supposed to display perfect lives. Well not all books do that, just as not all people or lives are perfect and clean. I enjoyed the examination of the Persian culture in this novel. I also liked along the set up of the novel, alternating perceptions given by the characters to form individual chapters. The ending is fantastic, nothing that anybody could predict. And to all the people that gave reviews based on the first chapters, please read the entire book before making comments, you are only being ignorant to the facts-it was a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible writing, but a very upsetting story
Review: I was not surprised to read the mixture of reviews for this book from raving to very disappointed. My first reaction to the book was complete disappointment, but then I realized that my disappointment is with the characters, not the writing. Dubus creates people that are frighteningly realistic. This book is as much about the difficulty and irresponsibility of contemporary American society as it is about the immigrant experience. The characters (for me, especially the two Americans) want to make you cringe and throw the book away, but the development of the story, the new experiment in story telling (from three perspectives in continutation) and Dubus' insight into human nature is very compelling. I don't look for books recommended by Oprah, but I must admit that her book club certainly picks good ones. This is not a happy read, it does not warm your heart, in fact it makes you want to shake someone to their senses, but it's definintely worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: like gawking at a train wreck
Review: Synopsis: An irresponsible, alcoholic, home-wrecker hooks up with an adulterous, crooked cop. Together, they destroy the lives of a prideful, complicitous, wife-beater, his put-upon family members, and themselves. Compared to this, daytime TV is a cerebral experience. No surprise Oprah picked this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly draining
Review: I listened to the book on tape in my car, and found myself so depressed and anxious when I left the car. Kathy Nicollo is the type of person I would consider trash, and would not keep company with if I knew her in real life. A 36-year old woman who throws out notices about overdue-taxes ? Anyone at that age who doesn't bother to straighten things out deserves what they get. Oh, and this woman has no female friends whatsoever to turn to when her husband leaves her and she is evicted ? Come on ! I found myself screaming at the character (my tape-player) and wanted to smack her in the face. Is this really what reading a book should be like ? The only thing that kept me listening was wanting to see her "get it" in the end, see her get her just desserts, and even that wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be. What a disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: great plot and characterization
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were very original and well-developed. The clash between the Behrani family and Kathy is interesting because of the difference of cultures. The transition between point of views is well done, and lends great merit to the novel. I especially enjoyed it having lived in San Francisco - all of the places were familiar to me. Well researched!
Rating:
Summary: Dysfunctional City by the Bay
Review: By sheer willpower, I managed to get through 60% of this book before heaving it into the fireplace and watching it finally bring a little heat and light into the world. I am sure that is a happier ending than the author had in mind for his work, but it was the best I could manage under the circumstances. Not a single character in this book is worth wasting your time getting to know. If they lived in my neighborhood, I would move out at night with no forwarding address !
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable
Review: Although this book is well written, I found it to be unbelievable and I didn't like ANY of the characters. I was glad to get through it so I could move on to almost anything else!
Rating:
Summary: True To Life
Review: This was a very straight forward scenerio. So many times we see things of this nature arise. A mistake by a government agency and the unfair outcome it has on innocent people. This was a very well written story even though it had a depressing outcome.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Is OK But Not Great
Review: The author penned a good picture of how different the "family" oriented foreign people are compared to the "self" oriented American people are. That's the only thing that kept this book interesting, other than that, I really thought this was a rather slow read. Most of Oprah's books are terrific but this one isn't that good in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: I think for some readers, a novel which is "disturbing" is analagous to one that is "bad". The House of Sand and Fog certainly is, among other things, distrubing. It does not follow a predictable, cookie-cutter plot formula. Perhaps we've all spent too much time being seduced by the Hollywood version of life - complete with all details neatly tied up into a happy ending. I feel this book more accurately reflects the reality of life and our own interactions with our fellow man. The characters in the book are flawed and, therefore, very human. I both loved and loathed them - particularly the Colonel, Lester, and Kathy. More importantly, I recognized them and their characteristics, both in myself and in those I know. As other reviewers of this book have mentioned, I did find myself putting the book down for a day or so, primarily because its unflinching look at life and tragedy DID make me uncomfortable. But it isn't necessarily a bad thing to be uncomfortable - in so being, we grow as humans. The author, as also mentioned in a number of other reviews, constantly shifted his point of view, which made it impossible to "take sides" - something I think we generally love to do in a novel or movie. In my case, this device allowed me to really look at the issues - not just root for one character or another. No,this novel is not perfect. It did, however, really make me pause and think. I read voraciously and it isn't all that often that a story will trigger such musings. I would highly recommend this novel.
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