Rating: 
Summary: Inauthentic Dysfunction
Review: I'm shocked at the success of this book! It is Horrible! It is another edition of the genre Oprah seems to love...unsympathetic, dysfunctional characters crashing headlong into a life of victimization. Only this book is poorly researched and poorly written. What Bay Area or California resident would refer to San Francisco as "Frisco"? Not one. Who has sympathy for a woman who never opens her mail thus missing out on the fact that her house is about to be auctioned off? Sure, it is all a mistake, but we are supposed to feel outrage on this woman's behalf despite the fact that her lifetime of poor choices and blind denial have led to this moment. The cop's obsession with this woman, leading to his ultimate ruin is inexplicable. Sure, she is pretty, but dumb as a rock. He is a loose cannon whose final actions cannot be explained by his sexual obsession with this woman. Mr. Behrani wants to be sympathetic; who doesn't feel bad that he can't find a job in his field of expertise? Yet his actions are always beyond reason and extreme. He is deplorable. I detested every character in this book, with the possible exception of Mrs. Behrani, whose shrouded lifestyle was a product of culture, rather than her own making. The ending is contrived and unbelievable for many reasons, although I don't want to ruin it for those who manage to persevere that long. My advice? Don't bother. Go beat your head against the wall for a more satisfying masochistic experience. There are so many wonderful novels out there--try Daughter of Fortune, or The Shipping News. Leave the dysfunction to Oprah. (Sorry Oprah, you do great works, but your taste in books, yuck!)
Rating: 
Summary: An accurate picture of America today
Review: House of Sand and Fog is a wonderfully written book, poetic and starkly realistic at the same time. I could feel the strong ties that both protagonists (Kathy Nicolo and Massoud Behrani) had for the piece of property that was being fought over. A "back cover review" claims that the reader will feel empathy for both sides, but I must say I sided with the Behrani's. I do not think it was incidental to the plot that the author made the present owners of the house immigrants. Both Kathy and the frustrated cop Lester have prejudices, which works against a reasonable resolution to the story. It's a sadly accurate picture of our society today.
Rating:
Summary: bleak house
Review: This novel has achieved deserved popularity -- somewhat surprisingly since it is densely written and not a terribly easy read. Nevertheless, it is a gripping story, well told, and difficult to put down. There are parallel novels in American literature, but that does not detract from the merits of this book. The story is about an immigrant Iranian family, the Beharanis, searching for success in its adopted land, a lower middle class American woman, Kathy Nicholo, and a policeman, Lester Burdon. The story is told alternatively in the voices of Colonel Beharani, formerly of the Army of the Shah of Iran, Kathy, and occasionaly in the third person, of Lester. Kathy's home is seized in error by the office of the tax collector and she is evicted. The house is bought by Beharani at an auction for one third of its market value. The book is concerned to unravel the tangle. The unravelling does not succeed and tragedy results to all the major protagonists of the novel. There are elements of Shakespearean tragedy here and of American realism. The story will bear a number of reasons and the author, commendably, is absent in his own voice. I don't read the book as a social criticism of the United States. Instead, to me the story operates on a type of religious level. It shows the wellsprings of human behavior in greed, hostility, and ignorance and in the tendency we all share to be judgmental and overly moralizing when it comes to our fellows. There is a thin veneeer that separates the lives of most of us from tragedy and violence and in this story, alas, the veneer proves insufficient. The story teaches reflection, dispassion, and forbearance -- lessons valuable in 20th century American, in Iran, and in every other place and time.
Rating:
Summary: I just don't see the attraction....
Review: I stalled out at page 70. Dubus' characterizations are tediously long and his writing is sloppy. He's already referred to various characters' eyes "being moist" about 4 times--a small detail, but one that really annoyed me. The author has also made a few mistakes about Bay Area facts, which is distracting to anyone familiar with the community. Finally, I have tried to get interested in his characters, but I can't empathize with Kathy or Behrani. Call me a quitter, but I'm moving on.
Rating: 
Summary: HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
Review: I BEGAN READING THIS BOOK ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND IT HAS BEEN A REAL STRUGGLE TO PUT IT DOWN. I AM ALMOST DONE READING IT. I NEVER EXPECTED THE ENDING TO TURN OUT THE WAY IT HAS. WHAT A REALLY GREAT BOOK,I WOULD DEFINATELY READ MORE BOOKS BY ANDRE DUBUS.THANKS TO ORPAH FOR ALL THE BOOKS SHE RECOMMENDS,THE ONES I READ SO FAR HAVE ALL BEEN VERY GOOD.
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up
Review: Don't start this book unless you have a lot of time, because you will forsake everything else to finish it. The story is told through the eyes of the Colonel, Kathy and Sheriff Burdon - each in turn giving their spin on the same set of events. The reader gradually begins to understand why these perceptions are so different but the characters never do understand each other. I couldn't help but think that if these three tragic people had reached beyond their own fears to look through each others eyes, the ending would have been much different. But I suppose it seldom works that way in life.
Rating: 
Summary: Wooden dialogue, silly plotting, shabby characterization
Review: This book is a poor excuse for literature. None of it rings true. The Persian character is a stereotype, and his way of expressing himself is stilted and not credible. The plot is a mess. The characters are shallow and not believable. This is the equivalent of pulp fiction. Why read this when there are truly talented writers like Joyce Carol Oates and Kazuo Ishiguro plying their craft?
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing Realities of Life
Review: This was a great book, even though it was also disturbing and sad. It's a great example how one innocent mistake can escalate into tragedy just from singular decisions that seem right at the time. But, when all the decisions come together, what was so right suddenly becomes very wrong. I am anxious for this author's next release.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Andre Dubus has an uncanny ability to write from a woman's point of view. He reminds me of Scott Turow, in that ability. The female character's growing desperation and disassociation are palpable. His characters leak a sad nobility while moving inexorably toward a human lack of it. Beautifully written.
Rating:
Summary: It's about the journey
Review: I enjoyed this book on many levels. As a woman, I am delighted to finally sympathize with a male character. The story is believable, realistic, and well told. It's simplicity at its finest: Behrani wants to keep the house and restore peace to his family; and Kathy, who is wrongly evicted, struggles to get the house returned to her. In the end, the worst possible things happen and it is not a "Hollywood" ending, but if you've ever seen the real Hollywood, you know it's not all hugs and happy endings. This book is about the journey these characters travel, not their tragic ends. This book cannot be summed up by the last chapter. In many ways it's a beautiful ending, especially if you believe in the soul. What would have happened if Romeo and Juliet had just run away together, opened up a B & B, had a few ordinary children, lived to ripe old ages and then died peacefully of natural causes? YAWN!
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