I Know This Much Is True

Rating:
Summary: This book reached into my heart and grabbed my soul
Review: I was completely taken by She's Come Undone, but never expected I Know This Much Is True to touch me the way it did. It took me on such an emotional ride. At times it was difficult to read on and endure Thomas' pain or Dominick's anguish, but I did read on and am thankful I did. The end was a little neat, considering the emotional mess the book details. The tears pouring out of my eyes on the last few pages must mean the end wasn't disappointing. Finishing the book was. I feel like I said goodbye to my closest friends.

Rating:
Summary: Humbling
Review: I needed to read this book. I read it at a time in my life when I was depressed. When I read the last page, everything came together for me. I needed to humble myself and FORGIVE everyone I was blaming for my shortcomings. It was life-changing for me, not to mention humorous along the way.

Rating:
Summary: Don't be intimidated by the width of this book!!!
Review: I stayed up until midnight last night finishing this novel--spent the whole two weeks prior compelled to read about the lives of Thomas and Dominick Birdsey. Lamb's second fiction novel is nothing less than superb. He manages to include Desert Storm, family dynamics, Native American issues, SIDS, used-car politics, AIDS, new-age therapy, and the pursuit of true love in this novel to create a blend of real life that is impossible to put down. This is one of the great ones!

Rating:
Summary: Spell-binding.
Review: This book-on-tape stayed with us and haunted us for some time. The psychological insights were thought provoking. We should all be so lucky as to have the protagonist's shrink. (She seemed insightful and didn't waste time.) My only complaint - and this may be due to us inadvertently missing a portion of the audio - is that we did not hear how he came into money. I hope it was our listening error and not bad editing on the part of the audio producer. Looking forward to reading/hearing more of Mr. Lamb's books.

Rating:
Summary: Don't miss out on this book!
Review: It was great reading. I'm amazed that a writer can put such an insightful and powerful piece of fiction together in one book. No matter what your life situation, this story will touch you.

Rating:
Summary: C'mon, people, get a grip on yourselves
Review: Months after finishing this book, I like it much less in retrospect. I'm also appalled at the large number of 5-star reviews it's garnered here--obviously, Oprah inspires a lot of people to read particular titles who don't very often read books in general. Five stars?!? You've got to be kidding me. This book wears its very considerable flaws on its sleeve; the _deux ex machina_ are hokey and unrelenting; and, as writing, the whole soppy mess is practically the definition of "undisciplined." I think a lot of people may have discovered to their wonderment that hey, yes, it *is* possible to locate an analog of their favorite sappy TV show between hardcovers, but they ought to get a grip. This may be way-above-average trash, but it's still firmly anchored in that genre. If you're a real reader, you might well do better elsewhere--despite the torrent of gushy responses here.

Rating:
Summary: It's a book you don't want to put down.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I highly reccommed this book to everyone. I give this book 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Profoundly moving; disappointing ending
Review: This insightfull book has the makings of a great classic: murder, mistery, lunacy, violence, compassion, redemption, self-discovery, altruism, selfishness, cultural revelations, horror and forgiveness. But, inspite of the amazing discoveries and revelations about the depths of the human soul, specially the struggles between a "sane" and an "unsane" twin sibling, the ending is rather disappointing. It strikes this reader that the troublesome misteries in the life of Mr. Birdsey, the protagonist, all come to an almost picture perfect ending. Wally Lamb cannot resist the temptation of resolving the disappointing and troubling secrets that plague Mr. Birdsey's life. It seems that the trend in North American literature (novels) is that a discerning public cannot handle anything else than a "Cinderella" ending. Nevertheless, this is a brilliant book and a magnificent read with incredible insights right up to its "perfect" end.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: So often I am disappointed by books that are hyped by 'celebrities'. This book delivered and then some. It's a beautiful if somewhat painful look at life. It was well worth all the sleep I missed reading it! I liked it better than 'She's Come Undone'.

Rating:
Summary: the best book I've ever read!
Review: At the end of this book, I sobbed. This book is a testament to the power of healing, growth and acceptance. The realization that to make peace within yourself is ultimatly the only answer. It has changed my life!