Rating: 
Summary: very well written , and an attention grabber
Review: I am only fifteen years old but when I saw this book in the store the adorable picture on the front caught my eye, I thought that it was something I wanted to read. I have never read a book over six hundred pages and I am glad that I made the choice to make this one my first, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!, I still remember my mom coming in the room and telling me to go to sleep when it was already around twelve o'clock at night , and I would say "just one more chapter" and I would read the next three, I really , really enjoyed this book and would recomend it to adults and teens alike. I have a grandmother who is schizoprenic so I related to Dominic in this book , my grandmother was not as paranoid about the governments trying to kill her but she was paranoid about her own children trying to kill her , and her grandchildren trying to kill her so she did not come around to see us very much. But all in all I would recomend this book to everyone that knows anything about this disease , or doesn't and just wants a good read. Natalie, Ontario
Rating:
Summary: More Lamb please!
Review: I have to admit, I was wondering what Wally Lamb could possible say that could hold my interest for 1000 pages. Having never read any of his other novels, I was skeptical. I was interrupted in the first few chapters, had to put it down, but once I picked it back up I finished it in a weekend!! Forget sleeping & eating folks!Wally Lamb creates not only the story of identical twins, but also an entire weaving family background that spans generations. Dominick feels trapped in so many ways, the final wishes of a dying woman & the responsibility of taking care of his mentally ill twin brother who is forever in and out of institutions. Wally loops you through the generations by way of the grandfather's journal halfway through the book, which is absolutely spectacular. It's uncanny how much Wally taps dances on the edge of so many subjects without making them seem TOO unreal. You ask yourself, "Can one man really go through this much in a lifetime?" With the mentally ill brother, the weak mother, and a plethora of other lifetime woes, Dominick is heading downhill quickly. You wonder how he gets up in the morning and continues to put one foot in front of the other each and every day? It's reality at its best folks, and Wally makes it seem not only plausible but also possible. How often has one wondered, "Why am I going through this?" this book leads you to examine a bit about yourself in such circumstances. The book makes you ask questions, you wouldn't ordinarily ask. Think of things, you wouldn't ordinarily think. Feel emotions, you haven't felt in awhile. I love how Wally ultimately lets Dominick find himself in the end. The journal is key, and helps set him free from the onerous burden he's felt over half his life. But, it's only after circumstances beyond his control, and finding out secrets he never could have imagined. I was a bit miffed at the quick rap-up, where all the frayed pieces seemingly fall together neat and tight in the span of the last 15 or so pages. It seemed to cheat the reader of the reality and quality of what Wally has created in the other 950 or so pages. I would have liked to see a more powerful ending, instead of a quick neat, predictable one. This was a fabulous read.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling, interesting, and realistic literary journey.
Review: I work in the field of mental health and can't say enough good stuff about this book. It is so realistic that I kept thinking I was reading non-fiction. I intend to recommend it to all family members of schizophrenics, all staff (even our psychiatrists), and all of my colleagues in the field. I laughed out loud, cried, and was most of all entertained. I read (devoured) this book in one weekend. What a fantastic novel!
Rating:
Summary: This book is extraordinary
Review: I loved everything from the seriousness to the humour. I can relate to the many storylines that are found inside. For a good read...and lots of time...you must read this book! It's a tough book to put down!
Rating:
Summary: A story that wraps itself around your own story.
Review: When reading a story affords you the luxury of knowing what happens next in spite of good tale-telling, you are, if you're gracious, grateful for the respite of a good story amidst life's goings on. But when the story wraps itself around your own story and reveals none of its secrets until you're ready--along with the characters in the story--well...then the only explanation is that you're reading greatness. Lie down with the lions, Mr. Lamb.
Rating: 
Summary: If you love misery, read this one!
Review: An interesting book, well worth reading--if you don't mind being mildly depressed. Not my style--I prefer adventure and mystery--but a wonderfully accurate illustration of the complex and shifting patterns of human relationships. A MUST READ for anyone with a close relationship to someone with schizophrenia.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read!!!!!
Review: I have never heard of Wally Lamb. I was getting ready for my vacation and needed a nice long book for the beach so I purchaced "I know this much is true". I started reading it two weeks before my vacation, and now need a new book for my vacation. I read the book in less than two weeks. I could not put it down. I would get up early and go to bed late so I could read a few pages. I even read on the way to work when I had to stop for a red light. Wally Lamb, I now know who you are and look foward to your next book.
Rating:
Summary: A book I didn't want to end and cried when it did!!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. Wally Lamb captures the complexities and dysfunction that all of us face at somethime in our lives. I loved Thomas and understood Dominick's obsession, protectiveness, embasarssament, and co-dependent relationship with him. I also enjoy Wally's off-beat sense of humor which shows up now and then right when you need it to. This has become an all-time favorite of mine. The last paragraph is so eloquent. I missed the characters for days after I finished the book. They had become a part of my family. Can't wait for Wally's next book, but his one will be hard to top!! Thanks Wally Lamb for some of the most enjoyable reading I have ever experienced.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely touching
Review: This book is riveting from beginning to end. To the person "who breezed through it," you missed much. You have to stop and breathe and think when you are reading this book. To the person who said "this many things cannot happen in one person's life," you are wrong. They can, and they have to me and many other people. Lamb's writing and plot are haunting. So much for the people who said there was no plot. This is a "slice of life" genre. To those who want "action" thrillers, read something else. This story is about the deepest feelings and experiences a person can have. Dominick is a sympathetic character from the beginning; it is no doing of his that his brother is schizophrenic. He reacts as any person would. He is a small boy trying to live in a dysfunctional home. He is never intentionally cruel to his brother. Throughout their lives, Dominick takes care of his brother as best he can while living with terrible problems of his own. Those who do not find Dominick a hero have not lived very long or through very much. For those who think it has a happy ending, the story is not over. That doesn't mean there will be a sequel. For the character Dominick, life will go on, perhaps not happily. This book and Mr. Lamb's telling of the story is one which will make you cry, and stop a moment to think. There are many telling phrases: "One cannot go forward without going back." I can add my own, to which Dominick would say, "You cannot let go of the pain as long as it still hurts."
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, one to revisit over and over!!
Review: This was a truly touching story. I didn't think I'd be able to get into it because I'm only 14 and the length was intimidating but as soon as I started reading the first few lines, I was trapped into finishing it as fast as I possibly could. I'd suggest this book to anyone who can read! (And to those who cannot, how are you reading this, may I ask?) A wonderful story, worth reading again and again and sharing with family and friends!
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