Rating: 
Summary: All-time Favorite Book. Everyone I give it to - LOVES IT!!!
Review: No words can describe how incredible this book really is. A one sentence description would be: a twin, whose brother is a paranoid schizophrenic, is making himself "crazy" (and everyone around him) while he waits to go "mental" like his brother. This book is an unbelievable ride that will not only make the hairs on your arms raise, but you will cry, laugh, gasp, and ache with a loss after it is complete. I couldn't read another book for weeks because I was unable to find another that could stand up to Wally Lamb's story. I still have not found another book more fulfilling. Because of Wally Lamb, I will never be satisfied with any old book. Coming from another writer - that's a huge compliment!
Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: I read Mr. Lamb's "She's Come Undone" and didn't really expect what I read here.I will have to tell you that sometimes, the story gets too wordy, but once you get started, it becomes hard not to get wrapped up in the Twin's life. Takes a while to read, but if you make it through, I think you'll like it.
Rating:
Summary: Reeling from it
Review: One of the privileges of being an author is the chance to play God with all the characters of your story. And if this book is anything to go by, Mr. Lamb is quite an ironic (and somewhat sadistic) god. Throughout the book, Dominick Birdsey is dished with problems so dysfunctional and numerous - ranging from rape, the death of a child, a failed marriage, insanity right up to suicide - that by the time the story hinted on incest, I went "O... my... God...". A little far-fetched if you ask me, but boy oh boy, can Lamb write!! The pace of the novel is simply mesmerizing and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself looking forward to going home from work and plunging into the next chapter of the life of Domenico Birdsey and Domenico Tempesta! Never has a novel elicited so much conflicting emotions from me -- I half hated the book (with his many stereotypical views on feminism, homosexuality...) and I absolutely loved it at the same time. But beware. The book needs time to settle in - one might be put off early on with Lamb's liberal use of the four-letter-word (as I was - at that time, I deemed it "unnecessarily crude") but that was only because I did not fully come to grasp with Domenick's anger. Later on, as the story beautifully unfolds, one can easily empathize with each and every one of his characters. I came out of this book reeling in thought -- how the book, ultimately, is about love, redemption, forgiveness and the need to "destroy and renovate" oneself to emerge a better person!! Bravo! I would love to give this book a 5-star rating, but due to some sad flaws (including a hastily-patched ending which I felt the book didn't deserve), I'd have to settle for 4. That said, I'm very much looking forward to Lamb's next novel. Overall, very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful journey but felt abruptly ejected at the end
Review: 900 pages does seem excessive for emotional abuse, anyone can agree with that. But being a fan of Lambs first novel (and greatly enjoying it) I went into this with high spirits. The first 150 pages were some of the most unbearably draining and difficult that I have ever tried to read. So I put the book down and thought never to read it again. I then reread 2 childhood favorites and a Stenibeck short story collection. Then I saw the book laying there on the floor and decided that my mother was going to get her $[$$] worth and I decided to try the book. It then absorbed me, and it was completed in less than 2 days. The reason I did not give this book 5 (*****) stars is because some of the statements were very offensive to Roman Catholics. There were also some extremely racits and derogotroy terms at random locations. Also, I was mildly dissapointed in the haste (waste) that he rushed through the and so ametuer way that he cut off the relationships with the characters we had grown to and even love.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I've read all of the reviews for this book and I am glad to see that everyone who has read it feels the way I do. One review says that it is almost emotionally draining. To say the least, those are the only words I could come up with to describe this book... It DOES drain you, but in a good way. I've already read it three times, and it is probably the best book I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: totally engrossing
Review: by far one of the best, if not the best, book I've ever read. A beautiful moving story of family relationships and the guilt we put upon ourselves when circumstances go completely awry and beyond our control. Wally Lamb is a terrific author.
Rating:
Summary: Intense
Review: This is about twins- one with schitzophrenia and one without. It is about the one who doesn't have it and the guilt and responsibility he feels. I am a twin as well and I had to read the book slowly so as not to be overwhelmed. I LOVED THIS BOOK! It came recommended to me and when I saw how long it was I was not looking forward to it- now I wish it never ended. Please read the book. You will find out things you never knew you never knew.
Rating:
Summary: Six stars!!
Review: This was one, if not the best book I have ever read. I'm an avid King/ Grisham/ Clancy reader and I had only heard of Lamb's other book, She's Come Undone. Since the genre of this novel seemed far from what I was accustomed to, I was a bit hesitant in committing to this 900 pager. However, my twin sister gave it to me and convinced me to read it - we have similar tastes and I always trust her judgement! Wally did an excellent job portraying the "twin bond" and also in exploring the depths of personal relationships of a man throughout his life. As far as the ending goes, I thought it was somewhat of a relief after the lengthy, somewhat depressing middle of the story. I'm one who thrives on fairy tale endings, although I wouldn't quite pin that cliche on this story. By the time I was finished with the book I felt emotionally drained! I read this book in about a week, which was probably not a good idea because I am in the middle of college finals. So if I fail chem, Wally, it's your fault! :)
Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: This is by far the best book I have ever read. Wally Lamb is an incredible storyteller and a lyrical genius. The way he weaves together the past with the present and future in the characters' lives is truly an art. Both men and women will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Meet Domenick
Review: Before I even start digging for words to review this... uh... (see, already lost for words)... MASTERPIECE (that word sounds entirely too trite for this work), I feel the need to make clear my personal bias toward I Know This Much is True, due to the fact that I may or may not be related to the protagonist. It's True- or is it?- Domenick Birdsey may or may not be my own brother! The copy of this novel at the library in my neighborhood was an edition that did not include a plot synopsis on the cover. This situation presents the reader with a gamble. Do I risk investing my time, attention, and potentially emotions in a 900 page novel that may be a story about something I have no interest in at all? I did (well, I had just finished falling in love with Delores in "She's Come Undone", Wally Lamb earned my interest there) and in retrospect I'm grateful that I wasn't aware of the general story, which allowed me to remain unaware of future plot events and to experience life as it met the characters. So here's a sufficient plot summary to potential readers of this book: "A guy named Domenick tells you what he knows". That's it, perfectly. Like Delores, Domenick is a character who narrates scenes, relationships, and thought processes of his life until middle age in an honest, non-judgemental tone that just feels good to read. Granted, the reader's heart will break more than a few times (like anyone's story, Domenick's story has many moments of pain), Wally Lamb does not allow Domenick's tone to wallow in negative feelings. This dynamic is quite complex, take this feat for instance: There are many places in Domenick's story in which he feels guilty for his relationship with his brother. He spends many therapy sessions discussing this feeling, he tells us in detail about sleepless nights and nightmares he has on the subject. At the same time, the voice of the writing- Domenick in 1st Person at about age 50 discussing his past- does not force a feeling of guilt on the reader. This reflective voice reads to us as someone who has healed at least to the point that he can separate his individual immediate state of mind at the time he is describing from his universal and current view of his life. Lamb's writing is refreshing in that it acknowledges the reader as someone capable enough to read such a human story, to cry with the characters without giving up on them. While reading this book, I found myself forgetting that Domenick was not a flesh and blood person. I caught myself more than once thinking I should call Domenick or remembering parts of his life as if I had been there. This powerful novel invited me into Domenick's conciousness. I Know This Much is True presented a human being so real to me that I grew to love and forgive him as though he were my own brother. I hope he's doing well, maybe I'll call him later...
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