Rating: 
Summary: In the Lake of the Woods
Review: Tim O'Brien has written a absolutly compelling tale of what War can do to a human spirit. It also is a love story, mystery, or fictional fantasy. Through out the book I found myself reaching for the unknown mystery that O'Brien in the end leaves up in the air. With a twisted plot and a laboring toil between styles of writting seen through out the book, I found, In the Lake of the Woods, a most read, two thumbs up book. O'Briens form of writting consistently shows parralles with many other contemporary writters of our time. There is no perfectly layed out endings. There are unknown answers. Also there are jumps between the plot, or breaks. These leave the reader in suspense for the unknown answer. Over all O'Briens style of writting left me deeply intriqued. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasantly Unclear
Review: I chose to read this book for my English class. I may have procrastinated the reading, but when I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. O'Brien manipulates you on the outlook of every aspect of this novel; this keeps you guessing and yearning for answers. He kept the characteristics of the individuals in this story very vague; I suppose it is our job as readers to draw conclusions. What I found most disappointing about this novel is the ending. After going through an emotional roller coaster O'Brien leaves you stranded and confused in the end. O'Brien doesn't give enough information in the conclusion of the story to make any type of closure in your understanding of the novel.
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Summary: OBrien's Best Book
Review: Of the four Tim O'brien books I've read, this one was the best. So compelling and shocking that I was forced to put the book down more than once just to get myself together. In his classic style, the reader spends two thirds of the book struggling to piece together what's really going on from what's going on in the character's mind. The book assumes a quality not unlike being suspended between dreaming and awake, a confusing arena where one sees parts of themselves they never knew, or perhaps wished never, existed.Though the book is touted mostly as a "Vietnam" book, it really focuses on the dark side of all of us and only uses the Vietnam card as a starting point for his own personal horrors. The book speaks just as well to anyone who has haunting skeletons in the closet from past adventures and experiences. Creepy. Absolutely compelling story. Where most authors struggle to provide one or two good insights into human nature and the truth of life, O'brien pinpoints at least a dozen zingers. This was perhaps my favorite book of all time.
Rating:
Summary: A remarkable book
Review: To some, it will be a mystery; to others, a Vietnam novel; to others, a study of a relationship. Whatever it means to you, this is one of the most challenging, profoundly moving books you will read. I am flabbergasted at some of the reviews here of folks disappointed that it is not all wrapped up in a nice neat bow for you at the end. Folks: that's the point (or at least, part of it). Moreover, O'Brien TELLS you right up front, those who like certainty and finality should stop reading immediately, because, as in life, there are no easy answers. As a reader, that's what makes this book enjoyable to me.
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Summary: The effects of war on the human spirit
Review: I am sophmore in high school and I just finished this book for my world his. class. I personaly was not intrigued by the plot, I feel O'Brien did not build any deepth to his characters. But I felt compeled by his exploration on the effects of war on the human spirit and I apreciated how he displayed it with collections of quotes. I also feel O'Brien tryed to develop very complex characters but with out making any conections or relevance to the plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Tedium embodied
Review: This was a tough book to stick through. I found it confusing and repetitous...and upon finishing the book I was left feeling empty because the story never resolved itself. The book looked at the raise and detremental fall of a Politician in Minnesota and how this lead to the disappearence of his wife. It leads the reader through many confusing hypothesis and court depositions to really come up with nothing in the end. I found myself quite disappointed with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book
Review: This is a very interesting book, different from most other books by O'Brien. But I have to say that I enjoyed other books much more than this one. I agree with the last review from Switzerland on the lack of character development of this book. However, I thought this book is still worth of reading. It opened up the endless possibilities to life, and endless ways of interpret them.
Rating: 
Summary: Terribly Disappointing
Review: I really wanted to like this book because I've enjoyed other works by Tim O'Brien but I was terribly disappointed. I'm not a reader who looks for an easy ending, but I do want a satisfying one, whether that ending be happy or sad, whether it answers all questions or leaves some of them unanswered. In the Lake of the Woods, however, exhibits no emotional power. Essentially a character study, it fails to give us a character TO study. Both John and his wife, Kathy, are shallow people and not developed enough to care what happens to them or their marriage. I don't care if Kathy met a lover, was risky, or was killed. Nor do I care who killed her. Had O'Brien done his job, I would have cared deeply. I'm sure we're meant to identify with John Wade's anguish and pain, but I just couldn't. He wasn't real for me. I need A LITTLE MORE character development than "Kath. Oh, Kath," to feel empathy for anyone.
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Summary: An outstanding author's most outstanding book
Review: I "stumbled" upon Tim Obrien and his work when I read "Lake" for a literature class. I have never been so pleasantly surprised by a required reading. I could have kissed my professor for introducing me to a writer who's work I would consume voraciously through the years. Once again, Obrien uses his Vietnam experience as a wallpaper to outstanding fiction. I must say "Lake" is quite different than his other pieces.This book is bold in it's language and subtle in its message. Do not read if you enjoy being spoonfed a moral or message. This book leads you to make decisions for yourself and may truly give insight into how you think and view the world and other people. Would YOU drag the lake for bodies or go searching on nearby islands for reunited lovers? I just love this book.
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Summary: Give yourself space to appreciate this novel.
Review: I bought the hardcover when it was published but it took me five years to actually sit down and read it. I read "If I Die In A Combat Zone" as a high school junior in 1980, and have bought and read Tim O'Brien books ever since. Why did it take so long to read? Reading Tim O'Brien requires concentration and an emotional space where you can reflect on his message. I didn't want to read it when I was in a great mood because I knew it would bring me down. Similarly, I didn't want to read it when I was depressed because I wouldn't be able to appreciate his understated message of hope for the human heart. So I waited until I was on a pretty even keel yet also feeling introspective. This is not a book for anyone seeking easy answers. I am often frustrated reading authors who present one dimensional characters who are entirely predictable and understandable. How many people are really like that? The most interesting people are enigmatic, and this book presents hypothesis rather than solutions. I would have felt let down by a stock dime store ending where the author tied up all the loose ends and left me nothing to reflect upon. Tim O'Brien's message is that the questions he presents the reader are more important than any answer that he might propose. How well does one person truly know another? Why do our loved ones love us? Are we defined by our history, or may we transcend it? Thank you, Tim O'Brien, for not attempting to answer these questions for me. Thank you also for giving me a framework to ponder them.
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