In the Lake of the Woods

Rating:
Summary: I found the book extreamly intreaging
Review: I thought that "In the lake of the woods" was a wonderful book. It's post modern structure is wonderful, making reading the book a interesting experiance, while also adding a great sense of reader interactivity to the story. I am impressed with Tim O'Brian's efforts in "In the lake of the woods", he combines a wonderful combination of fact and fiction in creating a brilliant piece of work.

Rating:
Summary: good book
Review: This is an excellent book. like alot of reviewers, i'm a year 12 student doing this book as a text. it's really deep but definitely worth reading if you want something that you have to get into a bit

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was disappointed in the character development of this book. I never really got to know any of the characters enough to have empathy for any of them. I was not able to internalize the pain and anguish which I think was the authors' intention. A real mish mosh of information.

Rating:
Summary: What a masterpiece
Review: I am also doing the VCE in Australia, and am currently reading "In the Lake of the Woods" for my examination. In brief, I thought the novel was marvellous, and certainly informed and encouraged my readings of other post-modernist texts. I found the book to be enthralling and am glad that my Year 12 was inspired by a wonderfully written book.

Rating:
Summary: chilling
Review: This book freaked me out. It pushes your reset button and you enter an insane world for a thrilling journey. I literally had to put this book down ,half way through, for a few weeks to compose myself. O'Brien is a master and his book is not for the meek or weak minded. This is serious fiction. Beware and enjoy his vision of madness.

Rating:
Summary: A depressing look at the life of a troubled couple.
Review: I just finished reading comments of other readers and I disagree with them so strongly that I must express my opinion that this book was depressing, not particularly well written and the characters were so unappetizing that I didn't really care what happened to them. I would have rated this book "no stars" but I wasn't given this option.

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Summary: Raw and Brutal Psychological Thriller
Review: This well crafted novel has all of the ambiguity of Akutagawa Ryonosuke's RASHOMON. The novel poses one moral question after another to the reader, frames the events of the novel beside historical excerpts, psychological studies, and fictional premise. It is the reader's responsibility to draw conclusions, if that's possible. This book is not for the squeamish or the reader who wants to be spoon-fed plot. It is a deeply disturbing and challenging read. The Kirkus reviewer's careless and shallow reading of the novel does disservice to what is usually a reliable source for literary criticism.

Rating:
Summary: haunting
Review: Thought-provoking, gorgeously written, and well worth reading. This book will haunt you long after you put it down.

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Summary: Comments on using the book as a Yr 12 VCE novel
Review: I am currently studying year 12 and we have just read the novel In The Lake of The Woods. As part of our work requirements, we are required to read this novel and do a reprt on specific features in the novel. I feel as a book itself it was a an awful novel. The book constantly jumps back and forwards, making it extemly difficult for the reader to understand the plot. I had to read the book three times before i even understood what was happening, and then i had to reaqd it another 2 times after that, so that i could make notes on the novel. Although i liked the way the book didn't have a ending, rather just a number of hypotthesis, I feel that book was rubbish and when i have finished writing my reprt i will be throwing the book out.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, mysterious and sad
Review: Typically when I read contemporary fiction, satisfaction in the novel is gained in its conclusion and resolution. This novel has no conslusion and certainly no resolution, however, I came away as satisfied as I ever have. The sadness surrounding the story does not hinge on exactly what happened to Kathy at the lake, but rather with the loss of innocence in war and the disintegration of a once beautiful, albeit disfunctional, relationship. I must admit, as a 24-year old male with very little emotions when it comes to reading novels, I was surprised at myself as the tears openly flowed while reading the final ten pages. I highly recommend this book to anyone in my generation, as it provides insight to the horrors of war beyond the battlefield.