Ordinary People

Rating:
Summary: The Price of Perfection
Review: The Jarretts are the perfect family leading a perfect life in a perfect world: wealthy, respectable, an expensive house in an exclusive neighborhood, European vacations, Texas golf trips. But perfection comes at a price, and when older son Buck dies in a boating accident and surviving son Conrad attempts suicide the difference between the American dream and American reality becomes painfully apparent. The mask of perfection cracks, and those who hide behind it find themselves emotionally unable to rebuild their lives.

Judith Guest brings the reader into the story at the middle, shortly after son Conrad's release from the hospital--and with a somewhat sparse but remarkably eloquent style quickly develops the characters that people Conrad's world as he fights to find balance between his parents and himself, as he works desperately to find a way out of the expectation of perfection imposed upon him by both himself and the society in which he moves.

Guest's characters move with considerable reality and a touching humanity above the novel's unexpectedly complex underpinnings, and the author's prose is smooth, easy to read and understand, and completely faultless. Among the most astonishing elements of the work is the fact that Guest writes the entire novel in the present tense--a risky choice, but one which she brings off with amazing skill. A beautifully written novel and a powerful look at the downside of the American dream. Strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: realistic drama, well written
Review: five stars for this book. the story is balanced between the narration of a son, conrad and his father, calvin as they struggle to recover from a death in the family. each character reacts differently to conrad brother's death. whats most interesting is the stream of conscious conrad has. the book is well written and not confusing. another reviewer reported the book "confusing" but only dumb readers would be confused between the switching narration. highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Confused!
Review: When I began to read this story I was confused, in the first chapter the narrator swithces all the time and you can't figure out if Mr. Jarrett or Conrad is narrating, then I thought it was just one person. Guest makes it seem that Cal, short for Calvin, is a girl, but then skipping forward I found out that it was a guy. I didn't even bother to read the end because after trying to re-read what you read it's more confusing then the first time. This book is for slow, boring readers, and I bet they won't even understand. There's a part about carbon monixide death, and where Conrad is thinking of something when he try's to sleep but that part does not make any sense, it just wastes time. If you want to be confused, this is the book for you!

Rating:
Summary: Breaking the Silence
Review: This book was challenged because it was deemed obscene and depressing and for dealing with adolescent suicide. I don't understand how not talking about suicide will prevent teens from attempting to take away their lives. In fact, it is not talking which causes Conrad to attempt suicide in the first place. The story begins after Conrad is back from the institution he lived in after his suicide attempt and how he tries to reintegrate himself into his family and his school life. His new sense of his world makes him keenly aware of how much is not talked about and how his life is mostly appearances. Look happy and keep quiet. But, he can no longer live this way. Interesting book to read with "I had not meant to tell you this"-a book that also revolves around secrets and not talking. My only concern is that it is told both from the perspective of Conrad and of his father, and I wonder if the students would be interested in the fathers point of view. More appropriate for older readers, 8th grade and above.

Rating:
Summary: Oridinary People
Review: Ordinary People is a masterpiece. It's very well written, has a good plot and is interesting. I related well to this book, because I think we've all been there. We've all been down in the dumps, maybe not to the extent of trying to kill yourself, but people deal with pain differently. I reccommend this book to anyone who needs a good book to read!

Rating:
Summary: A very nice piece of lit
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I related to this book so much, not because I've ever been suicidal or anything like that, but because Conrad is an adolescent trying to find himself in the world. Being an adolescent male, I was really amazed with how Judith Guest quite remarkably has captured Conrad. Everything about Conrad is so believable. I really felt that I WAS Conrad and I could relate to him in so many ways.

Really wonderful book. I strongly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: One More Meeting
Review: Judith Guest captures the struggle of one family getting over the loss of a loved one so flawlessly that you feel what the characters feel. The novel follows the family as they try to cope with the effects of death. Conrad, the younger son, tries to get his life back in order while going to school and regular appointments with a psychiatrist. The family, though, somewhat divided comes together at the end having survived the hardship. The style of writing contributes to it's overall appeal and keeps you interested. In Ordinary People you lose yourself in the book and you can't put it down. I recommend this book if you enjoy stories of struggle and triumph.

Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: "Ordinary People" a novel by Judith Guest, had a pretty strong affect on me.

I borrowed the book from a classmate during "free time" in history and I started to read it. I got to chapter two before the bell rang and after school i went to the library to pick it up. I managed to finish it in three days.

I related so much to this book in ways that I thought I would never relate to a book. I felt that Conrad was one of my friends; I felt that I had known him for a long time.

The only confusing thing about this novel was the way that Guest switched between Conrad and Mr. Jarrett narrating the story. After a while, though, I could figure out who was talking because the very different points of view.

I thought that the title was very appropriate for the whole book. Each character--Beth the mom, Calvin the dad, and Conrad the son-- are striving to be "normal"; they also want to become a normal family. At the same time, it made me question what a "normal" person was, what a "normal" family was. Is a normal family the family with both the parents happy with each other and their child or children? Or is it some other living arrangement and living conditions? I think it's the latter. In this day and age I haven't met very many people who are happily married.

I feel that Guest did a good job of expressing each characters perspective. I felt myself asking the same questions Calvin asked of himself, wanting the same things Conrad wanted of himself, and feeling the same coldness that Beth felt.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It has such a simple plot, but such real characters. Guest also has a beautiful way of writing and depicting each character, major or minor.

Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: “Ordinary People” a novel by Judith Guest, had a pretty strong affect on me.

I borrowed the book from a classmate during “free time” in history and I started to read it. I got to chapter two before the bell rang and after school I went to the library to pick it up. I managed to finish it in three days.

I related so much to this book in ways that I thought I would never relate to a book. I felt that Conrad was one of my friends; I felt that I had known him for a long time.

The only confusing thing about this novel was the way that Guest switched between Conrad and Mr. Jarrett narrating the story. After a while, though, I could figure out who was talking because the very different points of view.

I thought that the title was very appropriate for the whole book. Each character-- Beth the mom, Calvin the dad, and Conrad the son-- are striving to be “normal”; they also want to become a normal family. At the same time, it made me question what a “normal” person was, what a “normal” family was. Is a normal family the family with both the parents happy with each other and their child or children? Or is it some other living arrangement and living conditions? I think it’s the latter. In this day and age I haven’t met very many people who are happily married.

I feel that Guest did a good job of expressing each characters perspective. I felt myself asking the same questions Calvin asked of himself, wanting the same things Conrad wanted of himself, and feeling the same coldness that Beth felt.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It has such a simple plot, but such real characters. Guest also has a beautiful way of writing and depicting each character, major or minor.

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary book
Review: This book is a great coming-of-age story. The unique twist that Guest puts in the story, however, is that the character who is coming of age has already hit his turning point before the story begins. Many coming-of-age books focus on the character's turning point within the story.Judtih Guest makes the characters in the story so real, they all seem like people we all know. There is the mother who is cold and emotionless because of the death of her son. The angered teenager. The mid-life father, who seems to be having trouble with his marriage. The title of the book creates an ironic story. The characters are not ordinary, but they are very real. The title is a reflection of each character's longing to be ordinary. Everyone in the book wants to be portrayed as normal, yet no one in the story is. The story is heart-touching, and the struggle that Calvin goes through to help his marriage and that Conrad goes through to cope with the death of his brother are depicted in a very true fashion. Judith Guest does a great job at capturing the pain and anguish that comes with understanding and forgiveness. Conrad needs to forgive himself. Beth, Conrad's mother, needs to forgive Conrad. The two characters have a ruined relationship as a result of Conrad's suicide attempt. Each character realizes that the other cannot forgive him/her. Calvin goes through a ridiculous amount of pain while trying to understand Beth. Guest makes it clear that the characters are not the 'normal' happy couple they once were. I suggest this book to anyone who enjoys reading books in which the main character must overcome a great obstacle to mature.